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Faramir is Evil Like Gandalf is Green - In Defense of Peter Jackson's Faramir

November 23, 2003
Submitted By North

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Faramir is Evil Like Gandalf is Green:
In Defense of Peter Jackson's Faramir

Here I am, letting loose in defense of the film version of Faramir. What will my professors think of me? Quelle horror!

Let me just come right out and say it: I have no problem with Faramir in the film version of "The Two Towers." David Wenham, an actor typically known for playing a psycho (check out "The Boys" if you don't believe me), does a fine job with the script handed to him.

But this is not the issue. Everybody who's anybody (and likely female, mind you) loves David.

The issue here is Faramir's skewed character. Whether it be the script, the severe lighting, Mr. Wenham's Diver Dan-turned-Captain Von Trapp accent, or those fear-for-his-life Frodo eyes, let's face it: Faramir is creepy.

But is he really that creepy? Moreover, is there anything wrong with the way Peter Jackson has chosen to depict this "incorruptible" character?

By my vote? No way.

I've been reading "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy for almost fifteen years now (yikes!), and I love Faramir a whole bunch. The Faramir in the book, that is. And while the movie Faramir might come across as an evil doppelganger, at the heart of both the film and the book, they are the same, noble animal.

And here's why, boot heels be ***ed...

In the book, Faramir is a very flat character. The story never really focuses on him. Instead, he's a mirror off of which other, edgier characters are reflected, such as Pippin and Eowyn (both of whom, in my opinion, are far more well-developed than Aragorn, but that's a whole other ball game).

Faramir is unique in that his is the only character to have this function--unlike Legolas, for example, who exists as an "oddity" through which Tolkien can demonstrate the attitudes of the Elves. In fact, the book is loaded with characters similar to Legolas, who exist to provide the reader with a game of cultural badminton, bouncing off of on another in an effort to get along so that they might defeat the big Evil.

Faramir, on the other hand, is uniquely static. He is passive. Very little happens to Faramir that Faramir himself instigates. This makes him a flat character. But it's not a bad thing to be flat. It's actually kind of nice, especially when everybody else in the story is either possessed, brainwashed, schizophrenic, or suffering a bad case of unrequited love. In the tumult that is "The Lord of the Rings," Faramir is one helluva cool drink of water.

He's a superior example of that long lost Númenorean bloodline, to get technical. He's noble, peaceful, patient. Boring? Maybe. But a relief for our poor hobbit heroes, nonetheless.

So what the hell happened in the movie?

Let me preface by saying this: I'm a film student. No, it's true. I actually have a degree in the subject (whoopee). So I've read an awful lot of what the so-called experts are saying these days about characters in film. Maybe this gives me some insight, maybe it doesn't. You can decide that for yourself.

When you write a film, and especially when you stake a huge fortune and thousands of jobs on its success, you simply cannot have FLAT characters. Not unless you make them background characters. And Faramir certainly isn't a background character, as LotR fans will agree. Yet he easily could have been. Peter Jackson, in composing the film with his fellow writers, could have chiseled the role of Faramir down to a passing ho-hum who ends up getting hitched to that weird blonde girl with the sword.

But that doesn't work, because that weird blonde girl with the sword--Eowyn--is a BIG DYNAMIC CHARACTER. Probably the most dynamic of all the characters in "The Lord of the Rings." If you're Peter Jackson, you can't have her aching for Aragorn, only to pass her off to some background dude in a green cape who doesn't like his dad much.

So what do you do instead? You make Faramir match Eowyn. Simple enough. Look at Aragorn and Arwen in the film. People have been fuming over Arwen since 1998, insisting that her bulky role in the movie is too much. But how silly would it look if Aragorn married this mysterious background elf maiden? It sounds good in the book, thanks to a little thing called "narration" in which the Professor himself can tell us the whole history of his Elves and make us believe that Arwen and Aragorn should be together.

In a movie though? Quite different when you're talking about two hours instead of hundreds of pages.

Just like Arwen, Faramir needs to be dynamic. He must suffer a change. He must learn, or else the audience won't believe in him. Think I'm crazy? When was the last time you saw a movie where a major character ended up the same person at the end as he was in the beginning? That's the whole point of having a character in a film, to watch them change.

Therefore, I completely understand and support the changes Peter Jackson has made to Faramir's character. He's found that single thread--namely, that Faramir is more like his father Denethor than Boromir--and he's run with it. That Faramir came across as cruel, easily-tempted and brutish in the films only makes his redemption (when it finally happens) more rewarding for the audience.

Furthermore, by making Faramir a "Boromir version 2," Jackson is giving the real Boromir a way of making posthumous ammends with the audience. We didn't get a chance to forgive Boromir because he died, so we get to forgive Faramir instead.

