Start speaking a new language in 3 weeks with Babbel 🎉. Get up to 60% OFF your subscription ➡Here: go.babbel.com/t?bsc=1200m60-youtube-parttimehobbit-aug-2023&btp=default&KZfaq&Influencer..parttimehobbit..USA..KZfaq

Gimlis line in the films were he is standing on Balins tomb and he says."let them come, for there is one dwarf in Moria who still draws breath." Not a line in the books exactly. But I love it. Gives me chills.

While they did a disservice to Gimli as a whole in the movies, John Rhys-Davies did an amazing little bit of acting when discovering the fate of the Dwarves in Moria. Gimli's grief was palpable.

Fun fact, the sword Narsil, the sword that cut the ring from Sauron's hand, was forged by dwarves. Later it was reforged by elves and renamed by Aragorn as Anduril, Flame of the West. So, one of the things that proves Aragorn's claim to the throne of Gondor is through the help of both elves and dwarves.

I love that Gimli in the books while in Moria, the fellowship hears knocking on rocks coming from deep within the mountains and Gimli is the only one who can tell what it is by sound alone. He cannot tell who's making the sound but he knows what's making the sound, it's a light working hammer and he knows it's not a natural sound. That's something the films never mentioned, Gimli has a lot of talent.

For the last couple of decades, I've often thought about how incredibly much more impactful Gimli's "That still only counts as one!" line would have been, if he had otherwise been portrayed as a serious character, like in the novel.

It's not just the thousand plus year rivalry of Elves vs Dwarves that Gimli put aside with his friendship with Legolas, but a family rivalry as well. After all, it was Legolas's father who imprisoned Gimli's father in the Hobbit.

That was really beautiful singing!

Vocalize everything I’ve been thinking about this character for decades. He’s not just comic relief, he’s a deep, complicated, intense character that happens to have humorous elements. Love you Gimli! 🪓

I understood Elrond's position on oaths a lot better after I read the Silmarillion, in which he and his twin brother Elros were held captive as small boys by Maedhros and Maglor, the last surviving sons of Fëanor. Fëanor's infamous oath drove the Noldor and especially his sons to repeated mass murder of other elves in pursuit of the Silmarils, to the point that even Maedhros and Maglor were sick of their crimes. It made perfect sense that Elrond was allergic to the entire idea of oath-swearing.

8:00 to 8: Something important to mention is that he doesn't want to treasure it just for its beauty, but also, as he puts it, as a symbol of friendship between elves and dwarfs, which to me signifies that he plans on attempting to change his people's stance on elves on his return. He is basically saying that if he comes back home, he'll talk about the elves he met in a positive light to establish a friendship. Which, by the way, is why I think she gives him the strands of hair: she understands that Gimli's motivation behind the request is different from Feanor's. Gimli's word alone that "Elves are really good people, y'all" might be ignored by others, but Gimli coming back with 3 strands of hair and saying "Lady Galadriel gave me this because she's cool with dwarfs" is totally different.

My biggest gripe was his actions at Helm's Deep. Dwarf tossing? Really? Compare that to the book, where he sneaks out unseen, and as ´Eomer is about to get attacked, Gimli rescues him. Not just with his axe, but with his war cry. There were a bunch of orcs, and Gimli kills two. The rest flee. Maybe it's the fear of an attack they weren't expecting, but I always felt it was hearing "THE DWARVES ARE UPON YOU" from out of nowhere.... because that's a really scary thought to an orc. And communicates a look at the history of those two races. Orcs will attack a bunch of men, but when they hear the dwarves are there? uh uh. They're gone. Oh, and Jess: please, Please, PLEASE make a recording of all the songs in LoTR. You have a breathtaking voice, and I've never heard most of these songs actually performed.

The "Scottish Dwarf" trope likely comes from a book called "Three hearts and Three Lions" While I'm pretty sure that book didn't have any influence on LOTR, that book *did* have an influence on Dungeons and Dragons, which went on to influence fantasy in general much like LOTR did, and I think Gimli having a Scottish accent in the movie is sort of this coming full circle.

