The Lord of the Rings Essay Example

The Lord of the Rings Essay While others have tried to bring these stories alive by using video, animation and radio recreations, there is a problem with these video adaptations. The directors seem to alter the original story in order to make it into their own interpretation and to make it more cinematic. Looking specifically at the book The Two Towers within the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings and comparing the novel to the animated film by Ralph Bakshi and to the recently released film by Peter Jackson, one can see ideas and important elements that are left out or recreated in order to fit the new directors vision. Noticeably different in the two dramatizations are the addition and the deletion of scenes and changes made in the plot. The directors show the development of characters in a different way as more focus is put on what the actors do than what they say, or think. The directors interpretation is limited or enhanced by the available technology as well. By exploring important scenes such as the meeting of the Riders of Rohan, the development of characters like Aragorn, Gollum and Faramir with Frodo and Sam, and the time given to Helms Deep, it can be seen how both directors used their own imagination to tell the epic adventure story.In the same way both movies shy away from using the intended format of Tolkiens story. Similarly both Jackson and Bakshi switch between books three and four from the text. Thus enabling the intended audience to be able to follow the intricately woven story line.An important difference that is shown in the animated video, which contrasts with the text, is the deletion of certain scenes including the Dead Marshes, They did not know, and could not guess in that misty light, that they were in fact only just within the northern borders of the marshes ( Tolkien, 285). Also the deletion of the Black Gate with Sam, Frodo and Gollum: Well, here we are! said Sam Heres the gate, and it looks to me as if thats about as far as we are ever going to get. My word, b ut the Gaffer would have a thing or two to say, if he saw me now! (Tolkien, 300).These removals hurt the film because it does not illustrate the struggle that Frodo goes through with the physical and the mental fatigue surrounding the Ring,Frodo seemed to be weary, wearyto the point of exhaustion He said nothing, indeed he hardlyspoke at all; and he did not complain; but he walked like onewho carries a load, the weight of which is ever increasing;and; he dragged along; slower and slower. (Tolkien, 292).The friendship and trust built between Aragorn and Eomer on the Plains of Riddermark is not shown in any regard in Bakshis animated adaptation. In fact, Gandalf only casually mentions Eomers existence in Bakshis version. The skipping over of an important figure such as Eomer by Bakshi leads to the underdevelopment of other characters like Aragorn, which the book and Jacksons movie show. The movie by Jackson however, does show Aragorn and Eomer meeting and while each of the characters reveal information to the other about their own quest there is not the feeling of a connection being formed. As well there is also not the glimpse into the man that Aragorn is slowly becoming, as indicated by Tolkien in the text, Here / is the sword that was broken and is forged again! Will you / aid me or thwart me? Choose swiftly! (Tolkien, 32). Aragorn shows he is something more than just an ordinary man, his carrying of Auduril demands respect and admiration from the others and this then becomes an important camaraderie between the two characters from the text and is not shown in Jacksons movie. Another change between Peter Jacksons movie and Tolkiens book is when Eomer explains that he has been banished by his uncle, King Theoden, who is under the power of Grima Wormtounge. By having Jackson write a scene in which Eomer is expelled, it allows Jackson to set the stage for Eomers heroic return to Helms Deep when he was needed the most. When Eomer returns at a crucial point of the Helms Deep battle with his loyal Rohan it helps to build the bond between Aragorn and Eomer:Eomer and Aragorn stood together on the deeping wall.They heard the roar of voices and the thudding of the rams;And then in a sudden flash of light they beheld the peril ofThe gates. Come said Aragorn This is the hour when we drawswords together! (Tolkien, 164).In other parts of the movie Jackson has added scenes including the creation of Thoedens son, Thà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½odred. Peter Jackson then shows in two new scenes Thà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½odreds death and his being mourned by Eowyn and then later his father, the King. These scenes are unnecessary to the progression of the story line especially since Jackson cut out the last few chapters of books three and four that are important to maintain the storyline. The banishment of Eomer and his men is also a new scene, which helps Jackson to show that Grima Wormtounge longs for Eowyn and that is the reason for his betrayal to his own people:Warmongering? How long has it been since Saruman bought you? What was the promised price, Grima? When all the men are dead you would take a share of the treasure? Too long have you watched my sister, too long have you haunted her steps (Jackson).This is a good addition to the story as it helps the understanding of Wormtounges character a little better. Other changes between Jacksons movie and the text include a new battle scene that concerns the wolves of Isengard and the scene of Aragorn falling off a cliff. He is then to be rescued by Arwen, who is also a new character addition that is not in the, The Two Towers text. The book is different from the movie in that in the Jackson movie changes are made to scenes to build suspense. For example, in the situation concerning the Ents in Fangorn forest, it becomes Merry and Pippin who resort to using trickery to sway Treebeard and the Ents to go to war with Isengard.The characterization of major figures within