Welcome Guest 

Register

Forum Home » » »
Author Topic:
Figwit
Book Club Moderator & Misty Mountain Monster
Posts: 1966
Send Message
Avatar
Post Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: May 26, 2003 02:01
wrote this wonderful essay on it this afternoon, will post it in a sec, but first the poll question... which iiiiiiissssssssssssssss...

Which part of the sequence did you like best?
Figwit
Book Club Moderator & Misty Mountain Monster
Posts: 1966
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: May 26, 2003 02:03
The Ring Uncloaked... mmm...

Not exactly the most colourful or most exciting sequence of the movie, is it? Yet, it is so full of symbolism and so full of character, that it provides with exciting insight in how PJ construed this film.

First of all, there's the strange jump in atmosphere. Of course, atmosphere is everything to a story, but here there's so many different emotions in one sequence that it's almost dizzying. We go from happy and carefree in the previous scene (the Green Dragon) to the creepy darkness of Bag End and Freaky Gandalf; then there's a cosy moment by the fire (which is not filmed in a very scary way, the colours and the scenery are set to make it just comfortable) which continues in the kitchen (interrupted by the Ring, which keeps looking strangely menacing and produces weird noises) to be drastically altered into a panicky adrenaline filled scene with Frodo running around – first to hide the Ring, then to pack his bag; followed by a cuddly wizard-Hobbit moment and a bit of comic relief; to be concluded with this desolate emptiness when Gandalf leaves the Hobbits and they're on their own.

PJ jumps from one colour set to another, from one atmosphere to a completely different one, and to me, his objective is not very clear: what is he trying to achieve? Maybe he's trying to show that the Ring is always menacing, that it's not the kind of 'monster in closet' story: it doesn't go away when you turn the lights on. It's a permanent threat.

Or maybe it just shows very well how PJ waves different stories into this one story, allowing each single spectator to follow the storyline that interests him most: are you mostly interested in cuddly Hobbits, then there's plenty of cuddliness; are you in it for the action, then there's freaky Gandalf, freaky Nine who left freaky Minas Morgul and freaky Gollum; are you a fantasy freak then you'll enjoy the detailed background information; are you a psychology freak who wants drama and first class acting then you have Ian McKellen who depicts Gandalf's own fear of Sauron perfectly (like a little bug moving underneath a skin that says: hey, I'm the grey wizard, I know what to do); if you can't handle stress very well, you can concentrate on the Samwise-part...

These different angles to the same story are in each and every scene, they run through the entire movie, and they're the reason why we all have a different perspective on the movie and what's important. Just like in the book, we follow one character or we're interested in the culture of the Elves rather than in the scary bits... except, in the movie, I have the distinct feeling PJ *created* the angles himself!

For instance, if we analyse the scene by the fire, where the Ring is literally uncloaked, we find that you can look at the scene through different spectacles:
• You can ease up after the scary Gandalf bit (which was truly unsettling, but mainly because it wasn't the Gandalf I knew from the books at all), allow your eyes to adjust to the semi-dark on the screen, enjoy the nice shots of 'glowing Frodo'... Looking at it from a cinematographic point of view, this scene is breathtakingly beautiful: the colours vary from a flaming red to a warm brownish yellow (like old parchment) and a deep darkness; the shots are slow and flowing; and I think Elijah Wood never looks better than in that scene. When Gandalf says something about the Black Speech, it doesn't sound nearly as frightening as your mum calling you to announce you least favourite aunt has made you a sweater with fluffy bunnies on it.
• You can tense up even further after the freaky Gandalf bit: the darkness continues to spread from all corners; there's the element of Fire which will remind us of the Eye we saw when Gandalf touched the Ring after Bilbo left; there's the visible nervousness of the wizard, in his facial expressions, his tone of voice, his movements which are slightly erratic...; and of course there's the final announcement: Black Speech! Mordor! Rings to rule all! Darkness!
• Bookies will get all excited about it of course: how will they explain, will they give all the details, oooh there's the Ring, oooohh there's the writings... oooohh he's saying the Ring poem, oooohh this is so exciting!
• Elijah Wood fans can feel free to drool, of course, and not notice the fact a great storyline is moving along in front of their eyes.


