Of Rings and the Temptations Thereof....

Probably the most controversial thing about the film version of The Two Towers, for those who have read the books, is the change Peter Jackson made to the character of Faramir. In the book, Faramir is never tempted by the Ring, while in the film he is…or is he? I noticed something only the other night, as I watched the film again, that escaped me the first few times I saw it: while Faramir is considering the Ring, in the score the Ring's theme is never heard.

That's important, because all through The Fellowship of the Ring, the Ring motif is heard in nearly every instance of the Ring either tempting or changing owners. It is heard both when Isildur takes up the Ring and loses it; it is heard when Frodo picks the Ring up off the floor where Bilbo dropped it; it is heard late in the film when Boromir succumbs to temptation and tries to steal it from Frodo. The motif is not heard, though, when Frodo offers it to Gandalf in Bag End or to Aragorn at Amon Heth. So I wonder if Howard Shore is not using his score to tip the hand that Faramir isn't nearly as tempted as we might otherwise think; certainly his heart never seems to really be in it, and when he hears Sam's speech at the end he turns Frodo loose, which is not a sign of temptation, to my way of thinking.

However, I have not yet seen the Extended Edition of The Two Towers, so it's quite possible that a scene exists in that version that would blow my theory here unto tiny bits. Anyone? (If you're baffled as to which motif is the "Ring Motif", it's the motif that is heard at the very beginning of each film as the words "The Lord of the Rings" fade in, and it's the motif that swells in the orchestra in Fellowship as the boats slide past the feet of the Argonath.)