Return of the King
Dec. 17th, 2003 05:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakIt's an elegic, melancholy and yet beautiful feeling, having at last seen the final chapter.
Nitpicks first: There is just one change I minded. In the novel, when Gollum finds the hobbits sleeping at the stairs of Cirith Ungol in the novel, he has his last almost-moment of redemption, touching Frodo in affection not malice, and then Sam wakes up and accuses him of sneaking. Mind you, at that point Gollum had already decided to lead them to Shelob, but still, it's the one moment in the novel where he's having second thoughts and might have still turned around. In the movie, Gollum at this point is having no second thoughts at all and everything he does is calculated. However, given that PJ & Co. gave Gollum a much more enlarged scene of an redemption attempt in TTT - the "schizophrenic" midnight talk - and given there is a slightly ambigiuos moment between Gollum and Frodo afterwards, I can come to terms with it. (Cuts shall be talked about later, since as opposed to changes they concern scenes actually shot and presumably on DVD later.)
Now for the praise, sorted by storylines:
Frodo, Sam and Gollum:
The opening prologue is the long awaited flashback to Smeagol and Deagol finding the ring, and it rocks. Very much a Cain and Abel feeling, that kind of mythic first killing and fall. The ensuing sequence in which we see Smeagol-as-embodied-by-Andy-Serkis turn to GCI Gollum over a period of decades and at last centuries is amazing both in terms of cuts, special effects and acting. I think it's partly inspired by the famous breakfeast scene from Citizen Kane - Smeagol/Gollum carries on one long conversation with himself but each cut and reply brings us closer to the present.
Needless to say, everyone's performances are fantastic. Sam is brave beyond brave and it's to Sean Astin's and PJ's credit that this never turns into Rambo-like bravado; partly because we also see Sam cry in grief or frustration. Frodo getting eaten from inside out by the ring and yet struggling to keep going is heartbreaking, and in that crucial, climactic moment when he breaks, turns and puts on the ring he's downright chilling. Imo, though, Elijah Wood equally shines in the quieter moments - when Sam talks about the Shire and Rosie, and Frodo, in a subtle but significant switch from Tolkien's original wording, says "I am glad to be here with you, here at the end of things"; in the aforementioned scene with Gollum, where he, after having realized Gollum's treachery and having fought him for the first time, still does not kill him but says (fatally, since this tells Gollum what's in store for his precious) "I have to destroy it, Smeagol, for both of us"; and of course, in that final farewell between all four hobbits.
Merry: Merry getting knighted by Theoden was, alas, among the cuts (I know it was shot, since we saw it in several trailers), but otherwise he certainly got his cinematic due. The scripts' decision to skip the Dernhelm ruse between Merry and Eowyn by letting Merry realize at once who the rider taking him along is made sense if you consider that the audience is supposed to recognise her at once too, and Merry would look slightly foolish, especially since in an earlier scene we see the two of them bond when Eowyn shows him how to wear the armour. In fact, I hope and expect more than one Merry and Eowyn friendship story after this movie.
Pippin: won't ever called comic relief again. He's absolutely heartbreaking in his scenes with Denethor, starting with his offer of service for Boromir's death. The scene where he sings for Denethor while Faramir leads the suicidal charge ordered by his father is outstanding both for Billy Boyd's acting and the way PJ cuts between him, Faramir & Co., and Denethor grimly eating while the red juice of a fruit makes his mouth look bloody. John Noble as could be guessed from the Extended Version of TTT is wonderful as Denethor, showing the strong man that was together with the increasing madness and the bitter cruelty to Faramir.
When the hobbits return home, the scene where they visit the inn and find themselves strangers is conveyed entirely silent by looks and facial acting alone. And while we are at looks, Frodo saying goodbye to all three... get your hankerchief out now. I expected the Frodo and Sam parting to tear me up, and it did, but I didn't expect the other two farewells preceeding it to be as intense as they were. The love between all of them is so palpable.
Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas: for those who missed more Gimli and Legolas scenes, there are several here, and a great pay-off and wonderful final note on the dwarf/elf rivalry. Aragorn actually has less scenes in RotK than he had in TTT, which fits with the novel but slightly surprised me given how dominant he was in the trailer. Probably because by the time TTT ends, he has already almost completed his inner journey towards becoming king - the Path of the Dead is a final rite of passage. Most touching Aragorn moment in the film: when he kneels in front of the four hobbits.
Eowyn and Theoden: broke my heart when Sam, Frodo and Gollum weren't doing it. If TTT showcased Eowyn falling in love with Aragorn, RotK concentrated on the relationship between her and her uncle, so full of tenderness and regret. I didn't mind the change to letting Theoden dying in Eowyn's arms, not Eomer's, at all. (In the film, she stays conscious long enough for this.) Eowyn and Merry kill the Witch King together, as in the book, and her "I am no man" moment should satisfy everyone. Given that the house of healing sequences with Faramir won't be seen until we get the DVD, aside from the glimpse of the two of them standing next to each other during Aragorn's coronation, her last big scene in the film remains the aforementioned death of Theoden in her arms, and that had an emotional rightness to it (within the context of this version).
There was so much else, but I'm completely exhausted and will try to catch at least two or three hours sleep now. Namarrie!
Nitpicks first: There is just one change I minded. In the novel, when Gollum finds the hobbits sleeping at the stairs of Cirith Ungol in the novel, he has his last almost-moment of redemption, touching Frodo in affection not malice, and then Sam wakes up and accuses him of sneaking. Mind you, at that point Gollum had already decided to lead them to Shelob, but still, it's the one moment in the novel where he's having second thoughts and might have still turned around. In the movie, Gollum at this point is having no second thoughts at all and everything he does is calculated. However, given that PJ & Co. gave Gollum a much more enlarged scene of an redemption attempt in TTT - the "schizophrenic" midnight talk - and given there is a slightly ambigiuos moment between Gollum and Frodo afterwards, I can come to terms with it. (Cuts shall be talked about later, since as opposed to changes they concern scenes actually shot and presumably on DVD later.)
Now for the praise, sorted by storylines:
Frodo, Sam and Gollum:
The opening prologue is the long awaited flashback to Smeagol and Deagol finding the ring, and it rocks. Very much a Cain and Abel feeling, that kind of mythic first killing and fall. The ensuing sequence in which we see Smeagol-as-embodied-by-Andy-Serkis turn to GCI Gollum over a period of decades and at last centuries is amazing both in terms of cuts, special effects and acting. I think it's partly inspired by the famous breakfeast scene from Citizen Kane - Smeagol/Gollum carries on one long conversation with himself but each cut and reply brings us closer to the present.
Needless to say, everyone's performances are fantastic. Sam is brave beyond brave and it's to Sean Astin's and PJ's credit that this never turns into Rambo-like bravado; partly because we also see Sam cry in grief or frustration. Frodo getting eaten from inside out by the ring and yet struggling to keep going is heartbreaking, and in that crucial, climactic moment when he breaks, turns and puts on the ring he's downright chilling. Imo, though, Elijah Wood equally shines in the quieter moments - when Sam talks about the Shire and Rosie, and Frodo, in a subtle but significant switch from Tolkien's original wording, says "I am glad to be here with you, here at the end of things"; in the aforementioned scene with Gollum, where he, after having realized Gollum's treachery and having fought him for the first time, still does not kill him but says (fatally, since this tells Gollum what's in store for his precious) "I have to destroy it, Smeagol, for both of us"; and of course, in that final farewell between all four hobbits.
Merry: Merry getting knighted by Theoden was, alas, among the cuts (I know it was shot, since we saw it in several trailers), but otherwise he certainly got his cinematic due. The scripts' decision to skip the Dernhelm ruse between Merry and Eowyn by letting Merry realize at once who the rider taking him along is made sense if you consider that the audience is supposed to recognise her at once too, and Merry would look slightly foolish, especially since in an earlier scene we see the two of them bond when Eowyn shows him how to wear the armour. In fact, I hope and expect more than one Merry and Eowyn friendship story after this movie.
