Is everything sad going to come untrue?
Jan. 22nd, 2004 09:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
butterflySo, I'm back from my sixth (I think) viewing of Return of the King. The thoughts are mostly random, and mostly about hobbits. And about my thoughts on the book epilogue, as it were.
I finally realized why I don't cry at the ending. I always expect to, but instead, I'm always left with this calm. Before, I'd assumed that it must be shock. Everyone always mentioned how incredibly sad the ending is - how it inspires tears and grief. I always think that I should cry, but I never do.
Because it isn't a sad ending. That isn't to say that it's a happy one.
It's a peaceful ending.
It starts when Frodo reaches up to Sam, living not for himself, but for love of another. There's no huge change in his eyes - he still longs for the peace that death would bring. It is for Sam that he lives. That's why the wording in the movie is particularly significant - "I'm glad to be with you, Samwise Gamgee. Here at the end of all things." He's chosen life for the sake of Sam. But in the end, that isn't enough to sustain a life on, and Frodo needs to leave, needs to heal. I wonder if Frodo whispered anything to Sam in that final hug, for I saw something on Sam's face that seemed to carry in it a glimmer of hope. Is Frodo telling him that one day a ship may be waiting for Sam? As Galadriel's kiss blessed Frodo, so his blesses Sam.
Once again, I was struck by Pippin. This time, I noticed how Pippin (and Gandalf) were a link between Frodo and Sam, and the others. Until the final battle, when Frodo fights Gollum and Aragorn fights the troll, there are no direct cuts from the Frodo/Sam section to the Aragorn/Legolas/Gimli/Merry sections - they always go through Pippin/Gandalf first. And I noticed that we never see Pippin exalting in Frodo's victory, as we see Merry. No, we only see Pippin after the mountain blows, and Pip's on the ground sobbing - his 'Frodo' is not of victory but of despair. Pippin understands now that there's always a price. He cries when Frodo leaves, but there's acceptance in his eyes.
Each of the hobbits gets at least one moment when their eyes are exquisite beyond belief. Frodo's are bright in the scene where he sends away Sam. Sam's are clear and beautiful in the scene with Frodo in Cirth Ungol. Pippin's take my breath away when he speaks with Gandalf on death. And Merry's are gorgeous in the scene where Pippin finds him.
Once again, I noticed how Return parallels Fellowship in many ways, while Towers tended more towards internal parallels.
On Smeagol and Deagol - their ears are bigger than hobbit ears. And their hair isn't curly enough. Also, it's interesting to notice that Smeagol doesn't go to much effort to help Deagol - he wasn't wet at all, he'd just rowed ashore. Smeagol wasn't exactly quality... even before he encountered the Ring.
I saw Frodo's stump when he was guiding Bilbo and when he was hugging Sam. And it looked bandaged at the coronation.
Oh, and Arwen's colors in the colonation remind me of a lighter version of Eowyn's at the after-battle celebration near the beginning. That green. Once again, the Arwen/Aragorn kiss made me all happy and giddy. As does the Sam/Rosie kiss.
Pippin's the only one who mentions Sam. Aragorn, Merry, Gandalf - they all speak of Frodo. Pippin asks Gandalf, "Is there any hope for Frodo and Sam?". He says, excitedly to Faramir - "You've seen Frodo and Sam." Pippin remembers Sam when no one else mentions him. He assumes that Sam was with Frodo when Faramir saw him - he has no doubt that when they speak of Frodo, it's of Frodo and Sam. Looking at Pippin as the agent of hope, it's fitting that he's the one to mention Sam. And it's also fitting that he catch the bouquet at the wedding - thoughts of the next generation are thoughts of hope.
Also, Elrond is horrible - he puns in his scene with Aragorn. "I give hope to Men." when the name he gave Aragorn (Estel?) means 'hope'. Heh. And he's so sweet with his daughter. He looked like he was a very good father. To both of them. And I adored Arwen's parts even more this time. I still love that they cut from the Merry/Pippin parting to Aragorn and Arwen being parted. I love the way the editing is done, period. The way Frodo and Sam are intermixed with Pippin and Gandalf, and then Pippin and Gandalf are the ones who cut with Aragorn/Legolas/Gimli/Merry. It all means something, or can, and it's hovering just in front of me, just barely out of reach.