After Helms Deep where he talks to Legolas about the majesty of the caverns, touched me deep-ly (sorry for the Pun), and his retort "Do you cut down groves of blossoming trees in the springtime for firewood?" Pure awesomeness. Your singing voice is beautiful.

I am 51 so I was very much into the books well before the movies. I read The Hobbit when i was about 8 and read the trilogy around 11 or 12 and must've reread it almost anually. I was impressed buy Peter Jackson's film adaptations but you are spot on about Gimli. He stuck out like a sore thumb as a crosseyed clown. Not the character I imagined as I read him. Far more serious. Good take Jess.

This is the first time I’ve stumbled on your page and I was completely blown away when you actually sang what Gimli sang to Sam. You have a beautiful voice!

I think the characterization of Gimli is one of the shortcomings of that great trilogy. My best guess as to "why?" is that PEter Jackson felt he needed some "comic relief" in the storytelling, and that fell on to Gimli. One of the best passages, I believe, from the book is where he, Aragorn and Legolas follows the orcs across the Rohan plains. There is a passage where he describes how much it hurts him to think of the two hobbits being at the mercy of orcs. Gimli and the dwarwes are loyal to a fault: If you hurt one of theirs, they will hunt you to the ends of the earth (as Azog found out a few hundred years previously).

Imagine for a moment if Legolas was the humorous one of the Three Hunters. Not in a broad slapstick way, but more like a deadpan, overly observant, slightly ADD character taking in as much of Middle-earth as possible while the more serious warriors had to remind him to keep focus. That being said, it's really because John Rhys-Davies is a damn good actor and handles comedy well that film!Gimli is still enjoyable to watch even with his characterisation being off from the books.

I was really gutted to see how they (ab)used Gimli to be the comic relief character every modern movie needs nowadays. He's so much more than that. Also dwarven culture is much more rich and complex. I can look past it and still enjoy the movies, but it was still a true shame.

Gimli's great strength is the love he bears for his fellow members of the company. He really cares for them and he's truly in touch with his feelings. When he scolds them it's his way of showing how much he cares for them. Also, when Aragorn's company rides through Dunharrow Gimli rides at the back and he can feel the fear of the dead at his back. This does not mean that he is cowardly but, rather, that he is brave enough to bear this fear that others might not have to suffer it.

Being turned to comic relief did a major disservice to Gimli, but it completely obliterated Meriadoc. Most people I know who've only watched the movies can't tell the difference between the characters of Pippin and Merry.

I see the conversation between Gimli and Elrond as being two wise ones whose words are both true even though they also contradict. Wisdom calls for discerning between contradictory advice that are both good. It's like the Elves tell Frodo and Sam just outside the Shire, that advice can be a dangerous gift, even from the wise to the wise because all roads may go ill.

One of my favorite Gimli scenes from the book is when he bows respectfully to Treebeard and his axe slipped onto the ground.

I've read the books when i was 11 and gimli was my favourite character And i was furious about his depiction when the movies came out

In the film, gimli tries immediately to destroy the ring. He's never under its influence. I love that.

I find it funny how the stereotypes of fantasy elves and dwarves turned into “elves = upper class Londoners and dwarves = either lower class Scottish highlanders or rural Irish folk.” The ways British classism can sneak into everything is quite… extraordinary 😂

Gimli is also diplomatic, able to defuse a tense situation with well judged humour, unlike Legolas early on. Gimli is crucial in Legolas growing up, or at least growing in character, in the wider world i feel.

Schön, dass Du den wahren Charakter von Gimli so treffend heruas arbeitest, seine reine, von Herzen kommende, Verehrung für Galadriel und seine störrische Loyalität hast Du wunderbar beschrieben. Danke

I imagine a lot of it had to do with John Rhys Davies just leaning into his strengths as an actor. Absolute legend.

Gimli has always been my favourite character of the Fellowship. I love his friendship with Legolas. His adoration of Galadriel. His rivalry with Eomer. His rhapsody about the glittering caves. He is poetic and steadfast and as solid as a rock. And his forgiveness of Eomer for picking Arwen over Galadriel is perhaps the most beautiful writing in the whole book. His being comic relief was my least favourite part of the films, along with the flattening of Denethor's character.

