LotR3-RotK-Seq03

[alatar]

Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results. - Andrew Carnegie


As Frodo and Sam slumber (nice shot of a skillet), Gollum talks in his sleep. Luckily no one hears what he speaks to the dark. Then awake, he continues to debate his plan (the ‘she’ from TTT?). Peter Jackson goes back to his bread and butter, Gollum-wise, and shows the creature having a conversation with itself. The CG is even better than before, and I applaud WETA and PJ for giving us a Sméagol/Gollum that never makes me think ‘puppet.’ Or Muppet.

Strangely, Sméagol states that he “did it once.” Murder a hobbit? Or murder? The quick flash back to the beginning of the movie (about 20 minutes ago, for those that may have popped off for popcorn) would suggest the former. While we ponder that, Gollum lays out the next stage of the journey and the basis of his plan to reclaim the precious. It’s actually cute/funny when Gollum talks about the taste of orcs, so we at least know that this creature has et fell meats, though I can only assume as carrion, or maybe orcs don’t count if one does them in. Gollum’s ranting gets the best of him, and it doesn’t hear the approach of Sam, who has heard enough of the conversation to know that Gollum’s surprise does not involve piñatas…well, at least of the paper-mache sort. Sam beats the villain, and here I’m not sympathetic, like in TTT, as Gollum obviously deserves it and Sam is alone in the attack and is matched against his adversary. Frodo awakens.

Sam tries to explain his actions to their shared master, but comes up short. Frodo’s counter argument is that Sméagol is still needed if there is to be any chance of getting to the mountain. Sure, he’ll probably try to murder us, he says, but good help is hard to find in these parts. Frodo reassures Sam that he knows what he is doing, holding the tiger by the paw, and Sam, being Sam, trusts, which is what he does well. Gollum’s smirk as he and his master walk away tears at Sam. The gardener had better stay on his toes.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Gimli sleeps off his games as do most everyone else. Pip, like my kids, hears the sound of Daddy Aragorn walking in the room, and so stirs. No anthills here.

It’s a little known fact that Rohirrim princesses have to sleep alone in large halls, as there isn’t much better explanation for Éowyn lying as she does. Aragorn, having pretended to tend the fire, covers Éowyn’s exposed feet then adjusts her blankets. It’s no wonder that this maiden is semi-suicidal as now we have Aragorn running around in her ‘bedchambers’ at night unchaperoned, again acting pretty familiar, and she’s to believe that he’s just there to make sure that she’s not cold. Uh-huh. Just watch his hand on the blanket. If he’s not trying to communicate something…I’ll leave it at that.

Éowyn, possibly trying to make sense of the situation, grabs his hand and, using that old standby, tells him about what she was dreaming. It’s Faramir’s Númenor dream, and I’m not sure what it’s doing here. Sure, it’s text from the text, and we love that, but just why are we hearing it? Is PJ using it to tell us that Éowyn needs to turn around and let go of her overwhelming wave of love for Aragorn? Anyway, the King uses those Ranger powers and commands her back to sleep – watch the scene, and you’ll see that he says, “sleep” and Miranda Otto’s eyes shut. If only it worked that way on my kids…Aragorn tells her to sleep while she can. I guess that she won’t feel much like sleeping after the sun rises and the cold-hearted Aragorn returns to stomp out the embers in her heart, once again.

Question: is the blanket covering Éowyn like Faramir’s mother’s (Finduilas’s) robe that the Steward’s son gets for the shieldmaiden when the two reside in the House of Healing?

Aragorn goes outside to view the landscape, and another is there too (it pays not to imbibe too heavily). Legolas spouts off that a darkness is rising in the east and that the Eye is moving. How does he know? Did the spirit of Saruman jump into the elf’s body upon death? Or does Legolas use his senses to figure out what’s going on? Someone call Gandalf, there’s no need to fret anymore about what Saruman knew and when he knew it.