Legolas and Gimli are very sweet together - I can easily picture them spending their days together. Traveling between woods and caves, visiting Aragorn and Arwen. I can see the last voyage, Legolas building a boat to carry them across the Sea - together as they should be.
Aragorn and Arwen marry and have children. They're as happy as newlyweds every day of their lives together. When Aragorn finally passes on, Arwen mourns him, fades away in her grief, but never regrets her decision, never regrets having this one lifetime of bliss compared to an eternity of mere memory.
I can see Pippin, marrying Diamond and becoming Took and Thain. Spending as much time with Merry as with his wife, because he promised to look after Merry. I can see him doting on his son, Faramir, and I see him becoming great friends with Sam. And when Sam's Goldilocks marries Faramir, I can see them both beaming with pride and joy. I can see Merry becoming the Master of Buckland, more quiet and reserved than before he left, but still joyful and true. He loves his wife, Estella, but he can never explain to her what happened to him when he was away. He lets Pip look after him, and he doesn't mind the care Pippin takes with him.
Sam loves his Rose deeply. He adores the Shire and his thirteen children. His roots in the land are deep, watered by Rose and by Bag End, and secured by love. All his life, he hears the Sea, but he bides his time, does what his Mr. Frodo asked of him - he lets himself be happy and whole. He dreams of a far-off land, but lives and grows and nurtures his garden and his legacy. When his Rose dies, he says good-bye to the Shire. He goes off to find a ship and to return to the part of his heart that yearns for Elves and stars and magic.
Frodo heals, surrounded by beauty, by love, and by peace. He lets go feeling as though he failed, as he realizes that he did more than anyone else could have. He lets go of hating himself for still longing for the Ring. That longing slowly fades as the years pass and his hair silvers. Yet, though he ages, it is a slow aging. Bilbo dies, near the two people he loves most. Frodo waits, his smiles easy and beautiful now, though there's a touch of longing in them. His finger is still a stump, and his wounds remain, but the pain in his eyes is but memory, when at last a ship reaches the shore. The true last ship, bearing the last Ringbearer home.
And they live happily ever after, to the end of their days.
I finally realized why I don't cry at the ending. I always expect to, but instead, I'm always left with this calm. Before, I'd assumed that it must be shock. Everyone always mentioned how incredibly sad the ending is - how it inspires tears and grief. I always think that I should cry, but I never do.
Because it isn't a sad ending. That isn't to say that it's a happy one.
It's a peaceful ending.
It starts when Frodo reaches up to Sam, living not for himself, but for love of another. There's no huge change in his eyes - he still longs for the peace that death would bring. It is for Sam that he lives. That's why the wording in the movie is particularly significant - "I'm glad to be with you, Samwise Gamgee. Here at the end of all things." He's chosen life for the sake of Sam. But in the end, that isn't enough to sustain a life on, and Frodo needs to leave, needs to heal. I wonder if Frodo whispered anything to Sam in that final hug, for I saw something on Sam's face that seemed to carry in it a glimmer of hope. Is Frodo telling him that one day a ship may be waiting for Sam? As Galadriel's kiss blessed Frodo, so his blesses Sam.
Once again, I was struck by Pippin. This time, I noticed how Pippin (and Gandalf) were a link between Frodo and Sam, and the others. Until the final battle, when Frodo fights Gollum and Aragorn fights the troll, there are no direct cuts from the Frodo/Sam section to the Aragorn/Legolas/Gimli/Merry sections - they always go through Pippin/Gandalf first. And I noticed that we never see Pippin exalting in Frodo's victory, as we see Merry. No, we only see Pippin after the mountain blows, and Pip's on the ground sobbing - his 'Frodo' is not of victory but of despair. Pippin understands now that there's always a price. He cries when Frodo leaves, but there's acceptance in his eyes.
Each of the hobbits gets at least one moment when their eyes are exquisite beyond belief. Frodo's are bright in the scene where he sends away Sam. Sam's are clear and beautiful in the scene with Frodo in Cirth Ungol. Pippin's take my breath away when he speaks with Gandalf on death. And Merry's are gorgeous in the scene where Pippin finds him.
