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Lord of the Rings
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HappyScrappy
New member
I got all of my work done and am leaving here in a little less than 2 hours to see it.
can't wait - I'm so surprised that it is living up to the hype - but every review is saying it is amazing.
I'll likely see it many times more
can't wait - I'm so surprised that it is living up to the hype - but every review is saying it is amazing.
I'll likely see it many times more
D
DcupSheepNipples
Guest
It so needed to be Rated R! 
I would have even been happy with NC-17!
I would have even been happy with NC-17!
HappyScrappy
New member
just got back from it - and I think DCup was just hoping for boobies.
very cool.
3 hours and my knees were hurting...
very cool.
3 hours and my knees were hurting...
HappyScrappy
New member
OMEGA said:
this one is well woth it.
people were clapping and cheering in some parts.
this is the first time I've ever seen a movie and it has lived up to the hype and my expectations.
just really cool and a total blast to watch.
musclebrains
New member
can we assume you were not canned, HS?
D
DcupSheepNipples
Guest
Yes, boobies were lacking, but the violence and gore were to! I gotta have my boobs and gore or I'm gonna get pissed at my whore! And there is nothing I hate more than a crying whore!
D
DcupSheepNipples
Guest
Oh, well I will just have to wait for the DVD Directors cut, for the goodies!
HappyScrappy
New member
musclebrains said:
I'll know better tomorrow (friday)
and if I make it past then, that doesn't mean I'll have it when I come back... but it will at least mean one more paycheck
HappyScrappy
New member
Benzi said:
we (I'm in boston) went to the boston common one which is huge, and got the tickets online at fandago ahead of time.
the main issue was the line to get in and get good seats.
it will likely sell out every show for the next week or so here.
fistfullofsteel
Well-known member
good movie, i especially like the fight scenes in the beginning. i want to see it again. my only complaint was that it was a little boring at times but so is the book.
Island Son
New member
Great movie. Most of the elf scenes were weird, and the hobbits weren't as fat as I expected, but the scenery was tremendous. All the battle scenes were great, and you could really feel the lead characters as real people, flaws and all. Boromir and Frodo especially. I read a review in Newsweek that nailed it... the director was definitely more comfortable with the 'dark' scenes. No JarJar Binks or Ewok-type characters here. I'm definitely gonna see it a few more times.
BTW that lineup had THE MOST nerds I've ever seen in any one place. Or ever hope to see again.
BTW that lineup had THE MOST nerds I've ever seen in any one place. Or ever hope to see again.
MuSuLPhReAk
New member
Awesome movie...planning on going at least 2 more times with all the nieces and nephew's
Saw it Wednesday night
I saw the 10:30p.m. show even though I had to go to work the next morning. I read the books when I was a kid so I went into this drawing nearly a blank. It was excellent enough to keep me in the seat until it ended at 1:30. I loved the scene in the dwarven mines. I will see it again, just not during Christmas week. MuSuLPhReAk ditch the relatives if you have to- just go!
I saw the 10:30p.m. show even though I had to go to work the next morning. I read the books when I was a kid so I went into this drawing nearly a blank. It was excellent enough to keep me in the seat until it ended at 1:30. I loved the scene in the dwarven mines. I will see it again, just not during Christmas week. MuSuLPhReAk ditch the relatives if you have to- just go!
W
Warik
Guest
I'm so happy I only wasted $8 for the movie instead of $20+ for the book. Awesome graphics + awesome sound does not necessarily = good movie.
It REALLY dragged at times and Frodo looked like a goon. There was virtually no attachment to the characters... they could have all died and I would have felt nothing. Gandalf was portrayed as a pathetic wimp... isn't he supposed to be a level 40 wizard or something? The evil wizard mopped the floor with him. Gandalf's best magic was some fucking fireworks.
What about that little romance between the ranger and the elf? They took a quick 10 seconds to say "oh I'm giving up my immortality to be with you" and then we never hear from them again. Why bother mentioning it? Please don't tell me "oh you'll hear more about it in the other movies" - I paid for this one.
The ending quite sucked. "Perhaps we will." Uhh, no. Perhaps I won't pay to see the next installment. =)
Good notes - great sound, great effects, excellent battle scenes, villains, villains' henchmen, and other monsters looked awesome.
