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  • Essay / The Fellowship of the Ring: Text and film comparison

    Tolkien's colorful world of Middle-earth has been a place of escapist adventure in the minds of many since its humble beginnings among the 1950s. Since the debut of his novel The Fellowship of the Ring, he has inspired minds with his epic tales of untold bravery, touched hearts with his scenes of sacrificial love, and honored people's souls with his philosophical commentaries. profound about who we are as a society and as individuals. It was the responsibility of transposing these elements into a new medium that Peter Jackson happily accepted in 1997 when he obtained the rights to begin producing a film adaptation. Although under great pressure to accurately recreate the world of Lord of the Rings, Jackson excelled in creating a film that mirrors the book almost seamlessly and is a classic in its own right. Effective casting, award-winning soundtracks and captivating cinematographic techniques are all used to enhance Jackson's detailed and precise telling of a timeless story. Readers of the novel feel an emotional connection with Tolkien's characters, and creating coherence in the film required casting appropriate and effective actors. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Characterization is always a major aspect in any adaptation from one medium to another. How characters are portrayed to meet readers' prior expectations is an essential part of any successful adaptation. Actors were cast in The Fellowship of the Ring to reflect the appearances, mannerisms, and personalities of the original characters. Jackson went to great lengths to cast actors who played their characters effectively, and a clear example of this dedication is found in the casting of the character Aragorn. In The Fellowship of the Ring, Aragorn is a confident, competent, and strong character. His crude appearances are somewhat deceptive, for he is in reality an heir to the throne, and this regality becomes more and more evident throughout the novel. After Stuart Townsend's offer to play the role was declined, Viggo Mortensen was cast; due to his commanding presence, older appearance, and ability to demonstrate Aragorn's concerned yet confident personality. The main character throughout the film and film is Frodo Baggins, an inexperienced, competent and somewhat introverted hobbit who is given the task of destroying the Ring. For the casting of this character, we needed a young adult capable of representing the immense emotion felt by Frodo in the novel while playing the role of a happy and carefree young man that we find in the first chapters. Elijah Wood has done extremely well in developing the dynamic characterization found in the literary character and his rich acting experience; in comedy and philosophical drama, made him suitable for the role. Due to the fantasy nature of the novel, makeup artists and visual effects were used in order to match appearances with the characters living in readers' imaginations. These attempts to create characters that reflected Tolkien's comprehensive descriptions were award-winning, with the film receiving Academy Awards for 'Best Makeup' and 'Best Visual Effects'. The cast of The Fellowship of the Ring successfully reflects the characters in readers' imaginations, bringing them seamlessly to the big screen. However, other elements of a novel must also be considered when transferring a story from asupport to another. Iconic scenes are one of these elements, and since they are etched in the readers' memory, great care must be taken to successfully tell them in another medium. . Tolkien's novel is filled with iconic scenes, masterful strokes of detailed storytelling, which provide the reader with striking visuals of the environment, characters and actions taking place. Due to the time constraints placed on the films, however, many scenes had to be shortened or omitted. A simple omission often leaves readers unsatisfied and not every scene can be shortened. For these reasons, Jackson combined several scenes, retaining the meaning and significance of the original scenes while shortening the time required to perform them. One such scene is present when the Fellowship is introduced to the Ringwraiths. Various cinematographic techniques are deployed in order to bring tension and an innate sense of horror to the scene. As they travel along a forest path, the sound of horses' hooves is heard and they quickly leave the path, aware that they are being chased. They take refuge under a large tree root and all ambient bird noise ceases. The camera pans low, looking through the undergrowth at the hiding hobbits and the Ringwraith above. This low angle gives a feeling of vulnerability and immediately vilifies the Ringwraith, showing its immense power and evil intentions. The sharp, angular iron armor he wears offers strong connotations of cruelty and strength. The next camera angle positions the Wraith's hand directly above the hobbits, revealing just how close he really is. Insects and worms then emerge from the ground around the hobbits, showing the repulsive nature of the Wraith, that even nature is repelled. At this point, soft, eerie music rises, deepening the tension and creating an element of suspense. The evil presence of the Wraith begins to overpower Frodo, and he goes to place the ring on his finger. The volume of the soundtrack increases, signaling the importance of this action, and close-ups of the characters convey their emotional reaction. The Wraith then becomes distracted and leaves with a hideous scream. Foley used various animal noises for the scream to create a terrifying sound effect that mirrors the book. Tolkien writes, “Darkness accompanied them and they cried with the voices of death,” and this is depicted accurately in the film. This timeless scene is the result of combining two pivotal experiences from the book. In one, Frodo “threw himself into a patch of tall grass behind a tree,” while the other hobbits hid in a hollow by the side of the road. The second scene of the book describes how the Hobbits "had no time to find a better hiding place than the general darkness under the trees." In this scene, they hid behind a tree trunk and Frodo carefully crept towards the road to see his enemy. The clever mix of these two scenes preserves the setting and the actions of the characters, while they hide behind a tree facing an unknown enemy. It also conveys the intense fear and horror of the Ringwraith that is present in the novel. This scene from the film uses several semiotic codes in order to successfully meet the reader's expectations and convey the concepts present in the book. When used successfully, semiotic codes provide deeper meaning and understanding to film viewers, better recreating aspects of a novel in film. Howard Shore's musical composition for The Fellowship of the Ring is extremely clever in the way it uses the musical device of leitmotifs while,.