Nicholas Palazzo
Well-Known Member
We've been over this one a few times, but obviously the answer arrived at was not satisfactory.
Here's the thing when it comes to diversity amongst the Elves, and forgive me for being a bit blunt here: I don't care. Ultimately, it's a story set in a fictional Europe, so if the screen is full of white people, that makes perfect sense.
The problem with having multi-racial kindreds is how that works genetically. It looks weird for what are essentially family members to look wildly different ethnicly. (It does happen, but it's far from the norm.)
The problem with having different kindreds represented by different races is that it is impossible to do that without seemingly saying something about those races. If say, the Noldor are European and the Sindar were African, we have the clearly superior (both technologically and personally) and white Noldor coming and decimating the Orcs who have been destroying the darker Sindar.
If we did it the other way around, the African Noldor will be portrayed as rebellious and violent.
The hosts' suggestion of having the Elves all be a Mediterranean beige in complexion seems to be the only way to have them not be white.
Of course, I see that while I've been writing this, most of it has been said, so take it as you will.
Here's the thing when it comes to diversity amongst the Elves, and forgive me for being a bit blunt here: I don't care. Ultimately, it's a story set in a fictional Europe, so if the screen is full of white people, that makes perfect sense.
The problem with having multi-racial kindreds is how that works genetically. It looks weird for what are essentially family members to look wildly different ethnicly. (It does happen, but it's far from the norm.)
The problem with having different kindreds represented by different races is that it is impossible to do that without seemingly saying something about those races. If say, the Noldor are European and the Sindar were African, we have the clearly superior (both technologically and personally) and white Noldor coming and decimating the Orcs who have been destroying the darker Sindar.
If we did it the other way around, the African Noldor will be portrayed as rebellious and violent.
The hosts' suggestion of having the Elves all be a Mediterranean beige in complexion seems to be the only way to have them not be white.
Of course, I see that while I've been writing this, most of it has been said, so take it as you will.