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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - 15 Years Later

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L

Loxley

Member
This month marks the 15th anniversary of the release of the movie changed (and to a large degree, legitimized) live-action fantasy on the big screen as we know it; The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

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Released on 10 December 2001, the film was highly acclaimed by critics and fans alike who considered it to be a landmark in film-making and an achievement in the fantasy film genre. It has continued to be featured on critic lists of the greatest fantasy films ever made, as of 2015. The film was a massive box office success, earning over $871 million worldwide, and becoming the second highest-grossing film of 2001 in the US and worldwide (behind Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone). As of November 2016, it is the 49th highest-grossing film of all time worldwide unadjusted for inflation.

It was nominated for thirteen Oscars at the 74th Academy Awards ceremony, including Best Picture and Best Director, and winning four for Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, Best Original Score, and Best Visual Effects. It also won four British Academy Film Awards, including Best Film and Best Director BAFTA awards. The Special Extended Edition was released to DVD on 12 November 2002 and to Blu-ray Disc on 28 June 2011. In 2007, The Fellowship of the Ring was voted No. 50 on the American Film Institute's list of 100 greatest American films. The AFI also voted it the second greatest fantasy film of all time during their 10 Top 10 special. The film ranks #24 on Empire magazine's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time.
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About the film's lengthy development:

Peter Jackson began working with artist Christian Rivers to storyboard the series in August 1997, as well as getting Richard Taylor and Weta Workshop to begin creating his interpretation of Middle-earth. Jackson told them to make Middle-earth as plausible and believable as possible, to think of Middle-earth in a historical manner.

In November, Alan Lee and John Howe became the film trilogy's primary conceptual designers, having had previous experience as illustrators for the book and various other tie-ins. Lee worked for the Art Department creating places such as Rivendell, Isengard, Moria and Lothlórien, giving Art Nouveau and geometry influences to the Elves and Dwarves respectively. Though Howe contributed with Bag End and the Argonath, he focused working on armour having studied it all his life. Weta and the Art Department continued to design, with Grant Major turning the Art Department's designs into architecture, and Dan Hennah scouting locations. On 1 April 1999, Ngila Dickson joined the crew as costume designer. She and 40 seamstresses would create 19,000 costumes, 40 per version for the actor and their doubles, ageing and wearing them out for impression of age
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Special effects:

The Fellowship of the Ring makes extensive use of digital, practical and make-up special effects throughout. One noticeable illusion that appears in almost every scene involves setting a proper scale so that the characters are all the correct height. Elijah Wood, who plays Frodo, is 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) tall in real life, but the character of Frodo Baggins is barely four feet in height. Many different tricks were used to depict the hobbits (and Gimli the Dwarf) as being of diminutive stature. (In a happy coincidence, John-Rhys Davies – who played Gimli – is as tall compared to the Hobbit actors as his character needed to be compared to theirs, so he did not need to be filmed separately as a third variation of height, and is quite taller than Orlando Bloom, who played Legolas.) Large- and small-scale doubles were used in certain scenes, while entire duplicates of certain sets (including Bag End in Hobbiton) were built at two different scales, so that the characters would appear to be the appropriate size. At one point in the film, Frodo runs along a corridor in Bag End, followed by Gandalf. Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen were filmed in separate versions of the same corridor, built at two different scales, and a fast camera pan conceals the edit between the two. Forced perspective was also employed, so that it would look as though the short Hobbits were interacting with taller Men and Elves. Even the simple use of kneeling down, to the filmmakers' surprise, turned out to be an effective method in creating the illusion.

For the battle between the Last Alliance and Sauron's forces that begins the film, an elaborate CGI animation system, called MASSIVE, was developed by Stephen Regelous; it allowed thousands of individual animated "characters" in the program to act independently. This helped give the illusion of realism to the battle sequences. The "Making of" Lord of the Rings DVD reports some interesting initial problems: in the first execution of a battle between groups of characters, the wrong groups attacked each other. In another early demo, some of the warriors at the edge of the field could be seen running away. They were initially moving in the wrong direction, and had been programmed to keep running until they encountered an enemy.

The digital creatures were important due to Jackson's requirement of biological plausibility. Their surface was scanned from large maquettes before numerous digital details of their skeletons and muscles were added. In the case of the Balrog, Gray Horsfield created a system that copied recorded imagery of fire.
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Select Scenes:



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The Fellowship of the Ring: Appendices (Extensive Behind the Scenes)


The film's soundtrack:

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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on November 20, 2001. It was composed, orchestrated, and conducted by Howard Shore, and performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and the London Oratory School Schola

Unlike the subsequent single-disc albums, the opening track for The Fellowship of the Ring does not contain the "History of the Ring" motif. This was because the filmmakers intended to film a shorter prologue sequence (which the track "The Prophecy" accompanied) and also felt it was slightly overused, but the idea was eventually dropped in favor of a more detailed and engaging sequence. The front cover for this CD was available in various designs.
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Select tracks:


The Fellowship of the Ring - Around the Web:

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Recommended Reading:

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(Credit to the LOTR wikia and Wikipedia for the info)
 
Strangelove77

Strangelove77

Member
I need to rewatch this, but I know I'd have to watch the extended version and I'd have to watch the other 2 films right after as well. I just can't watch one. Impossible.
 
