[Nar]

Ouch, Helen, you want me to answer my own question? It's hard! That's why I punted it to Sharon! Oh, all right, something's coming to me.

I see them walking together over green meadows with a very late golden sun shining, the time when every blade of grass throws its own shadow. This would be a late dream, so Frodolijiah (great name, Maril) would be looking pale & rather battered. Frodo I'm imagining from the year after the scouring, still tied to middle-earth, but slowly forming his resolution to go. One restless night, Frodo's dreaming self has wandered into this movie and, being a generous soul, gone to counsel his beleagered other self. He leads young Frodelijiah down a hill, and they pause by a stream. Frodo turns to him.

'Well, young Frodo,' he says, 'I see the terror in your eyes. I see the fear of Sauron's creatures, the fear of death or capture, and the fear of failure. Most of all I see the fear of being left alone with it. This fear is growing on you. I understand. I felt it too, in my time. Sometimes I feel it still. It's worse for you now than it was for me, because you've known nothing in your life but real friendship. You found Sam out much sooner than I did. In all the time since Bilbo left, I've had to take just a part of what I need from each friend, because none of them could give me everything. Good cheer from Pippin, good counsel from Merry, good fellowship from Fatty, good faith from Sam. I had to journey as far as you and farther, all the way to Cirith Ungol, to learn all that Sam was capable of, when you've always been permitted to know it. Today, if I had to sum up the Shire, I'd say: Sam. Sam is the Shire to me, and I know whatever path I take, Sam will be with me, one way and then another, bringing everything the Shire is in his own soul. Because you know this now, the terror of the descending darkness that covers the face of the world and even the face of your best friend is all the sharper. It was easier for me to endure, because I've been essentially alone for so long. I was alone until I woke up in Sam's arms on the long stair to Cirith Ungol, and then I knew I was no longer alone; I knew I had a friend to match Bilbo. You will learn this too, that Sam is nearby, or following, even if you can't see it. Even if you don't believe it. When you can neither see nor think of anything but that thing in our minds, you'll hear him, and you'll be comforted.'

Ahh, well. I tried. Anyone else?

Edit: I see you've posted at the same time as me, Helen-- I'd been thinking about that Weathertop scene, which was so unfair to Frodo in the movie. I think the reason for it was that all the movies were shot together under such pressure. There are a couple of visual moments that were repeated, I think because PJ couldn't fit any more visualization in his brain. He was just too overwhelmed, and relied on a stock image in his mind signifying 'terror,' and varied only by scene and monster. It may also be that in the case of 'hobbit is dangled by one foot by troll/watcher' there was a limit on the special effects available. I don't think PJ could have carefully reviewed all the shots that would be used while everyone was there, or perhaps PJ has greater tolerance for favorite images than I do. That particular Weathertop scene stood out because it was so very wrong. On second viewing, I noticed in the movie that Frodo actually struck a few blows at the Troll in Moria, but never connected as he did in the book. The way the scene was shot and cut, those heroics were swallowed up, and the general impression was of continual fleeing ending in that same blasted corner as on Weathertop. I'm not sure if that was intended-- I think it wasn't. The director was denied a certain period of thought and review he would have had if he'd shot the movies one at a time-- but if he had, all the actors would have aged much more between movies, which wouldn't have been right. We can console ourselves with that, perhaps.

[ June 14, 2002: Message edited by: Nar ]