Watching The Fellowship of the Ring

Gandalf arrives at Bag End, Bilbo's home in Hobbiton.

Note: This is the first of three reviews on Peter Jackson's brilliant cinematic adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic The Lord of the Rings (2001 - 2003). I will invariably mention the novels upon which the movies are based. There are a few instances that are worth comparing with the original texts, some where the films fall short of the novels, some where Jackson's change actually works better, especially for the visual medium. In no way am I suggesting that either the books or the movies are “better”. The films stand on their own as, obviously, the novels do. Both are wonderful and reward the viewer/reader who invests the time required by them. In all instances I am reviewing the “extended edition” of each film. Generally speaking, the more the merrier in this case.

Darkness. Above sharp whispers of an elvish tongue, Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) tells us of the forging of the various Rings of Power and of the dark lord Sauron's deception, forging the One Ring to rule them all. She is the proper choice for this introduction. She has witnessed all of history since long before the three Ages passed in Middle-earth. She is a singular thread in the sweeping narrative (The Silmarillion) of which The Lord of the Rings is but a small part.

In The Fellowship of the Ring, we are approaching the end of the Third Age as she narrates. “The world has changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the Earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost. For none now live who remember it.” Except for herself, of course, she came from Valinor, which lies outside the periphery of these films. “It began with the forging of the Great Rings.” The “It” in that sentence refers to the story about to be well-told through Peter Jackson's brilliant trilogy. “It” is the Ring of Power and how all of Middle-Earth became entangled with Sauron's craft.

As millennia passed, we are told that “the Ring of Power had perceived that its time had now come.” The Ring, cut from Suaron's hand yet ending up at the bottom of a river where Gollum ultimately finds it, wants to return to Sauron even as Sauron, now embodiless, has searched for it through the centuries. But, oddly, something ends up happening that “the Ring did not intend.” Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm), a Hobbit, the least likely of all the many upright walking races of Middle-Earth, found it and kept it for his own.

This provides the necessary sense of depth of time, imbued with language and nature, that makes this fantasy so distinctive and appealing. But from this grand prelude, we enter into the world of Hobbits. They are somewhat stout, quaint, highly conservative and isolated from the rest of the world in a place called the Shire. They have an affinity for food and drink and tobacco (“pipeweed”) and for “good tilled earth.” They live simple lives and for all these reasons the Ring ends up in a place Sauron is least likely to search for it – until his minions capture and torture Gollum discovering who now has the Ring.

 

Gandalf is a wizard specializing in light and fire, perfect for a fireworks celebration!

Amon Sûl, one of the ancient watchtowers of the northern kingdom of Men.

In the nether realm of the Ring and the Wraiths.  Frodo is stabbed by with Witch King before Strider can fight him off.

While protecting Frodo, Arwen casts a elvish spell upon the river and wipes the Ringwraiths away. Here she has taken on the role of another elf in the book making her character far more prominent in the film.

Bilbo Baggins is celebrating his 111^th (“eleventy-one”) birthday of his unnaturally long life (due to his addiction to the Ring, as we are eventually shown). The wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), who was part of Bilbo's story in finding the Ring, appears in Hobbiton in time to help celebrate. He is a wizard of light and fire and, so, he is an expert at fireworks, to the delight of Hobbit children. Just what is needed for the special celebration.

Jackson does a splendid job of introducing the primary Hobbits and the basic tension involving Bilbo's ring and Sauron's desire for it in the first 45 minutes of the film. Bilbo has abandoned the Ring to travel to Rivendell. It is left behind for his much younger cousin, Frodo (Elijah Wood), who is sent out of the Shire by Gandalf. The wizard has only recently discovered the true power of the Bilbo's ring – and of the fact that Sauron has sent his Black Riders – the Nazgûl or Ringwraiths – to the Shire to capture and return it. This establishes a fundamental sense of urgency to the film.

The story of how four hobbits make it out of the Shire, narrowly avoiding the Ringwraiths is told with a flare of high adventure as well as moments of uncertainty and mystery as to the power behind these strange hooded hunters on horseback. Then Frodo slips on the Ring, by accident in the act of falling down (perhaps the Ring intended this), and thereby becomes more “visible” both to the Nazgûl in their nightmarish realm and to the Eye of Sauron which wretchedly gasps: “I see you.”

