DIPLOMARBEIT Titel der Diplomarbeit ”’One Ring to Rule Them All’: Tolkien on Screen. An Analysis of Peter Jackson’s Adaptation of The Lord of the Rings ” Verfasserin Dr. med. univ. Birgit-Ann Beranek angestrebter akademischer Grad Magistra der Philosophie (Mag.phil.) Wien, 2013 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt: A 343 Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt: Diplomstudium Anglistik und Amerikanistik Betreuerin: Ao. Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Eva Zettelmann - 1 - Declaration of Authenticity I confirm to have conceived and written this thesis in English all by myself. Quotations from other authors are clearly marked and acknowledged in the bibliographical references either in footnotes or within the text. Any ideas borrowed and/or passages paraphrased from the works of other authors are truthfully acknowledged and identified in the footnotes. - 2 - Table of Contents I. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1 I. From Novel to Film: An Introduction to the Theory of Adaptation ....................................... 3 1. The Fascination of Adaptations .......................................................................................... 3 2. The Field of Adaptation Studies ......................................................................................... 4 3. Different Aspects of Film and Literature ........................................................................... 5 4. The Nuts and Bolts of Screen-writing ................................................................................ 6 5. Some Thoughts on Adaptation as Intertextuality ............................................................... 8 6. Adaptation in Practice ........................................................................................................ 8 6.1. Transferable Elements ................................................................................................. 9 6.1.1. Action ................................................................................................................... 9 6.1.2. Kernels ............................................................................................................... 10 6.1.3. Characters ........................................................................................................... 10 6.1.4. Dialogue ............................................................................................................. 10 6.2. Intransferable Elements ............................................................................................. 11 7. Concluding Thoughts ....................................................................................................... 12 III. The Author and the Director .............................................................................................. 13 1. J.R.R. Tolkien ................................................................................................................... 13 2. Early Attempts at Adapting The Lord of the Rings .......................................................... 14 3. Peter Jackson .................................................................................................................... 15 4. The Lord of the Rings on Screen ...................................................................................... 16 5. The Reception of Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings .......................................................... 17 IV. Changing the Story ............................................................................................................. 19 1. Chronology, Structure and the Issue of Time................................................................... 19 1.1. Compression of Time ................................................................................................ 20 1.2. Interweaving the Different Storylines ....................................................................... 20 1.3. Partition into Three Parts ........................................................................................... 21 2. Omitted Episodes ............................................................................................................. 23 2.1. Speeding up the Pace ................................................................................................. 23 2.1.1. Frodo’s Journey through the Shire ..................................................................... 24 2.1.2. The Old Forest and the Barrow-downs .............................................................. 24 2.1.3. Choices on the Great River ................................................................................ 24 2.1.4. Ghân-buri-Ghân and the Wild Men.................................................................... 25 - 3 - 2.2. Cutting Minor Characters .......................................................................................... 25 2.2.1. Tom Bombadil .................................................................................................... 25 2.2.2. Beregond and Bergil ........................................................................................... 26 2.2.3. The Grey Company ............................................................................................ 26 2.3. Different Characterisation as a Reason for Omissions .............................................. 26 2.3.1. A Conspiracy Unmasked .................................................................................... 27 2.3.2. The Choices of Master Samwise ........................................................................ 27 2.3.3. The Houses of Healing ....................................................................................... 27 2.3.4. Faramir and Éowyn ............................................................................................ 28 2.4. Shortening the Resolution ......................................................................................... 28 2.4.1 Many Farewells: Frodo’s Home-Journey ............................................................ 28 2.4.2 The Scouring of the Shire .................................................................................... 29 3. New Elements .................................................................................................................. 29 3.1. Telling vs. Showing ................................................................................................... 30 3.1.1. Exposition: The History of the Ring .................................................................. 30 3.1.2. Making the Ring Visible .................................................................................... 31 3.1.3. Saruman and his Industrial Complex ................................................................. 31 3.1.4. Boromir’s Death ................................................................................................. 32 3.1.5. The Destruction of Isengard ............................................................................... 32 3.1.6. The Paths of the Dead ........................................................................................ 32 3.1.7. Osgiliath ............................................................................................................. 33 3.2. Themes: Illustrating Old and New Themes ............................................................... 33 3.2.1. Silver Glass: Death and Immortality .................................................................. 33 3.2.2. The Children of Rohan: The Human Side of War.............................................. 34 3.3. Character Development ............................................................................................. 34 3.3.1. Romantic Tension .............................................................................................. 35 3.3.2. Boromir and Faramir as Brothers ....................................................................... 35 3.3.3. Merry and Pippin’s Farewell .............................................................................. 36 3.3.4. Saruman’s Death ................................................................................................ 36 3.3.5. Pippin’s Song ..................................................................................................... 36 3.4. Suspense and Comic Relief ....................................................................................... 37 3.4.1. The Attack of the Wargs .................................................................................... 37 3.4.2. Sam Slipping at the Black Gate .......................................................................... 37 3.4.3. Pippin Lighting the Beacons .............................................................................. 38 3.4.4. Faramir as an “Obstacle” .................................................................................... 38 3.4.5. Gollum’s Fateful Bread Crumbs ........................................................................ 39 3.4.6. Drinking Games at Edoras ................................................................................. 39 4. Modifications and Alterations .......................................................................................... 39 - 4 - 4.1. Dramatic Visualisation and Suspense ....................................................................... 40 4.1.1. Introducing Merry and Pippin ...........................................................................