This is the first sequence where it becomes obvious that Jackson created a movie which has to please both a movie loving audience and the book addicts: an adaptation that has to look as if it's not an adaptation but has to be true enough to the source to please the fans. A movie also, that has to have the element of fairytale beauty in it (the cuddliness, the nice colours, the pointy ears – it's a family film after all) ànd the epic storyline about Good vs. Evil (for those who really want to know the story without having to read all the parts about fellowships walking through fields) ànd the dark almost gothic power of evil and darkness (for all those teenagers who want to keep their cool) ànd the psychological details and the cultural background of Tolkien's world (for the bookies).

PJ made this movie for four different audiences (in my opinion), and he succeeded (again in my opinion).

There's more I'd like to say about this sequence, but I'll save it till later... {Please note that this post is considerably shorter than the other ones!}
Faramirs_first_kiss
Mearhwine Namsmið
Posts: 390
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: May 26, 2003 07:07
I voted the actual ring being uncloaked, because it's so exciting. The truth and the threat are discovered and the atmosphere is absolutely tangible, due, as Figwit said, to the cinematography and Ian McKellen's wonderful acting. Here, non-bookies can put together all the tiny bits of information they've been given over the last few minutes and never has the word "Wait..." caused so much tension in a cinema.

The scene in the kitchen draws you into the world of ME, linking back to the prologue, and it was here that I decided that, while I would not read the books of the trilogy until after seeing the respective films, I would read the entire history of ME sequence as soon as possible.
Kiss
Eothain222
Council Member
Posts: 24
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: May 26, 2003 11:32
In the book, The Shadows of the Past is one of my favoritte chapters, especially Gandalf and Frodo's conversation. It was very ominous which is really good. In the film, they say alot of this part in the prolouge (which is good, perhaps even better). So i voted for the conversation mainly becuase of the book. The bit when the nazgul leave Minas Morgul is good aswell.
Figwit
Book Club Moderator & Misty Mountain Monster
Posts: 1966
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: May 27, 2003 02:53
never has the word "Wait..." caused so much tension in a cinema.
~Faramirs First Kiss


yeah, I really held my breath there - though I knew so well what was coming
Simbelmyne
CoE Volunteer
Posts: 135
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: May 27, 2003 10:34
I loved the Ring being uncloaked. The almost unhearable music, the tension...I knew what was coming, like Figwit, but I loved the suspense.

They also did the letters on the Ring really well. Just one of those little things that made it all the more real for me.

Back to the music in and between the uncloaking and the conversation: That was some of the best music in the film. The theme that also appears at the beginning combined with the themes specific to that scene...loved it.

And then that trill on the violin as the Riders rode into the Shire, followed by Gandalf being tempted, was just really fitting. The huge up in the music (crescendo) as Frodo offers the ring was really effective.

The conversation was a good point as well. I always love it when something I've read is shown visually, and done properly as well. I guess it was just how I imagined it.

About Gollum's torture...I swear he said something like "Bog off" to the orcs as he was being tortured. No, really. OK, it probably meant something different or was just a tortured wail, but it was a nice thought while it lasted.

Just my opinion,

~*~Simbelmyne~*~


[Edited on 28/5/2003 by Simbelmyne]
Lady-Arwen
CoE Volunteer
Posts: 78
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: May 28, 2003 01:11
I liked this scene a lot and I think one of the main reasons is that it encapsilated a very long chapter in the book with a great ammount of tact. Without leaving anything vital out (though sometimes they saved it till later) they managed to make a LONG scene a very short scene in the movie.

I really liked the whole thing but I think one of my favorite parts is when Frodo is getting ready to leave. I like how he just immediately realizes he must and starts to get ready, just packing up his stuff ready to go out on his mission and that expression Gandalf gets when he looks at this little hobbit and realizes just how much Frodo is taking on.

As far as pivitol points go, that award would be better suited to when the Ring is uncloaked in the first place, but I just really liked this part of the scene

And the Sam part (which wasn't mushy!) because I liked Sam, I'd barely gotten to see Sam and they did that part so well from book to movie!

~*~Lady Arwen
Figwit
Book Club Moderator & Misty Mountain Monster
Posts: 1966
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: May 28, 2003 02:30
And the Sam part (which wasn't mushy!)
~*~Lady Arwen


okay, if you say so love
Cressida
Council Member
Posts: 160
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: May 28, 2003 06:54
I voted for the Ring being uncloaked by the fire because it was the sequence which I could best picture in my head from memory. I figure it has to have stuck in my head for a reason.

