The Third Age

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring proved Monday night that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone isn’t the only high-profile fantasy film that can conjure up fan enthusiasm at its world premiere. Although the crowd of several hundred was not as large as the Potter gala here, fans showed tremendous excitement as the Rings’ stars entered the theater. “I couldn’t believe it — they were all yelling Rudy, Rudy,” says Rings co-star Sean Astin, who also starred in the Notre Dame football film Rudy. “I didn’t even know that movie played over here.”

Most of the stars, many of whom had seen the film for the first time last week, alternately described the movie as “historic” and “biblical.”

Most of the stars, many of whom had seen the film for the first time last week, alternately described the movie as “historic” and “biblical.”
Ian McKellen, who plays the wizard Gandalf, had not read the books before getting one of the movie’s most important roles. He signed on to shoot all three films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary trilogy after discussing the part with Rings filmmaker Peter Jackson. Although it took more than a year to shoot the three films in the $270 million production consecutively, McKellen says the commitment was well worth it.

“I would have spent two years or three years doing this,” he says. “It was a wonderful experience.”

Other cast members were quick to distance Rings from its soon-to-be-box-office competitor, Harry Potter. (Rings opens Dec. 19 in North America and England.) “I’m sure Harry Potter is a marvelous film,” says John Rhys-Davis, who plays the dwarf Gimli and has not seen Potter yet. “But Harry Potter is a child’s film and this is not. They are not in the same company.”

All were in agreement that the aspect of the shooting they’d miss least was the makeup. Elijah Wood, who stars as the hobbit Frodo Baggins, said he had difficulty keeping his big (prosthetic) feet — which are a hobbit’s signature physical trait — from slipping off. “I have sweaty feet,” he admits

“I went through prosthetic hell,” jokes Rhys-Davis. “I put on 4 1/2 pounds of prosthetic silicon so I wouldn’t be seen. That’s a way to end a career.” Along with the cast (sans Cate Blanchett, who recently gave birth), the premiere was attended by a group of U.K. celebrities, including actors Dougray Scott and Rufus Sewell, and musicians Bob Geldof and Simon Le Bon.

Not in attendance was the Tolkien family, which has distanced itself from the film — a point that didn’t displease Jackson. “They would have rather the film not happened,” he says. “That’s their decision and, frankly, it was a fine situation. We were able to avoid a bureaucratic mess.”

Still, Christopher Lee, who portrays the villain Saruman, believes Tolkien would have been proud of their work. I think we have put the spirit of Tolkien on the screen,” says Lee, who met the writer in the 1950s.

Wood chose not to speculate and instead embraced the festive nature of the event and the fact that there will be two more premieres for the film’s sequels over the next two years. “It’s going to be a celebration every year,” he says.

Istari, Wizard of Isengard. Saruman the White was the head of the Istari, the Order of Wizards, who came to Middle-earth about the year 1000 in the Third Age of the Sun. In the Undying Lands he was Curumo, a Maia spirit of Aulë the Smith. When he first appeared he wore white robes, and raven hair and spok with a voice both wise and fair. Called Curunír, meaning, “man of skill”, by the Elves, he wondered the Middle-earth seeking to overcome the Dark Lord. But over time he grew proud and wished to have power for himself.

In the year 2759, Saruman entered Isengard, and the Tower of Orthanc, and summond Orcs, Half-orcs, Uruk-hai, and Dunlendings under black banner marked with a white hand. He became ensnared in the Ring Lord’s web and unwittingly became his servant. Yet , in the War of the Rings, Saruman’s power was annihilated by a combination of the Ent’s march on Isengard, and the Rohirrium in the Battle of Hornburge. Finally, his staff was broken and his sorcerous power was taken from him by Gandalf. So low did Saruman fall that in defeat he looked for petty vengeance in the Shire. There, in a pathetic bid for dominion, Saruman was bested by the Hobbits, then slain by his own servent, Gríma Wormtongue.

