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#1 |
Doubting Dwimmerlaik
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Heaven's basement
Posts: 2,466
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LotR3-RotK-Seq22
Technique and ability alone do not get you to the top; it is the willpower that is the most important. This willpower you cannot buy with money or be given by others…it rises from your heart. - Junko Tabei, first woman to climb Mount Everest.
Sam recovers a bit as he lies on the side of Orodruin. He seeks out and finds Frodo, who also lies still. He looks up at the mountain and sees the senselessness of climbing further. Lie down, Sam old boy, and rest. That mountain’s too big for ya. He’s not sure what to do next, and so does what he does best - care for Frodo. He talks of the Shire to his Master, who now can remember nothing of strawberries or grass, neither the taste or touch. Frodo raspily states that nothing now is between him and the Wheel of Fire and that he can see Him (Sauron) with his waking eyes (Is He an Eye, or does He have a body?). Frodo’s tortured in both mind and body. His voice, unlike Sam’s, is more of what you’d expect after their ordeal. Not that I can fault PJ for having his actors speak when by all accounts they cannot due to lack of water etc. Sam’s makeup is great, and when he speaks he tears up (again, that moisture thing) but it only adds to the moment. Sam, hearing his Master’s suffering, finds new strength to put an end to the pain. His words, however, are a bit unSam-like. “Then let us be rid of it…once and for all.” I’m having a hard time swallowing the lettuce part. Anyway, Sam starts freaking out about carrying Frodo as he cannot carry the Ring, not that, to me, it would make much difference here. Sam hoists Frodo on his shoulder, not pig-a-back, and starts his climb up Mount Doom. I couldn’t tell if Sam left his bones behind or not. By the by, what exactly are those slow-falling flaming things that drop out of Orodruin? Why do they fall slowly? Back outside the Morannon, Aragorn’s and Sauron’s armies prepare for battle. The orcs are uncharacteristically well-ordered, and I suppose are either awaiting orders or are on a break. Aragorn gets a call from Sauron, and the Eye says, “Elessar.” Not sure what this means. Gandalf, when Aragorn turns back to look upon his friends, waves his hand. Is Gandalf casting some spell? Dunno. Aragorn seems to be saddened when we see his face. Why? Does he now believe that Frodo failed? Does he think that his chances of having a life with Arwen (or Éowyn ![]() This is it. Either Sauron or Aragorn (the line of Elendil) ends this day.
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There is naught that you can do, other than to resist, with hope or without it.
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#2 |
Shade of Carn Dûm
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Halls of Mandos
Posts: 332
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It's such an iconic line from the book that I don't know that we even realize how iconic of a film line it has become: "I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you!" It's yet another chilling moment. Note that as Sam says this line, the score soars into the chorus of "Into the West," the credits song. This melody appears at a couple of key moments in the film (another one is Gandalf's "far green country" soliloquy).
To me, this is the point where Elijah Wood and Sean Astin transcend great acting. Maybe it's just because it's almost the end of the Quest, or because it's the movie version of my favorite story ever, or because everything -- not just the acting -- works together so beautifully to achieve this moment. But this is where Elijah and Sean take over the film, as they should - this is their moment to end all moments. We left Hobbiton with them in focus, and now here they are again in focus despite everything else. Sauron's call to Aragorn, or whatever it is, does strike one as a bit bizarre. Of course, in the original designs of the filmmakers, Sauron was supposed to emerge at this moment (yes, in humanoid form, not as the Eye) and appear as an "angel of light", to use the biblical phrase. He would tempt Aragorn using the Annatar form that he had used to tempt Celebrimbor in the Second Age. Then, after Aragorn resisted, the two would fight. Would have made a nice bookend to the Prologue scene, but I think I like it better the way it turned out. One thing it would have done is completed Aragorn's character. We've seen him struggle with his lineage, his weakness, his doubt, his fear, for three films. This confrontation with Sauron would decisively conclude that and finish the story arc for 'Gorn. But, even the way it is, I think it still rounds out his character. We still have Sauron (apparently) calling out to Aragorn, tempting him in some way. When Aragorn turns back to his companions, it's another beautiful moment. And as he says, "For Frodo", with tears in his eyes, we know that he has finally beaten his demons, finally pushed his fears and doubts away. He has just heard from the Mouth that the Quest has failed, and yet he still has hope -- which of course is his name, Estel. Awesome stuff, PJ.
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"If you're referring to the incident with the dragon, I was barely involved. All I did was give your uncle a little nudge out of the door." THE HOBBIT - IT'S COMING |
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#3 |
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Essex, England
Posts: 886
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quick note - your quote above, Alatar, wins most Apt Quote of this group of movie sequenece by sequence threads we've been discussing. You hit the nail on the head with this one, completly eclipsing your last quote from Bill Pullman!!!!!!!!!
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#4 | |
Doubting Dwimmerlaik
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Heaven's basement
Posts: 2,466
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Plus I try not to quote from the same material in consecutive threads, and so had to leave the additional Bill Pullman's ID quotes for another time.
You can see the clear similarities between these quotes and those Gandalf from RotK:
It's clear that the screenwriters of ID were in the same literary class as our good professor.
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There is naught that you can do, other than to resist, with hope or without it.
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Ghost Prince of Cardolan
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Essex, England
Posts: 886
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I love Merry and Pippin running a second or so before anyone else. Very clever Mr Jackson. We're near the Climax now, everything is coming together, we're on the edge of our seats. I remember sitting in the theatre at this point mentally sitting up wondering how they were going to end it all. I wasn't dissapointed. But more of that on the next thread...... |
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Doubting Dwimmerlaik
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Heaven's basement
Posts: 2,466
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There is naught that you can do, other than to resist, with hope or without it.
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#7 | |
Shade of Carn Dûm
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Halls of Mandos
Posts: 332
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Of course you can't tell for sure whether they truly intended to have Sauron in the scene, but it certainly appears from the BTS documentaries that that was the case. If you're interested in this sequence and the change from Sauron to troll, it is contained in the "From Book to Script" documentary (I think that's what it's called) on the third disc of the set. They even have some of the original footage of Viggo fighting a giant Sauron.
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"If you're referring to the incident with the dragon, I was barely involved. All I did was give your uncle a little nudge out of the door." THE HOBBIT - IT'S COMING |
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