Physically, Haldir in the movies just didn't do much for me like he seems to have for so many (Galadriel is pretty much the only one that matched my inner vision of Tolkien's Elves), but I did love the actual interpretation Parker brought and he played off Viggo's Aragorn really, really well.
For me, it perhaps was the fact that Haldir hadn't been much on my mind already from the books, as it was with most other characters. But I was and am really taken with Parker. *g* Perhaps his puppy dog eyes? I don't usually fall for those too, but with him, I did. Because of him I even watched most of the first season of Spartacus, despite the series being far too brutal and bloody for my taste, and a bit of Legend of the Seeker.
I really enjoyed his turn as the baddie in Legend of the Seeker. In fact, I didn't realize for a long time that was the same actor as Haldir. And I didn't know he was in Spartacus... that series, like you say, sounded a little too brutal for my tastes, so I've never watched it.
I haven't seen enough of Legend of the Seeker to get a proper impression of his character; we didn't have many episodes to see and our receiver has recording troubles since then, so more often than not it didn't record. We're about to get a new one sooner or later, then I can perhaps change that. In Spartacus, he plays Gaius Claudius Glaber, the "bad" Roman commander and main antagonist of the hero. Much nekkid flesh for the so inclined, *g* - at one point he is even to be seen naked, I've been told - I never got there, and I'm not into that anyway. But I have found some clips and parts from an NZ short series where he plays the lead, about a diplomat which I found hilarious. I try to find the clip again and will give it to you then. He has a great sense of humour, I think.
How I imagine this conversation went down in Elvish:
"Look I'm sorry I brought a rude dwarf with me okay but you gotta understand that the last time someone from his family ran into a bunch of elves it didn't go over so well so give him a break pls? Also I have had a terrible few days so if you don't wanna give him a break at least give me one huh old buddy old pal old friend?"
Despite being totally in love with Craig Parker, his Haldir didn't came across at the first viewing and I did like the Haldir sequence in the book better.
Still, Craig made a decent job out of a bit blurred script and his performance in TTT helps me to overlook that huge laps that he shouldn't be there in the first place and certainly did not die.
PJ's vision of showing us mortals the true cost of heroism, and honor and fidelity with elves as the ones paying the price. It struck home like no other vision in that film. That series of scenes helped change my mind about TT which I had found a horrible book and waste of film. I cannot help but be moved by the death of ancient immortals for a 'mortal' cause.
I never had that feeling about TTT but perhaps that was because I have that all three in in edition. Therefore it didn't feel like a separate book to me. The linking function between FotR and RotK was somehow clearer to me. In terms of the movie a linking movie is always hard to make, PJ said so himself. The problem is that you have no real start and definitely no end as in a solving of the problem. With the movie elves I had one general problem and that was that feeling of defeat they were all producing. To likens Elves I always had seen as a badass warrior race. Only the sequence at beginning of the Fellowship and that appearance of Haldir and his men at Helms deep brought this feel back at least a little. The left the feeling of why bother it's hopeless let's go to the undying lands.
Yes I can see your view. And it's actually prevalent in LoTR: the elves fading and moving west, escaping the growing Darkness. I find it depressing as well, and very, very sad. One of the reasons I liked elves was their "Badass"ness. LOL Thankfully we have The Silm to see just HOW badass they can be. :)
I liken my feelings about the Elves to Sam's, "I don't know why, but it makes me sad." They're leaving Middle-earth but at the same time they're going to the Blessed Realm, so it's not all bad, at least from that viewpoint. I think it's the sorrow of knowing they're beyond any further fellowship with Men that makes me most sad. (And that's one reason I tend to want Elladan and Elrohir to choose as Arwen did and stay with Aragorn... it breaks my heart that he might never see his brothers again. But then again... from their view, they'll see their mother and father. But heartache is woven through no matter their choice, just as sorrow is part and parcel of the Elves leaving M-e).
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2014-01-02 01:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-02 02:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-02 02:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-02 06:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-02 07:25 pm (UTC)In Spartacus, he plays Gaius Claudius Glaber, the "bad" Roman commander and main antagonist of the hero. Much nekkid flesh for the so inclined, *g* - at one point he is even to be seen naked, I've been told - I never got there, and I'm not into that anyway. But I have found some clips and parts from an NZ short series where he plays the lead, about a diplomat which I found hilarious. I try to find the clip again and will give it to you then. He has a great sense of humour, I think.
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Date: 2014-01-02 02:40 pm (UTC)"Look I'm sorry I brought a rude dwarf with me okay but you gotta understand that the last time someone from his family ran into a bunch of elves it didn't go over so well so give him a break pls? Also I have had a terrible few days so if you don't wanna give him a break at least give me one huh old buddy old pal old friend?"
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Date: 2014-01-02 03:14 pm (UTC)^____^
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Date: 2014-01-02 06:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-02 03:17 pm (UTC)Still, Craig made a decent job out of a bit blurred script and his performance in TTT helps me to overlook that huge laps that he shouldn't be there in the first place and certainly did not die.
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Date: 2014-01-02 04:47 pm (UTC)PJ's vision of showing us mortals the true cost of heroism, and honor and fidelity with elves as the ones paying the price. It struck home like no other vision in that film. That series of scenes helped change my mind about TT which I had found a horrible book and waste of film. I cannot help but be moved by the death of ancient immortals for a 'mortal' cause.
no subject
Date: 2014-01-02 05:48 pm (UTC)With the movie elves I had one general problem and that was that feeling of defeat they were all producing. To likens Elves I always had seen as a badass warrior race. Only the sequence at beginning of the Fellowship and that appearance of Haldir and his men at Helms deep brought this feel back at least a little.
The left the feeling of why bother it's hopeless let's go to the undying lands.
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Date: 2014-01-02 06:07 pm (UTC)And it's actually prevalent in LoTR: the elves fading and moving west, escaping the growing Darkness. I find it depressing as well, and very, very sad. One of the reasons I liked elves was their "Badass"ness. LOL Thankfully we have The Silm to see just HOW badass they can be. :)
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Date: 2014-01-02 06:15 pm (UTC)^___^
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Date: 2014-01-02 06:28 pm (UTC)