A Classic Era LOTR Movie - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Aiwendil · 07-09-2010, 12:12 PM

This will probably mean nothing to 99.9% of people, but I've been watching a lot of Fritz Lang lately, so here's The Lord of the Rings as a Weimar-era German silent epic:

Directed by Fritz Lang
Screenplay by Fritz Lang and Thea von Harbou
Produced by Erich Pommer for UFA
Music by Gottfried Huppertz

Frodo: Walter Janssen
Sam: Georg John
Merry: Gustav Frohlich
Pippin: Gustav von Wangenheim
Bilbo: Otto Wernicke
Gollum: Peter Lorre (obviously!)
Gandalf: Bernhard Goetzke
Aragorn: Gustav Diessl
Boromir: Hans Adalbert Schlettow
Denethor: Rudolf Klein-Rogge (actually he'd make a great Orc but is much too good an actor to waste in such a small role)
Faramir: Erwin Biswanger
Legolas: Conrad Veidt
Gimli: Heinrich George
Theoden: Theodor Loos
Eomer: Paul Richter
Eowyn: Camilla Horn
Wormtongue: Alexander Granach
Celeborn: Alfred Abel
Galadriel: Brigitte Helm
Elrond: Fritz Rasp
Saruman: Werner Krauss
Radagast: Gosta Ekman
Arwen: Lil Dagover
Grishnakh: Max Schreck (you could even use his costume/makeup from Nosferatu)
Barliman: Emil Jannings

Actually, Peter Lorre as Gollum would also be a great choice for a '30s British version or a '40s Hollywood version.

I was going to do one as a Kurosawa samurai epic too, but realized I don't know enough Japanese actors. But how about Toshiro Mifune as Aragorn and maybe Takashi Shimura as Boromir?

Morthoron · 07-09-2010, 09:19 PM

Gotta love German expressionism! Max Schreck as Nosferatu was iconic, but Conrad Veidt (who a few of us have mentioned for his 'talkie' roles) was even more versatile. Have you seen Veidt in 'The Man Who Laughs'? One of the great silent movies:

***Mister Underhill*** · 07-10-2010, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aiwendil

This will probably mean nothing to 99.9% of people, but I've been watching a lot of Fritz Lang lately, so here's The Lord of the Rings as a Weimar-era German silent epic:

Heh, and I thought my John Ford cast was obscure! It's been years since I watched any Fritz Lang, I should check Netflix Watch Instantly, I bet they have a few of those old classics on there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aiwendil

I was going to do one as a Kurosawa samurai epic too, but realized I don't know enough Japanese actors. But how about Toshiro Mifune as Aragorn and maybe Takashi Shimura as Boromir?

Nobody could do Théoden's transformation like Shimura, though it's probably inevitable that he'd play Gandalf:

Shimura would make a great Frodo too, come to that; he's probably one of the most versatile actors in cinema history.

Anyway, I was thinking of Tatsuya Nakadai (the gunslinger from Yojimbo) as Boromir:

Maybe Kamatari Fujiwara for Gollum:

***Mister Underhill*** · 07-10-2010, 04:30 PM

And breaking this into a double-post to make an exception to the three-images rule:

Isao Kimura for Faramir:

Seiji Miyaguchi might work for Saruman:

...although Masayuki Mori might be a better choice:

Of course I've left the hobbits all uncast so far, but I have a few ideas about that too. More will be revealed.

Bêthberry · 07-10-2010, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aiwendil

This will probably mean nothing to 99.9% of people, but I've been watching a lot of Fritz Lang lately,

Has your inner Star Wars fan led you to Lang? Mine did, but all I've seen, alas, is Metropolis--and I can' even say which version that was--but I can at least say that I must be in that 0.1% of people you are talking about.

Aiwendil · 07-11-2010, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morthoron

Have you seen Veidt in 'The Man Who Laughs'?

Yeah, he was great in that too. Casting him as Legolas might be a bit of a stretch, but I think he could do Elvishness pretty well. Quite different from Orlando Bloom, though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Underhill

Anyway, I was thinking of Tatsuya Nakadai (the gunslinger from Yojimbo) as Boromir

Perfect! I was trying to think of a villain for him to play, but I can definitely see him as Boromir.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bethberry

Has your inner Star Wars fan led you to Lang? Mine did, but all I've seen, alas, is Metropolis--and I can' even say which version that was--but I can at least say that I must be in that 0.1% of people you are talking about.

I think it was more through Hitchcock that I got into Lang, though I definitely remember hearing about Metropolis in connection with Lucas's THX-1138 and being intrigued by that as well. I actually got to see the new restoration of Metropolis on the big screen a few weeks ago and was reminded of the excitement of seeing the Star Wars films on the big screen when they were re-released back in the '90s.

As a Tolkien fan, you might want to check out Lang's two-part adaptation of the Nibelungenlied if you liked Metropolis.

***Mister Underhill*** · 07-11-2010, 03:47 PM

Netflix does indeed have some Lang classics on Watch Instantly (Metropolis to the top of the queue, thank you -- sometimes modern technology is quite awesome), but sadly they don't seem to have Die Nibelungenlied even on disc.

Awesome that you got to see Metropolis on the big screen. I used to get out to more revival screenings (the double-bill of Apocalypse Now and The Bridge on the River Kwai at the old Cineramadome was pure heaven!) and even held out for a few of the greats until I had the chance to see them on the big screen. I didn't see Lawrence of Arabia or even The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly until my early twenties, but they were both worth the wait. Since Underhillo Jr. came into the hobbit-hole, though, it's been hard to get to the local multiplex, let alone a revival house like the New Beverly.

