Posted on 11/27/2001 8:56:31 PM PST by sourcery
The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring
Cast (Major Roles Only)
Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins
Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf
Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn
Sir Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins
Sean Astin as Sam Gamgee
Billy Boyd as Pippin Took
Dominic Monaghan as Merry Brandybuck
Orlando Bloom as Legolas
John Rhys-Davies as Gimli
John Rhys-Davies (voice) as Treebeard
Sean Bean as Boromir
Cate Blanchett as Galadriel
Liv Tyler as Arwen
Christopher Lee as Saruman
Brad Dourif as Grima Wormtongue
Andy Serkis (voice) as Smeagol (Gollum)
Director:
Peter Jackson
A review by Ronald Epstein
One ring to rule them all,
One ring to find them,
one ring to bring them all and in
the darkness bind them.
Published in 1954-1955, J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece Lord Of The Rings trilogy still remains one of the
most definitive works of imaginary fiction ever written. The extraordinary efforts to get this trilogy to
the screen is a testament of how popular these stories are today. New Line has taken a gamble and risked
everything by filming all three movies back-to-back without knowing the fate of the original release.
The Fellowship of the Ring is the very first of the Tolkien trilogy. It will be followed up with
The Two Towers (2002) and Return of the King (2003).
As release date slowly draws nearer, everyone is holding their breath. Will this film live up to expectations?
Will this movie make a strong enough impact that audiences will anxiously want to remain loyal to the
films that will follow? The answer is a definitive YES on all accounts.
Lord Of The Rings will make its mark in film history. Fans will embrace this film and newcomers will
be in complete awe of one of the most visually entertaining films ever made....and this is only the beginning!
The film begins with lengthy female narrative that tells the story of Middle Earth - the ancient land of elves,
dwarves, hobbits, wizards and other creatures. We are told of the creation of the individual rings that
were handed down to the wisest and most noblest creatures of Middle Earth. We are then told of the ONE
ring that was forged out of Mount Doom -- the ring that controlled all others -- worn by the dark and
evil Lord Sauren. We are told of a battle and the defeat of Sauren and how his ring is eventually lost
only to be found by Gollum, a lowly creature that gets poisoned by its power. The ring is eventually
stolen by hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. And so, this is where the trilogy begins.....
It's a beautiful day in the Shire, the peaceful home of the Hobbits. A carriage rolls through a lone road
that parts meadows of lush grass and farmland. It is Gandalf the Wizard visiting his old Hobbit friend,
Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm). It is Bilbo's birthday, and the old hobbit is more concerned about leaving the
Shire rather than partake in any party. Something is very heavy on Bilbo's mind, and Gandalf is watching
him closely. That evening, Bilbo's party is in full swing with some of the most amazing and beautiful firework
displays ever seen on film. When Bilbo makes a daring announcement to his party guests, Gandalf realizes that
Bilbo is in possession of a very important ring. Gandalf convinces Bilbo to give up the ring, and give it to
the very young Frodo (Elijah Wood). When the secret of the ring is finally revealed to the old Wizard, Frodo
is warned to leave the Shire at once. Hence, the adventure of a lifetime begins.
Clocking in at about 3 hours running length, Lord Of The Rings doesn't waste time. Every minute of
the film is used to remain as faithful to the book as possible. The most important aspect of this film is
that it had to properly tell the story as written. The end result is that this film becomes a definitive
and accurate recreation of the story.
Though it had been 20 years since I last read the trilogy, the film brought back every single memory I had
of the story with visuals that exceeded my own imagination. You will see visuals in this film that go beyond
anything you have seen before. The film is visually beautiful as we travel through the lush green grasses
of the Shire with the huts built into the hills, or, the beautiful mountain village of Rivendell, inhabited
by the Elves. With so much beauty also comes the darkness of Mordor and Mount Doom so grimly recreated
with cameras that swoop into the lowest depths of these locations as we watch armies of death manufacturer
weapons as they grow, amass, and hunt the one that holds the ring.
Make no mistake about it, this film is very dark. The most terrifying creatures of Middle Earth are
realistically brought to life. Whether it be the Ringwraiths, dark riders who are neither dead or alive
or the armies of orcs who inhabit the Mountains of the Dwarf kingdom, this movie manages to keep your
heart racing with scene after scene of edge-of-the-seat battles set to sweeping music of Howard Shore.
I have two favorite sequences in this movie. One involves a duel between Gandalf (Ian Holm) and the
elder wizard, Saruman (Christopher Lee). With each Wizard testing their powers against each other,
the duel becomes one of the most memorable scenes of the film as we see Gandalf helplessly spinning
around the floor. Another favorite sequence involves Frodo putting the ring on his finger and not
only becoming invisible to the outside world, but being visible to the inner world of darkness. These
effect sequences are creatively reproduced on screen to the point where you get chills running down
your spine.
