FotR: The Shadow of the Past...

[lucidity]

FotR: The Shadow of the Past, The Passing of the Elves (new to EE), Saruman the White

(Scenes begin with Frodo returning from the pub to find Gandlalf at his house and end with Gandalf flying up.)

Here are my quick thoughts:

Ian McKellen is excellent here. You can see the emotions flit across his face in rapid succession: fear, relief, surprise, horror—it’s all there.

The torture scene with Gollum always disturbs me, but I guess that’s a good thing.

When Gandalf yanks Sam through the window I wonder if he’s going to stike him. That wizard has a bit of a temper.

I’ve got to give it to Sam. When he says the thing about taking one more step and being farther away from home than he’s ever been you can see how much courage it must have taken for him to go—Not that he had much choice anyway!

The Passing of the Elves is a new scene and super short. Frodo and Sam watch them from a distance. With the slow pace that the elves walk it’s a wonder they ever get anywhere—and what’s with the glowy-ness? Do elves glow in the dark?

Gandalf goes to Isengard. (On a side note, I’ve always loved Christopher Lee. I remember him from that old ‘Hammer’s House of Horror’ show and he was in quite a few of those flicks.) The dynamic between Gandalf and Saruman is interesting. I realize that Saruman is the head of their Order, but he is really quite aggressive and irritable and Gandalf looks so submissive. Weird.

It seems to take Gandalf a long time to figure out that Saruman has gone evil. The wizard’s duel is bizarre…I’m assuming that a staff to a wizard here likens to a wand in the HP universe?

Next week: It’s raining men! Well…at least a few men…okay, mainly Strider, but at least it’s someone other than Hobbits and wizards. Huzzah! ;D

[Lily]

The torture scene was disturbing, but necessary imo. And I like Frodo´s moment of realisation that the hiding place of the Ring has been revealed.

I assume that everyone loves Gandalf and Sam´s scene. It adds a lighter note to the serious atmosphere.

Sam´s scene in the field: Yes, he crosses a line - and how many more lines will he have to cross when the story continues? Here we get a glance at the relationship between Sam and Frodo at that point, who reaches out for Sam and guides him to the next step.

I am definitely being reminded of breakdance, when I watch the wizards´ duel. The useless attempts of Gandalf to leave Saruman´s room when he is closing the doors one by one, look somehow half-hearted.

[laerien]

Have any of you noticed that every time we see hobbits resting, camping etc, someone is either eating or making something to eat? In that scene, Sam is doing it, and then on Weathertop, and I am not sure about the next time, but maybe when the Fellowship tries to cross the mountains...
Not to mention Merry and Pippin carying the stolen stuff, the mushrooms etc.

I love the way they prtrayed their enthusiasm for food. And it didn't seem too much.

The scene when Gandlaf yanks Sam in through the window is wonderful! Wizard's temper or not, I cannot help but smile every time I watch it... Especially if I think of Sam's staggering speech... ;D

Though the scene about the Elves is extremely short, I was satisfied with it. OK, if I watch it unpassionately, their pace and glowing might be funny, but the whole thing has such a melancholy, such a wonderful athmosphere, that I can never think of such things. The music could be the key there.

But now that lucidity mentioned... The glowing of the elves is canon or fanon?

[lucidity]

Yeah, Lily. I kind of wondered why Gandalf would go to each successive door when he should've been able to tell what was going to happen by the second, or third at the latest. This old guy didn't just fall off the turnip truck you know!

Laerien, you're right about food being the center of their lives, those cheeky little Hobbits. ;D

I suppose Jackson wanted to have the Elves seem otherworldly with the glowing, but I thought it silly.

By the way, I thought some more about how slow they walk and it hit me...these people are immortal, what's their hurry?

[eggowaffles]

I don't know how I feel about the luminescent Elves, but I love the song they're singing. Does anyone know if it's on the new extended soundtrack?

I've always been confused about the nature of the Wizards' powers in the films... I mean, it seems somewhat conditional, doesn't it? Saruman can flip Gandalf around every which way with his staff, but when Gandalf gets picked up by Gwaihir two inches under his nose, he doesn't seem able to do anything about it. Not to mention that most of Gandalf's spells only seem to work once (Nazgul-B-Gone, anyone?... but I'm jumping movies).

[lucidity]

eggowaffles said:

I don't know how I feel about the luminescent Elves, but I love the song they're singing. Does anyone know if it's on the new extended soundtrack?

I've always been confused about the nature of the Wizards' powers in the films... I mean, it seems somewhat conditional, doesn't it? Saruman can flip Gandalf around every which way with his staff, but when Gandalf gets picked up by Gwaihir two inches under his nose, he doesn't seem able to do anything about it. Not to mention that most of Gandalf's spells only seem to work once (Nazgul-B-Gone, anyone?... but I'm jumping movies).

You're right about the Wizards' powers changing to fit the whims of the director!

Aren't they defenseless when their staff is broken? That's the impression I got and Gandalf gets his broken...wait...that's a later movie. I'll shut up now.