The Game Attempts-Part Twenty Five-Part Twenty Three:
To open this additional, Adaptation Face-Off, we start with a scene exclusive to the Extended Edition, which features Aragorn kneeling before his mother’s grave. Elrond walks up behind him and explains that his mother knew her boy would be hunted by the legions of Sauron because of his lineage. We get another bit of Aragorn proclaiming that he has no use for the throne of Gondor, but Elrond more or less tells him the choice has been taken from him.
This exchange plays out well enough to further portray the doubting Aragorn of the Jackson films and establishes that Aragorn was raised by Elrond. This unfortunately makes Elrond's treatment of him throughout the films all the more despicable.
After that, we cut to Frodo and Bilbo. Bilbo is busy passing on the gear from his adventure to Erebor, The Lonely Mountain (Sting and the Mithril vest). Bilbo asks to see Frodo try the vest on, and so the younger hobbit begins undoing his shirt to, which exposes the Ring. Bilbo spots it, and immediately, it takes hold of him. He looks on it with a longing stare, and rubs his hands together with anticipation. He asks to try it on again.
Frodo catches onto what his uncle is asking and begins buttoning his shirt up again. Bilbo’s eyes dart from Frodo to the Ring a few times and it sinks in that his nephew is not going to give to him. Then… Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the moment which gave viewers everywhere a heart attack. Bilbo’s face distorts into a monstrous vision briefly while he snarls and reaches for the Ring like an animal lashing out for meat.
Frodo retreats several steps, and Bilbo gets a hold of himself. The older hobbit stumbles back, visibly looking horrified with himself over what he almost just did. He turns back to Frodo with a sorrowful expression. He says with a strained voice that he’s sorry about bringing all of this on Frodo’s back, and collapses into a sitting position on his bed, facing away from Frodo. He begins profusely weeping in shame. Frodo comes up behind him and puts a hand on his shoulder. Bilbo takes it.
This scene is as close to perfection as cinema is ever going to get. Elijah Wood’s acting is spot on in this scene, and Ian Holm is, of course, brilliant. He shifts from a proud relative sending his a nephew off on a great adventure to overcoming his addiction to the Ring, to sadness over just what a task Frodo has ahead of him. Three wide and distinct tones come through and Holm carries each greatly. On top of that, you truly feel for both of them.
After this, the film cuts to the gathered Fellowship at the gate of Rivendell as Elrond bids them farewell. He gives them the deal they are not bound to go any farther with Frodo than they wish. With that, they are off. There’s a humorous moment where Frodo asks Gandalf which way to start off from, and the Fellowship proceeds to followed him.
And here we go, perhaps the single most iconic shot of the entire saga. After a few wide shots of them traveling along their road, we cut to just off of their path as each and every one passes the camera while the Fellowship theme plays its most variant. First Gandalf, the current leader, then Legolas, then Gimli, then the hobbits, and finally Boromir and Aragorn. This symbolizes that the Fellowship is at it’s strongest right now, but listen to the theme each time it is replayed throughout the film. It never sounds this triumphant or upbeat ever again. When we hear it later, it will begin to slowly play at lower and slower beats until the final times it plays and it’s slow and depressing. The way the Fellowship theme is played symbolizes the Fellowship’s current status as it slowly begins to break throughout the film.
Moving on, we hear Gandalf narrating that they have to travel South to get to Mordor. Here, we see the Fellowship at their first stop of the journey. Most of them are resting or keeping watch. Merry and Pippin, however, are taking sword fighting lessons from Boromir, who spars with them while Aragorn advises from the sidelines.
Frodo and Sam also watch, Frodo looking amused and Sam looking disapproving (probably because the duo aren’t very mature as of yet). The focus turns to Gandalf and Gimli. The dwarf indirectly complains about his opinion not being asked, and then states that they should head through the Mines of Moria. In the book, it was Gandalf who wanted to go through the mines, but having him know better also works, so there’s no issue. Gandalf flat-out shoots down Gimli’s very firmly.
Again, in the original book, it was Gandalf who wanted to go into the Mines and it was Aragorn who didn’t. Eh, either way works, but at least it doesn’t have the two bickering like bitter enemies like the Bakshi version did.
Back with Boromir and the duo, the warrior accidentally smacks Pippin’s hand with the flat of the blade, causing the Took to drop his sword. The two then tackle Boromir to the ground and have themselves some rough-housing. While this is going on, Legolas spots something approaching from the distance.
Aragorn tries to stop Merry and Pippin, but gets his legs taken out from under him by the two and he falls flat on his back. By this point, the something that looks like a cloud in the distance have also caught Gandalf and Gimli’s eyes. Legolas announces that they’re Carmine. Aragorn orders everyone into hiding. They pack up camp and hide under anything they can get under.