I also like the idea that Faramir might really have to fight for Eowyn in the movie. And he should; she deserves it, just as Arwen has been beefed up to "deserve" Aragorn. We take for granted the drama we find in books, so we don't mind it that Faramir and Eowyn get together just because she's troubled and he's a nice, solid guy. In reality, when drama is being thrown at you from a gigantic, flickering movie screen in full stereo sound, the parts have to add up to the whole. Characters who've gone through their change and turned into butterflies don't have the time for those characters who are still caterpillars (Wow, what a metaphor!).

All in all, if I've managed to make any point, it's this: Faramir isn't evil. Even folks who haven't read the book can see this in "The Two Towers," and they can probably predict that, by the end of "The Return of the King," Faramir will redeem himself. He has some learning to do. And, in a way, that makes him more honest.

Which is where I end.

Hope I haven't broken all your toes. Hee hee.


Original Essay: November 2003
URL: Eowyn of the Rohirrim

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Reader Comments

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... 30 Comments

  1. this is great!!
    my mind has been changed!
    faramir rocks!
    weeeeeeeehhhhhhhheeeeeeeee!!!!
    life is good

    Comment by Rána - November 24, 2003 @ 12:46 PM

  2. thank you so much-i've found someone who agrees with me. When i saw TTT, and everyone kept bashing Faramir,i realized that he wasn't a bad character, but making him the way he is, is the only way people who haven't read the book could understand that he was...well Faramir. I loved your article!

    Comment by Nielaya769 - November 25, 2003 @ 9:00 AM

  3. I still don't like how PJ changed Faramir, but after reading this, I understand a hecka lot more than I did before, why PJ had to change the character. Good Job!

    Comment by *Evenstar - November 25, 2003 @ 1:46 PM

  4. Nicely done! yes, I was a bit put off by the film version od Faramir, although I must say that the EE does more justice to the faramir character than the theatrical release.

    Your point is well taken. In drama, the essence is conflict, not only between characters but also within. Although we don;t perhaps get a well laid out picture of Faramir's struggles, I do believe that there will be change and therefore redemption.

    I can't believe that a project as lovingly crafted as wthis one, will let this thread slip so carelessly through the fingers.

    Comment by Neenime - November 26, 2003 @ 10:11 AM

  5. Yay! Finally, someone understands that you cannot make a movie perfectly like the book! I was getting sick of telling people that there are reasons as to why he changed parts of the book, and the character of Faramir. Great job!!!

    Comment by Lady_of_the_LotR - November 26, 2003 @ 10:22 AM

  6. I think I'm with *Evenstar - I'm not crazy about the change, but I do understand a lot more now - and I agree with you totally. I've been trying to find some way to live with the movie Faramir getting Eowyn (my favorite character), and I think you've finally done that for me! Thank you!

    Comment by Nawyn - November 27, 2003 @ 9:04 AM

  7. Yes I completely am behind you on this!!!! Faramir is not evil, and yes he is somewhat cute in his own specail way!!!!You are a great writer, and I do hope you keep writing.In my class we have to say why we give the ratings we give to stories, essays,poems, etc. and my reasons areoints are made perfectly clear and it keeps the reader wanting to read to the very end!!!!!

    Comment by Arwen_the_Evenstar - November 27, 2003 @ 6:28 PM

  8. That makes so much more sense now. I get it. Oooohhhh. Ok. Thanks, that makes so much perfect sense. *Am changed*

    Comment by Tari_Niphredil - November 30, 2003 @ 6:32 PM


  9. Seriously, very good essay. From a purely film standpoint, I can see why the changes needed to happen. And while I still like book Faramir better, Filmamir is growing on me, especially after the EE.
    As long as he still ends up with Eowyn, I'm happy.

    Comment by shieldmaidenofrohan - December 1, 2003 @ 7:51 PM

  10. But this helped clear a couple of things I didn't understand before. I also agree, Faramir was a little flat in the books. don't get me wrong, he was a good, strong, character, but he was still a little flat.
    Thankx for helping to clear up a few things.

    post again soon

    Comment by RaquelGreenleaf - December 1, 2003 @ 10:51 PM

  11. but i must truly disagree with your statements. It is good to hear one's opinion on the movies, but I still disagree. I mean, why would Eowyn marry a creepy guy? She was bothered by Grima practically what would seem like forever, she was badly wounded by someone evil. I mean my conscience would be ruine after the first year with Grima!!!

    Comment by alianastigracelane - December 2, 2003 @ 9:29 AM

  12. I can believe you are a film major! I've read articles which make some of your points in justifing Farimir's changes, but none have put it all together the way you did. I think your article is very well thought out. I don't know if Farimir was really as creepy as some make out, but I do feel that the extended edition explains him a little better. It works for me even though I love the book Faramir.