Pip finally decides to scratch his itch, though Merry admonishes him. Pip steals the palantir from the creepy Gandalf (sleeping with his eyes open) and replaces the bundle with a pitcher. Pippin is sweating, but it’s not because the room is hot – he too is addicted. He unwraps the palantir then smiles, and so we know that he’s getting his fix. His slow and gentle caress of the orb turns ugly as his hands are pulled magnetically to the glowing ball. He struggles and tries to stop, but the Eye has come (as announced by Legolas, which means, if I put 2 and 2 together, that the Eye called to whomever had recently touched the ball). The struggle between Pip and the palantir increases in intensity, and it seems that the hobbit’s holding a fireball. A dark voice is heard. Suddenly enough noise is made to arouse help, and it comes (finally). Aragorn takes the Burning Ball of Stickiness from Pip and starts his own struggle. Luckily – he must have had the right and the strength – Aragorn is able to let the palantir go. It rolls away. Gandalf covers it yet again with a blanket, just like in FotR.

The fire is not yet out for Pip as Gandalf lays into him yet again (“A drumming sound will start any minute now, you’ll see…”), but then Gandalf realizes that Pip is truly out, and goes to revive him. We see that the Wizard still retains some powers as he’s able to call Pip back from wherever he’d gone. Pip asks forgiveness, but Gandalf asks for information first before granting absolution.

Pip talks of the White Dead Tree, and then the Eye. We get a mini-PJ “Gotcha!” moment as we wait to hear if Pip spilled the beans on Frodo, but seconds later in a more levelheaded atmosphere Gandalf lets us know that all is still well.

Sauron probably tried to break the connection with Pip as he’s still planning his war, and what if Pip learned that he planned to attack… (wait for it)… Minas Tirith! Argh! It’s too late. Gandalf figures it out from the clues provided by Pip.

Bree is safe.

Those meddling hobbits throw a wrench into the whole works. If Gandalf were truly wise, he’d arrange for Pippin to be captured and taken straight to Barad-dûr; even better would be get him into the service of the Dark Lord. If Frodo were to fail, there’d always be Pip (we’ll see what happens to Pippin’s new lord in a bit).

Gandalf states that it was Sauron’s defeat at Helm’s Deep. Not Saruman’s, but Sauron’s, so the two were in league. The Eye also learns that the heir of Elendil still walks under the sun, which is interesting as it’s been thought that Sauron already knew the members of the Fellowship. Anyway, even more troublesome for the Dark Lord is that men are not as weak as he’d thought. Given the right leader under which to unite, they could pose a serious threat to his plans for dominion.

And by the by, I think that we’re talking about those ‘northern men’ here, as I think Sauron knows the dispositions of the southerners.

It’s interesting how long Gandalf goes on about the plans and fears of the Dark Lord after seeing Pip lay on the floor, stunned from the encounter with the palantir. Saruman who? And I like that Gandalf seems to be back in the saddle, as it were. Now for the beacons. Gandalf says that if the beacons of war are lit, then Rohan must be ready to rise to the rescue of Mundburg. Note that he should have said, “when,” as he’d just said that war will come to Minas Tirith. Théoden, making use of a dramatic pause this time when answering a white wizard, wants to know why he and his people should aid Gondor. I’m with him, except that he at least owes Aragorn something, as King Théoden recently told Éowyn that if it weren’t for Aragorn at Helm’s Deep…and just to whose aid did the Elves come? Would Théoden ride to help Galadriel?

Regardless, he mustn’t see the bigger picture. If Minas Tirith falls, Rohan will be next as it sits between Mordor and Bree. Aragorn decides to go to warn Minas Tirith, but Gandalf puts him on another path. Is this the same wizard that begged for crumbs from Saruman, and asked Aragorn to prop him up in regards to Frodo? Gandalf even knows of the Black Fleet! That was some palantir experience Pip had.

At least we know why Pip does not bow to Frodo and Sam at the end of the movie, as he’s integral to the fall of Sauron.

Pip gets ridden out of town - Théoden is taking no chances - and Merry chides his compatriot as he prepares to go. Merry has grown up some since Orthanc, and Pip is about to as well. Merry tells Pip that Sauron thinks that he has the Ring, and so may come and claim it. At first this troubled me, but now I realize that Merry (and maybe the rest of the crew at Edoras) does not know that Frodo showed the Ring to the Nazgûl at Osgiliath.

The two hobbits are split up for the first time in the trilogy, and they take the parting hard. Merry provides a pouch of parting, something to remember the fun times by. We get a serious moment as the two hobbits realize that they do not know what is to come, and so this may be their last minute together. Shadowfax speeds away, and Merry with Aragorn at his side watches them go. The conversation between Hobbit and Ranger, reminisces, lightens yet sweetens the moment.

