The Lord of the Rings

"Even the smallest person can change the course of a future."

 

 

Being that this is my favorite movie of all time (yes I count all three of these films as one because lets be honest, they are one movie) some might wonder why I haven't written about them before this moment. (well, maybe nobody but I like to humor myself) The reality is that I just have so much to say about these movies, and it is a daunting task for me because...I mean where do you start with the amazingness that is The Lord of the Rings.
I guess the first part is the world that J.R.R. Tolkien created. He didn't just write a simple story....he created an entirly new universe with a history that dates back to the creation of it all. There is not one thing in this world that you could not find an orgin for or that you could not find a connection to. He left nothing a mystery. Each race has it's own language complete with different lettering AND gramatical rules. There are maps and wars and ages. Tolkien left nothing out of this world. I think that is one of the reasons that this is such an amazing thing.
 
 
The Similirian is where one would find the hisotry of Middle Earth. All the way back to the moment that each elf was created and why. I found this book to be very dense and hard to get through because it was like reading one of our history text books, but I also found it to be even more rewarding than I thought because there was so much from the Lord of the Rings that I began to understand and even apprecaite even more. There are even more stories of the people of Middle Earth than just what one would find in the Similrian, The Hobbit, and even in The Lord of the Rings. This is amazing to me....
The second part is really directly related to the characters that J.R.R Tolkien created in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The fellowship is something that really resignated with me. I love the idea that this group of people, many of whom did not want anything to do with each other, where able to band togehter in the end and to become to loyal to each other. Someone asked me a few months ago who my favorite character in the story was, and I had to really stop for a minute to think about it because I love each character for different reasons.
I think that I would have to say that my favorite character is Samwise Gamgee. He is probably my favorite because I identify with Samwise more than any of the other characters in the story. Samwise is one of the most loyal characters throughout the entire story. He stand by Frodo through the entire journey. No matter how scared he is or how unsure he may be...he stays with Frodo and is willing to protect him not matter what. Even at the end of the story...as Frodo struggles to make it to the top of Mordor with the ring....Sam carries Frodo. He stays with him to the very end, even when he knows that he will not be able to return home. Even when he thought he friend had tossed him away...Sam stays... he never leaves Frodo, and I love that.

The character that I have to say that I wish I was would be Frodo. Frodo was willing to take on a task that nobody in the entire Middle Earth was able to do. He was strong enough to resist the ring and was strong enough to carry it though. Frodo was able to walk away from the fellowship because he knew that the ring would destory his friends and he could not let that happen. He knew that if he did not do what he was supposed to do, nobody would. I love that he struggled through the journey. He was not perfect and there where many times that he began to falter and that he didn't always make the right choice, but Frodo pushed and he went forward. He knew that this was his battle to fight and one that he never atticipated to take. I love that idea that things fall into our lives that we may not expect, and we can let then over take us and ignore them, or we can take up those challenges and push throught them. Frodo pushed through even through there where moments that he didn't want to.

The characters are not the only thing that make this story so amazing. There are so many messages that one can take out of them. I love the idea that everything happens for a reason. Gandalf talks to Frodo at one point about Bilbo meaning to find the ring and that means that Frodo himself was meant to find the ring. Each moment through the course of Middle Earth had lead to that moment. Had Frodo never gotten the ring, maybe Aragorn would not have risen up and taken back his thrown. Had Boramir not died, Faramir would not have been able to rise up and do what he needed to do. Each chain of events needed to happen in order for Frodo to be able to destroy the ring. No matter how awful those chain of events may have seemed at the time.
I also love that notion of holding onto hope and understanding that all bad things must come to an end. Nothing in this world can last forever, and no matter how horrible it may seem now. It will pass and a better time will come. Always hold onto that hope because it is that hope (no matter how small) that will grow and defeat that evil or that hopelessness. Each person in this world holds a purpose....
Peter Jackson did such a wonderful job of adapting this story from novel to film. It is such a detailed piece of writing and taking the story and keeping it's intergity is one of the most difficult things to do when adapting a novel for the screen. He took such care in taking what was important and leaving out the things that where not needed for the heart of the story. The fact that these movies are so long is a testiment to the idea that he tried so hard NOT to leave anything out. I feel that the things he did omit, where nothing that horribly changed the story.
I honestly cannot say enough about these stories. I have said it before, if all you are telling me is that they are long....all they are doing is walking...why don't the eagles just save the day....then you are hoenestly missing the point of this story. There is so much there. Maybe next time you have the chance, stop and open up or heart a little rather than your mind...because there are some things in this world that should be felt rather than thought about....and Lord of the Rings is one of them.

The Artist

Anyone who knows me knows that I love a great story, and I love to see a great story told, whether it be on the screen or in a novel. I have been so frustrated over the last few years as lover of film because I have felt that we have gotten away from the heart of cinema.-Telling great stories to escape from the world for a few hours. The Artist was a true reminder of everything that is great about movies, and why I had come to love them. It was a true work of art. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me smile. It had everything. 

The basic story of the movie is about a silent film actor George Valentin at the peak of his career. Once talkies are discovered, his production company stops producing silent films and begins to only produced talkies. George refuses to be a part of this new wave. Peppy Miller becomes the new rising talkie star after a short encounter with George at the beginning of the movie where he offers her some advice that helps her to break out. The film then begins to follow the downward spiral of George and the transformation of Peppy. I loved to watch the character development in the movie. As Peppy took the roles in the talkie films, her character did a lot more "talking" in the movie itself. George always a man of few words relied on his facial expressions for most of his communication. While he does talk, it is not to any great extent. 

Michel Hazanavicius (writer and director) did a wonderful job with taking such an old concept and bringing it into the modern world. It can be quite discerning for many people to hear the words silent and black and white. What is just so amazing is that after about 10 minutes, you forget that you are watching a silent film. The actors do such an amazing job with their facial expressions and their body movements that there is never a question as to what is happening. There is never a moment where one would question the motives of a character. I would even say that it is almost as if you can see more than what the characters are saying. You can almost hear what they are thinking as well. That is an element that I find to be extremely important to any story.  

It also gives such a testament to the musical composers of the film. Now, I am not a music person by any means (this would be my talented composer of a brothers department), but I have an extreme appreciation for music in film. It is just as important, if not more so, than any of the actors. The music becomes another character. It is telling the story. There is no need for words. 

Jean Dujardin (George Valentin) did a fantastic job. with a role that requires not talking, it would have been easy to over din had the perfect balance. One of my favorite scenes is when he is talking to Miss Miller (Bérénice Bejo) on a staircase. She is talking his ear off, and he is watching her in an almost adoring way. You can almost tell what he is thinking. This beautiful young actress who is getting the start of her career. He is happy for her, but sad as the same time. It was such an amazing balance. I thought it was beautiful. After watching the film, he deserved that Oscar. act and over do the facial expressions. Dujar

There are many people who have said that this movie had received its award for best picture because it is a novelty film. After viewing the movie, I feel that this could be father from the truth. This movie brought us back to the birth of film, to our roots. It told a story about how easily one thing in this ever changing and growing industry can be forgotten and tossed to the side without a second thought. I believe that it also showed us how it is possible to bridge the old with the new and in turn create something even more amazing. Forgetting were you come from can be just as dangerous as refusing to adjust and change. The Artist showed us that this is possible and reminded us that sometimes it isn't about who can draw the biggest explosion or what can we 3D next, but about the story behind it all and sharing that. If we forget where we come from, we are just as likely to lose it all. But don't take my word for it..... go see it yourself.