Ha HA! You
thought I forgot about the LOTR film series, didn’t you? DIDN’T YOU?!?!
Well, you
were right – I completely forgot about it for months. But now it’s back, and now
it’s back-er than ever. Or something. Let’s get to it…
Galadriel: Cate Blanchett could have
been born for this role. She’s a perfect fit, from her regal bearing right down
to her voice which is “deeper than a woman’s wont.” Once again we see the
immensely positive impact the right actor with the right training and
experience can have on a role or even on an entire film.
Like many of the
screenplay’s secondary characters, Galadriel doesn’t get a ton of face-time.
Therefore, the actor must use the moments available to them to convey the
critical messages their role was included to convey. In Galadriel’s case, the
primary message concerns the Ring and the terrible power it can wield in the
hands of a mighty Bearer. So far, we have seen Bilbo’s struggle with his
possession of the Ring, Frodo’s susceptibility to it when commanded by the
Black Riders to wear it, and Gandalf’s abject fear when freely offered it. Each
of these encounters with the Ring’s malevolent will has a different flavor, and
each flavor gives us a deeper understanding of the Ring’s evil nature. It has,
as Gandalf says in Chapter 2, “an unwholesome power” which can attack the mind
and will of anyone aware of it, gnawing at their reason and exacerbating their
sins in order to control them and bring about the will of the Ring’s master –
going to any lengths to reunite the two separated energies.
Although it does
not appear in the movie, Elrond (and Gandalf, for a second time) refuse to
carry the Ring at the Council in Rivendell, saying, “I will fear to take the
Ring to hide it. I will not take the Ring to wield it.” Returning to the film,
we see Boromir begin to succumb to the Ring’s wiles on the slopes of Caradhras.
Up until the Ring reaches Galadriel, however, we are left with mere hints as to
what might happen were the Ring to have its way and end up in the hands of one
of the Wise and Great. In the gardens of Lothlorien, however, the veil is more
fully thrown back, as it were, and we get a somewhat clearer understanding of
just why all of these powerful individuals are so afraid of the “trifle that
Sauron fancies.” But before we dive into that pool, let us set the stage.
Peter
Jackson creates a very unique environment for us in Lothlorien. For one thing,
the audience is a bit fatigued at this stage of the film, having just escaped
from Moria and having our hearts ripped out through our noses by the tear-jerking
scenes depicting Gandalf’s sacrifice for the Quest. Suddenly, we find ourselves
in this eerie forest, complete with mysterious lights, haunting music (Howard
Shore’s use of tri-tonal intervals and tight harmonies is nothing short of
genius here), and imposing Elven lords, ladies, and warlike marchwardens all work together to let us know we’re not in Kansas anymore. Jackson also takes a very interesting
director’s liberty throughout the scenes leading up to Galadriel’s mirror: he
plays much of the action in slow-motion. But not super-slow-motion – it is not
slow enough to be comical or burdensome to the audience, but he slows the film
down just enough to create a feeling in the viewers that something isn’t as it
should be; there is something otherworldly about this place, and we’re not
quite sure whether it means our heroes harm or not. Yes, these are Elves we’re
visiting with, but we almost feel as if we’re being enchanted by them – as if
we’re being led into a trap to be ambushed by unknown and unseen forces. If you
deliberately watch the film while pretending you have no idea whether Galadriel
is friend or foe, you’ll find Jackson is hinting the Elf queen might have a
menacing power she is hiding from her guests. He does this on purpose to create
doubt in the audience’s mind as to what will happen next.
When Frodo
offers Galadriel the Ring, Blanchett’s finest acting moments of the film are
revealed to us. First, she maintains her regal bearing and betrays her shock at
Frodo’s offer with a mere parting of the lips. This moment is very brief, but
Blanchett uses it masterfully to convey her character’s surprise. Next, a
trembling hand reaches for the Ring. Then, Blanchett withdraws her hand and we
see the great she-Elf with other vision. Matching Tolkien’s description of her,
Jackson suddenly makes her positively radiate power using light and film
techniques, turning her into the image of a “terrible and worshipful” goddess.
Blanchett’s voice is altered as well and, through both musical themes and an
extreme close-up of the Ring itself, Galadriel delivers one of Tolkien’s (many,
many, many) superb lines, “All shall love me and despair!”
In this way,
the audience sees that the Ring, even when given something so beautiful as the
lovely Galadriel as its canvas, turns that beauty to sheer power and tyrannical
domination. All of the hints and warnings we’ve received thus far from Gandalf
and others become a very real and disquieting threat right before our eyes –
and that before she so much as lays a finger on the golden thing.
The
following moment is equally important: we see Blanchett’s face turn fearful as
the vision passes and she shrinks back to her normal self. It is the only time
we ever see Galadriel truly rattled – the horror Blanchett’s expression conveys
as she realizes what she might become were she to embrace the power of the Ring
is what allows her to “pass the test,” as she puts it. The deeper implications
of this cannot be overstated: by refusing the Ring, Galadriel is refusing to
use Sauron’s own power against him, which is the only way her people can hope
to survive on this side of the Great Sea. Had she taken the Ring, she would
have had the power to stop the Elves’ decline in Middle-earth. “But that is not
how it would end, alas,” she rightly recognizes. Her decision condemns both her
people and her beloved homeland “to forget and to be forgotten” under the
constant thrumming of the centuries.
Padhric
Master of Toons
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