really stupid lotr question
 

I know lightning is going to strike me down for saying this, but I was never a fan of the Lord of the Rings movies, and I have a really odd question which I have never seen addressed anywhere.
I saw the first movie in the theater, and wondered this then. I finally saw the second movie last night, when it premiered on the WB. Why weren't these movies filmed in black-and-white? Why was there so much expense paid to have everyone wear gray clothing, have all the plants be gray colored, and all the sets and "real" stuff (as opposed to special effects) be gray? I think that's part of the reason I never had any desire to go back to see the second and third movies--the truth is, it was sometimes hard to differentiate between the characters and what was going on because so much of it looked alike!
Mary

They had to have the fingernail polish in color :D

I have read the whole trilogy lots of times since I was 13. I have a very definite version of how the events in the book unfold and what the characters are like. I did not really like the movies at all. It was very strange experience. I simply had to watch them because I wanted to see how someone else has imagined them. Yes, they were not badly made, but somehow it did not work for me.

I felt the same about Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. Just not quite good enough. The books are so much better.

I am under the assumption that lightening does not strike twice in the same place, so Mary..

*waits for the thunder to finish*

..if you don't mind, could we please switch places? :D
-KB

Well, to flip the coin... ;)

I loved the books AND the movies...first-rate in both cases. Although, if I had to choose a "favorite" medium, I'd choose the books. The reason is Tolkien's storytelling. From the Hobbit through the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Tolkien had me spellbound. His incredibly vivid descriptions of various scenes and events often times had me .... closing my eyes and really "seeing" the scene or event in my mind. I honestly and truly felt a part of it. I've never had a feeling like that with anything that I've read, before or since.

The movies, however, are 'any-time' enjoyment for me, as is the music. I'm just sorry that the ride is over. I haven't been as caught up in a story, for a long, long time, as I was with LOTR. Truly, truly magnificent, from the casting to the scenery to the musical score to the f/x. It was a true masterpiece, for me.

:)

* * *

With regards to your question, Mary, if memory serves, the 'gray scenes' were primarily those involving Frodo, Sam, and/or Smeagol. I'm not sure about this - only conjecture - but, the graying may have been done to illustrate the effect of Frodo's burden -- bearing the Ring. (In a rather comical, campy analogy, the effect would be similar to the way the villain's hideaway was tilted, on the old Batman series.)

:LOL:

...and that is my 2 cents. :D


O

Did you happen to catch the LOTR version from 1978?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077869/

I remember watching it ages ago and remember liking it. It was made in a very unusual way, which I am sure was part of its attraction for me. That movie/animated film put different shades of grey shadows to a very good use. Nazgul were much more scarier there.

Although a reason why it seemed that way could be because I was so young when I watched it:)

Lightning may strike thrice this day...

The first movie put me to sleep...not much of an inducement to watch the other two.

(breaks out the tiny ACME umbrella...and spinning up the doe eyes).

:D

Respectfully, and with just a hint of irreverence,
Martok2112

Aw, c'mon Martok, "give it a chance" !

;)

The 2nd and third movies kick some serious orc butt!

:thumbsup:

Looks at Martock's post and is just speechless.

How??

FotR and RotK are my 2 favorite books of the trilogy.

To the question posed at the beginning about the grayness of the scenes: Much of the events happen at nightime as that's when Orcs and Nazgul prefer to act. Also as they approach and enter Mordor, you are entering a land literally "under the shadow" of the Lord of Mordor. Everything appears gray to emphisize the growing control of Mordor over Middle Earth and to emphasize Frodo and Sam's increasing proximity to Mt. Doom.

KABOOM lighting has stucked. I agree with jewels. the greay area was set up so everyone could see the dispare of what the Character and the land itself is going trew at the moment. But it wasnt all gray areas if u recall. in the shire (forgive the misspells) it was all green. in Frodo's vision the shire was distroyed and it was all grey and as u move along the lands it started to get grey. when it showed Mt. Doom it was really dark. this tatic is used in other shows as well. on SG1 I saw a minning camp that was filmed in all grey and no one in the camp looked happy (maybe cuz they were prinsoners). even at times i have walked outside and look at the sky and my yard and cant help saying it looks dead out here because it looks so gray and dull. As in the lotr, Middle Earth was in a great war and not many people or areas wasnt invold or affected by the war. so in the end the whole gray thing is for everyone to feel what is going on in the movie. Colors are part of our lives and belive it or not the colors do set your moods. the brighter the color the more happy one is and the darker the colors the more sader one is. if thats not so then why does everyone buy new clothing when the color fades. the clothes may still be good but sure dont look good.