Dúnedain lord of Gondor. Eldest son of Denthor II, Ruling Steward of Gondor. Born in the Year 2978 of the Third Age, Boromir was the tall handsome heir to the Steward. In 3018, he valiantly lead the defence of Osiliath against Sauron’s forces. After a prophetic dream that he shared with his brother, Faramir, he made his way to the Elf-kingdom of Rivendell and became a member of the Fellowship of the Ring.

Enduring the many perils of the Fellowship’s journey as far as the Hill of the Eye, near Raurus Falls, he was overcome by the desire to size the One Ring., and tried to kill Frodo Baggins the Ring-bearer.
Although Boromir soon repented, Frodo continued the quest with only Samwise Gamgee as companion. Shortly after, Boromir died in battle while gallantly defending the Hobbits Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took from an Orc attack. Boromir was given a formal ship-burial over the Raurus Falls.

Composed, Orchestrated and Conducted by Howard Shore. Produced by Howard Shore & Suzana Peric. Perfored by The London Philharmonic Orchestra, The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, The London Voices, The London Oratory School Schola, featuring Edward Ross, and ‘May It Be’ performed by Enya. Album released November 19th, 2001. Reprise Records.

1. The Prophecy
2. Concerning Hobbits
3. The Shadow of The Past
4. The Treason of Isengard
5. The Black Riders
6. At the Sign of the Prancing Pony
7. A Knife in The Dark
8. Flight to The Ford
9. Many Meetings
10. The Council of Elrond (Featuring the song “Aniron” – Theme from Arwen and Aragorn – Enya)
11. The Ring Goes South
12. A Journey in The Dark
13. The Bridge of Khazad-Dum
14. Lothlorien (Featuring the song “Lament For Gandalf – Elisabeth Fraser)
15. The Great River
16. Amon Hen
17. The Breaking of The Fellowship (Featuring the song “In Dreams” – Edwar Ross)
18. May It Be (Composed and Performed by Enya)

Review by Matthew Noske – Luiniavas

Howard Shore’s lush score plays in the background and it is if the words of J.R.R. Tolkien whispering in my mind. Softly I hear them as I once read them all those years ago. Film can take shape like no other medium. Through this visual language we sit and absorb it in our own interpretation and all this time the music takes the ride with you almost on your very shoulders. We don’t realise it most of the time but if the composer has done a good job then you quite literally get swept into the story through the music. I like to think of the visuals as the body of the film and the score as it’s soul, as if it were alive.

The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Rings hasn’t hit cinemas as I write this so in order to place the score in it’s proper context I will have to wait. So this is a review of what I thought of the Soundtrack itself, experienced outside the film. 71 minutes, 20 seconds the album goes for. On first listening it felt like twenty minutes. Howard Shore has indeed captured the spirit of The Lord Of The Rings, there’s no doubt but the commercial CD release seems too short, for it doesn’t take long to get addicted. Still in awe of the beauty of the score you have no choice but to listen again, and again. Doesn’t bother me.

“I could not be more pleased with the score for The Fellowship Of The Ring. Howard’s great strength as a composer is his ability to capture the emotional truth of the story – a story of friendship, love and sacirifice which only the truth and beauty of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Vision, but also it’s darkness… and it’s soul”. – Peter Jackson, CD case insert.

