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Author
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Comment
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Terri
Registered User
(12/19/01 7:37:56 am)
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Tolkien film
Has anyone seen it yet? Comments? There's a great review of it on
Salon.com (www.salon.com/ent/movies/review/2001/12/18/lord_of_the_rings/index.html),
although Alan Lee is uncredited for his role in the design, alas.
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Kerrie
Registered User
(12/19/01 7:45:19 am)
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Re: Tolkien film
I haven't yet, but one of my coworkers saw it last night at midnight, and is going to see it again tonight. My fiance said that review on Salon.com almost made him cry. I think this is the film many of us have been waiting to see for a very long time!
Forest frosts and sugarplum dreams,
Kerrie
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ZMethos
Registered User
(12/19/01 8:04:48 am)
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Re: Tolkien film
I saw it last night at the midnight showing. Having never read the books--I know, I know, shame on me!--I can honestly say, this movie was riveting! And scary in its way, because, having no idea what was going to happen, I was honestly frightened for the characters. This was a beautiful movie to look at, too, although I wish we'd had more of the women; it's very much a boy's club. My husband says a lot of stuff from the books was cut and/or edited for time, that in a lot of cases characters didn't get as much screen time as they do book time (if there is such a thing), but of course, the movie would be 12 hours long if Jackson tried to do a blow-by-blow. . . I really enjoyed it myself and intend to see it again. And finally read the books.
~M. Pepper
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Richard
Parks
Registered User
(12/19/01 8:28:32 am)
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Re: Tolkien film
Alan Lee might be uncredited in the review, but his presence has surely been felt. In my discussion group on sff.net there was some talk of the visuals that we'd seen so far (if not yet the whole film) and how well the details were done.
I confess, the thing that impressed me most was Gandalf's hat. It was perfect. A silly thing, perhaps, but watching Gandalf drive his little cart along that shire road, it was like seeing an Alan Lee painting come to life. I'm really looking forward to the film.
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Robin
Unregistered User
(12/19/01 1:21:50 pm)
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Great review...
Wow! That review made me even more excited to see the movie...although I was a little irked that they felt the need to slam Harry Potter. (I LIKED Harry Potter!)
I didn't know that Ian Holm plays Bilbo -- how perfect!
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Terri
Registered User
(12/20/01 7:51:07 am)
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Re: Great review...
M. Pepper: Jackson actually beefed up the role of women in the film. They're almost nonexistant in the books.
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ZMethos
Registered User
(12/20/01 9:13:57 am)
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Re: Great review...
Wow! I thought surely they'd been cut back! (I'm only on page 83 of the book, so. . .) That's really a shame; these women seem like they could be [could have been?] really strong roles.
~M. Pepper
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omarmorales
Registered User
(12/21/01 6:02:47 am)
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Re: Tolkien film
I saw it two days ago.
I have not read the books. (yes, I admit it, ok)
but I can say that as a film (of all kinds) buff, I loved it.
I am also into cinema effects so I think I have a keen eye for them. The story that has been made for the film, as opposed to the book, is great. Good cinematography, better than average fx, good acting, great direction, good music, all-in-all, a great package. Watch it with an open mind.... remember its a movie, not the book.
Omar
:oP
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Terri
Registered User
(12/21/01 6:18:24 am)
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Re: women in Tolkien
Well, remember that Tolkien didn't grow up in the same world we
did. He came of age during World War I. It was a man's world then.
There's a reason why we fought the Good Feminist Fight of the Sixties
and Seventies (and why at least some of us still fight it today.)
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Charles Vess
Unregistered User
(12/21/01 8:32:59 am)
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Saw the film...
Okay I was at a packed audience showing on Thursday night and for three hours the movie held everyone in it's sway.
It brought laughter to my lips, tears to my eyes and joy to my heart.
I first read the Trilogy in my freshman year of high school (1964) and have re-read them off and on since and I really was amazed/delighted that Tolkien's vision has at last made it to the screen so completely. There are of course many alterations, cuts and compressions in the passage from book to screen but how could there not be, the two are very different mediums.