Bad notes - too long. too dragging.
Recommendations - Watch Harry Potter.
-Warik
It REALLY dragged at times and Frodo looked like a goon. There was virtually no attachment to the characters... they could have all died and I would have felt nothing. Gandalf was portrayed as a pathetic wimp... isn't he supposed to be a level 40 wizard or something? The evil wizard mopped the floor with him. Gandalf's best magic was some fucking fireworks.
What about that little romance between the ranger and the elf? They took a quick 10 seconds to say "oh I'm giving up my immortality to be with you" and then we never hear from them again. Why bother mentioning it? Please don't tell me "oh you'll hear more about it in the other movies" - I paid for this one.
The ending quite sucked. "Perhaps we will." Uhh, no. Perhaps I won't pay to see the next installment. =)
Good notes - great sound, great effects, excellent battle scenes, villains, villains' henchmen, and other monsters looked awesome.
Bad notes - too long. too dragging.
Recommendations - Watch Harry Potter.
-Warik
HappyScrappy
New member
lol - warik - normally you say some interesting stuff - but you are just whining here for the sake of whining.
if you haven't read the books, then shut up
if you haven't read the books, then shut up
W
Warik
Guest
HappyScrappy said:lol - warik - normally you say some interesting stuff - but you are just whining here for the sake of whining.
if you haven't read the books, then shut up
It's because I haven't read the books that I can objectively critique this film. Most people who have seen this film are so obsessed with the books that they will bite your head off if you say so much as "oh, Gandalf's beard was supposed to be a little longer."
-Warik
HappyScrappy
New member
Warik, you are much like a friend/coworker of mine.
he will disagree with anything you say.
even if you state a scientific fact that applys to every living thing, he will deny it and say that he never experiences it.
it can be amusing, but for the most part - its just annoying.
he will disagree with anything you say.
even if you state a scientific fact that applys to every living thing, he will deny it and say that he never experiences it.
it can be amusing, but for the most part - its just annoying.
W
Warik
Guest
HappyScrappy said:
Not necessarily, dude. I don't disagree with everything someone says. I only disagree with that which I do not believe logically follows. In situations involving opinion, such as this one, it is difficult to have a civilized discussion without one side jumping out with insults and stuff. You and I usually agree on lots of stuff, anyway.
I have told you why I don't like the movie, but you haven't told me why you DO like it, nor have you responded to specific reasons as to why I did not like the movie... =)
BTW: I don't deny scientific facts that are a result of accurate studies and experiments. Don't be silly, now.
So then... let us have a logical, civilized, adult conservation as to why Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring sucked or did not suck.
-Warik
HappyScrappy
New member
there you go!!!
much better.
I enjoyed the movie very much (well, didn't like the part when gandolf got dark, and when galaerial (sp?) got dark - thought it was silly) - it stuck very well to the book for the most part.
I enjoyed the books, but usually prefer sci fi stuff instead of elves..
for the most part though, the things you are complaining about are taken straight from the books - and they are used to build up tension to make you continue in the series...
much better.
I enjoyed the movie very much (well, didn't like the part when gandolf got dark, and when galaerial (sp?) got dark - thought it was silly) - it stuck very well to the book for the most part.
I enjoyed the books, but usually prefer sci fi stuff instead of elves..
for the most part though, the things you are complaining about are taken straight from the books - and they are used to build up tension to make you continue in the series...
Allow me to reiterate the movie "Lord of the Rings" is simply brilliant.
I've never read the books. I'am not a critic but I do honestly recommend this film.
Warik suffers from ADS if he found it to slow of a pace, also the ending left me thinking the movie ended to soon, However this isn't a negative. It was 3hrs. of effortless entertainment. I will see it again.
I've never read the books. I'am not a critic but I do honestly recommend this film.
Warik suffers from ADS if he found it to slow of a pace, also the ending left me thinking the movie ended to soon, However this isn't a negative. It was 3hrs. of effortless entertainment. I will see it again.
W
Warik
Guest
HappyScrappy said:
I think there were some unessential things in the movie that could have been left out to make it much shorter. I've seen and enjoyed long movies like Braveheart, Gladiator, the Patriot, Harry Potter, The Godfather, The Godfather II etc... because they don't drag on and they keep my interest. I often found myself dozing off through lots of the conversation and being awake and alert during the battle scenes and the story-telling parts.