I'm trying to remember--does this section also include Gandalf's visit to Minas Tirith and his reading of the Scroll of Isildur? That part is also very clear in my mind.
Celebroch
Council Member
Posts: 165
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: May 28, 2003 03:36
I definitely chose the ring being revealed, but everything else is tied for a close second. The entire scene is great, especailly how Peter got the history of the Ring into a scene without making you feel like you were listening to someone read out of a textbook.
Ringhilwen
Ilúvatar's Designer & Haldir\'s Little Squirrel
Posts: 1203
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: May 28, 2003 04:58
Couldn't really decide between the Ring being revealed, or Gandalf and Frodo talking about what to do. I think they are just about tied, so I voted for the cozy kitchen conversation
Figwit
Book Club Moderator & Misty Mountain Monster
Posts: 1966
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: May 29, 2003 01:31

I'm trying to remember--does this section also include Gandalf's visit to Minas Tirith and his reading of the Scroll of Isildur? That part is also very clear in my mind.


that's earlier on, Cressida, after Bilbo leaves... I left that one out... sorry... :blush:

but from now on I'll include a link to the screencaps of the scene we're discussing, that might help to remember it better (and extra publicity for our extraordinary gallery is always good)
Cressida
Council Member
Posts: 160
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: May 29, 2003 02:39
that's earlier on, Cressida, after Bilbo leaves... I left that one out... sorry... :blush:

Hee hee, no problem! But can I just say that that one tiny glimpse of Minas Tirith has had me drooling for over a year now?

but from now on I'll include a link to the screencaps of the scene we're discussing, that might help to remember it better (and extra publicity for our extraordinary gallery is always good)

Good idea! Although personally, when I have trouble deciding on a favorite part of the sequence, it helps to see which one I remember most clearly without looking at anything to refresh my memory. I have to have some way of choosing, or I'll have to resort to saying "I like it all!" ^_^
Figwit
Book Club Moderator & Misty Mountain Monster
Posts: 1966
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: May 29, 2003 02:57
ha! that's why 'I can't decide' is never amongst the options see, I think about these things
Lady-Arwen
CoE Volunteer
Posts: 78
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: May 29, 2003 05:52
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And the Sam part (which wasn't mushy!)
~*~Lady Arwen
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



okay, if you say so love



*opens mouth...and closes it. Proving that Lady-Arwen is showing abnormal ammounts of debating restraint*

The screencap idea is a really good one! That might make it easier for some of the posters.


see, I think about these things


*grin* I KNEW we kept you around for something

~*~Lady Arwen
Faramirs_first_kiss
Mearhwine Namsmið
Posts: 390
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: May 29, 2003 06:10
I'll include a link to the screencaps of the scene we're discussing
Good idea. Every time you post one of these, I open up my trusty transcript and read the scenes. Maybe I should just watch them!
that one tiny glimpse of Minas Tirith has had me drooling for over a year now
We have a Church at the end of the high street, white with a couple of towers and round domes. Every time we drive past it I get that screen shot in my head! Maybe I'll put a picture of it on CoE!
Kiss
Nevthónîel
CoE Volunteer
Posts: 228
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: May 29, 2003 06:53
I voted for Samwise. I loved that thing...though I like Sam anyway, he's great.
Figwit
Book Club Moderator & Misty Mountain Monster
Posts: 1966
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: May 30, 2003 01:27
*grin* I KNEW we kept you around for something

~*~Lady Arwen




I really liked that glimpse of Minas Tirith too, I got soooo excited! I really liked how you saw Mordor in the background, when the image moved
sepdet
Council Member
Posts: 72
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: May 30, 2003 09:59
I loved the part where Gandalf-peep looks down at the scroll in Minas Tirith, and it says "doom" in huge red letters.

Er, wait.

