From page to screen

Its funny how sometimes your memories of a book are clouded by a film. I must have read The Lord of the Rings upwards of twenty times in my youth. I loved the book. I have probably not read it now, though, for thirty years. I guess it's getting time to read it again. I remember in my teens listening to a radio adaptation of The Lord of the Rings on the BBC. John le Mesurier was Bilbo, Ian Holm was Frodo. Ian Holm later played Bilbo in the films ironically. If you've never listened to it, I would heartily recommend it. Expertly done with a great lineup of actors. Michael Hordern as Gandalf was particularly memorable.
After that, the films arrived. I know there was some criticism, but I enjoyed them. Epic battles and fantastic scenery that stuck in my head.
Recently, while writing Realms Unravelled, I had to write a battle scene. I wanted it to be epic. Two battles stood out in my head as epic. The Battle of Helm's Deep and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. One was done brilliantly in the radio play, and the other was shown with amazing imagery in the film. Legolas sliding down the elephant's trunk is a great moment. So, I looked to these for inspiration. A film is easy, though, right? You don't have to describe what is happening. You can see it. So how do you write a battle? I turned to Tolkien for help. I reread the battle scenes in The Return of the King. However, they were not at all like I remembered. The memories from the film have almost entirely replaced my memories of the book. That made the chapter much more challenging to write. I hope I've done it justice. In my head, I'm watching it unfold like a film. I hope my readers see it that way too.