One bad review of the movie mentioneed all the eye-gazing stuff. Seriously, is it necessary to spend 5 seconds gazing into Frodo's eyes every 5 minutes of the movie? Lots of the dialogue was unimportant as well. I understand wanting to stay true to the movie, but I don't think one of characters rambling on for 3 paragraphs about his kingdom and shit in Shakespeare-esque tongue was of great value to the movie.
I SERIOUSLY think Gandalf was much too weak in the movie. Whenever I play an RPG style game, I see everyone and their mother naming themself "Gandalf" - after watching his performance, I can't see why.
-Warik
HappyScrappy
New member
Warik said:
the book is like that - I'm just glad they didn't include the songs or the poetry - that was really bad in the book.
the book certain drags in parts, but for me it was b/c I don't like elves and shit - much prefer run down future - like blade runner, neuromancer, snow crash, etc.
as for gandalf - in the books, if you had read them, then it will make more sense. he is a wuss and then grows more powerful...
but yes, pretty pansy like in the first one.
he is more there for who he knows and what he can see, and the connections between it all.
I don't care one way or the other if someone likes the movie or not, but your first post read as disagreeing for the sake of being different
W
Warik
Guest
HappyScrappy said:
Isn't he supposed to be dead? I'll definitely see part II, then, just to see how they managed to make him un-dead. lol =)
-Warik
HappyScrappy
New member
hee heee.
hence why one should read the books.
the first one is the buildup of the story and the gathering of the fellowship. boring, lots of talking, but has some good action parts - just like you say.
then at the end of the first and the beginning of the second, they have to split off and you see all the shit each has to get through - this is when it starts getting cool. gollum starts playing a major part.
then in the last book is when they start laying the smack down and it gets darkest and the most fighting. they eventually join up and have some kick ass battles and there are people turning over to evil left and right.
and somewhere in there, yes, gandolf comes back - although you know he couldn't really be dead.
he comes back stronger and more powerful and fast. well, he has a cool horse through connections.
hence why one should read the books.
the first one is the buildup of the story and the gathering of the fellowship. boring, lots of talking, but has some good action parts - just like you say.
then at the end of the first and the beginning of the second, they have to split off and you see all the shit each has to get through - this is when it starts getting cool. gollum starts playing a major part.
then in the last book is when they start laying the smack down and it gets darkest and the most fighting. they eventually join up and have some kick ass battles and there are people turning over to evil left and right.
and somewhere in there, yes, gandolf comes back - although you know he couldn't really be dead.
he comes back stronger and more powerful and fast. well, he has a cool horse through connections.
W
Warik
Guest
Wait... there are 3 parts and the ring doesn't get destroyed until the third part? You mean I'm going to have to watch Frodo and his buddies hang out in the Mountain of Doom or whatever for another 6 hours? AHHH!!!!
They need to film the Lord of the Rings cliffnotes. =)
-Warik
They need to film the Lord of the Rings cliffnotes. =)
-Warik
HappyScrappy
New member
and technically frodo dies for a bit too... and then comes back.
normally I'd feel bad throwing out spoilers, but there are the books out there, so I feel less bad.
the funny part is, people that are really into the story get really angry with me b/c after the rings gets destroyed I looked and there were still a bunch of pages... and I just didn't care.
so technically, I don't really know what happens at the very very very end. and I don't really care - I have two years to read it
normally I'd feel bad throwing out spoilers, but there are the books out there, so I feel less bad.
the funny part is, people that are really into the story get really angry with me b/c after the rings gets destroyed I looked and there were still a bunch of pages... and I just didn't care.
so technically, I don't really know what happens at the very very very end. and I don't really care - I have two years to read it
littleflex
New member
I know you guys wont agree with me except warik....
But I didnt particulary care for the movie granted it did have some good action scenes and fighting but it was slow at times and the ending " WTF" lol I couldnt believe it. It just like ended right when you thought something was going to happen. O and yes guys I have read the book twice, i'm not trying to be negative but i was disapointed in the ending.. Also that chick elf in the begining that gave up her inmortality what ever happened to her??? and that big ugly oger at the end that was supposed to be a leader and special or something when the wizard created him, he ended up shooting three arows, saying some oger line and than had his head chopped off. what was that all about???