The crows soon pass over them and make a beeline back to Isengard. Once the birds are out of sight, the Fellowship comes out. Gandalf states that the passage through the South is having an eye kept on it. So they decide to pass over the mountains. The film jumps ahead to later with the Fellowship climbing upwards. Frodo slips and tumbles down a slope they’re climbing. Aragorn catches the Frodo and rights the hobbit. However, when Frodo brushes himself off, he sees that the Ring is gone.
He and Aragorn both look up the slope as Boromir picks it up and stares, entranced at it. “It is a strange fate to suffer so much fear and doubt over such a little thing. …Such a little thing.” He begins to reach for it with the other hand as well, almost lovingly. Aragorn calls to him, breaking the hold the Ring has over him at the moment, and orders the noble to give the Ring back to its bearer. Boromir reluctantly does and insists all is fine. He pauses when he sees that Aragorn’s hand has never left his sword hilt, so he disarmingly ruffles Frodo’s hair and goes back to climbing the slope.
Alright, this sequence is very well done. Unlike the Bakshi version in which we were allowed to forget Boromir’s fascination with the Ring ever existed to begin with to the point where it seems to come out of nowhere at The Breaking of the Fellowship, Jackson makes sure to remind us that it has Boromir in its clutches whenever appropriate.
As for the acting on Sean Bean’s part… It’s Sean Bean. Enough said. The man is a master actor and chameleon. The film writers’ and Bean’s acting combined turn Boromir into a three dimension, complex role, and far more sympathetic than the original book Boromir. Yes, I said it. As much as I love Tolkien’s writing, it has always bugged the hell out of me how much Boromir seemed to be a plot devise rather than a proper character.
Jackson and co, however, decided to make him a bit more sympathetic, and Sean Bean’s acting really brings this character to life. He showcases either the very best or the very worst of humankind all in just a hour and a half of screen time. Boromir is noble, good-hearted, and loyal man, but he’s easily tempted when desperate. His land and his people are constantly under attack by Sauron, and the role of the Stewarts is beginning to fail. He feels it is up to him to save his land and his people. His chosen method, however, leaves much to be desired.
While this is all true in the book as well, it’s not emphasized on at least where Boromir’s concerned. Bean portrays everything that makes this man tick with grace and mastery. While McKellen might have gotten the Best Supporting Actor nomination, I would go as far as to say that Bean was the best actor of the first film, being able to showcase why he can both good and bad guys all in one character.
Back in Isengard, the crows report to Saruman the Fellowship’s whereabouts. Then Saruman turns around so that he’s facing the audience and arrogantly quips about Gandalf’s intent. Alright, the film cuts to the Fellowship trying to cross over the mountain, but as we all know, a snow storm is slowing them down almost to a dead halt. A wide off shot established them on a narrow path on the mountain. In the original book, it was the malevolent spirit of the mountain, itself, that was doing this all on its own accord. In this version, it’s Saruman awakening the spirit, and the spirit still doing the rest. I have no issue with this small change, because it gave Christopher Lee something to do and more buck per hour.
Aragorn thinks they have to turn back. Gandalf refuses and tries casting his own spell to put the spirit back to sleep, but Saruman has the advantage and the spirit causes an avalanche. The entire Fellowship gets buried under the snow, but somehow managed to stay on the narrow walkway along the side of the mountain which they were traverse. In the theaters, I recall someone asking “okay, who did we lose?” However, all nine poke their heads out of the snow and Boromir insist on taking the path through Rohan and to Gondor. Aragorn argues against that, stating that Rohan takes them too close to Isengard.
So Gimli again insist that they go under the mountain, through the mines. Gandalf looks like he doesn’t know what to do anymore and you can tell by the look on his face that he knows any path they take at this point is going to lead them into a lot of danger. So he decides to let the Frodo decide their road, since he’s the ring-bearer and it’s dangerous no matter what they do at this point.
Frodo, after having heard all the arguments (unlike in the Bakshi version where he had absolutely nothing to go on and was not supplied with any information), decides their path is through the mines. Gandalf looks displeased with this decision, but does not protest. Cut to Saruman confidently chuckling to himself about how he’s blocked their path over the mountain and to the South. He knows now they’ll either go through Rohan or the Mines and he’s made preparations for when they exit one or the other (as seen later).
The film jumps ahead to their arrival at the mines. Gandalf calls Frodo to his side. He inquires if Frodo has felt The Ring’s power growing, to which he receives a ëyes’. He then proceeds to give the hobbit some advice. He tells him that the way ahead is very, very perilous, and that evil will try to claim It, and from both within and without the Fellowship. Frodo asks who he supposed to trust. Gandalf answers that he will just have to be discerning and to learn his own limits. He then tells the frightened Baggins that that there are many forces in this world and some of which still go untested.
