That's exactly what Peter Jackson did in his two film trilogies, and what screenwriters John D. Payne and Patrick McKay did in The Lord of the Rings: The Ring of Power. So, to delve further into this realm, let's take a look at some of the best moments from the Lord of the Rings film and television series that may not have been designed by Tolkien himself, but certainly feel like it.
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"Why Bilbo Baggins?"
The special thing about "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is that the entire adventure begins from Bilbo's perspective. The sense of wonder upon his arrival in Rivendell is rivaled only by our own, and it's rare that a story's protagonist is as good as the viewer's eye. So far, the movie is full of the things we love about Middle-earth, like adventure, curious people, and danger.
But it was only as the White Council gathered in Rivendell that we began to understand that there was something else at stake in the quest to retake the Lonely Mountain. Gandalf revealed the Morgul Blade to Elrond, Galandriel and Saruman and received nagging from the white wizard, but after the meeting he had a private conversation with Galadriel. This is the first time we see Gandalf and Galadriel together on screen, and at the end, she asks Ishtar why she brought Bilbo with Thorin Oakenshield.
Gandalf's answer is a testament to screenwriter Fran Walsh's inspiring writing, not Tolkien's. He says this is because Bilbo convinced him that "ordinary things" and small acts of kindness are the key to defeating the darkness, and the half-man's good heart proved that only doing good things in daily life can keep the darkness at bay, contrary to Saruman's belief that only great power can defeat evil. "Perhaps because I was afraid, he gave me courage," Gandalf said of Bilbo.
A few years after this scene first appeared on screen, it also relates to The Stranger's (Daniel Wayman) relationship with the Hairyfoot tribe in The Lord of the Rings: The Ring, specifically his partner Nori Brandiford. While it hasn't been confirmed that the stranger is Gandalf, the time he spent with the hobbit may be a stronger piece of evidence.
"A wizard is never late"
Despite his wealth of knowledge and courage, Gandalf was also known to be a fool. Yes, someone had to say that. In fact, when Ian McKellen played him in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, one of the first words we heard him say was the iconic line: "A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins, and he's not early, he's on time!"
While this is consistent with Tolkien's work on the Gray Wizards, he never actually said this line in the books. This is Gandalf's style, and it helps establish his quirky yet wise personality. Not surprisingly, this quote quickly became a classic, and in our world it is widely used to justify any kind of party delay.
Strangely, later in the movie, Gandalf is late to his reunion with the hobbits at Rivendell, and replies to Frodo that he is late because of his battle with Saruman, proving that even Istar can be late, even though he says otherwise.
"When in doubt, always listen to your nose"
By now it's obvious that Gandalf is every writer's favorite character, right? When the Fellowship of the Ring arrived in Moria , the Gray Wizard was lost for a moment, trying to figure out the correct path to the three-way tunnel. Suddenly, after an inspiring conversation with Frodo, he is reminded of the right path, and for a newly lost man, he feels strangely confident.
When Merry asked him what made him remember, the answer was his weird habit: "The air here doesn't smell that bad."It's weird, of course, but it's also a quintessential Gandalf quote in the sense that it also connects smaller things as the key to figuring out life. It's a really great quote that's used in The Lord of the Rings: The Ring of Power when the Stranger and Nori start their own This phrase was used repeatedly during the expedition to the East.
"Industrial Fire"
In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Saruman reveals his true intentions and decides to side with Sauron, who immediately Isengard turned into an almost industrialized land. There are no more wooded gardens, just caves and pits that serve dark purposes, such as the creation of a new breed of Uruk-Hai - hybrids of humans and orcs, and the burning of West Valley, felling countless trees and letting the old world burn.
While Tolkien's works constantly reminded readers of the good and wholesome things in life, his own worldview was actually somewhat pessimistic. In the face of the power and destructive power of darkness, The idea of winning good through small, everyday things can be exhausting, but that’s how we win.
Saruman's behavior in the novel is an analogy for how far society is willing to go in the name of their so-called progress. We don’t need to look further than our own world, because a climate catastrophe is looming due to our greed and thirst for power – just like the Lords of Isengard. His lines in the movie never appeared in the book, but he was asked to clarify the villain's purpose.
"There is some good in this world"
On the other side of the battle are Frodo and Sam, the two smallest men. "Even the darkness will fade away," our favorite gardener Sam says at the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers after rescuing Frodo from the trance induced by the Ring. When Frodo could no longer stand the temptation of the Ring, Sam always stepped in to save his friend - not for the first time, nor for the last.
As Sam cheers Frodo and Gollum up, a montage about Osgiliath, Helm's Deep and the Battle of Isengard appears, as good once again triumphs over evil, although it doesn't feel like it will last. But that's how you win this battle, it's an ongoing battle and we have to keep doing the right things, even when we're exhausted. Perhaps the most touching line in the movie, it reveals the power of friendship, no matter what. There is always something worth fighting for. It makes a stark point in favor of simple things rather than Saruman's views on industry and progress.
"The Wandering Days"
Following Howard Shaw as the composer of The Lord of the Rings was a huge challenge, but Bear McCreery delivered an outstanding performance on The Lord of the Rings: The Ring of Power. Part of what makes Peter Jackson's films so iconic is the scores of their soundtracks, so The Lord of the Rings: Ring of Power series "needs to be just as good." ". One of the best moments of the first season occurs on the soundtrack of the fifth episode. In the show's lore, "Wandering Days" is a song that has been passed down through the Proudfellow family, a family we know and love through their last surviving member, Poppy. It embodies everything about the Hairyfoot spirit, emphasizing the need to venture into the world as a way to grow as a person.
In Tolkien's work, music is one of the most important manifestations, and the entire universe is one. coined in the song, but here the situation is much simpler. The Hairyfoots were a wandering people who traveled throughout Middle-earth to stay in touch with the world at large. However, eventually, they will settle in and and will leave their wandering ways.
The Resonance of Stone in Khazad-dûm
Tolkien always had a way of connecting the world and the personal in his works, and almost all of his central characters come from places that are closely connected to them, well beyond the confines of The Hobbit.For example, dwarves have a strong sense of belonging to their underground roots, so it makes perfect sense that they live in harmony with their mountains and tunnels.
In The Lord of the Rings: The Ring of Power, Disa introduced us to this very interesting concept. When viewers meet them, the dwarves may be the richest people in Middle-earth due to their ability to mine precious gems. They are also looking for mithril and resonance is the way forward. The whole process involves singing in a room in the mountain and then listening to the mountain "sing" and tell them where to go next.
We have already mentioned the importance of soundtracks and songs in Tolkien's legend, so whether it is in a movie or TV series, soundtracks and songs can add points to the work. The idea of resonance is completely original in The Lord of the Rings: The Ring of Power, which shows how the show's creators have made Tolkien's universe even richer.
