Wellington: The hobbits Frodo and Sam share a special bond in J.R.R.Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings , and the actors who play the roles in Peter Jackson’s movie version of the story say they now feel a similar connection. [More]
Day: December 3, 2003
By Mike Houlahan, of NZPA
Wellington: The hobbits Frodo and Sam share a special bond in J.R.R.Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings , and the actors who play the roles in Peter Jackson’s movie version of the story say they now feel a similar connection.
Elijah Wood (Frodo) and Sean Astin (Sam) spent every day together for two years as they played their parts in telling the story in the trilogy, the final part of which has its world premiere in Wellington today.
Their close bond comes from the fact that, as in the books, they split early from the Fellowship of the Ring. Just as Frodo, Sam and their untrustworthy guide Gollum made their own way to Mordor, Wood, Astin and Andy Serkis (Gollum) spent months together shooting their own scenes.
“Sean was amazing. It was like having another brother,” Wood said.
“A lot of what you see on screen is the reality of our relationship. We relied on each other just as Frodo and Sam relied on each other, so bringing that to the screen was effortless.”
Despite the closeness of the characters, the friends are placed under more pressure than ever before as their nightmare walk to Mordor unfolds in Return Of The King .
“There’s a real threat to their relationship in this film and ultimately they come through the experience better friends than they have ever been,” Wood said.
“I think in this film you realise Frodo couldn’t have done it without Sam, and he knows that.”
One of the most emotional moments in the film comes when Sam – realising he cannot bear the burden of the ring – says if he is unable do that he can at least carry the ring-bearer.
“You can’t look around and see the calibre of work being created by everybody and then you be the weak link,” Astin said.
“You’ve got Frodo cradled in your arms and you’re not going to go there [emotionally]? Sure, you’re going to go there. Peter sets this emotional crossbar . . . You keep at it until you find a level of emotional honesty and truth that resonates.”
The scene immediately after is one Woods recalled as one of the most powerful in the films.
“Sam holds Frodo in his arms recalling the Shire, trying to make light of the situation . . . there’s the sense Frodo is dying and these two hobbits . . . can barely carry on. It was a very sad sequence to film and very challenging.
“For Sean and I, I think that was the most important scene in terms of our characters’ journey. I remember we were all crying. Peter was crying.”
ReyHechicero writes: The Discine company announced screenings of the Extented Editions of FOTR on December 12th and TTT on December 19th in all local cinemas. The Return of the King will be december 25th. What a great Christmas gift!!!
D writes: I thought you would be interested to know, The Lord of the Rings Symphony conducted by Howard Shore is coming to Montreal, Monday, February 23rd, 2004 at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier. [More]
Tonight we have TWO Ticket Exchange offerings, both of which have special circumstances.
UPDATE: We HAVE OUR WINNERS.
we will have TWO ticket opportunities posted at 7 pm tomorrow. Read the complete details HERE. Good luck!
Tonight we have TWO Ticket Exchange offerings, both of which have special circumstances. Please read all the details carefully before replying. I will be double checking with the winners to be certain they are aware of the caveats involved.
Tonight’s first set of tickets are for a Fundraiser event on Dec. 5th in Palm Springs, CA. This is Not a Trilogy Tuesday event. It is an early showing of “Return of the King,” with a speech beforehand by Sir Ian McKellen. Complete details may be found here: More. The winner MUST be available to meet with the seller Thursday in the Pasadena area to transfer the tickets.
Here are the details:
Tonight’s ticket exchange offering is for FOUR tickets to the KCET fundraiser advance screening in Palm Springs, CA on December 5th. The first person to e-mail maegwen@theonering.net with the following subject line will be put into contact with the ticket seller. The price is $200 ($50 each). The subject line MUST read: “Please let me win Palm Springs Tickets.”
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Tonight’s second set of tickets are for the Uptown Theater in Washington, DC. This theater experienced difficulties during the ticket-sales process, and consequently tickets were sold INDIVIDUALLY to each of the three films. People wishing to attend the full event MUST possess tickets to ALL THREE MOVIES. That being said, many people mistakenly thought that they needed to buy only one ticket, and therefore some purchased tickets only to Return of the King, or to Fellowship of the Ring. Read our full story HERE for complete details. Tonight we are offering one FULL SET of tickets and one PARTIAL set, with tickets to FOTR and TTT. Please be aware that having tickets to the first two films will NOT permit you to stay for ROTK unless you have tickets for the final movie. We are hoping these tickets will be helpful to persons who may possess only ROTK tickets.
Here are the details:
FIRST TICKET EXCHANGE