I dunno guys if i can watch 2 other 3hr sequals, especially if the ending is as bad as that, sheeeew
.
But I didnt particulary care for the movie granted it did have some good action scenes and fighting but it was slow at times and the ending " WTF" lol I couldnt believe it. It just like ended right when you thought something was going to happen. O and yes guys I have read the book twice, i'm not trying to be negative but i was disapointed in the ending.. Also that chick elf in the begining that gave up her inmortality what ever happened to her??? and that big ugly oger at the end that was supposed to be a leader and special or something when the wizard created him, he ended up shooting three arows, saying some oger line and than had his head chopped off. what was that all about???
I dunno guys if i can watch 2 other 3hr sequals, especially if the ending is as bad as that, sheeeew
. 
the nature boy
New member
great movie, way too fucking long. is there an ADD version?
littleflex said:
I dunno guys if i can watch 2 other 3hr sequals, especially if the ending is as bad as that, sheeeew
All the books combined are 1400 pages. Please tell me how you want to shrink that down to one 2h movie. Thanks.
Also the movie didn't end. When the books were published, all 3 were available so you could go and read the other one right away. The first book starts off slow, but once you get to the 2nd and 3rd book it really kicks ass and you won't be able to put it down.
A lot of the "flows" people mention about the movie, are things that were in the book. I think the movie is as close as you'll get to the book. It's simply amazing that they were able to pull it off. The book is very dense with details and descriptions of lush worlds.
If you still have questions after reading the 3 books, you can read the Silmarillion which is sort of the "bible" of LOTR. It explains how the world was created, how Sauron came to be, etc etc.. it's a bit hard to read though
strongchick
Well-known member
The movie was great. It was artful and beautiful, and true to the book.
I cried at certain parts, because I remembered reading them when I was a kid.
I was a naive little shit back then...I thought the world was a good place, and I remember feeling incredible about the thought that Frodo could save the world. That Gandalf sacrificed so much for a higher cause...I used to think all adults were like that.
I cried at certain parts, because I remembered reading them when I was a kid.
I was a naive little shit back then...I thought the world was a good place, and I remember feeling incredible about the thought that Frodo could save the world. That Gandalf sacrificed so much for a higher cause...I used to think all adults were like that.
strongchick
Well-known member
jayjay24 said:
"No no no! LOTR was the BEST science fiction/fantasy film.
EVER! " - Comic Book Guy, The Simpsons
11 things
Bringing J.R.R. Tolkien's epic trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, to the big screen is unquestionably one of the largest projects undertaken in movie history -- and perhaps the greatest business venture ever mounted on New Zealand soil. Kiwi director Peter Jackson (Heavenly Creatures, The Frighteners) pushed to make three films back to back based on Tolkien's masterpiece, which depicts an epic battle between the good folk of the Fellowship, including Hobbits, Dwarves and the Races of Men, and the evil armies of the dark lord, Sauron, for control of the "one ring" that gives ultimate power over all.
From this rich source, we have endeavored to unearth a Shire-ful of wondrous but little-known facts about the making of The Lord of the Rings.
1. Middle-Earth is Real.
The fantastic realm where the LOTR story is set is in fact an area in Birmingham, England. As a child, J.R.R. Tolkien loved to play in the area around Sarehole Mill, now known as Moseley. Later, he immortalized his beloved childhood haunts in his novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. But Tolkien's landscapes may have met their match in the rugged New Zealand countryside. "It's one of the most beautiful places on the face of the Earth," says actor Sean Astin, who plays the Hobbit Sam Gamgee, sidekick to Frodo (Elijah Wood), the hero of the story. "It was like Tolkien walked across New Zealand and then sat down to start writing."
2. The Auditions Were Cutthroat.
Getting these coveted parts posed a tough task for the actors: Astin was forced to gain 30 pounds before Jackson would hire him. When Elijah Wood heard that LOTR was casting, "he made his own videotape where he dressed up in costume and read Frodo's monologues from the books and sent it to Peter," says Unit Publicist Claire Cooper.