Viggo Mortensen was born to play Strider. He embodies the character perfectly, emotional, intelligent, skillful, athletic. He is also very mysterious and we are initially left uncertain of his motives. He might want the Ring. He does not come gently. He is firm and deliberate in his actions, as the situation demands. The Hobbits do not understand their level of danger here. They take to him well enough, but only after he saves them from the Wraiths. He guides them on a long journey to Rivendell, one of the last elvish kingdoms left on Middle-Earth.

Along the way, Samwise Gamgee (Sean Austin) sees many elves traveling west to leave Middle-Earth. “I don't know why but it makes me sad,” he laments. The melancholy heart of The Lord of the Rings is vital to rendering an authentic Tolkien experience. Jackson captures this perfectly throughout the course of these three films. This is the end of the Third Age and the beginning of the Fourth – the Age of Men. Yet, this transition comes at the price of the passing of numerous magical wonders by Elves, Dwarfs, and other creatures introduced later. The Fellowship of the Ring is filled with little moments like Sam's experience.

Another example lies in Strider singing softly to himself “The Lay of Luthien” as Frodo listens. The other hobbits are all asleep, of course, but Strider reveals his vulnerable side to Frodo in addition to touching back to something that happened thousands of years ago in the First Age. Again, the depth the film offers the aficionado of Tolkien is remarkable, given the constraints of an action movie and limited movie rights. This reference comes from the Appendices of the trilogy.

Meanwhile, Gandalf the Grey seeks advise from Saruman the White (Christopher Lee), the master of wizards. Unexpectedly, Saruman has treacherously allied with Sauron, who is rebuilding his immense fortress in Mordor. The two wizards battle but Saruman prevails and imprisons Gandalf. Again, Jackson more than competently captures the essence of this story and conveys it in a menacing manner that adds to the overall excitement of the film. The tension keeps building for all our characters until they all reach Rivendell.

The Fellowship of the Ring film gives Arwen (Liv Taylor) a much larger role to portray. In the book she barely appears though her existence is critical to Aragorn's character. Here, she basically encompasses several smaller characters from the book and some new material into an amalgam that is a terrific addition to the film, while also updating the story for more modern audiences by elevating an obvious choice in order to accentuate the feminine beyond Tolkien's original. As with many other details in the film, Jackson does so to the honor of Tolkien and to the delight of the contemporary audience.

Frodo in the golden light of Rivendell.

Arwen and Aragorn at Rivendell.

The Fellowship of the Ring, all to proper proportion, prepare to leave Rivendell.

Bilbo shows the true horror of the lust for the Ring of Power.

Whenever possible and with minimum fuss for those of us who don't speak it, Jackson works many of Tolkien's numerous invented languages into the film. Elrond (Hugo Weaving) utters an elvish incantation to help revive Frodo. Gimili discourteously hurls a Dwarfish insult at the Elves of Lothlórien. When Frodo is tempted to put on the Ring (and thereby reveal himself to the netherworld of Sauron and the Wraiths) the Black Speech of Mordor is whispered. At the Council of Elrond Gandalf uses that tongue to bring the chaos of the proceedings to a halt. The languages, the landscapes, every hint of fabric and custom breaths life into this film's Middle-earth.

The Rivendell sequence is Jackson's opportunity to continue to enlarge the role of Arwen (Liv Taylor) and more accentuate the relationship between Strider (Aragorn) and Elrond's daughter. This is one of several “forbidden” relationships throughout Tolkien's works. The Lay of Luthien mentioned earlier is the summit of these within Tolkien's massive canon. Jackson wisely devotes equal time to this relationship along with the Council of Elrond which is comparatively brief (less than 9 minutes of the film yet vast in the novel). This is handled expertly and solidifies the importance and gravity of Arwen to the viewer. We are introduced to the rest of the Fellowship: Legolas (Orlando Bloom) of the Elves, Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) of the Dwarfs, and Boromir (Sean Bean) of Men, Gondorean specifically.