Archaic Elf · 07-13-2010, 01:58 PM

Pernell Roberts, who played Adam Cartwright on the TV series Bonanza, would be a good choice for Aragorn. He has a strong enough voice and comes across as dark yet heroic on the show. I'm not sure if he has appeared in any movies though.

I'm not sure about Gregory Peck as Aragorn. I've only seen part of one of his movies, so I'm not the best judge in this regard, but I could see him as Denethor or Elrond.

Aiwendil · 07-13-2010, 09:19 PM

Some pictures of my German expressionist cast for those who aren't familiar with them (sorry for the large images - is there a way to reduce the size of an embedded image?):

Bernhard Goetzke (Gandalf):

Rudolf Klein-Rogge (Denethor):

Hans Adalbert Schlettow (Boromir - though here he's wearing something rather like Aragorn's crown!):

Aiwendil · 07-13-2010, 09:33 PM

If Mr. Underhill gets to circumvent the three image rule, so do I.

Camilla Horn (Eowyn):

Otto Wernicke (The one on the left - Bilbo):

Gustav Diessl (Aragorn):

07-09-2010, 09:19 PM	#2
Morthoron Curmudgeonly Wordwraith Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ensconced in curmudgeonly pursuits Posts: 2,515	Gotta love German expressionism! Max Schreck as Nosferatu was iconic, but Conrad Veidt (who a few of us have mentioned for his 'talkie' roles) was even more versatile. Have you seen Veidt in 'The Man Who Laughs'? One of the great silent movies: __________________ And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision.

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07-09-2010, 12:12 PM	#1
Aiwendil Late Istar Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,224	This will probably mean nothing to 99.9% of people, but I've been watching a lot of Fritz Lang lately, so here's The Lord of the Rings as a Weimar-era German silent epic: Directed by Fritz Lang Screenplay by Fritz Lang and Thea von Harbou Produced by Erich Pommer for UFA Music by Gottfried Huppertz Frodo: Walter Janssen Sam: Georg John Merry: Gustav Frohlich Pippin: Gustav von Wangenheim Bilbo: Otto Wernicke Gollum: Peter Lorre (obviously!) Gandalf: Bernhard Goetzke Aragorn: Gustav Diessl Boromir: Hans Adalbert Schlettow Denethor: Rudolf Klein-Rogge (actually he'd make a great Orc but is much too good an actor to waste in such a small role) Faramir: Erwin Biswanger Legolas: Conrad Veidt Gimli: Heinrich George Theoden: Theodor Loos Eomer: Paul Richter Eowyn: Camilla Horn Wormtongue: Alexander Granach Celeborn: Alfred Abel Galadriel: Brigitte Helm Elrond: Fritz Rasp Saruman: Werner Krauss Radagast: Gosta Ekman Arwen: Lil Dagover Grishnakh: Max Schreck (you could even use his costume/makeup from Nosferatu) Barliman: Emil Jannings Actually, Peter Lorre as Gollum would also be a great choice for a '30s British version or a '40s Hollywood version. I was going to do one as a Kurosawa samurai epic too, but realized I don't know enough Japanese actors. But how about Toshiro Mifune as Aragorn and maybe Takashi Shimura as Boromir?

07-10-2010, 04:30 PM	#4
*Mister Underhill* Dread Horseman Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Behind you! Posts: 2,744	And breaking this into a double-post to make an exception to the three-images rule: Isao Kimura for Faramir: Seiji Miyaguchi might work for Saruman: ...although Masayuki Mori might be a better choice: Of course I've left the hobbits all uncast so far, but I have a few ideas about that too. More will be revealed.

07-11-2010, 03:47 PM	#7
*Mister Underhill* Dread Horseman Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Behind you! Posts: 2,744	Netflix does indeed have some Lang classics on Watch Instantly (Metropolis to the top of the queue, thank you -- sometimes modern technology is quite awesome), but sadly they don't seem to have Die Nibelungenlied even on disc. Awesome that you got to see Metropolis on the big screen. I used to get out to more revival screenings (the double-bill of Apocalypse Now and The Bridge on the River Kwai at the old Cineramadome was pure heaven!) and even held out for a few of the greats until I had the chance to see them on the big screen. I didn't see Lawrence of Arabia or even The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly until my early twenties, but they were both worth the wait. Since Underhillo Jr. came into the hobbit-hole, though, it's been hard to get to the local multiplex, let alone a revival house like the New Beverly.

07-13-2010, 01:58 PM	#8
Archaic Elf Animated Skeleton Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: USA Posts: 33	Pernell Roberts, who played Adam Cartwright on the TV series Bonanza, would be a good choice for Aragorn. He has a strong enough voice and comes across as dark yet heroic on the show. I'm not sure if he has appeared in any movies though. I'm not sure about Gregory Peck as Aragorn. I've only seen part of one of his movies, so I'm not the best judge in this regard, but I could see him as Denethor or Elrond.

07-13-2010, 09:19 PM	#9
Aiwendil Late Istar Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,224	Some pictures of my German expressionist cast for those who aren't familiar with them (sorry for the large images - is there a way to reduce the size of an embedded image?): Bernhard Goetzke (Gandalf): Rudolf Klein-Rogge (Denethor): Hans Adalbert Schlettow (Boromir - though here he's wearing something rather like Aragorn's crown!):

07-13-2010, 09:33 PM	#10
Aiwendil Late Istar Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,224	If Mr. Underhill gets to circumvent the three image rule, so do I. Camilla Horn (Eowyn): Otto Wernicke (The one on the left - Bilbo): Gustav Diessl (Aragorn):