I saw the new Hobbit movie recently (what is the actual title of that multi-part film?) and something interesting struck me. I've known the opening words to The Hobbit well enough that I'd recognize them if someone spoke them, and the words in the film are (at least in part) some of those. What I didn't expect was hearing them spoken differently than how I read them in my head.
Particularly, when Gandalf remind Bilbo who he is, he says the line, "I am Gandalf, and Gandalf means me!" When Ian McKellen says the words, there is a discernible pause between "means" and "me", such that the audience is led to a particular conclusion about the spoken words. When I read the book, I hear Gandalf proclaiming that Gandalf is his name and everyone should know it, by golly! When I watch the movie, I get the impression that Gandalf is perplexed that Bilbo should have any other impression of what Gandalf means. The difference is subtle, surprising, and caused by a mere pause in the narration.
