Yes Carolly, most people watching the movie have no idea how deep this issue is, not even back to the Thorin jailing, although I am certain you do. It goes back six thousand years, to the moment when the dwarves finished the reworking of the Nauglamir (a necklace) by placing the Silmaril radiant in its center, and then refused to return it to the Elven King Thingol. The Dwarves killed Thingol. There was a huge war between dwarves and elves. Even deeper: Elves are the firstborn of Iluvatar (God) but dwarves were made by Aule, one of Iluvatar's important 'angels.' There's a jealousy in it. But also triumph, because Iluvatar blessed the act, unlike the un-blessed attempt of Melkor (fallen angel) to create a race -- the orcs. IMO, Tolkien intended the Gimli/Legolas relationship to be a chapter in the healing of the entire history of conflict between elves and dwarves. To sully this tragic but noble history with Jackson's smarmy 20th century silliness...it's like making a sitcom out of Macbeth. ::::: Opera :::::