[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Clueless in Middle Earth (WAS LOTR movie)

[Jen Faulkner]

On Sat, 29 Dec 2001, cindysphynx wrote:

> I went to see the film last night.  I was totally blown away, as I
> thought it was magnificent!

I've seen it twice now (once not having read more than the first 100
pages, and then a second time having read all of FotR) -- and I'm
looking around for someone to go see it with me a third time.  It's
*marvelous*.  I can't stand long movies (I was squirming and bored about
halfway through HP), usually, but I *didn't* want this one to end.  (It
was better the second time when I knew when a part I could get up and
use the restroom was, so that there wasn't that problem though. *g*)  I
followed it just fine not knowing much about it, and I enjoyed it even
more once I'd read the book to get more of the backstory filled in.  And
it did finally inspire me to make it all the way through FotR, which I'd
never managed before. *g*

Cannot *wait* until it comes out on DVD. :)

> Frodo (who I really thought was a 14 year old short person or
> something until I saw the actor on Leno last night).

*laughs* Elijah Wood is too precious for words -- and I was amazed both
times I saw the movie at how absolutely flawless his skin is. :)  But
now he just *looks* like a Hobbit to me, even out of the movie.
There's a terrific clip of the cast's party at Cannes, with interviews
and so on, and the four Hobbits sing together, and really, despite the
lack of curly hair, they *still* just are so Hobbitish:
http://wwwneu.herr-der-ringe-film.de/hdr/media/multimedia/fernsehberichte/videos/lotr_party_high.rm

That same clip also features Orlando Bloom (Legolas) kissing Viggo
Morgentsen (Aragorn), for those who like that sort of thing (she said,
disinterestedly *g*).

> I did not get the women *at all.*

There's not very many of them, and they don't do much.  (Tolkien's is a
very male (homosocial) world.)  Arwen is the daughter of Elrond (and
granddaughter of Galadriel) -- she's the one played by Liv Tyler.  In
the book, she actually doesn't save Frodo at the river at all (there was
another Elf, Glorfindel, who does all that, except the flood which is
caused by Elrond and the horses in it which are Gandalf's doing), nor is
there the scene between her and Aragorn (though she does indeed choose
to share a moral life with him later, yes?).  Her role in the movie is
greatly expanded from the book, an improvement in my opinion.  ('Sides,
I like Liv Tyler, and whatever they did to her voice was awesome.)

Galadriel is also an Elf, a very old and powerful Elf -- and possessor
of one of the three Elf Rings (remember, there were seven Dwarf Rings,
all lost or in Sauron's hands; nine Man (*sighs*) Rings, still possessed
by the Ringwraiths; and three Elf Rings, which the Elves still have).
Elrond (the head Elf at Rivendell, the one who called the council) has
one as well.  She is the Lady of Lothlrien (her husband, who I don't
remember doing anything in the movie, is Celeborn), the woodsy city they
go to after the mines of Moria.  She's rather more scary in the movie
than the book; in both she makes the speech about what would happen if
she were to have the One Ring, but it's not half as frightening in the
book.  (That's true of a lot of things.  The book's narrative voice
precludes too much emotional response from me.)  The mirror sequence is
a bit different too.  Anyway, she seemed a lot kinder (to me) in the
book, and the bit about her haivng a Ring is played up there.  No
warnings from her about the Fellowship breaking, either.  She's played
by Cate Blanchette.

> I didn't understand the Pretty Boy with the Arrows, or the guy who
> died.

The Pretty Boy with Arrows is Legolas, an Elf.  (Aren't Elves pretty?)
He comes from the Elves in a different forest, Mirkwood, and he's the
son of their king.  He's chosen (by Elrond, in the book) to represent
the Elves on the quest.

The guy who died is Boromir, a Man from the South, from the kingdom of
Gondor.  He's not a king (the rightful king is Aragorn/Strider), but his
father is the regent of it in the absence of the kings.  He's never
really in favor of the 'destroy the Ring' idea; he thinks that it can be
used for good, despite all the evidence that it cannot.

> Who
> was that Strider fellow?  Is he the same person as Aragorn?  I have
> resolved to read the book immediately.

The book is worth reading -- but I warn you: skip the prologue if you're
having any difficulty.  It's tedious and unimportant to the story.

Strider is indeed the same person as Aragorn son of Arathorn (the
patronymics in the book are really... pervasive); he's a Ranger, a
person that wanders the North (fighting Evil things).  The Rangers are
all remnants of the oldest group of Men (the most aristocratic).  He's a
friend of Gandalf's -- the Hobbits are given a letter in the book to
make that clear, whereas the movie simply requires that they blindly
trust him.  He's the heir of the ancient king Isildur (the one who cut
the finger with the Ring from Sauron's hand), but has not yet reclaimed
his throne.

> 5.  Uh, Frodo puts the ring on and the world dissolves or something.
> I was totally baffled by this.

In the book, it's not apparent, I don't think, until he puts the ring on
when running away from Boromir, but when he uses the Ring, the reason
that he becomes invisible is that he's entering the Wraith world, a sort
of spirit-plane.  (Thus the Ringwraiths, who dwell there all the time,
can still see him to stab him.)

> His sword was magical or something?

Yup.  It's an Elf sword (named Sting), and it glows blue in the presence
of Evil (Orcs).

> Why is the Kevlar suit so important, other than just conveniently
> saving Frodo from the troll?  I must go read the book.

The mail-shirt is made of mithril, which is what the Dwarves were
actually mining for in Moria (the movie never said).  It's extremely
rare now that the mines are shut, and is worth a fortune.  (The shirt
Frodo has is worth as much as everything in the Shire.)

And Cindy, I wouldn't start with *The Hobbit*.  It's really not
neccessary to the other books, and it's defeated me every time I've
tried to read it.  Do feel free to go ahead and read FotR first.
(Unless you don't want to, in which case, feel free to ignore my advice.
*g*)

--jen :)

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Clamavit lupus, Ergo huffabo, et puffabo, et tuam domum inflabo!  Et
huffavit, et puffavit, et totam domum inflavit!" -- Tres Porcelli.

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