In some movie scenes, all cinematic elements come together in their most refined form and create something majestic. And when that happens in a movie that is basically a 3-hour-long fever dream, the effect can be unimaginable.Something similar happens with the scene featuring the standoff between Gandalf and Balrog in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). When Balrog lunges at the fellowship, Gandalf, standing alone on the bridge of Khazad-Dûm—a prologue to both his fall and rebirth—stomps his staff, draws his sword, and thunders:“YOU SHALL NOT PASS!”Here, those who have already read Tolkien’s epic might notice something feels different from the book. Of course, movie adaptations are famously known to turn out pretty different from their books, but here, something feels different in a good way. Something that feels more reassuring, more powerful than it did when they read the book. What could be the reason? What changed?Well, that’s where the story gets interesting.The Power of a Single WordBefore New Zealand’s beautiful setting became the backdrop for the movie’s epic drama, and state-of-the-art special effects further heightened it, Tolkien had already given the story its very own linguistic special effect. And no, I am not only talking about the “conlang” that went into Middle-earth’s worldbuilding. Tolkien’s characters spoke in such ways, using specific words, that reinforced readers’ understanding of them.However, there are instances where the written words of the book didn’t seem to be big enough or bold enough for the magnitude of the big...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Yesterday