S

Sec0nd

Member
Incredible piece of art. While not Fellowship, I'm attending a Return of the King in concert later this month and I'm so bloody excited for it!
 
N

Nokterian

Member
Holy moly has it been 15 years already? Fuck i feel old..still all 3 movies are still one of the best in cinema history to date. I got the extended edition on blu ray and i am very happy seeing the more development instead of the theater cut.

Also watch this from nerdwriter on how Music Elevates the Story a very cool video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7BkmF8CJpQ
 
N

NullPointer

Member
Perfect timing.

Was planning to rewatch the extended editions over the holiday break.

I'd highly recommend watching all of the making of videos - the work that went into these films is staggering.
 
G

-griffy-

Banned
I remember getting the soundtrack CD and running to my car to cram it into the stereo, and knowing this movie was going to be something special halfway through Concerning Hobbits. I think this will hold the record for most times I've seen a movie in theaters forever (13 times I believe).
 
A

A-V-B

Member
FotR, especially the EE (though I recommend theatrical for first timers), is the perfect fantasy film.

They had to get it right, and by god did they.
 
F

Fancy Clown

Member
Nice timing, I just rewatched it via the extended Bluray last night. Hadn't seen it in probaby 6 or 7 years and holy shit it's still so good. Absolutely gorgeous and trully deserving of the word epic. Few films, if any, capture the feeling of being on a journey so well.
 
IlGialloMondadori

IlGialloMondadori

Member
Brilliant film. The whole trilogy is great, the extended's are great, but the theatrical cut of Fellowship is truly a masterpiece.

Hobbit films were such turds. What a shame.
 
U

uncleniccius

Member
Azoor said:
Fellowship is a masterpiece, I wish I could say the same about the subsequent movies...
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What?!

I honestly think all three are master pieces/some of the best films ever made. Just a shame they didn't delay the hobbit so that Jackson had time to do it his way :(
 
S

Shaanyboi

Banned
uncleniccius said:
What?!

I honestly think all three are master pieces/some of the best films ever made. Just a shame they didn't delay the hobbit so that Jackson had time to do it his way :(
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Two Towers has a lot of dumb shit that drags it down. The pointless break-up drama between Aragorn and Arwen for one...
 
J

JonnyDBrit

Member
One thing I found intriguing, going through behind the scenes stuff, is just the sheer level of enthusiasm there was for the project. I can't recall the exact details, but when Jackson and co were first pitching the adaptation, they were originally just trying to get support for two films. However, at the end of their pitch, one of the producers looked at them and said it wasn't two movies... it was three. The sheer confidence in that decision, to be helmed by a man then most known for cheap horror flicks, is kinda astounding to look back on.

Definitely worth it though.
 
A

Altazor

Member
The movie that kinda changed my life - even if I actually started reading the books before the movie came out, seeing all those things translated from the page to the screen just left me in awe. The fact it was a fucking great movie on its own actually made it even sweeter.

It's probably my favorite of the three. Some days it's ROTK due to the sheer emotional gutpunches it pulls, but FOTR has the best pacing and vibe of them all - something about its tone that the two next movies couldn't really (re)capture. I don't think I can explain what that was, but I've always felt it.
 
A

Azoor

Member
uncleniccius said:
What?!

I honestly think all three are master pieces/some of the best films ever made. Just a shame they didn't delay the hobbit so that Jackson had time to do it his way :(
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jett said:
The sequels are better when watched together or in a relatively close timeframe.

But Fellowship is indeed a masterpiece.
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I think TT and ROTK do have some pacing issues here and there, but they're still damn good movies, even if they're not as good as Fellowship.
 
R

rdytoroll

Member
The trilogy are my favorite movies and Fellowship wins my favorite movie spot, but the other two come really close. Fellowship has a special place in my heart because it's the one that started it all and fantasy remains my favorite genre ever because of those movies. It's also great to see the whole Fellowship together and Moria is one the best movie sequences. But they're all masterpieces imo. I'll rewatch them around Christmas time like every year.
 
X

Xe4

Banned
Nice thread. Just finished the second film of a rematch of the EE Saturday night. Fellowship of the Ring EE is fucking perfection. Most true to life adaptation of Tolkien's vision that will probably ever come to screen.

Also, you forgot the best two parts about The Battle of Amon Hen (spoilers):
Boromir's Last Stand
The Departure of Boromir
 
F

Fancy Clown

Member
In most movies the mines of moria would have been the climax of the film but that shit was only a little over half way through the movie. Amon Hen is such a good finale to the movie, beautiful setting, dope tracking shots in the battle, Uruk Hai being scary as hell, Boromir's redemption...too much good stuff crammed in there.
 
H

Hexxen-Panda

Member
While I still love the whole trilogy, I think Fellowship is the best in terms of filmmaking.
I think a lot of it comes from the fact that the first one HAD to knock it out of the park to make the next 2 movies financially viable.
It's truly amazing on every level, and the last 30 minutes of the film is perfection (Breaking of the Fellowship is the GOAT).