    Comment by Calime - December 2, 2003 @ 2:19 PM

  13. Now I can have something to back me up when I'm telling my friend that Faramir is really a nice guy! Maybe she'll believe me now! Thank you! That was a very interesting and insightful article. I like what you said about Eowyn, that she's a really dynamic character. I LOVED Eowyn in the book(hey, I like all the girls with swords who can fight and kill the bad guys ). I won't let anyone bad-mouth Eowyn or anyone related to her, for that matter, which includes Faramir. Thank you for writing this and showing people that Faramir is a really good person inside!

    Comment by Critina - December 2, 2003 @ 6:13 PM

  14. All I can say is -- I agree! I was also a bit put off by the dominant portrayal of the Arwen/Aragorn relationship (book vs. movie) and when you describe the Faramir/Eowyn dynamic in the movies it all makes sense. One can see why you study movies! I've enjoyed Faramir in TTT because I know what lies ahead, especially after watching the extended version of TTT, you kinda feel a bit sorry for the way his father treats his second son.

    Great essay.

    Comment by laurenlb - December 6, 2003 @ 10:11 PM

  15. Faramir IS the good guy, pj just did a bad job on him. But I mean whoa! Your essay was awesome, and my sis-alianastigracelane- didnt read it all, so she actually agrees with you-she's a terrible speed reaer- but, g2g
    God Bless
    the 2nd Flirtatious one

    Comment by Alianasti_of_Eleandor - December 7, 2003 @ 9:32 AM

  16. but, in the two towere EXTENDED EDITION, which is really good-they have FLOTSAM AND JETSAM!*squeak*-, they show how good of a brotherly relationship was flowng through Boromir and Faramir, and how much of a idiot Denethor acted to Faramir-which was good to show before lots of people started thinking of being Denethor fans, - so, they didn't ruin Faramir that much, only in the non-extended edition

    Comment by Alianasti_of_Eleandor - December 7, 2003 @ 9:37 AM

  17. Well then, that makes a lot of sense. I appreciate you taking the time to educate my poor little mind. I understand better now, why Peter Jackson did it that way. Thank you!

    Comment by Lalaith-Elerrina - December 15, 2003 @ 6:43 PM

  18. Pretty persuasive essay. Interesting insight into the differences between book Faramir and movie Faramirs character.

    Comment by fingolfin555 - December 16, 2003 @ 2:47 PM

  19. I am a LOTR devotee, having read the books several years ago, and Faramir was never ever evil, according to Tolkien. He was however, an example of how we strive to please those important to us, through whatever means we can, regardless of the apparent morality of the actions we undertake.
    I think that Jackson made a mistake in portraying him as an evil character, and thankfully this has been redeemed in ROTK.

    Comment by solith_elf - December 23, 2003 @ 11:02 AM

  20. I think that Jackson made a mistake in portraying him as an evil character, and thankfully this has been redeemed in ROTK. agree totally.

    Comment by evenstar1 - January 1, 2004 @ 7:13 PM

  21. Now that we've all seen ROTK, how does this essay stand up?

    It doesn't, that's how. While all these arguments made sense before, I think the third movie has made them largely irrelevant.

    ROTK does not do justice to Faramir. Now, instead of being a Boromir clone, he is a needy little boy with an extremely nasty Dad.

    The romance with Eowyn? Gone. The Aragorn/Eowyn heartbreak? Nearly non-existent.

    The movie, which I have reviewed at length elsewhere, is a disappointment. Choppy, confusing, full of cliche and weak sentiment, it ignores the power of Tolkien's tale and goes for easy tears and plenty of cheering from those who love the endless, boring battle scenes.

    Comment by vison - January 4, 2004 @ 8:16 AM

  22. That was some persuadsion(spelling?) techniquie(spelling?). i am fully convinced. My friends aren't lord of the Rings fans like I am but they are however bug movie goers and nit-pickers, if you will. They like to pick out the mistakes of the directors. This one, the main one, was indeed, Faramir. They said that he did not match the books description. My brother thought the same. Faramir, however, as you said, was brought to the big screen which is different from the written word. Teh written word can be quite more descriptive of characters thatn a movie, plus a movie has limited time. This movie is already three hours long. You cannot have it much longer than that, for people will not want to sit and watch a four hour movie! So, the big screen must do with what they can. Peter Jackson does a very well job of changing Faramir, for the better, and having him be an important character, yet not a main one. It is hard for a director and board of writers to take such a great novel, and allit's descriptiveness and put it in 3 hours worth of movie time. You must make sacrifices. Luckily, we have had a great director, such as Peter Jackson, portray a great novel such as LotR. Thank you again for the wonderful article. It was most enjoyable and convincing to read. I will be sure top email it to all my noconvinced friends and see what they think now!