I started to say this in the last thread, conflating scenes. The rhythm and dance of the whole sequence between Frodo and Gandalf is just incredible, such that I have trouble separating out the parts of this scene as you do. Even the way Frodo pulls out the envelope, Gandalf takes it and throws it into the fire, is like movement in a modern dance piece. As you pointed out, Figgy, even the lighting is amazing: when Frodo holds the Ring, the play of light comes right out of a Rembrandt oil painting. But more than that, the dialogue is a poem: fast lines, short lines, abrupt stops, outbursts... soft uncertainties, grim matter-of-facts... it's just amazing the range that Wood puts into this scene, playing with a pro much, much more experienced than he is. "Do they Gandalf...?" is IMO a perfect delivery, and it is very, very difficult to pull off hysteria well: "You MUST TAKE IT! I'm GIVING IT TO YOU!" but then, not long afterwards, "I can cut across country easily enough." Gandalf is right. In this scene, we do see that Frodo is remarkable, able to grasp, understand, accept, and act upon humongous affairs of the wise and the great, into which he's been thrust in the course of just a few minutes. Every bit of blocking, movement, dialogue, and lighting for me in this scene is seamless, at least until Sam appears. (Which is fine too, but I think it's the magic between McKellan and Wood in this scene I'm enjoying). And again, Figgy, you're right: the scene establishes the balance that PJ will be trying to strike for the remainder of the films, somewhere between original dialogue and cinematography inspired by the original, and bringing to life the original. It prepared me, as a longtime Tolkien-lover, for how PJ would be using his source for the remainder of the film, keeping mostly to the spirit, but changing the pacing ferociously, "punching up" the tension and fear factor, as I call it, and making great use of visuals, music, sensuality, not quite so much as that new director of the Dune series, but enough to make it a very tactile, three-dimensional, not so much epic as right-in-front-of-you Middle-earth.

This is the Middle-Earth where the characters have dirt under their fingernails. Some of Tolkien's magic is humbled and brought down to earth. But in scenes like this, there are traces of Tolkien's lyrical language in the pacing, rhythm, and artfulness of the cinematography, and you see that what PJ is doing is trying to drag you as vividly into the story as possible.
Figwit
Book Club Moderator & Misty Mountain Monster
Posts: 1966
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: May 30, 2003 07:58
it's just amazing the range that Wood puts into this scene, playing with a pro much, much more experienced than he is. ~ sepdet


I quite agree, I said a lot of things about Ian McKellen's performance in my post, because their are so many nuances to it that it's almost creepy how he pulls it off, but Elijah Wood is also outstanding.

I think in a way, the moment where he's holding up the Ring to Gandalf and you see him realise that there's no way out, that he's going to have to do it himself, did it for me: I was not comfortable with such a young actor (however experienced) playing the very difficult and emotionally demanding part of Frodo, but like with every character, there are lines, moments, movements that make you relax in your chair and think: Okay, he's gonna pull it off. And this scene did that for Frodo, in my opinion at least.
Roheryn
Council Member
Posts: 208
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: May 30, 2003 08:21
I agree with you Figwit, I too knew then that Elijah could do it. He could play the part of my much beloved Frodo. So far he has not let me down.
Lintelómiel
Council Member
Posts: 59
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: June 01, 2003 09:38
I voted for the Ring Uncloaked by Fire. The whole atmosphere of the scene was so great, and Ian McKellen brilliant as always. One of my favorite bits is the appearance of the fiery elvish letters, and the way they shine on Frodo's face. That script is so beautiful and mysterious, I was in awe! :love:
SarumanTheWise
Council Member
Posts: 25
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: September 06, 2008 07:01
lol i'm replying to a topic that was posted on last 5 years ago!

but anyway i like that they talk about the ring of doom and death and destruction over a cup of tea

course in the book its even worse if i remember correctly (more casual, i mean)
elennilda
Council Member
Posts: 55
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: September 12, 2008 11:03
And I am glad that you did, SarumanTheWise, because it is a very interesting topic.

I voted for The Ring Uncloaked. It was the only part I could remeber immediately, and very clearly. I love the tension of it all, and of course it is a very central scene in the trilogy (where would The lord of the Rings be without the ring? ). But also because of the beautiful shots and because the ring looks so beautiful with the writings on it.
Aegor
CoE Volunteer
Posts: 984
Send Message
Avatar
Post RE: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: September 15, 2008 09:51
My vote went to "the cosy Kitchen Conversation" even though I wouldn't exactly call it cozy as the atmosphere is rather heavy and foreboding. This was one of my favorite scenes in the books and I was really pleased with the way Jackson filmed it. Slowly building up tension, giving everyone a nice little nudge with the "ring whisper", really great filmaking, not to mention how well they solved the hobbit size issue
Sassyfriend
Council Member
Posts: 57
Send Message
Post Re: Sequence by sequence #4: The Ring Uncloaked
on: September 20, 2012 09:33
the cozy kitchen bit is a nice touch as it explains what the ring's puruse is
Members Online
Print Friendly, PDF & Email