In this version, Gandalf knows that a Balrog sleeps in the darkness of Moria, somehow, and he knows they might encounter it. As such, he knows that he might not be able to protect Frodo much longer, and he’s trying like crazy to prepare the poor lad if the worse happens. Knowing this, combined with some smooth acting on both actors’ parts, makes this scene heart-rending, because this is an Extended Cut scene. In other words, you’ve already, at least, seen the film.
Cut to Gimli gasping in awe. He announces that they’ve arrived at the entrance to Moria. The film cuts to them searching the stone wall of the mountain for the door. Gimli brags about the magical camouflaging abilities dwarf doors have. Gandalf points out that their own masters can’t even find them if they forget the trick to using them. Legolas gives a snide comment about how typical that is. Gimli just groans in respond, but says nothing. It least the racism is going both ways in this version, whereas in the Bakshi version, it was jut Legolas bitching about dwarves and Gimli just taking it.
Finally, Gandalf finds the door, and explains that it lights up in the moonlight. After a bit, the moon comes out the door glows in the dark. Gandalf translates the inscription above, “Speak Friend, and Enter.” Merry asks what that means. Gandalf answers that the riddle is simple, “if you are a friend, just say the password and the doors will open.”
In the book, it was Pippin that said that last line, not Gandalf. Not a big deal, because the old wizard didn’t realize the inscription was a double meaning for a long time, anyway. Gandalf commences in trying out various passwords on the door, and unlike the Bakshi version, he’s not just repeating the same word over and over, he’s actually trying out different dwarven and elven words and phrases.
Cut to later, and he’s still hard to work. He finally just sits down and thinks. Merry and Pippin are throwing stones at the surface of the lake by the bank they’re standing upon. Aragorns tops them and instructs them not to do that.
Frodo looks thoughtfully at the door, and then it dawns on him. He gets up and mutters that the words are a riddle. While this is going on, riddles have begun to appear all over the surface of the water, which the other seven fellowship members watch very intently. Gandalf finally says “Mellon”, and sure enough, the elvish word for friend open the door and the riddle quickly enter, the ones who saw the breaks on the surface of the lake doing so with her eyes over their shoulders the entire time.
Gimli begins bragging about the greatness of dwarven culture again once they’re inside, speaking of the forges and food. Gandalf lights up the entrance by lighting up the end of his staff with magic. Then Boromir spots the corpses of the dwarves and calls it a tomb.
Hmm. Gimli gets uppity about his people and then verbally gets his ass handed to him again. This is not the last time this is going to happen, as Jackson and co pretty much designated him to be the saga butt monkey. Boromir then orders everyone out of the mines.
The hobbits slowly back out, and Frodo is suddenly grabbed by something. Merry and Pippin rush to his aid, but Sam stops to call for Aragorn, and then draws his sword hacks away at the tentacle until it lets up like the up and coming badass that he is. Frodo is momentarily freed from its clutches, but then a whole bunch of tentacles punch at the other three hobbits, knocking them back and Frodo and is grabbed and hoisted up into the air above the water’s surface.
The tentacles are well done and creepy, and the entire build up and pay off of the Watcher in the Water is very well executed. Now comes another slight divergence from the book that is also a non-issue. Whereas the tentacles of the beast were the only part of it came out of the water. Here, its Cthulhu-like face also breaks the surface while its tendrils search Frodo’s pockets for the Ring.
By the time, the full-sized portions of the Fellowship have come back out of the Mines. Legolas shoots one of its tentacles away from Frodo while Aragorn and Boromir run into the water and begin cutting tentacles. Boromir makes the save by cutting the right appendage and catching Frodo up in his arms. Then he and Aragorn turn tail and run for it.
Its here I have some slight confusion. Boromir calls Legalas’s name, and Aragorn also shouts something. When I first say this, I thought Aragorn said: “Aim for its eye.”
Then Legolas proceeds to do that, which stops the Watcher slightly while the Fellowship rushes into the caves. The Watcher lifts itself out of the water and rips the ceiling above them apart, caving in the entrance and trapping them inside. I’m glad that Jackson went with the more brutal route of forcing the Fellowship through the mines. Having the Watcher just shut the doors wouldn’t have made for good cinema. Like I said before, in the book Tolkien can make it just closing them inside sound evil and horrifying, but that’s not something transcends well to screen.
Once inside and behind the huge rock pile, Gandalf utters now that the choice has been made for them: passing through Moria. Then he says the single most damning words anyone can ever say in an adventure story: “Let us hope that our presence will go unnoticed.” Keep dreaming.
