The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

And now we come to part 2 of my series: the movie version of Fellowship. There are many things that I love about the movies. The biggest thing is that the movies feel like home. They are so familiar to me and so much a part of me. I honestly do not have the words to describe how important these movies, and Tolkien's works as a whole, are to me. That being said, I will do my best to describe what I love about these movies.

First, I want to point out that I only watch the extended versions. I cannot watch the theatrical versions without feeling like things are missing, which there are. So if you have not seen the extended versions then be warned as I will likely discuss things from them. And, in the spirit of honesty, I will admit that I once again took notes, although my notes for the movie were significantly shorter than those for the book.

 I only pulled out the movie discs; there are still more discs of special features. And again, underneath are my notes.

So. Beginning. Well, to start with, the movie begins with a 7:31 long prologue. That's right. Over 7 minutes of introductory dialogue to set up the story. However, it's awesome and I love it. I think it's a very good introduction without getting too in-depth. Plus, it's become such an iconic opening (well, at least among my friends and family). It's one of my favorite opening scenes of any movie. 

Now, I will cover the cast, music, and scenery later on. Before that I want to mention some of the plot points that I really like. The first is the little George Washington hobbit child. I don't know if you've ever noticed her, but one of the hobbit children looks like a little George Washington. And the poor child is a little girl. She is the second from the right, in the yellow dress, in the following picture.

I also love knowing that Gandalf hitting his head in Bilbo's house was a complete accident but they kept it in because it was so perfect. That's not the only time they did something like that in this series. In fact, near the end of the movie, when Aragorn is fighting the Uruk and he throws the knife at Aragorn, the knife was actually supposed to hit the tree behind Aragorn. The armor messed with the throw and Aragorn had to deflect it for real. 

It's interesting how much quicker things move in the movie. Once Gandalf determines that Frodo does indeed have the One Ring, he makes sure Frodo begins his journey. You can also see how much Isengard changes. It begins the movie as a beautiful place with lots of trees and grass but Saruman quickly changes that and it becomes dark and evil. 

"Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. Even the very wise cannot see all ends."

I find the small character personality changes fascinating. I spoke in the book post about the changes made to Arwen so I won't reiterate those here. However, I do want to talk about Aragorn and Boromir. In the book, Aragorn leaves Rivendell having claimed his birthright and with Narsil reforged and renamed Anduril. In the movie, he is much more reluctant to claim his birthright. He is more afraid of becoming like his ancestors and failing the same way they did. I think it makes him more likable as a person because you can see more character development over the whole of the series. With Boromir, there is also a build-up, although in his case it's a build-up of the Ring's influence on his thinking. In the book, he is very focused on returning to Minas Tirith and helping his people, but it isn't until the end that he actively seeks the Ring as the means to do so. In the movie, there are several instances, from his first appearance at the Council all the way to him trying to take the Ring, where you can see how the Ring affects him. It makes it a little harder to like Boromir because he seems more "evil" but you still feel sorry for him when he dies. What you have to understand about Boromir is that he's tired. He's tired of watching Men fall, of seeing their struggle to survive. He will do anything to see the glory of Men restored, including use the Ring against Sauron. That's what makes his death so sad. Boromir is a good man with a good heart but the Ring corrupts even the best of Men. And he sincerely cared for the Hobbits and the rest of the fellowship. He wanted to protect those weaker than him but he was not able to protect himself.

"They will look for his coming from the White Tower. But he will not return."

I find it interesting that most of the fellowship knows Frodo is leaving alone for Mordor near the end of the movie. In the book, only Sam guesses and follows him. In the movie, Aragorn, Pippin, and Merry all know what choice Frodo has made. The ending of the movie is also a bit different, as it actually is the beginning of The Two Towers book. Fellowship ends with Frodo and Sam leaving for Mordor and The Two Towers begins with Aragorn finding Boromir near death and then hunting the Uruk-hai to save Merry and Pippin. I like how the Fellowship movie ended, though. I think it wrapped up the first part nicely and set it up for the next part. 

I do have one point of contention. When Galadriel is handing out the gifts, she tells Aragorn that they will not meet again. This is not true, as Galadriel is part of the group that brings Arwen to Gondor so she can wed Aragorn. It is after their wedding that Galadriel eventually departs for Valinor. While their were some other minor changes and a couple of major changes, that comment by Galadriel is one of the things that really bothers me.

Now, on to the cast, sets, music, costumes, etc. Well, to start, I adore Howard Shore, the composer for the movies. His music is so beautiful. Just hearing a bit of any song from the movie is almost enough to make me cry. His scores perfectly capture the feel of the movie and of every scene. One of my favorite songs is in Moria, when you can hear the chanting in the background. Not only does each place have its own feel through the music, but each place is also perfectly captured through the sets and scenery. New Zealand was the perfect place to build Middle Earth. Both the sets and music help make The Lord of the Rings the definition of "epic". I also love how intricate the costumes are. They are so beautiful and I really wish it was still acceptable to dress that way. I love the cloaks and long, flowing dresses. It's all so regal and enchanting. As for the cast, I cannot imagine any of the characters played by different people. I think the whole cast, throughout the whole series, is simply perfect. They are all able to capture their characters and convey their thoughts and feelings.

There are certain scenes throughout the movies that are my favorite. In Fellowship, one scene would definitely be the Balrog scene. First, I love that Legolas refers to it as a "Balrog of Morgoth" when they are in Lothlorien. Any allusion to The Silmarillion makes me very happy. What helps make the Balrog scene one of my favorites is Legolas' initial reaction when Gandalf names their foe. Legolas, as an Elf, would have heard stories of Balrogs and their origins. He would have understood exactly what they were facing. And Orlando Bloom is able to convey that fear and terror perfectly. And let's not forget Gandalf's final speech.

"You cannot pass! I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun! Go back to the shadow. You shall not pass!"

And so ends the first part. It seems all hope is lost but there is still a glimmer of it left. And there are still those willing to fight for it. The Two Towers moves much more quickly than Fellowship and it is my favorite of the three movies. I'm excited to share why that is with you so be on the lookout for the next two parts of the series. 

Link to post on Fellowship book: http://turningpages92.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-lord-of-rings-fellowship-of-ring.html