3. Making Grown Men Look 3'6" is Easier Than You Think.
Transforming normal-sized actors Ian Holm, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd into, respectively, the 3'6" Hobbits Bilbo, Frodo, Sam Gamgee, Merry and Pippin, and the towering John Rhys-Davies into Gimli the dwarf demanded a blending of ancient trickery and the newest digital techniques. "60 to 70 percent of those shots were done live on set," says visual effects supervisor Jim Rygiel. "Sometimes we puppeteered giant sets of legs past the Hobbit actors to make them appear small. We also used forced perspective to make it appear as though Bilbo was right across from [the human wizard] Gandalf [Ian McKellen], but actually he was 30 feet behind him. Since it's all set up from the same viewpoint in relation to the camera, Bilbo just looked smaller. That worked flawlessly." Other times the human and Hobbit actors performed separately against bluescreen, and the images were combined digitally.
4. The Numbers are Staggering.
According to makeup effects maestro (and co-founder of Weta effects house) Richard Taylor, creating the denizens of Middle Earth demanded 148 artisans in the Weta Workshop cranking out some 1500 handmade costumes, including 160 Orcs, 50 Goblins, 100 Uruk-hai (half orcs, half humans), plus 100 Elves, 100 Gondorians and 250 Rohans (which are breeds of human). Taylor's crew created 200 Orc masks, and, over the course of filming, made 10,000+ prosthetic make-up pieces needed to turn humans into Elves, Hobbits, Orcs, etc. The ovens where the foam rubber prosthetics were cooked ran 365 days a year, including Christmas and New Year's. 1800 pairs of hobbit feet were needed. 10 people worked for three years making wigs.
5. Making Chainmail Is a Major Pain.
Virtually every element of the production was handcrafted by artists. The Weta Workshop made 50,000 props, including swords, axes, shields and spears. Although the production had its own ironsmith, who crafted the original armor, the chainmail itself was made in a unique way. "Weta Workshop sliced PVC piping very thinly, then four dedicated people worked for about a year full time linking them together," says Cooper. "They linked over 12 million links to make all the chainmail, then they sprayed it with metallic paint and it looks real, but it was light and comfortable for the 500 actors we had on set in full armor."
6. Eat Your Heart Out, Star Wars.
During production, Jackson's crew, which consisted of 2400 people from all over the world, shot in over 100 locations and on 350 sets. The three films featured a whopping 77 speaking roles, and 26,660 extras were employed to fill out the epic battle scenes. "We were just like a huge travelling circus all the time," Cooper says. "Some days we had five to seven different photography units shooting at once. One day, we served 1460 eggs at the same place for breakfast! It was just so massive. When all our production vehicles were lined up, wherever we went, they were a mile long. We were just such a spectacle."
7. Tolkien's Made-Up Language.
There were two full-time dialect coaches on set teaching Elvish -- a language Tolkien invented. "Tolkien was a linguist and he invented several languages," Cooper says. "Elvish was based on the Finnish languages."
8. The Locals Gave Their Blessing.
Before the cameras started rolling on the Wellington set in New Zealand, elders from a local Maori tribe blessed the location. "There was a huge ceremony with the cast and crew," Astin remembers. "A couple thousand people stopped what they were doing, and on a converted soundstage, the Maori elders performed a ritual. They talked about the stewardship of the land, and hoped that the land would take good care of us, which I must say it did."
9. The Longest Shoot Since Apocalypse Now.
Principal photography, which has wrapped for all three films in the series, required an astounding 274 production shooting days. "I don't think I really conceptualized when I agreed to do fifteen months what that really meant," Astin says. "It was two birthdays for my daughter [who makes her acting debut in LOTR as a Hobbit]."
10. Identical Tattoos: A Great Way to Bond.
Because of the intense working relationship, the Fellowship of the Ring cast members bonded to an unusual degree. "The only thing I can compare it to is how close people become in the military," says Astin. "We were always hanging out together in town. We all took up surfing together. And at the end, we all got a matching tattoo -- in Elf script it says, 'The Nine.' Everyone got them in different places. Mine's on my ankle -- the Hobbit foot -- because Billy Boyd, who plays Pippin, got his on his ankle and I thought it was very appropriate given that we were Hobbits."