Pippin: won't ever called comic relief again. He's absolutely heartbreaking in his scenes with Denethor, starting with his offer of service for Boromir's death. The scene where he sings for Denethor while Faramir leads the suicidal charge ordered by his father is outstanding both for Billy Boyd's acting and the way PJ cuts between him, Faramir & Co., and Denethor grimly eating while the red juice of a fruit makes his mouth look bloody. John Noble as could be guessed from the Extended Version of TTT is wonderful as Denethor, showing the strong man that was together with the increasing madness and the bitter cruelty to Faramir.
When the hobbits return home, the scene where they visit the inn and find themselves strangers is conveyed entirely silent by looks and facial acting alone. And while we are at looks, Frodo saying goodbye to all three... get your hankerchief out now. I expected the Frodo and Sam parting to tear me up, and it did, but I didn't expect the other two farewells preceeding it to be as intense as they were. The love between all of them is so palpable.
Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas: for those who missed more Gimli and Legolas scenes, there are several here, and a great pay-off and wonderful final note on the dwarf/elf rivalry. Aragorn actually has less scenes in RotK than he had in TTT, which fits with the novel but slightly surprised me given how dominant he was in the trailer. Probably because by the time TTT ends, he has already almost completed his inner journey towards becoming king - the Path of the Dead is a final rite of passage. Most touching Aragorn moment in the film: when he kneels in front of the four hobbits.
Eowyn and Theoden: broke my heart when Sam, Frodo and Gollum weren't doing it. If TTT showcased Eowyn falling in love with Aragorn, RotK concentrated on the relationship between her and her uncle, so full of tenderness and regret. I didn't mind the change to letting Theoden dying in Eowyn's arms, not Eomer's, at all. (In the film, she stays conscious long enough for this.) Eowyn and Merry kill the Witch King together, as in the book, and her "I am no man" moment should satisfy everyone. Given that the house of healing sequences with Faramir won't be seen until we get the DVD, aside from the glimpse of the two of them standing next to each other during Aragorn's coronation, her last big scene in the film remains the aforementioned death of Theoden in her arms, and that had an emotional rightness to it (within the context of this version).
There was so much else, but I'm completely exhausted and will try to catch at least two or three hours sleep now. Namarrie!
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About that extended DVD cut...
Date: 2003-12-16 08:42 pm (UTC)From what I read tonight at thedigitalbits.com, Peter Jackson expects the extended DVD cut of RotK to be OVER 4 hours and 15 minutes long!!! So I'm sure everything we've heard that had been cut (Saruman, for example) will be there on the DVD, and much, much more! I can't wait to see the film...I plan on rewatching my extended cuts of FotR and TTT in the next few days to prepare myself. After reading over your review, I'm even more excited. Sure, it's been getting rave reviews from just about every reviewer who has seen it, and the NY Film Critics named it the Best Film of the Year, but there have been films hyped up that much that turned out disappointing. This one though sounds like it really is amazing. Can't wait to see the end!!!
Re: About that extended DVD cut...
Date: 2003-12-17 08:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-12-17 01:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-12-17 09:52 am (UTC)There are some nice Merry and Eowyn friendship fics by Regina at Henneth Annun (http://www.henneth-annun.net).
Thanks for the tip!
Date: 2003-12-17 12:56 pm (UTC)And yes, that scene was perfect. I think everyone who hasn't seen the TTT extended version now has to be convinced how good David Wenham is as Faramir. "Think better of me." Middle Earth's most dysfunctional family indeed. I'm so glad Denethor's issues at least didn't result in Faramir and Boromir hating each other, as easily could have been the case. Instead, they were probably the only source of affection without expectations for each other since Finduilas died.
Re: Thanks for the tip!
Date: 2003-12-19 10:20 am (UTC)I'm still not convinced with all of the scene with Denethor later (I wince at the line: "Elrond of Rivendell has called a meeting"), but I think the reinstated bits between Boromir and Faramir are spot on. As you say, affection without expectation.
Re: Thanks for the tip!
Date: 2003-12-19 12:18 pm (UTC)Boromir and Faramir are among them - that the two brothers so clearly love each other despite of the different pressures each face from Denethor and Gondor's armies - and particularly in the esteem Boromir has for the younger brother who worships him.