The biggest hurdles that New Line faces with Lord Of The Rings is the 3-hour running time and
the fact that this is not a film that is going to appeal to all audiences. While the fans who read
the original books are going to be enthralled with its faithfulness to the book, I couldn't help but
hear many women of the audience talking afterwards about how much they were unimpressed by the whole
film. Fans of the books and Fantasy films alike are in for the treat of their lives. Lord Of The Rings
has accomplished what many thought was the impossible -- to bring a live-action film to the screen
that accurately portrays the books as written, with enough visual eyes candy and engrossing battle scenes
that could very well make this the STAR WARS trilogy of the new century.
On a scale of 1-5, I give this film a 5.
Opens December 18th, 2001
I don't disagree with most of what you wrote, but I think it has to do with humility, not wisdom. Aragorn was so humble that he actually entered Minas Tirith in secret to heal those he could, but then left again and didn't claim his crown until he could do so without harming the alliance.
Denothor was not humble, and neither was Boromir. Both were full of themselves and their own power, as well as the power of Gondor. Farimir, on the other hand, was humble. Farimir also told Frodo that he would never handle "the thing" and then kept his promise once he discovered what "the thing" was.
Keep in mind that while most of our discussion touches on whether the men would use powerful objects, there is also the issue that Boromir had with the Stewards of Gondor continuing to wait for the King after so many generations. We are lead to believe that, had Boromir succeeded his father, he would have proclaimed himself king. That has nothing to do with objects of power.
So, was it wisdom or humility? Then again, can the two be completely divorced?
Shalom.
Hmmm, I daresay my younger sister loved the works more than I did and I loved them. After all, when I gave her Bored of the Rings to read she almost hit me. I still laugh about that book and I haven't seen a copy in over 20 years.
I sit on the floor and pick my nose
And think of wonderous things
Of deviant dwarves with a thing for toes
And elves who drub their dings.
Ahhh. Nothing like fine poetry to really spice up a story.
Yes, and that was nothing like fine poetry.
Go play with your Narcs, Sorehead! ;)
Shalom.
IMO Tom and Goldberry are two of the most important characters in the story, both for what they are and for what they are not. True, they refuse to get involved in things outside their own forest and that's not exactly admirable, but Tom, who is Master and the River's Daughter teach us all some very valuable lessons that are touched nowhere else in the books.
Shalom.
Not in my mind.
Methinks you and Tolkein would have been of one mind on this subject.
Hoom HRUM. I hope I am not being hasty.
Shalom.
I'm camping out.
No, I was asking if gays were going to boycott the actor because he appears in a movie based on a story written by a devout christian.
Another theme from the books is that "the great" might not have the greatest roles, and stupendous deeds may have to be done by the least great of the creatures, like soft, complacent Hobbits. In fact, when the greatest of The Great get too big for their britches, it's only "the little" than can take them down.
Yet another theme expounded in the books is that of passing, loss, and diminishment. And even the destruction of Sauron brings about the slow fading of all the creatures except Men themselves. Yet all the free creatures of Middle Earth realize that they have to pay that price, in order to free the universe from Sauron's evil. It takes a special kind of courage to fight a war where the only outcomes are your eternal enslavement to evil, or the slow fading of your kind, while the far less noble Man gradually ascends. There is a strong theme of sadness and loss, even in victory, present in the work.
I've read these books many times, but manage to notice different themes each time I read them. This time around, I'm noticing the feeling of cold, misery, fear, and doubt that dogs the characters when they're not resting in some blessed oasis like Rivendell, or up to their armpits in orcs. It's a common feeling for anyone who's been in the military, and something Tolkien remembers from WW1, while he writes to his son, in WW2.
Eowyn was a strong character, I've always thought higher of women like her than like "Charlie's Angels". For a young girl (I was sixth grade when I read the books), what better role model?
Ican'twaitIcan'twaitIcan'twait!!!!
His first action as a proclaimed heir was to go to the Stone of Erech and claim the fealty that the dead owed Elendil.
Isildur instead of Elendil
That's true. To me, it was a tease. I thought they would come back later in the series. To introduce such powerful characters only to have them drift away wasn't what I wanted to see.
Will Fangorn and the Ents be in The Two Towers? I don't seen them listed in the The Two Towers credits.
I thought that Elendil called them to fight by his side at the last alliance of Men and Elves. When did Isildur in his short reign call on them?
The key is in understanding Tom as master. Tom is master of himself, not of Middle Earth. That's why the ring has no impact on him. The ring can't master him because Tom is master.
Tom is a person who is totally at home with who he is and his place in the world. He does not desire adventure for its own sake, nor fame, nor glory, nor wealth. All he desires is to love his lady and be loved by her. He has his part and doesn't try to go playing someone else's. In Christian terms, he doesn't see every opportunity as a calling, but waits patiently until he is called. Because he so thoroughly trusts in G-d for who he is, he can resist the opportunity to try to step outside of his calling.
Shalom.
Bev? What are you doing on Free Republic?
Oh, sorry Ma'am. Easy mistake.
Outstanding.
Is it the little, or the humble?
BTW: One of my Sunday School teachers was talking about the passage where Jesus said, "You must enter the Kingdom like a little child" (blew the quote but got the sense). He was asking, "What are some of the characteristics of children that Jesus might have been talking about." The answer he was looking for (but never got out of us) is that they're little.
Worth a lot of thinking.
Shalom.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.