elderberrywine | ROTK Musings

Current Mood: enthralled
Current Music: ROTK Soundtrack - Duh!

ROTK Musings

First of all? Totally loved it. But anything more coherent will have to wait...

Have seen it twice, and have tickets for my third time, Sun. afternoon.

And it seems as though I've been lucky in my fellow audience-members too. As a matter of fact, on one side of me at the Weds. midnight showing were three guys, about 18 years old, I'd guess. The one sitting next to me heard me chatting with the typical older-geek type guy on the other side of me, and confided, right before the movie started, that he had read and loved the books too, and had dragged his friends here. That sort of surprised me, since they appear to be more of the "just here for the action" type guys. Towards the end, Mr. Older-Geek started clearing his throat a lot, and better yet, I was hearing distinct quiet sniffling from the other side as well. From all three, as far as I could tell. Yeah.

But I do have one minor quibble, and one burning question, that I will cut-tag for the benefit of those going to see it this weekend. After that though, all bets are off.

OK, the quibble. Will it have killed PJ to mention that SAM WENT TOO? A voice over, a screen crawl, even Frodo's line about maybe someday, any one of those would have been fine by me. I didn't have to see it, I just would have liked some confirmation of that. Sigh. Well, maybe in the EE.

And now the question. Where the heck does Frodo get that shirt he's wearing on Mt. Doom? It sure looks like a hobbit shirt and not an orc shirt to me. I was sorta looking forward to Sam having to wrap his cloak around him with the last bit of elven rope.

But OK, I guess I can live with these minor points. Probably after the fifteenth viewing or so, I won't even notice them anymore.

ETA: OK, just back from the third time. Got the shirt thing figured out now. And damn but those beacons send goosebumps up me every time! Who knew? (Thank you, Howard Shore.)

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Mmm, maybe Sam was carrying a spare Frodo shirt in his pack? Heh, naughty Sam, why are you carrying Mr. Frodo's spare clothing, hmm?

Yeah, I was looking forward to that, too, but we did get the "can't have you wandering around Mordor in naught but you skin." line. Though I did answer with "Yes we can!"

Hee! Damn straight.

Where the heck does Frodo get that shirt he's wearing on Mt. Doom? It sure looks like a hobbit shirt and not an orc shirt to me.

It's probably his shirt. Really, how far would it have gone? It seems to me the orcs would be more likely to just toss it in a corner than carry it off somewhere.

But Sam couldn't find it in the book, that's why they had to dress in nassty orc clothess.
Heh, you know I can totally go with the lembas scene, but I get all canonical when it comes to Nekkid!Frodo.

I know Sam couldn't find it in the book, but you were asking about the movie. I gave you an answer that seems more likely to me than that Frodo's clothes would have vanished into thin air. It's only a mystery if you expect the movies to follow the books in every single detail, no matter how small or illogical.

Well, OK. But I was hoping for a Frodo draped in a tattered cloak with only a whisp of elven rope to clench it and you know how elven ropes are, they always seem to pick the most appropriate moment to come undone and...

Sigh. I suppose I can't hope for it in the EE.

Wasn't the movie fabulous? I've been in High Squee mode for days.

Where the heck does Frodo get that shirt he's wearing on Mt. Doom?

Well, in the book Frodo finds his lembas in a corner relatively untouched by the orcs, so I suppose its a reasonable extrapolation to say he might have found his shirt too. In the book Frodo's "tattered garments" end up at the Black Gate along with the mithril mail, but PJ dispensed with that part of the plot.

One of my very few quibbles with the editing/continuity is that we didn't see Frodo and Sam toss the orc armor. It's a little disconcerting to see them suddenly in different clothes, but more importantly I think PJ passed by an opportunity to show what an all-or-nothing effort that last journey across Mordor was. The hobbits even abandoned their disguise in their effort to devote every last bit of physical and emotional energy to getting to that damn mountain. A single shot would have done it, maybe in a montage cutting back and forth from the battle at the Black Gate to Mordor: Aragorn fighting/Frodo draining the water skin; Legolas fighting/Frodo and Sam staggering along and throwing off their armor in sheer exhaustion. Oh, well, maybe in the EE DVD.

