Frodo Lives: A Critical Analysis
“Frodo Lives” – A Critical Analysis of a Movie: The Lord of the Rings
by gentlegiant
Upon reading J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy The Lord of the Rings as a young
adult, Peter Jackson found himself both wondering if and hoping that,
someday, someone would make it into a movie. Throughout the 50 years
that followed its publication, The Lord of the Rings was regarded as
being too complex in both nature and scope for any worthy film
adaptation to be feasible. In 1971, Jackson had no idea that he would
eventually become that “someone” who would transform the literary
masterpiece into a critically acclaimed motion picture. But is this
movie more than “just” a movie? Does it not only entertain but also
bring about “greater things?” Is it truly of national or even
international significance? Why has this particular source of “pure”
entertainment prompted millions of people worldwide to unite in ways
that many regard as unbridled passion and admiration (not only for the
movie itself, but for its director, writers, actors, set directors,
score composer and musical performers, its fictitious environs and
imaginary creatures, and so much more)?
Within this paper, I will present information that answers questions
such as those above so that the reader will have a greater
understanding of how and why the movie, The Lord of the Rings, has
affected such an incredible number of people worldwide in such a
powerful and significant way.
It is fairly common knowledge that J.R.R. Tolkien, as a matter of
principle, despised the very suggestion of allegory within his works.
But, to paraphrase a line from another movie, Forrest Gump, “readers is
as readers does.” By that, I mean only that any given work of
literature is likely to establish – within all its readers’ minds – an
intricate set of bonds and connections which pull each reader “into”
the work in a uniquely individual manner. So, although Tolkien may not
have intended that the specific details within his work be interpreted
as symbolic of anything in the “real world” or allegorical in any way,
a sound assumption, nonetheless, comes to the fore; all readers have a
tendency to seek out such symbolic or allegorical ideas or concepts. If
one presumes that this assumption has any merit, then a fantasy epic
such as Tolkien’s 1000 page novel is likely to present numerous,
potentially allegorical parallels to the real lives of virtually all of
its readers.
The same can be said of Peter Jackson’s lengthy (roughly eleven hours)
film adaptation. Although many details of the novel have been altered
or deleted, the movie closely flows with and adheres to the original
concepts of the author’s incredible story-telling skills and vivid
imagination. As a result of this, Jackson’s visual interpretation of
the novel serves the purpose of taking the novel to an entirely new
level of existence. (This new “life” is neither necessarily better nor
necessarily worse than the original; it is simply new.) During the late
1960’s and early 1970’s, signs started appearing here and there, such
as in the subway tunnels of New York City, that stated, simply, “Frodo
Lives.” Much like Tolkien initially brought Frodo and all of Middle
Earth to life in the novel, Peter Jackson has breathed new life into
that realm in the movie.
There are few who would deny that general popularity and, hence,
money-making ability is a means by which someone’s – or something’s –
value or importance can be measured. The simple truth of the matter is
that the first installment was very successful at the box office; and
the second and third installments have each done better than their
predecessors. (If the first installment of the movie, The Fellowship of
the Ring, had not been nearly as successful as it was, I likely would
not be writing this paper at this time!) There are very few movies in
cinematic history that can boast greater overall popularity than The
Lord of the Rings, which is very close to having garnered three billion
dollars in ticket sales in just over two years. However, the ability to
turn huge a profit is not of itself a means of determining anything’s
true significance. In order to properly evaluate The Lord of the Rings
in such a way, one must certainly delve deeper.
The Lord of the Rings has already been highly regarded and critically
acclaimed as a masterpiece within the realm of cinematic history. At
the professional level, the movie has already acquired much recognition
from many who make their living in the movie industry. In March, 2002,
The Fellowship of the Ring received four Oscars®. The following
year, The Two Towers received two. Approximately two weeks ago, The
Return of the King was nominated for a total of 11 Oscars®. But
even these facts do not begin to tell the complete story of the
critical acclaim for the movie. At the recent Golden Globe awards, The
Return of the King received four awards in as many nominations,
including Best Picture and Best Director. Even more recently, the
Director’s Guild awarded Peter Jackson with its Best Director honors.
Throughout the entire history of film making, very few movies have –
and no other fantasy film has – been so highly regarded.
This movie possesses significance in still other manners and forms.
Director Peter Jackson hails from New Zealand. The actors within the
film come from Europe (including Scotland and England), Australia, New
Zealand, and the United States. Even before one image had been caught
on film, The Lord of the Rings had garnered much interest and attention
at the international level. This same world-wide interest carries over
in the fact that seemingly countless fan clubs and web-sites have been
created around the world in its honor. The movie has gained the
attention and intense interest of tens of millions of people
world-wide. Through these clubs, members chat, share their passions for
the movie and its actors, share both the joys and dilemmas within their
daily lives, and – much like the Inklings of Tolkien/Lewis/et al fame
-- share assorted literary efforts including poetry, prose,
fan-fiction, and even occasional novels-in-progress. Other members, in
addition to some or all of the above activities, plan in-person
get-togethers; and all of these activities are largely a direct result
of having viewed the movie. In short, this movie has prompted the
creation of a myriad of real world “fellowships” which offer people
from all walks of life a chance to share this common and powerful
interest.
I have already touched upon several aspects of the significance that
the movie The Lord of the Rings has come to possess and disseminate,
but like the One Ring itself – like the power of Sauron that was
represented within that ring – the significance of the One Movie seems
to flow outward in ways that are highly varied and nearly exponential
in magnitude. Perhaps the most intangible measure of the significance
of this movie would be the new-found interest in reading that has
enveloped many regions of our real world as surely as the evil darkness
spread from Mordor toward other regions in Middle Earth. Recently, I
learned that sales of the novel through amazon.com and similar sales
sites had increased nearly 1000% from the time that the first
installment was released. The movie has prompted a new generation of
readers to examine J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary genius. (I had never read
the novel until after seeing the first installment.) But surely, this
trend will not end at Tolkien. Many of those who received the novel as
a gift or purchased it for their own use will also seek out works by
other gifted authors of fantasy and other genres.
Likely, it would be impossible to determine any demographic breakdown
of these new readers, but I know that many of the members in the club
to which I belong are not yet in their mid-teens; some members are only
ten! Perhaps now, thanks in large part to J.R.R. Tolkien in the first
place and to Peter Jackson in the second, young adults and even fairly
young children will become more involved readers, enter the truly
astounding world of serious literature, and take the entire concept of
reading more seriously than I ever did in my own youth.
So, is this "just” another movie? I think not. No mere movie – no
insignificant text of any sort – could ever hope to induce such
widespread interest and acclaim as has The Lord of the Rings.
Earlier, I mentioned the appearance of signs stating simply “Frodo
lives.” Most people at that time had absolutely no idea who – or what,
for that matter! – Frodo was. Now, thanks largely to this truly
remarkable cinematic achievement, people all over the world are being
introduced to Frodo and all the other characters – some good and some
evil; some eloquent and others crude; some having two horns and others
having eight legs) – in a highly visual and realistic manner. People
are taking increased interest in such worthy things as becoming more
literate, joining fellowships of their own, and becoming caring friends.
And someday, perhaps, if we are not very “careful,” we may suddenly
realize that Frodo does not “live” in the subway tunnels anymore. He –
along with his innocently good nature – may well end up living within
all of us; not only when we “visit” Frodo’s Middle Earth in either its
cinematic or literary form, but whenever we venture down “the Road
[that] goes ever on and on” about our own Real World.
12-Feb-04