Daily Dialogue — October 16, 2018

“The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is now lost for none now live who remember it.”

— The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001), screenplay by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson, novel by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Opening Line.

Trivia: Originally, the narration at the prologue was to be spoken by Elijah Wood, but it was felt that the information imparted had little bearing on the character of Frodo. Sir Ian McKellen also recorded a narration, but once again, it was felt that Gandalf wasn’t the right character to speak it; neither he nor Frodo was present at the events described in the prologue. They eventually settled on Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, as it emphasizes the timelessness of the elves.

Dialogue On Dialogue: I went to a special screening of the movie in Beverly Hills featuring a Q&A with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. They revealed the prologue of the film took them months to figure out. How to start the trilogy? They tried dozens of different takes. Then it hit them: Why not tell the story of the ring? So obvious, right? But it took the writers a long time for it to become ‘obvious’ to them.