Denethor's image was the number one character assassination of the films. At least we could laugh at Gimli, Merry, Pippin.

As a kid growing up watching the movies endlessly, I loved comedic Gimli, but I definitely appreciate the book version more and more as I get older.

I actually love Gimli's character in both the book and the movie, but I appreciate how seriously he's taken in the book.

One thing that occurred to me is that the whole idea of the "Dwarf as servant/helper" to the heroes is completely flipped in The Hobbit where our hero is a servant and helper to the Dwarves. The thing about Gimli is he both exemplifies Dwarvish virtue better than any other Dwarf yet subverts Dwarvish vice. I think he understands well enough what Thorin learned at his deathbed. He is not greedy. He just loves that which is beautiful. This is shocking to the Elves, and it is shocking also that Galadriel judged Gimli worthier than her own kinsman Fëanor (especially if you take the position that Fëanor did nothing wrong…) Yes, I agree Gimli was worse than Faramir. By ruining Gimli, the films ruined the entire Dwarvish race. The Hobbit trilogy gave us a slightly better grasp on the serious element to Dwarves, but they were weird and over-the-top also. Further, if you need a comical character, why Gimli? The hobbits generate the most comedy in the books, especially Sam and Pippin. Sam is excellent in the book at being funny yet feeling real at the same time. Why not emulate that? Also, I do not agree that Gimli's core character in the book does not directly conflict with his character in the film. They lose his sense of chivalry, honor, and loyalty, which is core to any Dwarf of Dúrin's Folk. Even in The Hobbit, Thorin did risk his own people to save Bilbo long before he was useful to them and nearly got eaten because of it. But Gimli's whole thing is loyalty and honor. Yet in the films he suggests, among other things, that Aragorn break his promise and not free the Oath-breakers. Yes, Dwarves are known to have trouble with forgiveness and things, but his argument was not "they don't deserve it until they've defeated Sauron" but rather "they're useful in a fix, despite the fact that they're dead". Further, in Lothlórien, in the book, Gimli is polite and honorable yet is horribly mistreated by what I can only call "racist" Elves, which is why his apparent forgiveness of them once he meets the kindness of Galadriel means so much. In the films, Gimli is the "racist" Dwarf and the Elves are calm and cool, which gives the hair-gift much less significance. Personally, I think it might have helped if they had not used so many facial prosthetics and the weird accent, and rather just let him act. I am sure if they had just made him usually soft-spoken with a less pronounced Scottish accent and kept a brief scene in the extended cut with him arguing with Elrond about taking oaths, as well as had Celeborn and the other Elves be rude and suspicious about him being a Dwarf, and maybe had a few more scenes where he defends Galadriel, audiences could have managed it. He is something of the down-to-earth viewpoint character when hobbits are not around anyway, since he is surrounded by affairs in which historically Men and Elves have taken a greater part anyway, which makes him more relatable.

Hear, hear!! Gimli was quite a profound character in the book. Also, re. dwarves' norse origin, how much cooler would have been a book-faithful Gimli speaking with a Scandinavian accent. And wow is no one else going to bring up her rendition of Gimli's song? That kind of authentic sounding chant-singing is really hard to get right; composition and performing. But you nailed it! It actually stopped me in my tracks.

While the contrast between the book and movie are big. The Gimli from the movies is still my favorite of the two. As a kid growing up with these movies and not have read the books. Gimli came across as a character who was able to be funny at times, even if it was at his expense. Then turn it around and be a fierce warrior who stood by his friends. As for his friendship with Legolas in the movies, to me it was a friendship built on the premise of brothers in arms. A respect for others who were going to uphold their word and hold true.

Do one of these for Denethor please! I would also love the portrayal of the Denedein or the Men of the Mountains in the book vs in the movies.

I was just rereading LOTR (after reading the Silmarillion) and the conversation between Elrond and Gimli struck me as Elrond trying to make sure they didn’t go down the road Feanor’s sons went down with their oaths.