the story is approached by many different met hods by the directors and by Tolkien. Faramir is a contrasting character to that of his brother, Boromir. This is proven in the text as Boromir is unable to resist the power of the Ring, I tried to take the Ring from Frodo He said I am sorry. I have paid . (Tolkien, 6). But Faramir is stronger than Boromir and resists the temptation that the Ring possesses:Even if I were such a man as to desire thisthing, and even though I knew not clearly what this thingwas when I spoke, still I should take those words as a vow,and be held by them. (Tolkien, 358).Realizing that the best thing is for the Ring to be destroyed Faramir helps Frodo and Sam on their journey by giving them food and gifts. Unlike the scene from the book both Jackson and Bakshi view the importance of Farmir in different ways and have different ideas as to the character of Faramir and his role in the story. In the animated film Faramir is not even mentioned at all. This is an interesting approach by Bakshi since Faramir is in many of the major scenes in the third book The Return of the King, written by Tolkien. This is unlike Jacksons in that in his dramatization he tries to develop the character of Faramir into a more in depth and realistic figure. He might be doing this in order to have Faramirs transformation and comparison to Boromir more noticeable. In Jacksons movie once Faramir learns that the Ring is within his grasp, he takes advantage of the situation unlike his character in the text. In the Jackson movie, Faramir does not even try to resist the evil power and draw of the ring. He takes Frodo and Sam to Osgiliath in new added scenes but eventually lets them go once he realizes that he has been subjected to the desire, draw and power of the ring. He realizes this as he listens to a moving speech by Sam:Sam: I think Mr. Frodo, I understand. Folks in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didnt. Because they were holding on to something.Frodo: What are we holding onto Sam?S am: That theres some good in this world. And its worth fighting for.( Jackson ).In The Two Towers, the character of Aragorn is slowly being developed. Through the book, Aragorn is shown as gradually turning into a king. Comparatively, in the movie by Jackson, Aragorn is already shown as being a man worthy of becoming a king and it is Aragorn who takes charge and helps Gandalf try to convince King Theoden to fight. There is a quote by Theoden that says, When last I looked, Theoden was king not Aragorn ( Jackson ).This excerpt from the movie helps to show how the character of Aragorn as depicted by the director Peter Jackson already has leadership qualities and the natural ability to command a group of people. This is different from the slower more detailed journey that his character takes in the book. Tolkien uses his skill as a writer to help lead the readers through a discovery of Aragorn, while the character himself understands his own true purpose. A reference to Aragorns real he ritage is shown in quotes from the book:He [Aragorn]seemed to have grown in stature while Eomer had shrunk;and in his living face they caught a brief vision of the powerand majesty of the kings of stone. For a moment it seemedto the eyes of Legolas that a white flame flickered on thebrows of Aragorn like a shining crown. (Tolkien, 32).Also another reference from the text that tells of Aragorns stature and how others in middle earth saw Aragorn was:So great a power and royalty was revealed in Aragorn, ashe stood there alone above the ruined gates before the host of his enemies, that many of the wild men paused, and lookedback over their shoulders to the valley, and some looked up doubtfully at the sky. (Tolkien, 173).The characters of Sam and Frodo are vital to the telling of the story in order to understand the full importance of the Ring itself and the journey that it will take to destroy it. Gollum, in the book of Two Towers, plays a critical role in Sam and Frodos journey and bec ause of his own personality shifts, it makes him an interesting character that transforms throughout the story.At the word hungry a greenish light was kindled in Gollumspale eyes, and they seemed to protrude further than everfrom his thin sickly face. For a moment he relapsed into hisold Gollum manner we are famished, yes famished weare precious, he said What is it they eats? Have they nicefisshes? His tongue lolled out between his sharp yellow teeth, licking his colourless lips. (Tolkien, 280).When Sam and Frodo first encounter Gollum in Ralph Bakshis version they attack him. Pleading with them to not hurt him and to take off the rope, Gollum swears by the Precious. This scene of the promise does not change in any of the accounts but the dialogue of Gollum is kept to a minimum. Bakshi does allow Gollums character to provide some of the only scenes of comic relief. This is done when Sam still does not trust Gollum:Sam: Where were you sneaking around too?Gollum: Sneaking, Sneaking after I did all this for you and you accuse me of sneakingSam: Im sorry, but you startled meFrodo wakes up Hello Smeagol, where have you beensneaking! replies a pouting Gollum ( Bakshi).In Jacksons movie one of the dialogues between Gollum and his other personality Smeagol is split up into three parts thus making the effect of his characters struggle more frightening. Gollum is first trying to tell Smeagol to kill the Hobbits but Smeagol become the dominant personality in this exchange. Then Smeagol feels betrayed after the encounter with Faramir so the personality of Gollum is shown convincing Smeagol that the master is bad. Soon Gollum, the dominant personality wins out over the weaker Smeagol and makes a reference to getting the Precious by nasty means. Gollum is depicted in all four stories, The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, as being viewed as something evil and should be disposed of but those that encountered him have not been a ble to:What a pity Bilbo did not stab the vile creature, when he hada chance!Pity? It was Pity that stayed his