Note that the landscape and fortifications look real and don’t detract from the scene. There’s an overall brown coloring to this scene, befitting the Rohirrim.

And now for spring fashions - blue is ‘hot’ this year! Who is it that walks and rides down the catwalk? Arwen rides to her last ship, to sail across a sea everlasting. Elrond, I assume, narrates here. But what’s this? Whose child’s on the set? Security! A little boy slowly runs across Arwen’s path, and so he may not be real. A vision, or an elvish dream perhaps, as they are like walking in a waking dream. She sees the child run to its father, and the man is clearly Aragorn. Before she becomes angry (It’s that blonde Rohirrim girl’s, isn’t it?!?), the boy looks at her, and she sees the Evenstar around his neck. “You gave her my necklace as well!!!

But we all know that that’s not the case, that this could be Arwen’s and Aragorn’s child if this future is to be. The words of her father come back to haunt her, and she rides back to Imladris for some answers. She asks her father to confirm the vision, the child, but he will not say that it will be - who knows? Arwen speaks words that give me chills, and she makes to have the Sword that was broken reforged. Elrond is still miffed at Isildur after all of these years, and turns his back on his daughter. She drops a book, and when he returns to retrieve it, he takes hold of her hands, and they are chilled. Mortality has crept into Arwen’s veins, and so the die is cast. There is now no ship that can cross the sundering gulf between he and his daughter, and so Elrond is left with poor choices: watch her die in the darkness, or leave her on this eastern shore. At least it’s in his power to make the second option better for Arwen.

Note the ‘Imladris’ theme when the sword is reforged.

So Arwen will stay in Middle Earth, to live by the side of Aragorn or to die, Pippin goes with Gandalf to Minas Tirith to meet the coming storm, Merry stays with Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, King Théoden and Éowyn to decide other paths, and the Elrond makes whole that which was broken, while the cracks in his heart widen. How will he get the sword where it will be most needed? And will the arm that wields it be up to the task?

[Elladan and Elrohir]

Billy Boyd is flat-out awesome in this entire movie, but this is perhaps his best scene, certainly the most difficult. As Elijah, Viggo, Hugo, and others know, it's tough to act one-on-one with Ian McKellen and hold your own, yet Billy seems to dominate -- which may be Sir Ian's doing as much as Billy's; the scene clearly belongs to Pippin.

Faramir's dream doesn't make much sense when given to Eowyn, but those are still some beautiful Tolkien words and I'm glad they made it into the EE.

Anybody else notice that the inside of Arwen's book is different in two successive shots? Go back and look again. It's true. Whoops.

Liv Tyler does her best Cate Blanchett impression, and it works pretty well, especially since these are Bilbo's words from the book.
Speaking of Liv, I don't know how she pulls off that voice considering what her natural one sounds like. Kudos to that performance.

[Rikae]

Hope you don't mind if I just respond to the synopsis you've already given , as I'm too tired right now to create a wholly original post.

Originally Posted by alatar

Peter Jackson goes back to his bread and butter, Gollum-wise, and shows the creature having a conversation with itself. The CG is even better than before, and I applaud WETA and PJ for giving us a Sméagol/Gollum that never makes me think ‘puppet.’ Or Muppet.

I know I'm becoming a one trick pony at this point but...
my applause here is for Andy Serkis. Actually, I thought the facial expressions (keyframe animated, I believe), sometimes look a little, well, "fakey" here, at least at the extremes of emotion.

It’s actually cute/funny when Gollum talks about the taste of orcs,

and I agree (to state the obvious! )

Aragorn goes outside to view the landscape, and another is there too (it pays not to imbibe too heavily). Legolas spouts off that a darkness is rising in the east and that the Eye is moving.

In an excellent example of Orli's acting ability he says this line with the exact same intonation, dramatic pause and slow turn of the head he used for the Two Towers line "A red sun rises. Blood has been spilt this night". One has the impression that Legolas is also keyframe animated.

Pip finally decides to scratch his itch, though Merry admonishes him.... Pippin is sweating, but it’s not because the room is hot – he too is addicted. He unwraps the palantir then smiles, and so we know that he’s getting his fix. His slow and gentle caress of the orb turns ugly as his hands are pulled magnetically to the glowing ball....The struggle between Pip and the palantir increases in intensity, and it seems that the hobbit’s holding a fireball.

