The Return of the Flashback

[Neferchoirwen]

Originally Posted by Lush

For example, the director of an action film attempts to give his main character some depth by using flashback scenes to give us some insight into what makes this guy tick; is it just me, or do pretty much all of those scenes feel melodramatic, overblown, and out of place? Or is this just a commentary on bad directing in general?

More like bad writing.

Originally Posted by Lush

I'm not saying that the A & A flashbacks were unnecessary, but I feel they could have been done better.

It's also a problem of "show, don't tell." Everyone knows that Aragorn and Arwen really DO have a chemistry between them, but the flashbacks failed to enhance the way their "chemistry" happens. Assuming that there is a better way to do them. Assuming of course, that I do not see how the flashbacks can be improved or redone.

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

I just remembered this old thread and even though we now have the excellent S-b-S discussion which kind of covers this topic, I decided to add a list of RotK's flashbacks here.

RotK:

1. Smeagol & Deagol fishing
2. Minas Tirith: Gandalf & Pippin talking: flashback to Boromir getting shot
3. Minas Tirith: Gandalf & Pippin talking: flashback to the Weathertop scene in FotR
4. Rohan: Aragorn's dream: flashforward to the Paths of the Dead and breaking of the Evenstar, a vision of Arwen dying
5: Minas Tirith: Aragorn with the palantir: flashback to Arwen dying

In addition to those five, there's also Arwen's vision of Eldarion.

Now that the Fellowship's paths cross again, there are much less flashbacks than in TTT. Besides, there's no time to look back when tension is being built up as we are drawing near to the climax of this 11-hour-long story.

You know, reading this...

Originally Posted by Mark12_30

It's called Osanwe. Arwen was good at it:

...suddenly made me accept the much-debated Arwen-horse-Aragorn-kissing scene. Even though I think it could have been done better (for example, I thought that Galadriel lifting Frodo up in the Cirith Ungol scene was very nice), seeing that there is some kind of basis for that in the books makes me much less irritated about it.

[Boromir88]

In addition to those five, there's also Arwen's vision of Eldarion.

Plus the ROTK EE where Denethor sees a "Ghostly apparition" of Boromir appear. I love this because I think it just goes to further show Denethor's loss of control over his mind. He's stuck in the past, caught up in all this despair that's gone all around him, he can't get "passed the past."

I had a wonderful conversation with Lalwende over Denethor here. In which case I think we do get a sense that Denethor was once a much better man than he was later on. However, he is got up in the past, with the loss of his wife, the loss of his son and heir and he can't get passed the despair like Theoden was able to. I think this little flashback of Denethor's in the movies goes to show this perfectly.

This may not be a "true" flashback where we get a look at the past, but for Denethor it is a flashback, remembering his lost son and thinking he's there.

[Captain Grishnahk]

One of my favorite FLASHBACKS in the movies is when Gandalf is talking to Pippin.
"The Witch King of Agmar. You met him before, he stabbed Frodo on Weathertop."

*Witch King draws sword*
**stabb!!!***
Frodo: AAAEEEIIIIAAAHHHHG!!!


Great flashback there...

-Cap.

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

Originally Posted by Boromir

I love this because I think it just goes to further show Denethor's loss of control over his mind.

Well, that it shows perfectly (and thanks for the link). I for one don't like that aspect in the flashback so much because I have always thought that Denethor was rather a desperate guy than a mental case. Of course, it isn't very sane to burn yourself and your last son alive, but still, I like to think that it was because he had lost all his hope while staring into his palantir and not because he was lunatic.

Another interesting thing in this flashback is Faramir's reaction. It's heartbreaking, really, to see him just standing still and listening to Denethor saying how Faramir's brother was a better person. How can you be mad at him for dragging Frodo to Osgiliath when he has a father like that!

Originally Posted by Captain Grishnahk

One of my favorite FLASHBACKS in the movies is when Gandalf is talking to Pippin.

*Witch King draws sword*
**stabb!!!***
Frodo: AAAEEEIIIIAAAHHHHG!!!

That made me think... why is that flashback there? Is the general movie audience so feeble-minded that they can't recall, who the Witch King is without showing the stabbing again? Sure, it's a nice scene, but I don't think it contributes the reintroduction of the WK very much. The shot of the Witch King preparing for a battle in a dark room is ten times scarier to me than the Weathertop flashback - I mean, we know that Frodo escaped from five wraiths alive there. Although it would have been a fatal stab if they hadn't reached Rivendell in time, the knowledge that he survived lessens the Witch King's credibility quite a bit and makes the scene less frightening.

[Captain Grishnahk]

Through the movie Frodo sometimes rubs his shoulder, showing there is still pain there. Then at the end him saying, "Its been (cant remember) since weathertop. It's never acctually healed."
There are some people who are not as obbsessed like us, and they would be like, "what's weathertop?" because Weathertop in the movies is only mentioned once by Aragorn. Only the Book Fanatics would know what Gandalf was talking about. My mom was like, "What's weathertop?" and then it showed the flashback and she said, "OH!"
I think this flashback is perfect for those who are ONLY movie fans... plus it's a great scene. I love the witchking getting ready for battle too, that part is awsome!

-Cap