The album opens with the track The Prophecy and from there you are transported to the fantastic world of Middle-earth. Introduces a nice “Fellowship” theme that would be the foundation of the score. Quickly we learn the canvas in which the film takes place – epic, gothic and very powerful. You get a sense of feeling that the world into which you are about to enter is not to be taken lightly. There is more going on than we could possibly know – looking at the history of the “One Ring” maybe. But themes develop quickly toward the end of the first track and into the second, Concerning Hobbits, there is a change of heart. The large choral pieces are replaced with a more placid woodwind section to deliver a memorable theme dedicated to Frodo and the Hobbits of the Shire. A theme to be repeated throughout the score in various places where the Hobbits stand out. Howard Shore has given the score many levels that interweave in various moments through the story. Each track brings something new and something fresh. The tale itself is very complex with many characters and key events. The Treason of Isengard transforms from the enduring “Fellowship” theme to an impressive choral effort that builds toward the end. The pounding chorus is used very well through out in such tracks like Flight to the Ford and At The Sign of the Prancing Pony to invoke a strong dramatic effect. Backed by full orchestra this is very impressive. It shows cinematic scope without overdoing it. The Fellowship Of The Ring isn’t all action and drama. Like I said before there is real heart to this score. And this is what turns you around for another listen. Through out the score in the chorus Shore used texts from the novel. More often you never notice it because it blends in exceedingly well but sometimes you can, like in the second last track The Breaking of the Fellowship. “Using the songs and poems is a wonderful way to put Tolkien’s material back into the film and add a literary subtext to the music”.

The books bring you constant information and in turn makes you want to keep reading. This score acts quite like that. Around every corner something new is hiding, waiting to be discovered. And in each track something is, every time. When The Breaking of the Fellowship erupts onto your speakers at the end nothing released all year can overcome this effort. The best track on the album along side The Breaking of the Fellowship is The Bridge of Khazad Dum. The track is strong with lots going on all around and suspense is in the air. Very exiting battle on the bridge of Khazad Dum, as we have the face off between Gandalf and the Balrog. Solid and climatic we listen to the flight build until it comes to a dramatic end. An awesome solo performance and a sad moving piece to top of the best moment on the disc. Moments like these are what The Lord Of The Rings delivers every time you turn the page. Still reading the novel or reading it again, put this CD in you player and read to the music. It becomes inspiring even to the books.
But when it comes to the end of the disc The Breaking of the Fellowship is glorious. Very heroic and adventurous, the spirit has never been more obvious in this final track. Grand round-up of events past and a journey ahead. I will go there and back again.

The Verdict – Just before you put the CD in the player (if you’ve heard it a million times or never at all) you are already jittering in anticipation. So in a sense you are experiencing the album before you’ve even pushed play. It’s not every day a score conjures up emotions like this. This film is with out a doubt the most anticipated movie all year and the score definitely delivers. On the down side the album feels short. Over seventy minutes long is outstanding compared to your average soundtrack, but you just know there is more out there. You do indeed get addicted so the thirst grows ever strong with each listen.
The second thing is that Enya’s song is very good but not as good as Howard Shore’s themes. She should have done something with the music actually used in the film by Shore. The one featured, May It Be, is great and does blend in (quite literally) with the rest of the score. Enya shows up again in The Council of Elrond and make a memorable contribution.
On a high note (this entire review is pretty much that ) The Fellowship Of The Ring is the best score all year (2001) surpassing even John William’s A.I. Howard Shore had the weight of the world on his shoulders when asked for the job of a life time. The pressure to succeed and still be truthful to the works is intensely difficult for every one involved. I went head first into this soundtrack with both doubt and excitement. Came out the other side a completely exhilarated. I urge people to listen to this score especially if it’s the only one all year, this is the “one”. Well done Howard Shore, you made my day.

***** (5 out of 5) by Matthew Noske November 27, 2001

P.S. This is a web site dedicated to The Lord Of The Rings so I might be a little biased. I own and listen to over 200 different film scores continuously and consider myself a fan. You decide

MP3 Downloads Here are a few selected MP3’s from the soundtrack. If you are thinking of downloading any of these then buy it NOW here. Then download while you wait for it to arrive in the mail. The Prophecy – 3.58Mb The Treason of Isengard – 3.62Mb Flight to The Ford – 3.89Mb The Ring Goes South – 1.87Mb The Breaking of The Fellowship – 6.72Mb May It Be performed by Enya – 3.93Mb

Galadriel was a Noldor princess who was born in Eldamar during the Ages of Starlight. Tall and beautiful , with golden hair of her Teleri mother Eärwen, she was called Altariel in Eldamar. During the First Age of the Sun in Beleriand, Galadriel lived with her brother Finrod, in Nargothrond, before entering the Sinder realm of Doriath where she was befriended by Queen Melian and the Grey-elf prince, Celeborn. From the beginning of the Second Age, the couple and thier only child Celebrían, Lived in Lindon; then in the eighth century they moved to Eregion, the realm of the Elven smiths.

