Hope is never mere, even when it is meager. When all other senses sleep, the eye of hope is first to awaken and last to shut (Gil-Galad)

Wie geht's?

This week's Jewels for the Thirsty blog mentioned that we have watched the first two seasons of The Lord of the Rings TV spin-off - The Rings of Power.

It's been a struggle.

Generally, the tendency to stretch out a thin prequel plot (Sauron's rise to omniscient power thousands of years before the events in the novels) means it's quite slow moving at times. There's still at least one more season to go. Peter Jackson has a lot to answer for. He's not involved in the TV show, but his lengthy LotR films set a precedent (I forgive him though because Get Back wasn't long enough).

While it looks good, there are far too many characters to keep track of and the one hero most likely for us to form a bond with (the Amazon woman/Elf - Galadriel) is a churning mess of guilt and thoughtless aggression. 

Actually, the other heroic figure I could like is the ninja like wood Elf - Arondir. He keeps popping up at crazy times to kill orcs with his bow and limitless supply of arrows, but he arrives without exposition and then drifts off once the action is over. Frustrating.

It's all very hard to keep track off as the locations shift continuously. There are so many times we have wondered where and when we are in the story. Then there's the wizard (a.k.a. the stranger, a.k.a. Gandalf) who's arrived from a different planet it seems. Whaat?

Unfortunately, once we'd watched one season we are committed to watching the rest.

It doesn't help, I guess, that my brain has wandered away from Hobbits, Elves and rings. 

I read The Hobbit and the three books that make up The Lord of the Rings when I was 15 - 16 and loved their world. I've re-read them once when the films came out and I didn't enjoy them as much as I did when I was a teenager.

Plus, I am conflicted over the films. I prefer the worlds I created in my teenage imagination. For good or for bad, my fascination for elves and fairies (and fantasy fiction) has passed. 

Regardless, I'll still watch season 3 when it drops.

Love and peace - Wozza

Side by side we wait the might (Led Zeppelin)

While watching The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, I was again struck by its similarities to Star Wars.

George Lucas was clearly influenced by the Tolkien fantasies. It was nice to notice how Peter Jackson has in turn been influenced by Star Wars. After the Emperor is killed in Return Of The Jedi, Luke removes his father's mask and says, "I've got to save you'. To which Anakin replies, 'You already have, Luke'. Almost the same dialogue in Return Of The King before King Theoden dies and Eowyn says 'I'm going to save you'. Theoden replies, 'You already did'.

Here are some other connections that I found from a Google search.

Star Wars	Lord of the Rings
Yoda	Gollum (greenish, pointy-eared, raggedy midget with a speech impediment)
Obi-Wan and Luke's lightsabers glow blue. Darth's lightsaber glows red.	Gandalf and Bilbo's magic swords glow blue. The Balrog's magic sword flames red.
Obi-Wan Kenobi	Gandalf
Darth Vader	The Witch-King
Emperor Palpatine	Sauron
Obi-Wan digs Anakin's lightsaber out of an old wooden box, gives to Luke	Bilbo digs his magic sword out of an old wooden box, gives to Frodo
Darth cuts off Luke's hand, which plunges into the abyss with Luke's lightsaber	Gollum bites off Frodo's finger, which plunges into the abyss with the One Ring
Yoda foretells the future, and Luke must decide whether to help his friends or not. Yoda warns that he's seen only one possible future.	Galadriel foretells the future, and Sam must decide whether to help his friends or not. Galadriel warns that she's seen only one possible future.
Darth tries to convince Luke to join the dark side, thereby bringing order to the galaxy	Saruman tries to convince Gandalf to join the evil wizards, thereby bringing order to Middle Earth
Mysterious figure throws back hood of robe to reveal that he's Obi-Wan	Mysterious figure throws back hood of robe to reveal that he's Gandalf
Luke: "I shouldn't have come, I'm endangering the mission." (Because Darth can sense him)	Glorfindel: "It is you, Frodo, and that which you bear that brings us into peril." (Because Sauron can sense the One Ring)
Luke watches from across a chasm as his mentor Obi-Wan duels with Darth Vader using blue and red lightsabers	Frodo watches from across a chasm as his mentor Gandalf duels with a Balrog using blue and red flaming magic swords
Heros are walking through a forest when they're surprised by ewoks, captured at spear-point, then taken to a village in the trees	Heros are walking through a forest when they're surprised by elves, captured at arrow-point, then taken to a village in the trees

I have been fascinated by the concept of the hero's journey for a long time. It's why I love road movies so much.

The hero's journey is a great concept from one of my own great heros - Joseph Campbell. He traces a number of stages in the journey that can easily be related to Frodo Baggins in The Lord Of The Rings and to Luke Skywalker in Star Wars episodes 4 to 6.

1. THE ORDINARY WORLD. The hero, uneasy, uncomfortable or unaware, is introduced sympathetically. The hero is shown against a background of environment, heredity, and personal history (Luke on Tattoine and Frodo in the Shire). Some kind of polarity in the hero’s life is pulling in different directions and causing stress (Luke initially rejects Obi Wan's idea of becoming a Jedi but wants to get away to the academy and Frodo is comfortable with life in the shire but envies Bilbo's previous adventures).

2. THE CALL TO ADVENTURE. Something shakes up the situation, either from external pressures or from something rising up from deep within, so the hero must face the beginnings of change. Luke has to deal with the death of his uncle and aunt. Frodo is left the lord of the rings by Bilbo.

3. REFUSAL OF THE CALL. The hero feels the fear of the unknown and tries to turn away from the adventure, however briefly. Alternately, another character may express the uncertainty and danger ahead. Sam wants to return to the Shire after they get to Rivendell. C3PO is constantly reminding Luke and others of the dangers ahead.  

