Tolkien’s sentence is “you cannot pass”. Ian McKellen made an error, and the error stuck 😁.
As far as I know, there’s no direct link between Verdun’s sentence and Gandalf’s, but it’s possible. Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure there’s no link with ¡No pasarán!, as Tolkien was pro-Franco.
It’s a very loaded scene, with a lot of historical, mythological and theological underpinnings.
Thanks for the background. Read the book well before the movies (not counting the animation), but didn’t catch that, and tbh I like McKellan’s better for the medium. I think I’ll let it be so for me, I like the idea.
Hmfh, likely inspiration for Tolkien’s “You shall not pass”, and the memetic circle completes, anyone know for sure?
Tolkien’s sentence is “you cannot pass”. Ian McKellen made an error, and the error stuck 😁.
As far as I know, there’s no direct link between Verdun’s sentence and Gandalf’s, but it’s possible. Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure there’s no link with ¡No pasarán!, as Tolkien was pro-Franco.
It’s a very loaded scene, with a lot of historical, mythological and theological underpinnings.
Thanks for the background. Read the book well before the movies (not counting the animation), but didn’t catch that, and tbh I like McKellan’s better for the medium. I think I’ll let it be so for me, I like the idea.
I agree that “you shall not pass” rings better than “you cannot pass”… McKellen mistakes are improvements… that speaks volumes about the man’s talent!