Later Galadriel and Celeborn crossed the Misty Mountains and came to rule over their own kingdom in the Golden Wood of Lothlórien. Commanding one of the Three Elven Rings of Power, Galadriel used her powers to weave a ring of enchantment and protection around Lothlórien. During the time of the War of the Ring, Galadriel gave shelter and magical gifts to the Fellowship of the Ring. During the War itself, Galadriel repelled three attempts at invasion, and use powers to bring down the walls of Dol Guldur and cleanse Mirkwood. Then, as the Third Age ended, she sailed to the Undying Lands.

Elijah Wood Interview

November 27, 2001 Source – http://www.visimag.com/xpose/x62display.htm

Xposé Magazine has a special interview with Elija Wood in its new issue #62. It also feature’s an article on Peter Jackson and a guide to The Lord of the Rings all in one 16-page pull-out section when you buy Xposé #62. For the official site click here or buy the mag for the whole lot.

You would think that after squaring off against Middle-earth’s most malevolent forces and weathering a gruelling shoot on what’s being touted as 2001’s last and greatest sure fire mega-blockbuster, nothing could throw actor Elijah Wood for a loop. But in the end, it wasn’t the insidious Gollum or the Dark Lord Sauron who got the drop on the LA resident turned Hobbit hero. Instead, it was something much more common.

“I’m sorry, I have a bit of a cold today,” apologizes Wood before insisting on proceeding with a phone interview.

No problem. No mere virus can dampen his enthusiasm for New Line Cinema’s version of The Lord of the Rings. Yet for Wood, the real adrenaline rush began long before the movie trailer sent fans frothing at the mouth. While filming the teen Sci-Fi invasion flick The Faculty, Wood caught wind that The Lord of the Rings trilogy was receiving Tinsel Town’s golden treatment. Wood resolved to be part of the Hollywood production, taking a creative gamble that paid off big time.

“I didn’t follow the general path in getting this role,” reveals Wood. My agent called and said `you have to put yourself on tape immediately because they are looking for English actors’ so I decided to do my own video. I got a book to research what a Hobbit looked like and then went to a costume store for the wardrobe.

My friend George Huang shot the scene from different angles which we cut together for the video. The next day, I went to the casting office and gave them my tape. The initial reaction was really positive but I didn’t hear Pete’s reaction until a few weeks later. Then, I had to re-audition in front of a white screen, and a few months later, I got the part.”

Of course, fans and critics already knew the young actor possessed the right stuff. Movie guru Roger Ebert even once praised him as `the most talented actor in his age group in Hollywood history.’ But now as Frodo Baggins, the lead character of The Lord of the Rings, the five-foot-six actor is about to hit a new plateau of fame.

With six weeks of prep, not to mention the sixteen month shooting schedule, the Lord of the Ringscast became close very quickly. To commemorate their strong brotherly bond, Wood and his three fellow Hobbits, Sean Astin, Elijah Wood and Dominic Monaghan each had an elvish designed number 7 tattooed on various parts of their bodies.

The fellowship at the end of the movie became the fellowship in real life,” explains Wood. The actors involved were collectively passionate about Tolkien’s world, and I’ve made true friends for life…

Through The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion J.R.R. Tolkien has created quite a complex and detailed world of Arda. Middle-earth has told a story like no other, full of new races, languages, war and piece. Here you can explore some of these and now more about this mythological world. The Information within this section comes from the works of David Day on the original texts by J.R.R. Tolkien.

– Anke Eissmann –