What a gorgeous singing voice. Although, I imagine Gimli sounded somewhat different. 🙂 Now I read the books for the first time about 15 years before the movies came out. So movie Gimli was not the image in my head character-wise, even if his look was right. But even given that, I enjoyed the portrayal. Yes, I was a little sad that movie audiences wouldn't see the majesty of book Gimli. But I never felt his character got assassinated like Faramir's. He was still a very likable character, and that is a result of the charisma of John Rhys Davies. Great video Jess. The fair use messages made me giggle. You are definitely following the spirit of the law. You're using small clips as an illustration of the story you're telling. I really enjoy your channel. It's interesting to see how someone who came to the story through the movies first views the story as a whole. As for a future video, how about the criminal underuse of my favorite female character in the book, Rosie Cotton. I realize that by cutting out the Scouring of the Shire, a lot of her presence is lost as well. But that's no reason to turn her into a mute. They had a lovely actress playing her, but it couldn't have hurt the movies to give her some lines. She was what kept Sam going while Sam kept Frodo going, so her presence is important to the story. So making her more than just a pretty barmaid would have given more depth to Sam.

They definitely dumbed him down for the movies but John Rhys-Davies is a saint of a man and absolutely made it his own thing.

I think a massive issue for Gimli is how much of the two towers is lost in the movie. Like yes the movie is phenomenal but the book is up there as my all time favourite. I think even though the quippiness across Rohan at the start is very similar you don't get that same feeling of fire from Gimli where he is so determined to catch the orcs he wants to run all night. The relationship between Gimli and Eomer (which serves the books as a pretty banterish relationship) is entirely missing in the movie which is the backdrop to Legolas and Gimli's growing close (obviously the loss of Boromir and the hobbits has already made them much closer). Legolas taking the time to set Gimli at ease by having him ride with him (while present in the movie not as impactful) shows the two of them interacting in a whole new light, But at Helm's Deep when they think Gimli and Eomer have been overun after the fall of the deeping wall there is a real sense of oh crap they've been separated and Legolas shows how torn he is not to have Gimli by him. The relief Legolas shows in there reunion is really sweet, with Legolas worried about Gimli's wound and Gimli only worried about the glittering caves. Without Eomer around in the movie they just kind of roll his stuff into Legolas. I do really love the movies and the books but thank you for drawing attention to Gimli's deep and complex character. Dwarves are far too often seen as the boisterous and comedic characters but their steadfast loyalty and kindness often get overlooked by this. We know that the dwarf rings never could turn the Dwarven kings to evil (more gready though), and the fact that Dain won't sell Bilbo out despite them knowing each other pretty loosly. Just such a wholsome race!

Gimli's and Legolas's relationship is one of my favorite themes in the book. Maybe #1 for me. It's one of Tolkien's most powerful anti-racist statements, and one of the great examples of close male platonic cameraderie. Especially powerful because they are equals, compared to Frodo and Sam, who are master and servant. The very last event/entry in Appendix B, The Tale of Years, is Legolas building a ship and taking Gimli with him sailing to Valinor. Jackson ferked all of that up completely. I hates it.

Most changed character: Gimli vs. Faramir is a good question. It's tough to decide. The way Gimli was used to provide comic relief was certainly unfair to the character, but some of that was less due to Gimli himself being changed than in the way other characters reacted to him and treated him. And in some ways that cuts deeper precisely because, as you point out, he's the only example of his people that we get any significant exposure to in the story, so the entire race is cheapened by his treatment. But Faramir loses his main claim to fame - that he was one of the very few who was learned and wise enough to both understand what the ring was and unequivocally reject the temptation to take and use it. He does end up doing the right thing in the end and is totally redeemed by the end of the movies, though. So you're probably right - Gimli probably gets the worst of the movie treatment. Of course, if we're just talking how much the character is changed Aragorn probably deserves to be in the mix as well. But in his case it can at least be argued that the movie version is the deeper character, so it's harder to claim that the movie mistreated him. As far as characters being turned into comic relief, Gimli wasn't the only one to suffer that fate. Merry and (especially) Pippin get the same treatment. And in Pippin's case that's partly true to the books. Pippin was the youngest of the hobbits, and still not fully an adult by hobbit standards. But he isn't the total oblivious idiot he's made out to be in the movies, and Merry in some ways comes across as the most capable and responsible adult in the group at the start of their journey.