hand. Pity, and Mercy: notto strike without need.I do not pity Gollum. He deserves death.Deserves death! I daresay he does. Many that live deservedeath. And some that die deserve life. Can you give that tothem? Then be not to eager to deal out death in the name ofjustice, fearing for your own safety. Even the wise cannot see allends. (Tolkien, 271).Gollum, through out the stories transforms himself into the mild mannered character of Smeagol. This is a brief glimpse into the thing he once was but eventually too much evil has corrupted him and he reverts back to his old self. This characterization remains consistent through the text and both movies.The ability of modern technology has helped to make the internal struggle with Gollum one of the most amazing collaborations of animation, special effect and the actors performance. Also the battle scene at Helms Deep in Jacksons movie was brought to digital life. The use of computers and elaborate sets allow the battle and the fighting scenes to seem genuine. As a result of being able to create an actual war Jackson has turned the battle itself into a third of the movie. This seems to be very elaborate and not the best allocation of time in the movie. Disappointment was felt by many Tolkien fans when Jackson allows Saruman to make a bomb to blow up the wall at Helms Deep. With the power and ability to create impressive illusions one could have hoped for an actual visual display of wizardry, But the Orcs have brought a devilry from Orthanc, said Aragorn They have a blasting fire, and with it they took the wall. (Tolkien, 171).Ralph Bakshi had a great vision as to the way his film was to be developed. He had beautifully drawn backgrounds for his film as this was the style of the time. The backgrounds do not change but the animated characters do. He relied heavily on sound effects to impress upon the audienc e such things as doom or foreboding, as his animated characters could not always express that. Unfortunately the longer one watched this movie, one could start to see a lack of quality. In one scene in particular during the fight between the Uruk-hai and the Riders of Rohan, some Uruk-hai are jumping, screaming ready for battle and some Uruk-hai are not even moving. Bakshi also seems to have run out of money because he starts switching between real figures and animated characters.Each of the directors are trying to relay their own vision of Tolkiens text by adapting their movie story lines. Unfortunately the original creator and master story teller Tolkien was not used to help in the making of the two dramatized versions of his epic tale. In using the text to compare the different visions of the directors one can see that important scenes are either left out, hurried past or embellished upon. Although both directors were close in recreating this epic, neither movie was able to captu re the wonder, imagination and genius of Tolkiens classic story. The Lord of the Rings Essay Example The Lord of the Rings Essay Throughout The Hobbit there are several different themes. The main theme in The Hobbit is to always face your fears. Bilbo faces his fears many times during the adventure. That is the main theme because Bilbo and other hobbit are known to not like adventures, or do anything unusual. In the beginning, Bilbo was afraid to even go on the adventure, but by going on the adventure he faced many of his fears. He thinks about not doing many things during the adventure, but yet he faces his fears by doing those things. As they go on he does many things no one would ever expect a obit to do. The setting of The Hobbit is Middle Earth, Well, I should say that you ought to go East and have a look around. After all there is a side-door, and dragons must sleep sometimes, I suppose. (Tolkien, 25). This relates because it describes what Middle Earth is like. The conflict that occurs in this book, is man v. s. Supernatural. An example of that occurring is, He hated dragons and their cruel wickedness, and he grieved to remember the ruin of the town of Dale and its merry bells, and the burn banks of the bright river running. (Tolkien, 50). This quote relates to the theme because it shows what fear Bilbo has to face during the adventure. The plot of The Hobbit is for the dwarves to get their lost treasure back to them. An example of that is, Bilbo knew, of course, that the riddle-game was sacred and of Immense antiquity, and even wicked creatures were afraid to cheat when they played it. (Tolkien, 50). This quote relates because it describes some fears Bilbo had to face to get back their treasure and to get the mountain back. The theme of The Hobbit Is similar to my life In a couple ways. By facing fears, I am rowing, becoming stronger, and living life everyday. By facing fears you also gain courage in many ways. Gaining courage and facing fears makes you a lot stronger, and also gives you more self respect. If you face fears you will not only be facing fears, but also gaining self respect. The theme of facing your fears Is also shown In more contemporary writings, for example In The Hunger Games. In The Hunger Games, Catkins faces many of her fears and makes herself stronger many times. For example, when she first enters the Hunger Games, she has many fears, but once she test used to things she becomes stronger. We will write a custom essay sample on The Lord of the Rings specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Lord of the Rings specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Lord of the Rings specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer There are many other stories that use the theme of facing your fears. Hobbit By cheerleader 5 The setting of The Hobbit is Middle Earth, Well, I should say that you ought to go is, Bilbo knew, of course, that the riddle-game was sacred and of immense antiquity, The theme of The Hobbit is similar to my life in a couple ways. By facing fears, I am fears, but also gaining self respect. The theme of facing your fears is also shown in more contemporary writings, for example in The Hunger Games.