11. One Actor, Two Decades of Reading.
Actor Christopher Lee, who will turn 80 in May, and who plays Saruman, the evil wizard, had read The Lord of the Rings each year for the last 20 years before he was hired to be in the production. "Christopher Lee was definitely the most knowledgeable about Tolkien," says Cooper. "He would go into Weta Workshop, knowing a lot of the artists and sculptors working there were fanatics about the books, and he would quiz them with trivia questions from the books and they wouldn't know the answer. He's so classic in his delivery, and has that amazing deep voice, and he'd say, 'Come on now....'"
Ron Magid is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles. He has written for Premiere, Wired, and Entertainment Weekly. He's ashamed to admit he's only read the Lord of the Rings trilogy only once.
Bringing J.R.R. Tolkien's epic trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, to the big screen is unquestionably one of the largest projects undertaken in movie history -- and perhaps the greatest business venture ever mounted on New Zealand soil. Kiwi director Peter Jackson (Heavenly Creatures, The Frighteners) pushed to make three films back to back based on Tolkien's masterpiece, which depicts an epic battle between the good folk of the Fellowship, including Hobbits, Dwarves and the Races of Men, and the evil armies of the dark lord, Sauron, for control of the "one ring" that gives ultimate power over all.
From this rich source, we have endeavored to unearth a Shire-ful of wondrous but little-known facts about the making of The Lord of the Rings.
1. Middle-Earth is Real.
The fantastic realm where the LOTR story is set is in fact an area in Birmingham, England. As a child, J.R.R. Tolkien loved to play in the area around Sarehole Mill, now known as Moseley. Later, he immortalized his beloved childhood haunts in his novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. But Tolkien's landscapes may have met their match in the rugged New Zealand countryside. "It's one of the most beautiful places on the face of the Earth," says actor Sean Astin, who plays the Hobbit Sam Gamgee, sidekick to Frodo (Elijah Wood), the hero of the story. "It was like Tolkien walked across New Zealand and then sat down to start writing."
2. The Auditions Were Cutthroat.
Getting these coveted parts posed a tough task for the actors: Astin was forced to gain 30 pounds before Jackson would hire him. When Elijah Wood heard that LOTR was casting, "he made his own videotape where he dressed up in costume and read Frodo's monologues from the books and sent it to Peter," says Unit Publicist Claire Cooper.
3. Making Grown Men Look 3'6" is Easier Than You Think.
Transforming normal-sized actors Ian Holm, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd into, respectively, the 3'6" Hobbits Bilbo, Frodo, Sam Gamgee, Merry and Pippin, and the towering John Rhys-Davies into Gimli the dwarf demanded a blending of ancient trickery and the newest digital techniques. "60 to 70 percent of those shots were done live on set," says visual effects supervisor Jim Rygiel. "Sometimes we puppeteered giant sets of legs past the Hobbit actors to make them appear small. We also used forced perspective to make it appear as though Bilbo was right across from [the human wizard] Gandalf [Ian McKellen], but actually he was 30 feet behind him. Since it's all set up from the same viewpoint in relation to the camera, Bilbo just looked smaller. That worked flawlessly." Other times the human and Hobbit actors performed separately against bluescreen, and the images were combined digitally.
4. The Numbers are Staggering.
According to makeup effects maestro (and co-founder of Weta effects house) Richard Taylor, creating the denizens of Middle Earth demanded 148 artisans in the Weta Workshop cranking out some 1500 handmade costumes, including 160 Orcs, 50 Goblins, 100 Uruk-hai (half orcs, half humans), plus 100 Elves, 100 Gondorians and 250 Rohans (which are breeds of human). Taylor's crew created 200 Orc masks, and, over the course of filming, made 10,000+ prosthetic make-up pieces needed to turn humans into Elves, Hobbits, Orcs, etc. The ovens where the foam rubber prosthetics were cooked ran 365 days a year, including Christmas and New Year's. 1800 pairs of hobbit feet were needed. 10 people worked for three years making wigs.