What struck me most about the film was the depth and scope of emotion portrayed on the screen as well as felt by the audience. There have been precious few films to match the depth of feeling that Peter Jackson and company have gifted us with, especially this year!
Have fun and enjoy!
Charles
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mlaw181
Registered User
(12/21/01 8:12:19 pm)
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Re: Saw the film...
Unlike Charles, I was able to sneak away and see the film on Thursday at noon and there were only 6 other people in the theater. I first read the books as a junior in high school (1966...is this an emerging pattern?) and promptly named my cat 'Lady Arwen'. I took my 20-year-old daughter to the film...who has only read The Hobbit...and she was inspired to finish reading the rest before her return to college in three weeks.
It was a great joy to agree so wholeheartedly with the casting. In every case, I knew who the characters were before their 'formal' introduction because they looked so much as I had envisioned. I also thought it was the most successful marriage of humans and animation to date. I "noticed" the animation once in three hours, and even then, it was not distracting.
Even in the disturbing sequences, I found myself grinning at the fact that a 35 year wait was so richly rewarded. Hope everyone enjoys it as well. ~Margot
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Meagan
Unregistered User
(12/21/01 8:40:16 pm)
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Tolkein film.
Wow. I just got home from seeing The Fellowship of the Ring. I went to see it by myself after work today, and I have to say I was...speechless when it ended (an utter rarity for me, company or no). I started reading the Hobbit when I was nine (because my older brother was reading the series) and re-read the entire series in my early twenties. I'm skeptical of movie adaptations (and I'm with you, Robin. I liked Harry Potter, too!) and when I saw Arwen looking all Amazonian in the movie stills and trailer, I thought: Well, that's not the Anglo-Saxon culture Tolkein studied...oh great, they've sold out. But I actually appreciated the (very) subtle oomph given to the female characters. It'll be interesting to see what Jackson has done with what's-her-name, the queen of Rohan (?) in the second book. but still, regardless of editing, length, adaptation, whatever...this film amazed me. I think I need to see it again before I'll be even remotely lucid enough to talk about it.
Meagan
Also, were those Ringwraiths not the scariest things ever? My flesh is still crawling!
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Robin
Unregistered User
(12/24/01 8:48:27 am)
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Just saw it...WARNING -- SPOILERS
Meagan: the queen of Ronan...you mean Eowyn? I'm REALLY looking forward to her part. She sure doesn't need any boosting as a strong female role.
Anyway, just saw the movie yesterday, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I've just finished re-reading the books, so I was very aware of the differences between the book and the movie, but they didn't really bother me. I was a little disappointed that they cut out Tom Bombadil, but in the interests of brevity I suppose it was necessary.
The only issue that I had was that they made the hobbits rather cartoonish -- Merry and Pippin are always "up to something" (oh, those hobbits!!). In the book, their innocence was touching, rather than just silly. And why did they make Frodo British, Sam Irish and Merry and Pippin Scottish??? I was hoping they'd have northern England, sorta Manchester-ey accents, or maybe Welsh. However, I thought the casting of the hobbits was really good.
But all in all, I loved the movie! Even though I knew what was going to happen, I still got all teary-eyed when Gandalf was "killed" by the Balrog, and when Boromir died...and when Frodo stood up at the Council and said "I will take it...though I do not know the way." BAWWW!
I would have gone to see the movie JUST for the panoramic, sweeping views of the countryside. The majesty of the landscape really helped convey the scope and the weight of the story.
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Unknown
(12/24/01 9:34:06 am)
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Unknown
(This post is missing and can not be restored)
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Jess
Unregistered User
(12/24/01 11:43:40 am)
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Haven't seen it yet - but help!
Hi all,
I found your comments interesting. I too have never read the Lord of the Rings, instead I was read the books by my older sister when I was 11. I still can recall being entranced by the story (enough so that she got back rubs through all 4 (hobbit included) books!). I can still hear her inflections through some of the passages although it has been many, many years.
Also, I just got off the phone with one of my closest friends. He and his brother are going tonight and are both very excited -too bad they live 2000 miles away or I might be going too. Anyway, he was wondering if the imagery was anything like that of Dungens and Dragons. Any comments?