While I'm a big fan of the book, they made the right choices when altering the story.
Perfect casting, perfect music, perfect direction.

I wish I could wipe my brain of LOTR and just experience the magic all over again.
 
A

A-V-B

Member
Altazor said:
The movie that kinda changed my life - even if I actually started reading the books before the movie came out, seeing all those things translated from the page to the screen just left me in awe. The fact it was a fucking great movie on its own actually made it even sweeter.

It's probably my favorite of the three. Some days it's ROTK due to the sheer emotional gutpunches it pulls, but FOTR has the best pacing and vibe of them all - something about its tone that the two next movies couldn't really (re)capture. I don't think I can explain what that was, but I've always felt it.
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FotR had its own tone for sure. The other two are really good movies no doubt, but Fellowship has an air of fantasy and technical precision that they just couldn't quite match.
 
P

ponpo

( ≖‿≖)
Unpopular opinion - "you bow to no one" gets more corny with each subsequent viewing.
That first time, though....


e: Oh, just the first film, sorry. Maybe the best one tonally but I still have a thing for the second and third film. Entire Moria sequence is amazing.
 
M

Mega

Banned
eravulgaris said:
I still regret not seeing this one in the movietheater. What a movie, what a trilogy. I watch them all every year.
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I missed this one in theaters but I saw the two sequels. For 2002-2003, and even years after, the set pieces, battles and SFX were fucking incredible. Outside of a few dated visuals, I think the entire trilogy holds up really well. The same cannot be said for a lot of movies made around the late 90s to early 2000s (Star Wars PT).
 
S

Shaanyboi

Banned
Altazor said:
The movie that kinda changed my life - even if I actually started reading the books before the movie came out, seeing all those things translated from the page to the screen just left me in awe. The fact it was a fucking great movie on its own actually made it even sweeter.

It's probably my favorite of the three. Some days it's ROTK due to the sheer emotional gutpunches it pulls, but FOTR has the best pacing and vibe of them all - something about its tone that the two next movies couldn't really (re)capture. I don't think I can explain what that was, but I've always felt it.
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This is me. I really love ROTK as well, but FOTR just had something special about it.


I watched Fellowship 14 times in theaters.
 
D

Darth Pinche

Member
I just completed a rewatch of the LOTR trilogy (extended editions) and they are as amazing today as they were when I first saw them.

As an aside, I was was impressed with the upscaling of my dvd's on my 4k tv. I compared it to a digital HD version I have the Fellowship and it was pretty good. Up close you can see the difference, but sitting on my couch it looked just fine. Instead of getting the blu-rays, I'll hold out until a 4k remaster is done (fingers crossed).
 
U

uncleniccius

Member
Shaanyboi said:
Two Towers has a lot of dumb shit that drags it down. The pointless break-up drama between Aragorn and Arwen for one...
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I can see where you're coming from top be fair - especially on the man up. The battle of the Hornburg is incredible though. I was pretty young when I watched it and it blew my mind.
Azoor said:
I think TT and ROTK do have some pacing issues here and there, but they're still damn good movies, even if they're not as good as Fellowship.
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Weirdly ROTK extended is probably my favourite. All three are superb though - and I definitely get the argument for Fellowship.
 
K

Killer Queen

Banned
Really not a fan of which events he chose to portray and which he didn't, his changes and his portrayal of Saruman and Gandalf fighting which was fucking ridiculous.
Everything else is great though. Wish I was able to enjoy it as much as others do..
 
A

A-V-B

Member
Killer Queen said:
Really not a fan of which events he chose to portray and which he didn't, his changes and his portrayal of Saruman and Gandalf fighting which was fucking ridiculous.
Everything else is great though. Wish I was able to enjoy it as much as others do..
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I loved that fight.

But Lee got totally boned in the theatrical cut of RotK. That bums me out to this day.
 
A

Altazor

Member
Fancy Clown said:
Amon Hen is such a good finale to the movie, beautiful setting, dope tracking shots in the battle, Uruk Hai being scary as hell, Boromir's redemption...too much good stuff crammed in there.
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if there's one thing I thought the movie did better than the books, it's Boromir. He was kind of a decent character in the books, not really fleshed out - though his fall, death and redemption still feels like a sad moment.

Sean Bean's performance elevates it. You can see and feel how conflicted the man is, how desperate he is for his homeland to be safe, how hard he wishes for Gondor to be restored to its former glory and how much he wishes to please his father. It's such a nuanced performance, going to sympathetic to unreasonable to corrupted to atoner to hero in such a short span that it somehow shouldn't have worked out - but it did. And spectacularly. Sean Bean made me a fan of the character.
 
R

Real Hero

Member
Killer Queen said:
Really not a fan of which events he chose to portray and which he didn't, his changes and his portrayal of Saruman and Gandalf fighting which was fucking ridiculous.
Everything else is great though. Wish I was able to enjoy it as much as others do..
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yeah some things do end up looking silly there's no doubt about that, still a monumental achievement though
 
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