Once again, I noticed how Return parallels Fellowship in many ways, while Towers tended more towards internal parallels.
On Smeagol and Deagol - their ears are bigger than hobbit ears. And their hair isn't curly enough. Also, it's interesting to notice that Smeagol doesn't go to much effort to help Deagol - he wasn't wet at all, he'd just rowed ashore. Smeagol wasn't exactly quality... even before he encountered the Ring.
I saw Frodo's stump when he was guiding Bilbo and when he was hugging Sam. And it looked bandaged at the coronation.
Oh, and Arwen's colors in the colonation remind me of a lighter version of Eowyn's at the after-battle celebration near the beginning. That green. Once again, the Arwen/Aragorn kiss made me all happy and giddy. As does the Sam/Rosie kiss.
Pippin's the only one who mentions Sam. Aragorn, Merry, Gandalf - they all speak of Frodo. Pippin asks Gandalf, "Is there any hope for Frodo and Sam?". He says, excitedly to Faramir - "You've seen Frodo and Sam." Pippin remembers Sam when no one else mentions him. He assumes that Sam was with Frodo when Faramir saw him - he has no doubt that when they speak of Frodo, it's of Frodo and Sam. Looking at Pippin as the agent of hope, it's fitting that he's the one to mention Sam. And it's also fitting that he catch the bouquet at the wedding - thoughts of the next generation are thoughts of hope.
Also, Elrond is horrible - he puns in his scene with Aragorn. "I give hope to Men." when the name he gave Aragorn (Estel?) means 'hope'. Heh. And he's so sweet with his daughter. He looked like he was a very good father. To both of them. And I adored Arwen's parts even more this time. I still love that they cut from the Merry/Pippin parting to Aragorn and Arwen being parted. I love the way the editing is done, period. The way Frodo and Sam are intermixed with Pippin and Gandalf, and then Pippin and Gandalf are the ones who cut with Aragorn/Legolas/Gimli/Merry. It all means something, or can, and it's hovering just in front of me, just barely out of reach.
Legolas and Gimli are very sweet together - I can easily picture them spending their days together. Traveling between woods and caves, visiting Aragorn and Arwen. I can see the last voyage, Legolas building a boat to carry them across the Sea - together as they should be.
Aragorn and Arwen marry and have children. They're as happy as newlyweds every day of their lives together. When Aragorn finally passes on, Arwen mourns him, fades away in her grief, but never regrets her decision, never regrets having this one lifetime of bliss compared to an eternity of mere memory.
I can see Pippin, marrying Diamond and becoming Took and Thain. Spending as much time with Merry as with his wife, because he promised to look after Merry. I can see him doting on his son, Faramir, and I see him becoming great friends with Sam. And when Sam's Goldilocks marries Faramir, I can see them both beaming with pride and joy. I can see Merry becoming the Master of Buckland, more quiet and reserved than before he left, but still joyful and true. He loves his wife, Estella, but he can never explain to her what happened to him when he was away. He lets Pip look after him, and he doesn't mind the care Pippin takes with him.
Sam loves his Rose deeply. He adores the Shire and his thirteen children. His roots in the land are deep, watered by Rose and by Bag End, and secured by love. All his life, he hears the Sea, but he bides his time, does what his Mr. Frodo asked of him - he lets himself be happy and whole. He dreams of a far-off land, but lives and grows and nurtures his garden and his legacy. When his Rose dies, he says good-bye to the Shire. He goes off to find a ship and to return to the part of his heart that yearns for Elves and stars and magic.
Frodo heals, surrounded by beauty, by love, and by peace. He lets go feeling as though he failed, as he realizes that he did more than anyone else could have. He lets go of hating himself for still longing for the Ring. That longing slowly fades as the years pass and his hair silvers. Yet, though he ages, it is a slow aging. Bilbo dies, near the two people he loves most. Frodo waits, his smiles easy and beautiful now, though there's a touch of longing in them. His finger is still a stump, and his wounds remain, but the pain in his eyes is but memory, when at last a ship reaches the shore. The true last ship, bearing the last Ringbearer home.
And they live happily ever after, to the end of their days.
