#The One Ring

[velvet4510]

I think my favorite book-to-film change is the addition of Sam saving Frodo from letting go of the cliff and falling into the lava. And the reason why is the brilliant sound design; I wanna point this out for anyone who hasn’t noticed.

When Frodo is first shown dangling, we hear the Ring calling him. An eerie, high-pitched noise, almost a whistle, begins as the Ring first lands on top of the lava, and permeates the soundtrack as Sam looks over the edge and that expression of despair crosses Frodo’s face as he realizes what he failed to do. Just then we assume Frodo’s POV. We’re hearing what he’s hearing; the Ring is beckoning him to let go and follow it.

But then, when Sam says “give me your hand!” and it cuts to another closeup of Frodo’s face, looking up at Sam, suddenly the Ring’s whistle just … stops. Abruptly. There’s another cut to the Ring as it starts to glow and melt. It is clearly still calling Frodo, but suddenly Frodo (and we) can’t hear it.

Even the music quietens and the loudest sound we hear is Sam’s voice.

Then Frodo looks down as his hand slips, and then makes eye contact with Sam again. And then the music/chorus slowly grows louder as Sam practically whispers, and yet it almost sounds like a shout, “Don’t you let go…”

Then Frodo makes his choice. He chooses Sam, and grabs his hand.

The soundtrack just by itself reveals the true power of the love these two share. The sight and sound of Sam, pleading and pleading with all the adoration in his heart, finally beats the Ring for good. Suddenly Frodo can’t hear the Ring anymore. He can only hear his Sam.

The stronger force prevails.

[brick3621]

@mousegard

i read the hobbit in 3rd grade and i thought it was really lame. however i liked bilbo baggins for some reason and i was fully convinced he was some sort of rabbit/mouse thing until i saw the lotr movies and was really, really confused

[dandeliont3aandsageleaves]

My toxic trait is thinking that I could throw the One Ring into the fires of Mordor without it corrupting me. Like it would be easy and I'd have zero issues.

[atane-is-here]

Was this whole ring bussiness a good idea? Who knows...

[themoonstonechronicler]

"why did the ring mostly affect frodo and not bilbo who had it for a gazillion years" objectively has a textual answer but i think the best answer is that sauron just likes bilbo more than frodo

bilbo: *uses the ring to hide from his relatives*

sauron, remembering almaren: yknow. real.

[hedgehogoftime]

Rereading the Lord of the Rings series recently, and it's so fascinating to me how much the series is a denial of the typical juvenile power-fantasy that is associated with the fantasy genre.

Like, the power-fantasy is the temptation the Ring uses against people It tempts Boromir with becoming the "one true king" that could save his people with fantastic power. It tempts Sam with being the savior of Middle Earth and turning the ruin that is Mordor into a great garden. It tempts Gandalf and Galadriel with being the messianic figure of legend who brings salvation to Middle Earth and great glory to herself.

The things the Ring tempts people with are becoming the typical protagonists of fantasy stories that we expect to see. and over and over we see that accepting that role, that fantasy of being the benevolent all-powerful hero, is a bad thing. LotR is about how power, even power wielded with benevolent intent, is corrupting.

And its so fascinating how so much of modern fantasy buys into the very fantasy LotR denies. Most modern fantasy is about being that Heroic power-fantasy. About good amassing power to rival evil. But LotR dares not to. It dares to be honest that there is no world where anyone amasses that power and remains good.

I guess that's one of the reasons its so compelling.

[tolkien-povs]

Again, about how the Legendarium begins and ends in fire...

Melkor being drawn to the Flame Imperishable started a whole story. The One Ring perished in the fire, and new beginning was made.

Fëanáro born in fire started a compilation of his actions. As he died in fire, a new era was made.

Maedhros coming back as fire provoked a flipping of narratives. Dying in fire started a new Age.

However, Nerdanel, while starting in fire, did not end in fire. She ended in water, where her story will remain to be written and mourned, and never ended and never started anew.

The same goes for her son, Maglor, who held fire in his soul, and did not end in fire, instead walking along the shores that separate him and his kindred.

In Tolkien, fire is of endings turning into new beginnings.

In Tolkien, water is of a story that never quite ends and that never quite begins afresh, forever haunting the timeline.

[cenna-hrms]

Hands in LotR - bic pen (mine🎨)

[spinnenpfote6]

I can't explain how much this LOTR promo picture makes me laugh

You have the absolutely gorgeous, flawless Shire in the background, a cozy green paradise with the blue sky, shining sun and rainbow - like something out of a storybook.

Then there's Bilbo, dressed like a fancy chad in the middle of his hobbit paradise, smiling gleefully at this fucking evil ring: ya know he's going to keep that thing at all costs, even if it means something like biting Gandalf's hand.

And leaning into the foreground is our boy Frodo and he's not even giving us a scenery-appropriate happy expression. There's just this neutral seriousness with a barely recognizable hint of disgust. He's staring at the viewer like "Aw no you know what that means. Pls get me outta here". He's already dressed for travelling. He just KNOWS he's going to have to volunteer to get his ass kicked by a bunch of monsters because his uncle just wouldn't throw that damn jewellry away.

And then someone snapped a picture of that.

I love it.

[tlotrgifs]

I would have gone with you to the end, into the very fires of Mordor.

[velvet4510]

The fact that Sauron finds out what the real plan was when he senses Frodo wearing the Ring in Mordor ultimately adds to the satisfaction of his downfall. If Frodo hadn’t done that, Sauron wouldn’t have known why his land was suddenly collapsing and why his own form was withering away. But because of what happens, when the Ring is finally destroyed, Sauron knows exactly why and how. And his last thoughts are about how he was fooled, tricked, deceived, and totally outwitted by people with 1000x less power than him. That was actually the best punishment that Frodo could’ve given him: the blow to his ego that he deserved.

[idontcarecarebear]

It's sad that we never got to see the power couple that would have emerged from Thorin, corrupted by the Arkenstone, and Bilbo, corrupted by the One Ring.

[bookaddiction14]

Someone’s prob caught this long before me, but:

In Lord of the rings (fellowship) we see the ring leaving Gollum and bouncing and rolling down the rocks:

The ring wanted to leave Gollum and therefore did.

It’s then picked up by Bilbo unwillingly; has an ‘unexpected journey’; and stays with him.

But when Bilbo is leaving, he decides to leave the ring with Frodo. The ring however, wants to stay and keep wielding its power and influence over him.

And when, at Gandalf’s insistence, Bilbo drops the ring, it still doesn’t want to leave him:

Which is why it falls flat, no bouncing or rolling away. It thuds to the floor like a child might stomp its foot when not getting its way.

I dunno how i’ve never caught this b4, and I may just be stupid and ppl have spoken bout this b4 but i’m a nerd and can’t help but mention it unprompted.

[verkomy]

this isn't you full illustration on my patreon!

[cupidofcaravaggio]

[illustratus]

The Hunt for the Ring by John Howe