LOTR - Fellowship of the Ring - Screencap Thingie

But how is any actress going to portray an immortal Elven queen? its big boots! I think Cate nailed it. Celeborn on the other hand

Dunno but however its done its definitely not talking like your very stoned inside a slow-motion dream.

Mrs Figg wrote:But how is any actress going to portray an immortal Elven queen? its big boots! I think Cate nailed it. Celeborn on the other hand

Cate was great, sometimes I think Petty is being...a little petty...

Celeborn was a glorified extra in the films, they probably could have dropped him and nothing of importance would have changed in the film, so the actor didn't have much to work with.

I think Petty is being...a little petty...- Malick

I dont, I just dont think she is very good. She looks the part but the way all her dialogue is delivered is just increasingly annoying the longer it goes on. And there is no reason for it- none of the other elves save Celeborn with his one line of dialogue talks like that.
I though Marian Diamond did a much better job in the BBC radio version with the character.

agreed. I mean they could have chosen a conventionally beautiful Hollywood hottie, but they didn't, they chose someone with unconventional features.

She looked fine and played her part well, it's just the slow motion voice was overdone. A little bit of that - just enough so that you sensed something but couldn't quite put your finger on it - would have been better.

I suppose its hard to be otherworldly.

Thing is I have never seen Tolkiens elves as 'otherworldly'. Id describe them as 'more worldly' than mortals- more real than mortals, more in tune, more in touch, more wired into living things all around them. I see them as stronger, healthier- not slight or fey at all. More real than men not less real than the world.

rubbish. they are immortal beings with an invisible spiritual state visible only to other magical creatures, or people with magic rings. They are not more 'real' than mortals, they are more spiritual ethereal beings literally tuned into altered states of time and vibrations of Nature. That's why Legolas knew that stones remembered the Elves in Hollin, and why Lothlorien is dangerous for mortals, its not because they are healthier, its because they are Other. worldly. They also go to dwell in a spiritual otherworld Valinor once they leave from the Grey Havens.

I think we have a different concept of otherworldy- my view does not cancel those things out, quite the opposite- its because they are more real than mortals they can do those things, not because they are more ethereal or something.

If you've ever read Pratchetts Mort its sort of like that- Mort can pass through walls ect not because he is becoming less real, but because he is becoming more real than the insubstantial reality of the world.

For me Tolkiens elves are a bit like that- they are uber real- more in the world and more in touch with the natural rhythms of the cosmos than mortals.

I don't see it like that at all. You seem to be saying that they live like the physicality has been cranked up to the max, where I say they live like they are in fact starlight made flesh.

When you look at the main elves of the text they are physically very strong, not starlight made flesh but very real solid flesh. They don't get ill, they don't get disease. That suggests to me a very solid physicality- more so than humans who are susceptible to all those things. They are also capable of seeing the 'unseen'- in other words they can see more of reality than humans can- that seems to make them more real not less to me. I imagine to an elf humans are bit like smoke to them.

Is this gonna become another endless Who squabble?

I think I understand what Petty means. Certainly Tolkien's elves are very much bound to Arda in a spiritual sense (as opposed to humans who get to leave the confines of the known universe after death). But I think that from a human or hobbit perspective, the Elves appear otherworldly. Sorta like how they seem magical even though the Elves themselves wouldn't call it magic, just an advanced level of knowledge and a deep connection to the natural world.

Agreed. 

What are the rules for this screencap thingum? I mean who does the next one?

A. What were your thoughts as you sat there for the first time watching this image?

I was 12 when I saw this in theaters. I remember being really excited for the movie. I don't remember having any specific thoughts about this image alone.

B. Do you think its effective in the way it portrays Elves.

So PJ gave himself literally seconds to convey different aspects of each race in this prologue. "Immortal, wisest, and fairest of all beings." We can only assume they are immortal because we are fed the information. They look fair as compared to the dwarves and men. They can't really portray the "wise" aspect in this brief scene. That needs to come later when our heroes begin to encounter elves, beginning with Gildor...oh, no I meant Glorfindel...oh, nevermind.

C. Did you like the mood, colours, visuals etc?

I like the mood of the prologue, it sets the tone of the film well. PJ sets up a good contrast with the upcoming Shire scenes by emphasizing black and grey here. It does a good job conveying the contrast between the Shire and the rest of Middle-earth to the casual viewer.

D. Any other comments.

Well, the prologue leaves the casual viewer with some questions that are never answered. Who made the rings? Why were the rings made? This is basic stuff the audience should know. And it would really put a spin on things for people to know the original intention behind the rings of power. These weren't fucking party favors, but a plot by Sauron all along.

Forest Shepherd wrote:
What are the rules for this screencap thingum? I mean who does the next one?

Rules? In Forumshire?

you have much to learn young padawan

Basically who ever wants to do the next one, can. Theres no rules about who can and when, its just when you feel like it. The only small rule I suppose would be to have a flow from beginning to end of the movie not jumping about. we could also have a couple in tandem I suppose. If you find an image which appeals to you, go for it.

got bored waiting, so heres the next.



A. Did you connect these men with the Ringwraiths at the time or afterwards?

B. Do you think it portrays men in a positive or negative light? literally and figuratively.

C. Do you think the composition of the shot has any meaning beyond the aesthetics?

D. any other questions.

I didnt connect them to ringwraiths ? I cant really see it shows them either way, positive or not, they look like they are just waiting, waiting for someone else to come up with an idea And I dont think the shot says very much if anything at all ? Looking back to the years LOTRs came out Im now wondering if this was actually a good way to begin a story ? Im thinking....not.

People in the know would know they would become ringwraiths. There's no other hint in the shot.

As for the prologue being a good way to start, I think most people even if they had read the books wouldn't remember them so well. I give it a tossup on whether it's better to set the stage first or let it be discovered as Tolkien did.

A. I hadn't yet seen the ringwraiths, so how could I have? Oh right, if I had read the books first (I hadn't.) I suppose I did once Aragorn started talking about them in the Pony. 

B. It portrays men in a negative light both literally and metaphorically. Here we get a large difference between Tolkien and PJ & Co. "Mortal men, doomed to die" becomes "men, who above all else... desire power." This same "weakness" of men comes up later on in the trilogy when every single man except Aragorn is unable to resist the power of the ring. 

C. Clearly the composition is meant to showcase man's power structure. In the forefront is the Witch-king of Angmar, clearly, and I get the impression that they are then arranged in terms of importance. 

D. I have no other questions, but I must comment on the presence of a certain pair of artists in this lineup...

Forest Shepherd wrote:A. I hadn't yet seen the ringwraiths, so how could I have? Oh right, if I had read the books first (I hadn't.) I suppose I did once Aragorn started talking about them in the Pony. 

B. It portrays men in a negative light both literally and metaphorically. Here we get a large difference between Tolkien and PJ & Co. "Mortal men, doomed to die" becomes "men, who above all else... desire power." This same "weakness" of men comes up later on in the trilogy when every single man except Aragorn is unable to resist the power of the ring. 

C. Clearly the composition is meant to showcase man's power structure. In the forefront is the Witch-king of Angmar, clearly, and I get the impression that they are then arranged in terms of importance. 

D. I have no other questions, but I must comment on the presence of a certain pair of artists in this lineup...

well spotted Forest!

I for one thought they made the men look venerable and ghostly, almost as if they are already fading into wraiths, the way the palest brightest of the kings is at the front of the triangle, the way the light shines on him mostly in a halo of light and the others fade into grey shadows in the background.