5. Making Chainmail Is a Major Pain.
Virtually every element of the production was handcrafted by artists. The Weta Workshop made 50,000 props, including swords, axes, shields and spears. Although the production had its own ironsmith, who crafted the original armor, the chainmail itself was made in a unique way. "Weta Workshop sliced PVC piping very thinly, then four dedicated people worked for about a year full time linking them together," says Cooper. "They linked over 12 million links to make all the chainmail, then they sprayed it with metallic paint and it looks real, but it was light and comfortable for the 500 actors we had on set in full armor."
6. Eat Your Heart Out, Star Wars.
During production, Jackson's crew, which consisted of 2400 people from all over the world, shot in over 100 locations and on 350 sets. The three films featured a whopping 77 speaking roles, and 26,660 extras were employed to fill out the epic battle scenes. "We were just like a huge travelling circus all the time," Cooper says. "Some days we had five to seven different photography units shooting at once. One day, we served 1460 eggs at the same place for breakfast! It was just so massive. When all our production vehicles were lined up, wherever we went, they were a mile long. We were just such a spectacle."
7. Tolkien's Made-Up Language.
There were two full-time dialect coaches on set teaching Elvish -- a language Tolkien invented. "Tolkien was a linguist and he invented several languages," Cooper says. "Elvish was based on the Finnish languages."
8. The Locals Gave Their Blessing.
Before the cameras started rolling on the Wellington set in New Zealand, elders from a local Maori tribe blessed the location. "There was a huge ceremony with the cast and crew," Astin remembers. "A couple thousand people stopped what they were doing, and on a converted soundstage, the Maori elders performed a ritual. They talked about the stewardship of the land, and hoped that the land would take good care of us, which I must say it did."
9. The Longest Shoot Since Apocalypse Now.
Principal photography, which has wrapped for all three films in the series, required an astounding 274 production shooting days. "I don't think I really conceptualized when I agreed to do fifteen months what that really meant," Astin says. "It was two birthdays for my daughter [who makes her acting debut in LOTR as a Hobbit]."
10. Identical Tattoos: A Great Way to Bond.
Because of the intense working relationship, the Fellowship of the Ring cast members bonded to an unusual degree. "The only thing I can compare it to is how close people become in the military," says Astin. "We were always hanging out together in town. We all took up surfing together. And at the end, we all got a matching tattoo -- in Elf script it says, 'The Nine.' Everyone got them in different places. Mine's on my ankle -- the Hobbit foot -- because Billy Boyd, who plays Pippin, got his on his ankle and I thought it was very appropriate given that we were Hobbits."
11. One Actor, Two Decades of Reading.
Actor Christopher Lee, who will turn 80 in May, and who plays Saruman, the evil wizard, had read The Lord of the Rings each year for the last 20 years before he was hired to be in the production. "Christopher Lee was definitely the most knowledgeable about Tolkien," says Cooper. "He would go into Weta Workshop, knowing a lot of the artists and sculptors working there were fanatics about the books, and he would quiz them with trivia questions from the books and they wouldn't know the answer. He's so classic in his delivery, and has that amazing deep voice, and he'd say, 'Come on now....'"
Ron Magid is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles. He has written for Premiere, Wired, and Entertainment Weekly. He's ashamed to admit he's only read the Lord of the Rings trilogy only once.
HappyScrappy
New member
Benzi said:
this would be b/c it is totally based on a book - books have beginnings and endings - this particular book was a trilogy, and this movie is the first section in that trilogy - so there is no end yet - the end comes in the third one.
HappyScrappy
New member
Jimsbbc said:
having read the books - I can guarentee the second one will end something like that, and the 3rd will be more of what you consider a "real" ending - the whole story is huge, so this is just the first part.
HansNZ
New member
Island Son said:
I agree, the scenery was spectacular. It was filmed in New Zealand. The filming was based here in my home city of Wellington.
They needed about 1000 extras to be Orgs. I went for an audition, but was turned down because I suffer from allergies. Could have been fun though.
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The Varnsen
New member
I was expecting the film would follow the book a bit more closely... I also expected the hobbits to be fatter...
I suspect that, for someone that hasn´t red the book, it can turn out to be rather difficult to understand... some parts of the film are cut a little too short... although the film is 3 hours long...
I suspect that, for someone that hasn´t red the book, it can turn out to be rather difficult to understand... some parts of the film are cut a little too short... although the film is 3 hours long...
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