I must be a full fantasy nerd now because I'm claiming Sean Bean suffers two of the most devastating deaths in modern culture. I used to roundly dislike Boromir. This time I dare say he was my dearest character. The moment he first appeared in the movie -- image of the splendor of Ned Stark in glory undimmed before the breaking of the world -- and the moment he lunged to protect Merry and Pippin were two of the most potent for me this time around. Boromir is more tragic than flawed. Yes he's arrogant, yes corruptible by the ring, but over the years I've come to appreciate the ring's power to corrupt. Boromir is tragic in that he, without understanding, flies too close to the sun; through no fault of his own he's the only member of the most corruptible race who ends up in such a tight orbit of the ring.
It really is quite a flip to go from movie Boromir to book Boromir. He feels so much greater. Sean Bean also felt like a villainous figure in general, so that probably colors the movie. Mostly from Patriot Games, but maybe there were other movies too
ReplyDeleteI'm not confident I'd ever seen Sean Bean before Fellowship, so Fellowship's sinister portrayal (and one's limited understanding of the ring at that point) totally soured Boromir for me right off the bat. But now Ned Stark is one of my most hallowed fictional figures. Pair that with the book's portrayal of Boromir and I now like him better than lots of other characters who are purely positive. I suppose Boromir even fits your fetish for classic medieval heroes, like Jaime and Robert. I would love more content about Boromir and Faramir being great lords in Minas Tirith. I guess you haven't gotten to Faramir yet in the book, but he's another huge contrast from the movie for me.
DeleteI also didn't really watch the extended editions until last year... there's such a great outtake with Boromir and Faramir just being brothers. So when I was schooled on the theatrical editions, I never understood why Boromir's fall was heartbreaking for fans
DeleteYou are right on about the medieval fetish. There is a sincerity to him. Yes, his flesh is vulnerable. But that sort of aligns w/ how he does everything the straightforward way. Even if it's not "correct," he embodies the masculinity I'm looking for. My guess is Faramir doesn't appear until Two Towers, so that's probably a way off. But I'll get through all 3 eventually (might be years tho).
DeleteBoromir and Faramir are both pretty interesting, including the dynamic between them, and both disserviced by the film. I wish Tolkien had included more on them. Would be interesting to see which you connect with better in the end.
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