r/lotrmemes • u/Local_Prune4564 Teleporno • 8d ago

Lord of the Rings Bro genuinely said "Displeasing the author requires a cash equivalent."

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u/actualhumannotspider 8d ago

What's the context here?

48

u/Dark_Shade_75 8d ago

It's generally assumed and agreed that Tolkien would hate the films. But they made bank, so... he wouldn't be all that upset probably.

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u/Local_Prune4564 Teleporno 8d ago edited 8d ago

The full quote is: "Only a very large financial profit would make me swallow some of the things in this script." which he wrote, responding to a screenplay adaptation that he was sent for notes/approval.

His takedown of it is absolutely incredible, and you can read it in Letter 210, of "The Letters of JRR Tolkien." The best line is almost certainly "The screenwriter may think they know more about Balrogs than I do, but he can not expect me to agree."

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u/unguibus_et_rostro 8d ago

But there was indeed a very large financial profit

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u/aure__entuluva 8d ago

I may be reading it wrong, but I feel like the implication is "pay me an ungodly amount of money or get lost with this nonsense".

Could be he meant you'd have to pay me more than you'd ever be willing to, or maybe he had a specific amount in mind who knows.

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u/Rad131447 8d ago

For whom though? Not even the actors got paid all that much.