The Evenstar that Arwen gives to Aragorn, is obviously a symbol of betrothal. Aragorn is rightly presented as a confident, daring, yet highly conflicted person. He does not want to be Isildur's heir to the throne of Gondor. He has chosen to live a life of obscurity as Strider, ranger of the north. Neither does he want Arwen to die, which would be her fate if she chooses a mortal life. So he loves her and yet cannot love her. It is a complicated and rich situation so well acted in Jackson's film.

Before the Fellowship sets off on their quest to destroy the Ring, Bilbo has one last look at it around Frodo's neck. Up to this point the Ring has been pursued by the Wraiths, who are kinda scary but not terrifying. Their scenes are highly suspenseful. The first truly frightening moment in the film comes when Bilbo literally growls and reaches for the Ring, only for a split second. He immediately returns to his old self and feels guilt and shame. Only now to we see the true intensity of the Ring's possessive power.

Atop his great tower of Orthanc in Isengard, Saruman magically sends an avalanche down upon the Fellowship. It endangers everyone, especially the hobbits, but they safely change course and try the ancient dwarf mine of Moria. This is an opportunity for Frodo to start showing his mettle. Gandalf tries to cast every spell he knows to open the hidden door of the mines. When the wizard gives up, the hobbit understands that written upon the door is a riddle. Hobbits are good with riddles. He suddenly and belatedly figures out the answer and they enter.

The sequence in Moria is possibly my favorite in the entire film trilogy. Moria is massive and it takes days to cross it to the other side. Gandalf becomes disoriented and the Fellowship sits lost in the vast complex of mines. And yet, this is the first truly majestic place Jackson shows just. Hobbiton is quaint. Rivendell is like a dream. But the sheer vastness revealed in Moria is breathtaking. Howard Shore's masterful score shines bright in the scene where Gandalf creates more light with which to see the great cavern. The first of many magical moments in this trilogy.

The pause for Gandalf to get his bearings affords the opportunity for Frodo (and the audience) to learn more details about the Ring that were given at the Council of Elrond instead in the book. Jackson's reworking of Tolkien's story still works in that fashion without lessening the original version at all. The details revealed add the necessary clarity and depth to Jackson's (and Tolkien's) intent.

There is the marvelous bit of dialog, one of my favorites of the trilogy, when Gandalf tells a downtrodden Frodo that no one who sees evil times chooses to live in them. “But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” This actually occurs before Frodo ever leaves the Shire in the novel. Jackson's placement of it here, later, in the context of all that has happened, actually gives the line even greater weight. It is one of many memorable moments in this sequence of the film.

Moria also features one of the best action sequences in the film as the Fellowship fights, first, goblins and a bad assed troll, then, something from the First Age, “a Balrog of Morgoth” as Legolas tells us. This mention of Morgoth pleases me as it takes the movie back to the very beginning of The Silmarillion, though those who haven't read Tolkien won't know who that is. It is a splendidly small nod to the initiated. This section also features a great example of Jackson's humor when the troupe has to make a jump to safety and Gimli refuses help because “nobody tosses a dwarf.” Haha!

The seeming death of Gandalf shocked me to the core when I first read the novels. Jackson handles the moment with the appropriate, intensely stunned affect on the Fellowship as they try to continue. Genuine despair replaces sadness on Aragorn's face. Boromir saves Frodo from going back toward Gandalf and carries him to safety. The hobbits are sobbing, especially Pippin (Billy Boyd), the youngest hobbit who is brought along for comic effect and whom Gandalf particularly chastises for his foolishness during the journey. Legolas looks completely confused. Gimili is raving and must be restrained, again by Boromir. With this the entire, incredible Moria sequence comes to a close. It lasts for about 25 minutes. It is definitely the best part of The Fellowship of the Ring, though there is plenty more to come.

Aragorn gets them going quickly. Orcs will be arriving soon. Then they come to the place I most adore in the book (I like Moria best in the movie), Lothlórien, far older than Rivendell, the last small bastion of the First Age elven kingdoms. We meet Galadriel at last. Here, for the moment, the Jackson gives a taste of the natural magical greatness of the First Age, thousands of years old. The scenes here offer a refreshing change from the near non-stop action. It is a chance for us to see what the once-perfect world was like, a strange but calming magical beauty.