4. MEETING WITH THE MENTOR. The hero comes across a seasoned traveler of the worlds who gives him or her training, equipment, or advice that will help on the journey. Or the hero reaches within to a source of courage and wisdom.Yoda and Lady Galadriel are the obvious mentors met along the way.

5. CROSSING THE THRESHOLD. At the end of Act One, the hero commits to leaving the Ordinary World and entering a new region or condition with unfamiliar rules and values. Frodo makes the decision to take the ring to Mount Doom and thereby creates the fellowship. Luke has to rescue the princess on the Death Star.

6. TESTS, ALLIES AND ENEMIES. The hero is tested and sorts out allegiances in the Special World. Frodo uses Gollum as a guide and has to deal with the giant spider and is then captured by the Orcs. Luke has to free his friends and then confront Darth Vader to become a Jedi.

7. APPROACH. The hero and newfound allies prepare for the major challenge in the Special world. For Frodo it is destroying the ring, Luke must destroy the Death Star. 

8. THE ORDEAL. Near the middle of the story, the hero enters a central space in the Special World and confronts death or faces his or her greatest fear. Out of the moment of death comes a new life. Luke confronts himself and learns the ways of the force in the Dagobah system with Yoda. Frodo decides to leave the fellowship and confront his greatest fears - the Ringwraiths, the Witch-King and that giant spider (ick).

9. THE REWARD. The hero takes possession of the treasure won by facing death. There may be celebration, but there is also danger of losing the treasure again. Frodo loses the ring when captured by the Orcs but regains it from Sam. Luke allows himself to be captured on Endor and loses his light sabre but reagains it from the Emperor.

10. THE ROAD BACK. About three-fourths of the way through the story, the hero is driven to complete the adventure, leaving the Special World to be sure the treasure is brought home. Often a chase scene signals the urgency and danger of the mission. This is effectively where the movies have to end. Frodo chucks the ring into the molten lava and Luke destroys the new Death Star after the Emperor is killed. There is no emotional room after these climaxes for a resurrection.

11. THE RESURRECTION. At the climax, the hero is severely tested once more on the threshold of home. He or she is purified by a last sacrifice, another moment of death and rebirth, but on a higher and more complete level. By the hero’s action, the polarities that were in conflict at the beginning are finally resolved. This final test has become a cliche in horror films where the poor hero has to overcome one more final attempt on their life. In most films, though, Star Wars and TLOTR included, the climax is reached and then we move straight to the coda.

12. RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR. The hero returns home or continues the journey, bearing some element of the treasure that has the power to transform the world as the hero has been transformed. Frodo decides to leave the Shire, after finishing his book, and goes off on fresh adventures with Gandalf. Luke has 'saved' his father and is ready for new challenges. Unfortunately George hasn't yet go around to episodes 7, 8, and 9 (they were initally planned).

Phew - a lengthy post this one with it's own coda:

I wrote in the previous post that those movies didn't make me miss NZ and I should have explained why they didn't.

Those Middle Earth (a.k.a. New Zealand) scenes in The Two Towers of misty mountains, snowy ranges, green pastures, rocky outcrops etc are etched into my memories, filled away in drawers labelled 'wonder'. Like William Wordsworth, it only takes a little effort for me to access those files. I carry them with me.

Love and peace - Wozza

The drums will shake the castle wall, the Ringwraiths ride in black (Led Zeppelin)

Finished Happyslapped by a jellyfish. A good laugh and Karl Pilkington makes some salient points. Take this bit on fruit frinstance:

I do like fruit, but I find that some of it involves too much messing about to get into. I mainly buy fruit that I can have as a snack when I'm out for the day. Apples are good for this. Bananas are good. Plums are fine. Pineapples are too much hassle. That's why you never see anyone buying pineapples in supermarkets. People should stop growing them.

We've been re-watching The Lord Of The Rings over the last couple of days. Carrefour had the boxed set on special - worked out at $NZ40 for the three films which I thought was too good to miss. Even though I haven't really enjoyed the films in the past, Jacky loves 'em. But me - Craig Parker as an elf warrior?? Please.

So the first one, Fellowship Of The Ring was last night and it was its usual struggle to make it through those introductions and the Arwen love story always drags for me. It's blimin long too, but it looks great!

I was thinking that watching all that sublime New Zealand (a.k.a. Middle Earth) scenery would maybe make me nostalgic for home but...it didn't. Even with Jacky's usual commentary about the NZ locations.

Today we watched part 2 - The Two Towers, in the morning, and it was surprisingly better than I remembered it. The Battle for Helms Deep gives it a major plotline to turn to and the pace is livelier. Scenery is even more spectacular as well. I hadn't noticed the comic relief lines given to Gimli quite so much before and Sam's stirring speech at the end is...stirring.

http://youtu.be/NPtnPkFPF_g

We are now plowing through part 3 - The Return Of The King and pausing for dinner. These are long films (although I have to say The Two Towers skipped by this morning) so we have to build in toilet breaks and food stops.

This is the one that won the academy award for best picture but I remember it best for the really really really drawn out ending. It seems to end about 300 times.

Never mind - they are triumphs of NZ film making and I am enjoying them much more this time around. Even Gollum seems more successfully integrated than before. Pity I can't airbrush out Craig Parker from The Two Towers though. I was a judge at a theatre sports event with him once and he stunk of tobacco and was quite a figjam (he loved the sound of his own voice) but I guess actors need an ego. At least The Return Of The King has the great Karl Urban who looks the part as a warrior of Gondor.

The Matrix trilogy is next. Maybe this time I'll understand it (I think that every time though).

Love and peace - Wozza