A fine piece of acting from Billy (no sarcasm). He doesn't often get the credit he deserves.

Gandalf says that if the beacons of war are lit, then Rohan must be ready to rise to the rescue of Mundburg. Note that he should have said, “when,” as he’d just said that war will come to Minas Tirith. Théoden, making use of a dramatic pause this time when answering a white wizard, wants to know why he and his people should aid Gondor. I’m with him, except that he at least owes Aragorn something, as King Théoden recently told Éowyn that if it weren’t for Aragorn at Helm’s Deep…and just to whose aid did the Elves come? Would Théoden ride to help Galadriel?

I also found it strange. It comes off like a clumsy attempt at character development "Theoden is, as always, a stubborn jerk, and Aragorn is THE KING OF GONDOR", and, even more puzzlingly, Theo changes his mind later with no explanation.

A vision, or an elvish dream perhaps, as they are like walking in a waking dream. She sees the child run to its father, and the man is clearly Aragorn.

The way the columns of the building in the vision overlay and echo the form of the trees is lovely. Very nice composition and use of color. Ooops, I went into art class mode there...

She asks her father to confirm the vision, the child, but he will not say that it will be - who knows? Arwen speaks words that give me chills, and she makes to have the Sword that was broken reforged. Elrond is still miffed at Isildur after all of these years, and turns his back on his daughter.

Liv must take lessons from Orlando. Her delivery of the line "There is still hope" is identical to the line "Than it is a good dream" in TTT.

[Elladan and Elrohir]

Speaking of Andy Serkis, who else thinks he's underrated in this film? Maybe not underrated persay, but he doesn't get as many kudos as he deserves. Everyone, EVERYONE raved about him after TTT, but when ROTK rolled around, it was like, "Oh, yeah, Gollum's awesome again. No big deal."
Serkis may not get quite as many opportunities to shine in this movie as in the last one, but his performance never lets up for a second. And the CG on Gollum's face is actually a little bit improved even over TTT.

Of all the characters in all the films, Legolas is probably the easiest to act. I think Orli does an awesome job in the role, and really becomes Legolas, but I think there's probably also plenty of others who could have done the same. I don't know that Orli is really that great of an actor, though the only other thing I've seen him in is Pirates of the Caribbean. But I heard he was rather unimpressive in Troy and Kingdom of Heaven.
I joke with my brother (Elrohir) that Legolas only has one facial expression throughout the entire three films. OK, it changes once per film.

[Essex]

Originally Posted by alatar

[I] The CG is even better than before, and I applaud WETA and PJ for giving us a Sméagol/Gollum that never makes me think ‘puppet.’

The very first few seconds of this scene as Gollum is laying down are breathtaking, the CGI is that good. I still, almost literally, caught my breath when I was just re viewing this scene again.

It’s actually cute/funny when Gollum talks about the taste of orcs

I found it quite creepy, esp. as Gollum licks his lips as he thinks of the taste of orcs.....

Gollum’s smirk as he and his master walk away tears at Sam. The gardener had better stay on his toes.

priceless look from Gollum, and also Sam's look as he sarcastically smiles back with a look to say - 'OK, Touche, you've won that round but you'd better watch yourself'.



One of the main reasons I love this movie so much is the LOOK of the scenes. As we see Edoras and our Heroes asleep, the picture looks so vivid, so colourful. The view as Aragorn walks outside into the dead of night looks so good too.....

Eowyn's speech - as noted earlier, at least we have som great Tolkien text in the moive here. So I can forgive them for the change of character.

Pip steals the palantir from the creepy Gandalf.....Pippin is sweating, but it’s not because the room is hot – he too is addicted. He unwraps the palantir then smiles, and so we know that he’s getting his fix.

Exactly. An addict getting his fix.

Pip talks of the White Dead Tree, and then the Eye. We get a mini-PJ “Gotcha!” moment as we wait to hear if Pip spilled the beans on Frodo, but seconds later in a more levelheaded atmosphere Gandalf lets us know that all is still well.