Finally, being one of those close to X-mas birthday people, I asked that one gift be going to a movie with the family. Anyone want to speculate on age appropriateness of this film?
Thanks! And Merry X-mas, Happy Solstice and all other religious and non-religious celebrations to you!
Jess
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erzebet
Registered User
(12/24/01 11:51:20 am)
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Re: Haven't seen it yet - but help!
Hi Jess,
I took my 12 year old to see it and she was fine. There are some scary scenes, but no nudity or cursing or bloodyguts or anything like that. I loved it, though I had wanted to finish the book before seeing the movie it just didn't happen that way.
Erz
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Carrie
Unregistered User
(12/24/01 6:16:13 pm)
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ages
Jess,
I went without my boys to check it out before taking them -- and unfortunately, I think they are going to have to wait a few years. I know their father lets them watch violence -- but I'm not as liberal. They have very creative imaginations and turned Dinosuars (a year ago) into an excuse to sleep with me for a month. They almost even got a dog out of the deal. I really don't think children under 10 should go. (my boys will be six in four days) However, like I said before, I'm old-fashioned. I don't even watch television and my children aren't allowed to see anything I haven't seen first.
Carrie
p.s. Now I have to wait until they (the boys) are gone before I can go and watch this amazing film again. I already know I'll purchase the trilogy as soon as it's available.
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TeriRowan
Unregistered User
(12/26/01 5:29:44 pm)
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Tolkein Film
Amazing, visual artistry at it's best. The lighting and locations are enough to put me back in a theatre seat for a second viewing. I can't recall the last time a film transported me so. Though I had read the novels years back, I believe it only helped to strengthen my emotional involvement with the characters. When the film let out I engaged in conversation with another audience member. (complete stranger) We walked all the way to the parking lot discussing the film's merits. Never did this before. Did anyone else have this experience? I can't wait to go back.
Teri
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Danielle
Registered User
(12/26/01 6:06:20 pm)
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Re: Tolkien film
I went to see the film the night it opened and spent the next day wandering around in a daze, wanting to see it again. I felt as if the characters were still out there, around me - definately a film that stays with you afterwards. I grew up loving the 'Fairies' book and could see Alan Lee's touch come through so clearly in the movie - the colours of trees, the settings. I recommend Peter Jackson's earlier movies, especially 'Heavenly Creatures' and 'the Frighteners', to anyone who wants to see the evolution of certain characters - there is a Reaper figure in the Frighteners, for example, that raises echoes with both Gollum and the Ringwraiths.
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Midori
Unregistered User
(12/28/01 9:04:21 am)
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film
I went last night to the movie and didn't want it to end. It was pretty amazing, I must say. Like Charles I was simply blown away by the visual landscape (most certainly a "character" in the novels) the attention to detail (down to the grubby nail bitten fingers of the hobbits), the splendid architecture--and most amazing to me, the camera's ability in a single frame to make Gandalf seem huge in comparison to the hobbits--the moment Gandalf bends down and steps into Bilbo's house I was gobsmacked to say the least.
I also felt that the emotional intensity of characters--their complex reactions to the temptation of the ring--felt true to Tolkien's christian theology; there are Dantesque moments in the movie--the spiralling down camera work into the hellish pits, "the flaming eye," the transforming of men into ring wraiths--disturbing and frightening--though even more frightening to me was the one tiny moment when Bilbo reaches for the ring and his face is transformed for an instant into a mask of demonic obsession.
lovely stuff. My only misery is that I have to wait a full year to see the next one.
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janeyolen
Unregistered User
(12/28/01 9:08:10 am)
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Dialects
Er--I didn't think Sam had a Scottish accent. It seemed northwards perhaps, but certainly not Scottish.
Loved the movie. Visuals still dancing in my head. And the elves--but Legolas especially--had that eerie, strange otherworldly beauty that is almost ugly but is not. Perfect.
(Terri--Adam and Betsy and I have decided that Robin Anders is clearly Legolas' older brother !)
Jane
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