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Fordim Hedgethistle · 10-31-2006, 01:53 PM

Now that Sauce has joined the thread I can post this one:

I think that PJ et al showed some real perspicacity when they decided to put in the fight with the wargs and Aragorn's subsequent and supposed "death". This accomplished a lot in the film that otherwise would have remained only in the book:

1) Aragorn is not invincible: in book and movie, Aragorn is a one man killing machine, born leader and generally instantly beloved by all. But in the book he is a man who doubts himself and who lives constantly with fear and doubt. This is accomplished in the book through narrative and dialogue. To have Aragorn pausing every 20 mins in the film to say "we might fail! Our hope is slender! I am not sure of my own judgement!" would have rendered him pretty whiny. It also would not be credible -- "uhhhhh, we just say you take on 100 Uruks and win...and now you don't think you can pull this off???" By having him disappear in the film it reinforces that he is very human and can easily die; it also reinforces the terrible blow that such a loss would represent by allowing characters to react to his death. Remember when Gimli tells Eowyn "He fell." -- wow. Now that's great movie making.

2) Aragorn's descent into the underworld. In the book this is accomplished through the Paths of the Dead. Narratively, he disappears from view to the readers and passes through death to emerge into life. In the film they showed that sequence in much greater detai (to make is meaningful, and to keep audience's abreast of the plot). The result is that they lose their hero's journey through death -- so brilliantly, they put in an earlier sequence in which he goes through death and rebirth to give that "back" to Aragorn. And then jaw-droppingly smart -- they made sure to use that moment to indicate what Arwen means to him and to the story, and to create more of an arc to his tale by having that return from death occur earlier in the narrative. Such a moment would have only stalled the forward rush of narrative in the third film, but fits perfectly in the mid-point of the second film -- a genuine turning point.

3) There's more monsters than just orcs out there. In the book we are given long descriptions and commentary on the vast array of forces, creatures and beings that have been made or drawn to Sauron's service. The films do a good job of demonstrating some of this variety, but its somewhat harder to do visually. The third film does the best job of this with the introduction of the army invading Gondor, but in the second film all we've seen are orcs, orcs and more orcs. Having the wargs show up is a nice reminder that Mordor and Saruman have a lot more weapons in their arsenals than just these orcs -- who by this point in the second film aren't really that terrible anymore. Remember how Aragorn took out 100 of them in single combat at Amon Hen (and by the way, the moment when Aragorn strides toward that mob of Uruks, grimly smiling and then SALUTES them...I actually said aloud in the theatre, "This is not just a lone Man you're facing, he is Aragorn, son of Arathorn." I got hushed. I didn't care.)

4) The wargs look great. (Remember Sauce -- no flaming.)

10-31-2006, 01:53 PM	#7
Fordim Hedgethistle Gibbering Gibbet Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Beyond cloud nine Posts: 1,844	Now that Sauce has joined the thread I can post this one: I think that PJ et al showed some real perspicacity when they decided to put in the fight with the wargs and Aragorn's subsequent and supposed "death". This accomplished a lot in the film that otherwise would have remained only in the book: 1) Aragorn is not invincible: in book and movie, Aragorn is a one man killing machine, born leader and generally instantly beloved by all. But in the book he is a man who doubts himself and who lives constantly with fear and doubt. This is accomplished in the book through narrative and dialogue. To have Aragorn pausing every 20 mins in the film to say "we might fail! Our hope is slender! I am not sure of my own judgement!" would have rendered him pretty whiny. It also would not be credible -- "uhhhhh, we just say you take on 100 Uruks and win...and now you don't think you can pull this off???" By having him disappear in the film it reinforces that he is very human and can easily die; it also reinforces the terrible blow that such a loss would represent by allowing characters to react to his death. Remember when Gimli tells Eowyn "He fell." -- wow. Now that's great movie making. 2) Aragorn's descent into the underworld. In the book this is accomplished through the Paths of the Dead. Narratively, he disappears from view to the readers and passes through death to emerge into life. In the film they showed that sequence in much greater detai (to make is meaningful, and to keep audience's abreast of the plot). The result is that they lose their hero's journey through death -- so brilliantly, they put in an earlier sequence in which he goes through death and rebirth to give that "back" to Aragorn. And then jaw-droppingly smart -- they made sure to use that moment to indicate what Arwen means to him and to the story, and to create more of an arc to his tale by having that return from death occur earlier in the narrative. Such a moment would have only stalled the forward rush of narrative in the third film, but fits perfectly in the mid-point of the second film -- a genuine turning point. 3) There's more monsters than just orcs out there. In the book we are given long descriptions and commentary on the vast array of forces, creatures and beings that have been made or drawn to Sauron's service. The films do a good job of demonstrating some of this variety, but its somewhat harder to do visually. The third film does the best job of this with the introduction of the army invading Gondor, but in the second film all we've seen are orcs, orcs and more orcs. Having the wargs show up is a nice reminder that Mordor and Saruman have a lot more weapons in their arsenals than just these orcs -- who by this point in the second film aren't really that terrible anymore. Remember how Aragorn took out 100 of them in single combat at Amon Hen (and by the way, the moment when Aragorn strides toward that mob of Uruks, grimly smiling and then SALUTES them...I actually said aloud in the theatre, "This is not just a lone Man you're facing, he is Aragorn, son of Arathorn." I got hushed. I didn't care.) 4) The wargs look great. (Remember Sauce -- no flaming.) __________________ Scribbling scrabbling.