But you're right, by viewing fifteen, or more likely sooner, we none of us will care a damn. For me at any rate my quibbles are like a minute coffee-stain on the tablecloth of a supremely wonderful feast.

Actually, I think it's possible that that's in the EE, because I think I remember that there may be a bit about Sam tossing his pack and the pans, and it would seem the armor would go at the same time.

What's it going to be like with no more potential squee to look forward to? *resolutely turns back from that depressing road*
Nope, just going to go watch ROTK at least ten more times and not think about that.

I've heard they shot Sam and Frodo's run with the orcs so one would think there's also a scene involving the disposal of their orc armor. Sam DOES have his pans as they march out of CU. I can't imagine they'd still have him hauling those if they didn't plan to make a point of leaving them behind later on. Thank GOD for EE DVDs!

EB, you up for a ROTK viewing in HB coming this Saturday after Christmas? I *think* that's Iolenthe's plan right now (she's coming down from Sac.). If you want snifflers to the right and left of ya, you've got it!

Oh, man, I'm locked into the family visit that weekend. Any day after Sunday, just give me a day! (Except, I guess, not New Year's Day).
School around here gets a three week break, so I'm free until about mid-Jan. (Not that I'm actually EMPLOYED or anything. Sniffle. )

And yay on the armor/pans thing. That's what I thought I heard, too.

Chica's suppoed to send me her dates via email. If we can't three-way it, then maybe at least you and I can hook up! I live here after all! I'll get back to you asap. I know I'll be out of town up in NoCAL Dec. 31-Jan 4.

Mind if I tag along?

Oh, yeah. Mind skipping work if needs be?
(Darn that flu!)

If so, I'd like to meet y'all too! :)

Paaarty! Europana, heads up!

Yessir!! Hey, I have Thursdays off, and some week in Jan I think before MLK holiday. Or a Sat or Sun. Give me dates, I will work with it. Flu works for me, er, maybe.

Cool - we'll get this figured out yet. Mini-slash con, anyone?

Prefer not to have to use flu excuse, if you get my drift. But hey, necessity is necessity. Would be cool, wouldn't it.

Will it have killed PJ to mention that SAM WENT TOO?

To be honest, I don't know that Sam did go in PJ's version. If you look at how Sam's internal trajectory is handled all through the films, his arc takes him away from the servant/master relationship with Frodo. It's way downplayed from the book, and those post-quest scenes in the Shire point to Sam finding his own life away from Frodo. That's why he didn't move into Bag End, I think. And having him settle happy with his own family plays more into that dynamic than having him leave later on, which would imply that he was never really content in the Shire. That just seems to be the way they played it, to me, and I won't argue with it. I think the movie ends on the right note for the film.

We've always got the book, after all, and our own imaginations. :)

Hmm, I'm not sure about that. After all, nothing actually happens to Sam in the movie that does not also happen in the book, except for the Bag End thing (and was Number Three a duplex? What's with that other front door? Is that Number Two?). And why else the remark about being torn in two, acknowledging that there was still some conflict there. Since Sam goes after Rosie's death, I don't think that his following Frodo really negates his love for Rosie, so it still fits within the world PJ presents. After all, Sam was a Ringbearer, and it appears to be an honor awarded to them to cross over the Sea. (I'm not sure what Gimli's excuse is. Personally, I think Galadrial just thinks he's kinda cute.) I'll still hold out hope for the EE.

(And of course, in my own little dreamworld.... As out favorite schizo says, "I'm not listening! I'm not listening!)

Seen it three times. Noted that the orc (can't remember, but think the Uruk) was actually handling Frodo's very dirty linen shirt in the corner as Frodo woke up, just before the mithril shirt discussion. Sam would have found it over there.

The orc outfits were not for clothing they were disguises.

Ah, you know, now I do remember that. That was right before Sam showed up and drove all coherent thought from my addled brain.

It just struck me as I was watching Mt. Doom, wait a tic. He has a shirt on.

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ROTK Musings

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Naught but your skin.

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Mysteries of the shirt

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Re: Mysteries of the shirt

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Chucking the orc armor

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Re: Chucking the orc armor

Re: Chucking the orc armor

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Abandoning all responsibility to the winds

Uh, are you guys talking about Southern CA?

Re: Uh, are you guys talking about Southern CA?

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Sam's fate

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Shirtiness