This is a stark contrast with what Saruman has done at Isengard. Almost every tree has been cut down to feed subterranean furnaces for the making of swords and other implements of war. And to breed a foul new race made for war. The Urik-Hai. Sauraman tells “how the Orcs first came to being.” They were corrupted elves (by Morgoth, though that is not stated). He sends out a raiding party to massacre the Fellowship, except for the “halfling” that carries the “something special to me.” He orders these be brought to him “unspoiled.”

The vastness of the great hall in Moria.

A humbling shot of the Fellowship in Moria.

Gandalf prepares to do battle with a Balrog, some horror from the First Age of Middle-earth.

The Fellowship first lays eyes upon Lothlórien, the oldest elven kingdom remaining in Middle-earth.

As the Fellowship prepares to continue its quest, Galadriel supplies them with gifts. This includes lambas bread, which supplies a hearty meal. She gives Frodo a phial containing the light of Eärendil, an allusion to another important Elf in the deeper story. Sam gets a rope which, in a polite way, puzzles him. He wishes he had the two “shiny daggers” that Pippin and Merry (Dominic Monaghan) received. Jackson offers us a special warm moment when Gimili reflects upon Galadriel gifting him three strands of her hair. He had only requested one. All of them receive elven cloaks with which to blend in with the surroundings if necessary. Galadriel is mysterious, a seer of many things, but she is, as we shall see, practical.

A long river journey gives Boromir an opportunity to speak of Gondor's perspective on things. The Ring should go there and be used as a weapon against Sauron. But Aragorn doubts the strength of Men, refusing to go toward that land precisely because her fears the power of the Ring should it fall into the hands of frail humanity. They pass the magnificent Argonath and enter the ancient realm of men, now largely abandoned. Meantime, Frodo decides to go it alone and not risk remaining with companions who are so easily corrupted by the Ring (or possibly this is the Ring trying to save itself from Men and return directly to Sauron).

Sam does not let him go alone, almost drowning himself in the process. The two hobbits escape as the Fellowship is attacked by a platoon of Saruman's Uruk-hai. The Fellowship is almost overwhelmed as Pippin and Merry are taken captive, the Orcs mistaking them for the halflings their leader told them to bring to him unspoiled. Boromir, who for a moment tries to take the Ring from Frodo prompting the hobbit's decision to abruptly leave, is heroic beyond measure in the end, fighting to protect the remaining hobbits until multiple arrows take him down.

The film ends with Boromir dead and the Fellowship broken. Frodo and Sam are on their own. Aragorn, Gimili and Legolas decide to “hunt some Orc” as they set out after Merry and Pippin and their Uruk-hai raiders. The future is uncertain and, upon reflection without knowing anything about Tolkien at all, as if this story were being told for the first time, there seems little hope. Frodo must destroy the Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. He is certain he is never coming back. Sam won't leave his side and is hopeful that they will see the Fellowship again. Aragorn has summoned the bravery of Gimili and Legolas. But we have no clue about the fate of Merry and Pippin nor what dangers await the fractured Fellowship as each member steps ever closer to the land of Sauron and his powerful malice.

Jackson creates the same somber tone set within a strange and alluring sense of wonder that Tolkien put into The Fellowship of the Ring. So far, Jackson has accomplished the look, feel, nuance, and richness of Middle-earth and especially these characters. It is an amazing achievement which left me wanting nothing but more back in 2001 when I first watched it again and again. And oh how glorious the “more” is to come, a movie trilogy that would gross over $3 billion (20 years ago) and take its worthy place alongside the books as part of the global phenomenon that is Tolkien's world. The acting, directing, music, action, intimacy, natural, historical and linguistic depth are all simply astounding. Like the book, The Fellowship of the Ring is my favorite part of the film trilogy.

Orthanc was surrounded by a giant old forest which Saruman ordered chopped down to feed his industrial furnaces.

The Fellowship in three tiny boats pass the Argonath, gigantic statues craved long ago marking the northern border of Gondor.

Boromir fights to protect Merry and Pippin from the Uruk-hai but is killed by three huge arrows to the chest.

Sam and Frodo facing toward Mordor in the distance.  The glow of Mount Doom in the clouds is foreboding.