The dwarves of Middle-Earth have always been one of my absolute favorite fantasy depictions. I used to re-read the portions of LotR that featured Gimli, and loved the relationship that he developed with Legolas. However, the movies are more of a result of the tropes that have developed since the time of Tolkien and the current state of D&D and modern fantasy at the time of the movies. I would look at Paul Anderson as one of the primary sources for how modern fantasy dwarves are depicted, as well as the mass media fantasy from Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance of the 80s and 90s.

This was so very well put. Gimli has always been my favourite character for several reasons but I am glad to see videos like this one!

In case no one else has mentioned it. I think that, "Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs," was an incredibly important film in it's time and may have done more than other sources to forge the modern notion of dwarves. Though Tolkien obvious picked the name. =)

I felt bad for what they did to poor Gimli in the movies. Giving him the Jar Jar Binx treatment >.

Thank you for this channel. As a recovering lit major, I appreciate that you can focus your observations from a broad knowledge of Toliien's worlds on the topic. Each of your videos says what it needs to support your point. You have kept this through all your changes of venue and circumstance. Now for your presentation. I listen to (too many) KZfaq videos. I have spent many years in theater. You have the gift of a voice whose diction is clear, rhythm well-paced., and sentences well-inflected. That makes what you say readily available to your listeners. Please keep it up.

I think that the comic relief aspects of dwarves comes from how Tolkien portrayed them in the Hobbit.

Random... A while back the KZfaq algorithm recommended your channel to me and I randomly clicked. I've only seen the movies once, haven't read the books and never considered myself much of a fan, but your discussions are getting me interested again. The internet is weird. But, thank you!

Wow, you’re a great essayist

I think the Hobbit played a part in how modern fantasy paints Dwarves. We meet a lot of them and we’re introduced to them as the brawns that storm a house uninvited (cause they don’t know any better obviously) making fun of their host for being concerned about his furniture and cookware and celebrating their community. Of course the story then paints them as benevolent and loyal heroes, but the introduction always counts double, it sets the stage.

you are magnetic! your narration and text makes very hard, almost impossible to skip ahead. AMAZING!!! what is imost impressive about your video is that you dont need the support of graphics to make the narration more interesting.

Gygax, I think the modern Dwarf owes more to Gygax than Tolkien. "Dwarves can move very quickly over short distances." That line is the opposite of the Gimli of the book, who has more endurance than anyone, but does not more quickly.

Tolkiens' Dwarves have a deeply meaningful history, perhaps moreso than any other of the peoples of Middle Earth. It was a great shame that their main representative was reduced to the role he played, considering his peoples' tragic past. A very strong case could be made that they were intended to resemble Eastern Europeans, with many qualities in common with the Jewish diaspora. Even their language has some resemblance to how he may have perceived Yiddish. Phrases like "Baruk Khazad!" are good examples of this. If this is indeed the case, it makes Gimli's depiction even more unfortunate. In any case, thanks for the thought-provoking video!

Excellent video Jess, I liked the level of detail you bought to describe Tolkein's dwarfs to counter New Line's movie dwarfs. This is the third episode I've watched and I'm hooked. 😊

wonderful, thanks for this refreshment of that noble race :) (and wow your singing of the song of Durin was beautiful)

Thank you for the lovely song!!!

I watched the movies before reading the books and getting into reading the books, he really stuck out to me bc he was so thoughtful and his character and culture was so rich and interesting, he became my favorite very quickly!

Great to hear you sing again. Your voice is so beautiful... very special, very magical.

Great video! Really enjoyed the song of Durin in particular, that was very nice.

Gimli is a big part of why I have such a difficult time with those films.

I agree with you in each respect. Thank you for giving dwarves the respect and honor they are not usually given!

