----------------------- P e t er J a c k s o n ' s --------------------------
---- L o r d o f t h e R i n g s ----
- T h e F e l l o w s h i p o f t h e R i n g -
----------------------- i n s i d e r s v i e w --------------------------
by Saulot 15/02/2002
note from author: if you haven't seen LOTR already, come back to this text
later to not ruin your first impression. After that you can read all of
this without remorse and nod in neverending approval ;).
I've seen this movie some days ago (I see some of you screaming 'Ehm.. Old
stuff... I've seen it already in December...'. If you do, I'm very jelaous
about it!). The memories are still fresh and I'm still trembling when I'm
thinking about it, but to the point.
I'm real J.R.R Tolkien fanatic (who isn't?), I've read all of his books
and when I firstly heard about the movie being produced, I was very
doubtful and simultanously very afraid that "hollywood wizards" will
interpret book in their own twisted way and they will finally screw up the
whole movie. Long before first public presentation, there was many rumours
about that the LOTR will be for children 13+ (it means no blood, no
violence, no flying corpses!), that it will be shortened from 3 hours to 2
hours, that some themes from book, some of them not important, will be
moved to the first plane and some of them will be cutted out or obscured
from view. The first two rumours turned out to be false (phew!), the third
one, well, that was impossible to evade it, but wait...
From the beginning to the end I was really captured by the story, the
introduction was made in that way that everyone, even average peasant
could understand what is all about and what the hell is going on. After
absorbing everything that showed up on screen I must say that there was
made some shortcuts, minor changes. Some "accidents" were also present, if
you don't know what am I talking about then try to spot a car (!) in scene
when Sam & Frodo are passing a scarecrow and and and, take a look at
halflings shoes, when they are climbing high in snowy mountains (for
non-initiated: halflings never wear shoes!). Moreover in scene when Frodo
& co are passing the main gate in Bree, we can see Peter Jackson! Where?
To ease this task, I can tell you that he looks very drunk and he is
producing sounds very adequate to his state (no! He is not farting! ;] Do
you know that in Poland "to have a fart" means to have luck? Heh! ).
I've mentioned shortcuts, yes there are many of them, but it was
inevitable I think. I can only speculate how long the movie could be, if
complete book were adapted to the big screen. Three hours is already
enough. As I remember, longer than LOTR was Lars von Trier's "Kingdom"- 5
hours of watching!). Fortunately these shortcuts are well made and they
doesn't inflict stomach turning or something far worse. Such a shame that
the episode with barrow was "censored" :/. The great part of background
info also vanished somewhere on the way, so everything seems to be cutted
from the wider context and the presented world is crippled in some way.
Almost all of songs and other singed poetry by various characters in
original book disappeared, but if Peter Jackson would include all this
stuff, the endproduct would be certainly putted in "musical" drawer and
for sure no one would want that. Yes, I know, I know, book is a book,
movie is a movie...
And if shortcuts are bearable, then evident changes and simplifications
of story are for me blashphemous act and I cry out to heaven & hell for
*REVENGE* !!!!! I know that Liv Tyler is pretty cool chick, it seems that
she's got everything in place, but throwing her in, instead of poor,
forgotten Glorfindel (the elf that should appear in Arwena's place and
make everything for her... Ehm, maybe with exclusion of that passionate
kiss on the bridge with Aragorn :) ) was really treacherous and awful
(Yuk!). I don't know to this day, how creators of this movie haven't
managed to make out from Tolkien's trilogy spaghetti-western or "Passed
with the wind part 62" in fantasy setting, marvellous! The Great Council
(not very great as it supposed to be) in Elrond's house was pityful.
Interactions with the characters were for me somewhat too much
"flattened", characters involved acted like jerks and overally scene
looked silly, stupid and I wondered if someone could skip it.(no way in
big cinemas!) And this guy responsible for Elrond, played him like a
shithead. If i were in place of mr.Jackson I would kick him out for good.
Hopefully casting of other characters was well made (where they found the
guys for role of Gandalf and Aragorn?).
To put off from me the label "the most awful polish malcontent ever" I
must admit that scenes, when the-well-known-title-ring tries to take
control over characters, were exceptionally good. The actors were knowing
what they are doing and what effect they want to accomplish. These
results sometimes linked with computer&sound effects throwed on knees.
Wow!
But some special additions that weren't described in book in very detailed
way, became ignition for Peter Jackson's imagination and in result added
atmosphere and depth to the overall presentation of Middle Earth. For
example: epic battle of elves and humans against Sauron (BTW Oh boy! This
guy was enormous! I can't even imagine how Morgoth, the former local lord
of darkness, would look like. I must mention here that Sauron was
functioning for him as a lowly foot-rest!) and his evil forces, the
fight between Gandalf & Saruman, devastation of woods by Saruman's orcs
and the breeding of Uruk-Hai. Similar examples I could count endlessly.
If it comes about visual effects I wouldn't be very original if I state
that I have no words for that. Totally breath taking. Vast spaces,
mountains, caves, mines, forests, rivers, monumental towers and keeps...
And it even doesn't look like New Zealand! Eh, all of it you have to see
on your own. Simply you are watching all of this incredible things and you
want to stay there forever. There is also one thing that I liked very
much. Nearly every(?) race has it's own strange language and specific
accent (elven tongue rocks!).
Don't be fooled, if you think that you've read Tolkien's trilogy and
nothing can surprise you. Well, I thinked in this fashion and I was badly
wrong. Do you know what moment made the poor Saulot's heart going up to
his throat, freezing up all of his blood and twisting his body in
convulsions? Not Balrog, not black riders, not even Sauron himself, but
band of fancy hobbits jumping out from the straw. Really nerve wrecking
;).
After watching all this wonders, I was astonished. These 3 hours passed in
a blink of an eye. The movie ends, but you expect some more. I waited for
LOTR for years, seeing it was like all my dreams came true (maybe not all,
give me CT060!) . I wish you more movies like this one from all my heart.
Watch out for "The Two Towers" and "Return of the King"!
P.S Extra hi are going to Sauron, Nazguls (a.k.a Ringwraiths), Balrog and
other creatures from their playground for being even cuter, than I
previously imagined.
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