I love both the Books and the Movies. Although I only read the books after seeing the movies

This is something of a heretical view, but I have to admit that I find the Orcs and Fighting Urukhai(FU)[sp?] far more impressive than the Nazgul:

*The Orcs laid waist to the forests around Isengard
*The FU captured Merri and Pipin
*The FU killed Boromir, greatest warrior of Gondor
*The Orcs and FU together virtually destroyed Helmsdeep, nearly gutted the Rohinim, and definately filleted and army of Elves
*The Orcs nearly captured Middle Earth's greatest city, Minas Tirith, and were only destroyed by a combination of the Rohinim and an army of ghost-warriors

The Nazgul?

*Couldn't find four Hobbits outside the Shire
*Managed to viciously kill four pillows
*Could only manage to stab Frodo - once
*Got smeared all over a riverbed by a single Elfin woman
*Had their leader completely miss Frodo and Sam - as the scaled a sheer cliff in front of his palace
*Said leader later got smeared by one shrimpy little Rohan girl

GO ORCS!

:devil:

Yes but the Witch King, could not be killed by a Man, so a Woman was the only option. It's like Macbeth, where the witches said that "no man of woman born would kill him" so Macbeth was like, I'm invinclbe, but got killed by Macduff, who was born by C-Section

Oh, I think you're absolutely correct.

What is first an attempt to replicate the feel of Alan Lee's beautiful watercolor rendering style in three dimensions by "watering down" the colors, is eventually shifted to an actual "blanching" of the color especially in the Sam/Frodo/Gollum scenes to drive home the emptiness and emotional drain being visited on Frodo (and to a certain degree Sam and Smeagol) by the Ring. It knows they're trying to get it to Mt. Doom to destroy it, and it isn't going to make the journey easy.

But overall, there certainly was a "watery" feel to all the color palettes of the film. And I am dead certain that it was the film-maker's attempt at replicating the rendering style of the art department's pre-pro art. It was a style decision that didn't find it's audience in you.

If you're not into watercolors (and I'm not.. I like bold graphic stuff), the effect may just seem underwhelming. Luckily I have a wife who is a rabid fan of Alan Lee who made sure I saw all of the preproduction art long before the film ever rolled.

-Gordon

Oh, and for those of you who have ever had the argument about which was better; LOTR or SW: AOTC, why don't you stop by my website WWW.PUPPETFORGE.COM and watch the video "Geek Opera". Its two of my puppets having it out about that very subject.

-Gordon

I just checked that out! OM Frakkin G! That was some hilarious stuff! :rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

Well done!

(having to clean the Sprite off my monitor now)

And you mentioned "Meet the Feebles". OMG, I didn't think anyone else here but me knew who that was!!!! That is one seriously twisted movie! :rotf: (Up until I finally watched the entire LOTR trilogy --which I had put off because Fellowship put me to sleep in 20 minutes upon first viewing..I considered "Meet the Feebles" to STILL be Peter Jackson's best movie.) :D

Martok2112 :D

It pleases me greatly to know you enjoyed it.

My wife says it's too long. The video... not THAT. Get yer mind outta the turbo-gutter!

But it was alot of fun to write.

-Gordon

P.S. be sure to watch "Chasing Arm-y" too.

That is just too funny. :rotf:

I loved the books, and i loved the movies. What really set the movies for me was the awsome composing by Howard Shore. Im 17 and i am saying i like orchestral music! heh.

Howard Shore is an awesome Composer

I don't usually purchase soundtracks but, I made an exception with LOTR - I bought all 3.

The music is just incredible. It's funny but, as with the movies, the soundtrack for ROTK is the one I listen to the most, followed by TTT and then, FOTR.

:)

I would agree with you there BST. ROTK has the best music