So happy to find your channel because the algorithm saw fit to share this video with me! Love how you highlight Tolkien’s remarkable emotional literacy

Couldn't agree more. Thanx for making this video!

I love both versions of Gimli for very different reasons. In the book he is the pinnacle of dwarfs; wise, diplomatic, honourable and appreciative of the wonders shown to him. He is placed numerous situations beyond his abilities yet nwver fails to rise to the challenge. He and Legolas are equals, two sides of the same coin. The movies downplay many of Gimli's best moments, sadly, presenting him more like a cliche DnD dwarf. That said, he shines in Fellowship with some great moments (trying to destroy the ring, the entire Moria sequence). In Two Towers he faces insurmountable odds in the name of friendship and makes strides befriending the Rohirim. The Return of the King shows him conquering fear on The Path of the Dead. He's less nuanced but still very capable

Loved the singing! I havent seen enough of the films to comment but i completely agree on the subtlety of gimli in the book. His physical endurance on the run in rohan also in the mountains is also notable.

You have a beautiful voice. Nicely sung!

For me, Gimli and Legolas planning to see the glittering caves was one of the most memorable moments from the books. It was such a striking example of how their bond had overcome the elf-dwarf divide, and a key example of LotR's theme of deep friendship. As someone who has still not gotten around to seeing the second and third Peter Jackson movies, it was disappointing to hear that there isn't a version of the cave-road-trip-planning in there.

Where the film version lost me was: "Nobody tosses a Dwarf!" and "Not the beard!" in quick succession - I might have forgiven one, but not both! But, if anyone ever doubts Gimli, they just need to look at his gift from Galadriel, as you explained. (Almost as touching as: "Well, I'm back.")

This was awesome and informative! Thank you for sharing!

Your voice gave me goosebumps. Loved the video!

Jess has a beautiful voice. I loved the excerpt sang of Durin’s Song.

Jess, your characterization of dwarves in modern fantasy - with the exception of being the butt of jokes - is how Bilbo perceived his companions during much of their journey. When they made their escape from the elves' dungeons, Bilbo was afraid that the "dwarvesh racket" his friends made would give all of them away, and that they would be captured and put back in their cells. If modern fantasy writers are following Tolkien's lead, they are following the lead found in The Hobbit.

As a musician i am very impressed by your beautiful singing voice

Gimli is one of the most emotional and identifiable characters in the whole story. The part where he describes the caves at Helm's Deep is beautiful. You can really feel the impact that beauty had upon him.

I’m so glad I found this channel

Thank you for a great essay, Jess! I think perhaps that movie Gimli was stripped of his deeper and more complex personality from the books in order to offer that much more of a contrast with Legolas. The fact that these two become best friends can almost be seen not just as a coming together of two ancestral enemies, but as the development of a quirky friendship resembling the Odd Couple dynamic. Just my twos. As you have often said though, things get lost in translation from one storytelling medium to another, and in the movies, Gimli in essence became reduced to the Tossed Dwarf.

I think it bears mentioning that Legolas’ dad imprisoned Gimli’s dad in The Hobbit. Gimli had a personal grudge.

Ive stumbled across these videos from you about probably my favorite story ever. Also lovely singing voice.

I also grew up with the movie first. I found it so weird that he was just a joke. “And my ax” “toss me” *gets beard grab to keep him from fall etc. I loved it but I found it weird

While I agree with your comparisons, I've got to say the highlight of this video was your take on the song! You have a lovely voice and came up with a fitting melody! Have you done this for any of the other songs? If not, I'd love to hear more renditions.

Jess, your voice is amazing!

Oh that was a very brilliant song verse you sang. Very talented.

The 'you'll have to toss me' line is the deepest of cringe

One of the sources that you ought to look at when investigating the modern fantasy stereotype of the dwarves is the character Hugi in ‘Three Hearts and Three Lions’, by Poul Anderson. That’s the earliest use of cod-Glaswegian to represent the dialect of a dwarf that I know of.

