what's up w/ Frodo - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Lyta_Underhill · 09-28-2003, 08:33 PM

I can certainly see your points, Child and Elvish Archer. (A wholehearted welcome to the Downs is in order for you, by the way! Enjoy being dead! ) Frodo's personality is indeed ironed out flat in many places throughout the movie, and the Henneth Annun/Osgiliath scenes were rather mangled for both Faramir and Frodo. I do find moments in the films where Frodo does show his strength, however quietly, mainly in the first film. In the scenes in Lothlorien and Amon Hen, in the Extended FOTR, Frodo's sense of isolation and then resolve is shown pretty well, and the scene at Galadriel's mirror is quite powerful. In fact, I saved a pic of Frodo from this scene with the title "The Frodo I know." That, and Frodo's interactions with Boromir at Amon Hen show his resolve, despite a great fear. I do think a lot of his power has been drained unfortunately, especially, as Sharon points out, with the omission of his full scenes at the Ford and the total exclusion of the Barrowdowns episode. The fun-loving aspect of his personality, I think is shown adequately at Bilbo's party and at the Green Dragon (although Merry and Pippin are obviously having MORE fun!). In TTT, the beginning scenes, the "Taming of Smeagol" parts, I rather liked and thought the Frodo/Smeagol relationship was built up well. (One oddity I noted, though, was at the Black Gate, Smeagol lines out this alternative route, and it is still through Cirith Ungol and the lair of Shelob. I can't remember if he had intended this route at this point or not in the book...). I won't even go into the Faramir scenes. The mind reels to make sense of those! I hope the Extended TTT will help sort it out; until then, I beg off on this part. I will add that I always comment "pea soup time" when Frodo starts going out of his mind at the Nazgul at Osgiliath portion...I always expect his head to start spinning around! Anyway, for those who think Elijah Wood too young for Frodo, I can see this for one point, simply for this reason--the introductions of the main four Hobbits were constricted into one time period. I suppose you'd either have to make them ALL older, or change Frodo's age at the party; thus we no longer have the differential ages between the 'younger' hobbits and Frodo. But, as for absolute age, even if it were done true to the book chronology, Elijah would have been appropriate, simply because, at 50, Frodo still looked like a hobbit just out of his 'tweens. If you take human/hobbit years as 21/33, then Elijah is almost exactly the right age...I would have preferred him playing it as a 50 year old personality, though, even with his young visage! It would have added that "downright odd" tang to Frodo that set him apart in the Shire. Thanks again, Elvish Archer for allowing me yet another chance to spout off about Frodo--one of my favorite subjects! Cheers, Lyta

09-28-2003, 08:33 PM	#20
Lyta_Underhill Haunted Halfling Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: an uncounted length of steps--floating between air molecules Posts: 841	I can certainly see your points, <B>Child</B> and <B>Elvish Archer</B>. (A wholehearted welcome to the Downs is in order for you, by the way! Enjoy being dead! ) Frodo's personality is indeed ironed out flat in many places throughout the movie, and the Henneth Annun/Osgiliath scenes were rather mangled for both Faramir and Frodo. I do find moments in the films where Frodo does show his strength, however quietly, mainly in the first film. In the scenes in Lothlorien and Amon Hen, in the Extended FOTR, Frodo's sense of isolation and then resolve is shown pretty well, and the scene at Galadriel's mirror is quite powerful. In fact, I saved a pic of Frodo from this scene with the title "The Frodo I know." That, and Frodo's interactions with Boromir at Amon Hen show his resolve, despite a great fear. I do think a lot of his power has been drained unfortunately, especially, as Sharon points out, with the omission of his full scenes at the Ford and the total exclusion of the Barrowdowns episode. The fun-loving aspect of his personality, I think is shown adequately at Bilbo's party and at the Green Dragon (although Merry and Pippin are obviously having MORE fun!). <P>In TTT, the beginning scenes, the "Taming of Smeagol" parts, I rather liked and thought the Frodo/Smeagol relationship was built up well. (One oddity I noted, though, was at the Black Gate, Smeagol lines out this alternative route, and it is still through Cirith Ungol and the lair of Shelob. I can't remember if he had intended this route at this point or not in the book...). I won't even go into the Faramir scenes. The mind reels to make sense of those! I hope the Extended TTT will help sort it out; until then, I beg off on this part. I will add that I always comment "pea soup time" when Frodo starts going out of his mind at the Nazgul at Osgiliath portion...I always expect his head to start spinning around! <P>Anyway, for those who think Elijah Wood too young for Frodo, I can see this for one point, simply for this reason--the introductions of the main four Hobbits were constricted into one time period. I suppose you'd either have to make them ALL older, or change Frodo's age at the party; thus we no longer have the differential ages between the 'younger' hobbits and Frodo. But, as for absolute age, even if it were done true to the book chronology, Elijah would have been appropriate, simply because, at 50, Frodo still looked like a hobbit just out of his 'tweens. If you take human/hobbit years as 21/33, then Elijah is almost exactly the right age...I would have preferred him playing it as a 50 year old personality, though, even with his young visage! It would have added that "downright odd" tang to Frodo that set him apart in the Shire. <P>Thanks again, <B>Elvish Archer</B> for allowing me yet another chance to spout off about Frodo--one of my favorite subjects! <P>Cheers,<BR>Lyta __________________ “…she laid herself to rest upon Cerin Amroth; and there is her green grave, until the world is changed, and all the days of her life are utterly forgotten by men that come after, and elanor and niphredil bloom no more east of the Sea.”