    Comment by They_call_me_Arwen - January 4, 2004 @ 7:50 PM

  23. If you're going to critique my essay, that's fine. But don't brush it off just because you didn't like RotK. OBVIOUSLY I couldn't have known how RotK would turn out.

    This is an essay for "The Two Towers", and doesn't even include the Extended Edition (as I clearly stated).

    I'm glad you reviewed RotK, and I'm sorry you were disappointed. But THIS is definitely not the place for it.

    "How does this essay stand up? It doesn't, that's how." Speak within context, please.

    Comment by North - January 8, 2004 @ 9:14 AM

  24. I agree! Faramir is not evil and the way he was depicted in the movie was a little off. I have the Extended Edition and I can't believe how nasty Denethor is! Sure he's bad in the book mind you but I don't remember him being THAT mean. Though I was mad that they cut out the "Houses of Healing"(which happened to be my favorite chapter) you're right, because the movie would be too long. I think that PJ misinterperted his character, thinking that he's evil.(which is certanly not true) But hey! Big directors make mistakes too!

    Comment by LuthienTinuviel45 - February 9, 2004 @ 4:15 PM

  25. Hi,

    I just wanted to say that I really like this description and explanation of movie-Faramir. Just like Arwen, he did need enough screen time and character building moments to make the movie make sense. He does seem a twinge evil in TTT, but in the TTTEE and in ROTK, it is easier to understand how he could feel driven to desperate measures, what with being compared to the "perfect" Boromir all the time. Denethor's continual comparision to him, and denegration of Faramir's own character is a critical part of what changes in Faramir's personality, to allow him to withstand the same temptations that Boromir succumbed to.

    Great Job!

    Comment by EmpressOfAlvarra - February 13, 2004 @ 8:05 PM

  26. I have to say that I totally agree. I think that David played the part of Faramir to perfection. I also think that Faramir was written into the screenplay exactly like he should have been. In the books, Faramir was like a seperate story that just happened to coinside with the main plot.

    Comment by Karigan_Galadheon - February 14, 2004 @ 6:50 PM

  27. I don't know how people could see Faramir as "Evil" in the film. Lost and confused? Maybe. Thank you for clearing up some misconseptions.

    Comment by Tarot - April 22, 2004 @ 4:11 PM

  28. very, very good!!! i liked PJ's Faramir, but some of the stuff in your essay, hadn't even crossed my mind! good job!!!

    Comment by JudyLeigh - July 29, 2004 @ 11:36 AM

  29. Faramir was NOT a "flat character," he was a COMPLEX character. To analyze this, we must look to character-motivation from his childhood.
    Faramir's mother was Finduilas of Dol Amroth, a beautiful city on the western seashore, but when she married Denethor he moved her to Minas Tirith, a stronghold of stone in the shadow of Mt.Mindolluin which hid the sunset over the waters. There they had their sons, the stereotypically strapping first-bron Boromir, and the even more stereotypically more kind and gentle younger-brother Faramir.
    Finduilas despaired in her new life, feeling a prisoner of a stone prison, and died when Faramir was about three; while Boromir was strong and brave at about age 8, and more devoted to is father, the younger and gentler Faramir was deeply wounded by the bereavement; likewise, however, here we see that Boromir swore to watch over and protect his brother.
    Meanwhile, Denethor became stoic and hard at his wife's unhappy life and tragic death.
    As such, we see the dynamic between Boromir the brave and ambitious, and the wiser, more gentle Faramir, who we know suspected that their father loved his brother more-- though it also needs mention that they were never rivals for their father's love, and in fact Boromir was Faramir's mentor and protector.
    But as Faramir says to Frodo, "I loved my brother dearly, but knew him well-- and I suspect that he would have tried to take this thing from you."
    With Boromir's death, however, and his refusal to take the Ring, Faramir feels his father's wrath, and tries to redeem himself; likewise, Denethor becomes tragically wracked with guilt over sending him into battle exhausted, as well as despair over the twisted visions of Sauron during his wasting his mind in the Palantir to save his people-- a feat that even Gandalf thought he would never be ready for.
    However, this tragic story has a happy ending in the tale of Faramir and Eowyn, in that Faramir is re-united with the image of his mother Finduilas' through her raw beauty and light come to melancholy and despair, while Eowyn comes to benefit from Faramir's wisdom and understanding-- and in each other they find love as well as healing.
    THIS is the beauty of the story, and something that few film-makers can capture- let alone a horror-flick hack like Peter Jackson; and so the closest thing we have to settle for is "Han and Leah."
    Oh, what fools these mortal film-makers be......

    Mourning over what could have been, and cursing the blasphemy of what was.....
    --Tulkas

    Comment by TulkasOfArda - August 2, 2004 @ 12:50 PM

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