HOW did it take me this long to find your channel?! These book vs movie vids are killer. Its not often you find 20 minute videos and agree with every single damn point made. How can I not mention the singing? Uncut, straight from Colombia, premium nerd content. This is grade A chit, mang.

Love it when you sing Jess!

Completely agree with your thoughts on Gimli. However, if memory serves, Gloin is also featured in the book. Not in depth, of course. But he shows up at the Council of Elrond to give an account of Balin's mission to reclaim Moria and to warn Bilbo about the messenger that Sauron had sent several times to Erebor, asking about "Baggins".

I was never certain what Gimli's vow was to the Fellowship exactly. Elrond said that Gimli and Legolas would see the Fellowship to the mountain passes (presumably the Misty Mountains), although he did say they'd "maybe" go beyond the mountains. Compare that to the fact that Aragorn expressly said he was headed to Gondor along with Boromir, not Moria with Frodo. With Aragorn and Boromor not headed to Moria I wasn't sure that Gimli's pledge was to go the whole distance. In any case, the death of Gandalf and breaking of the Fellowship seems to have changed their plans. I still liked the film version of Gimli, whereas I left the theater not really liking Faramir in the Two Towers, as such I feel that Faramir got the worst of it. Frankly, Faramir made no sense to me in The Two Towers film. He was going to take the ring to his father. Then he saw Frodo _try to give the Ring to the Nazgul._ Then he saw Frodo _almost kill Sam for stopping him from giving the Ring to the Nazgul._ Then Sam gave a speech and Film-Faramir decided it was best to let Frodo walk into Mordor with the Ring. I mean, what could go wrong? The decision really just made no sense in lighjt of Frod's actions that Faramir just himself witnessed (imo).

It's difficult to resent Gimli's film comedy bits when they're so universally delightful.

Thank you very much for this! The portraying of Gimli as a comic relief in the second and third movie almost destroyed the experience for med, and that is a feat considering how well done all the films are!

I don’t know if it’s been mentioned, but a major reason Gimli has a different presence in the films is purely because John Rhys-Davies had bad reactions to the facial prosthetics for his costume. They could only get him on camera a few days a month because of this, which is why most his character comes through in close-ups with one-liners, because no other actors had to be around for those shots and they could get the footage whenever it was more convenient for John. Because of this, most footage of Gimli in the films is actually John’s double being filmed from angles where his face can’t be seen.

I also thought Denethor was portrayed rather poorly in the movies.

Gimli talking about the caves of helm's deep for Legolas is so terrific!

I *love* how you described Gimli as the burning coal at the heart of the Fellowship! Gimli in the book is one of my favorite characters, if not my most favorite. Thus, yes, I was gravely disappointed in how they scripted Gimli in the movie (though I did like John Rhys-Davies's acting of the part). One scene that stood out was when the Fellowship thought the cave troll had killed Frodo and then discovered he was alive. In the movie, Gimli spoke a gruff, "You are full of surprises, Mr. Frodo," as if showing a bit of his greed for the mithril. That irritated me, because in the book, Gimli burst forth in joy that Bilbo had given the mithril shirt to Frodo for protection. Book Gimli had a big heart that just was not expressed in the movie.

Can't help but wonder if the modern fantasy dwarf trope had some roots in Snow White and other older media. Even if it isn't completely so.

To understand Gimli's character, it really helps to read Tolkien's account of the Dwarves in their Appendix following ROTK, and even more to read The Silmarillion. For one thing, it gives you a larger sample size to understand the Dwarves as a race. As you have noted, Peter Jackson & Co. really needed a comic element to lighten a very dark movie, and John Rhys-Davies provided that element to perfection. I agree about the eloquence of the book's version of Gimli; in fact, a major failing of the movies is the near-absence of Tolkien's song and poetry, which form so much of the fabric of the story on the printed page. You could make a similar critique of Legolas--in the book he is the least developed in character of all the major personae. In the book, his defining moment doesn't come until near the very end, when he first encounters the sea gulls at Pelargir.

I am just glad I stayed with this long enough to hear you sing.

That part about him admiring galadriel really atests to the fact that my wee lad gimli had that dwarven rizz in him