Lepus, If Jacksons ONLY purpose in making the movie was to please Tolkien fans, then he should have made it longer.    However, his intention was to make a good movie that would appeal to a wider range. The elements that you mention worked wonderfully in the book (I have since read Fellowship) but it would have made the film tedious to the person who goes to watch a good movie. More detail would have bogged down the production and destroyed the flow of the film. As I said earlier, it isn't fair to compare the book with the film - they are two different mediums with two different creative visions. Enjoy each of them for what they have to offer.