Sauron probably tried to break the connection with Pip as he’s still planning his war, and what if Pip learned that he planned to attack… (wait for it)… Minas Tirith! Argh! It’s too late. Gandalf figures it out from the clues provided by Pip.

yeah - different to the book. But then we never found out why Book Gandalf thought Minas Tirith was next in line to be attacked. Common senese I suppose!

Gandalf even knows of the Black Fleet! That was some palantir experience Pip had.

yeah, I know. But then how did Book Elrond know of the fleet? It was foresight, so, to not complicate movie goers minds PJ just had Gandalf forsee it.....

At least we know why Pip does not bow to Frodo and Sam at the end of the movie, as he’s integral to the fall of Sauron.

Pip gets ridden out of town - Théoden is taking no chances - and Merry chides his compatriot as he prepares to go. Merry has grown up some since Orthanc, and Pip is about to as well. Merry tells Pip that Sauron thinks that he has the Ring, and so may come and claim it. At first this troubled me, but now I realize that Merry (and maybe the rest of the crew at Edoras) does not know that Frodo showed the Ring to the Nazgûl at Osgiliath.

Joking aside, Pippin WAS integral ot the fall of Sauron specifically for making him think that the Ring was in Rohan, and totally rid his mind of any thoughts that the Ring was anywhere near him (in the movie too as the nazgul and his fell beast were felled by Faramir!!)

Shadowfax speeds away, and Merry with Aragorn at his side watches them go.

the shot of shadowfax flying out of the stables from overhead is a masterful piece of cinematography. It's just these little things that help make the movie so good.

Elrond is still miffed at Isildur after all of these years, and turns his back on his daughter. She drops a book, and when he returns to retrieve it, he takes hold of her hands, and they are chilled. Mortality has crept into Arwen’s veins, and so the die is cast. There is now no ship that can cross the sundering gulf between he and his daughter, and so Elrond is left with poor choices: watch her die in the darkness, or leave her on this eastern shore. At least it’s in his power to make the second option better for Arwen.

I do think this was a clever way to show Arwen's choice. Not sure it's taken from any book material.....


PS Elladan re:

I joke with my brother (Elrohir) that Legolas only has one facial expression throughout the entire three films. OK, it changes once per film.

I find I have the same envy of Tom Cruise who has lasted a whole career with one character in each of his films (except for the Vampire one maybe) -
us blokes just can't handle good looking males being succesful, rich and having beautiful women on their arms......

PPS - Orlando Bloom has now starred in 2 of the 3 biggest grossing movies of all time, so I don't think he gives a stuff about what jealous guys think of him!!!

PPPS - Wasn't Extras brilliant the other night - What a superb send up of himself that Orlando Bloom did - and I hope Johnny Depp wasn't watching LOL!

[alatar]

Originally Posted by Essex

yeah - different to the book. But then we never found out why Book Gandalf thought Minas Tirith was next in line to be attacked. Common senese I suppose!

I'll look that up to be sure, but I think that Sauron would attack Gondor first as (1) it would give him easy access to the west, (2) Saruman would be attacking from the north, and so they would catch Gondor (one of his more prominent foes) between the hammer and anvil, (3) this would cut off the escape of those east of the Misty Mountains (Galadriel?), and (4) he could then roll up north and have a long chat with Elrond. To leave Gondor unfought would be to leave his flank unguarded.

(in the movie too as the nazgul and his fell beast were felled by Faramir!!)

And to hide the evidence, Denethor cooked then ate the Fell Beast...

us blokes just can't handle good looking males being succesful, rich and having beautiful women on their arms......

Scratched on the first three, but Mrs. alatar tops Katie easily...

[Elladan and Elrohir]

Well, you gotta remember that in the book, Sauron was attacking Lorien, Mirkwood, Dale/Erebor, and Gondor all at the same time. Obviously, since Gondor was his nearest, his most hated, and arguably his strongest military foe, it would get the brunt of his blows. Gandalf knew that Minas Tirith was the key to everything ("If Minas Tirith falls, or the Ring is taken, the Shire will be no refuge.").
The Gondorians were obviously fully cognizant that Sauron's attack would come soon. I believe Faramir mentions something of it to Frodo, and of course Beregond also talks to Pippin about it.

So yeah, I think it probably was just common sense, in the book. In the film Gandalf has to have it spelled out to him by Saruman and the palantir.