Wraith-like Galadriel

[Lizra]

I read an interesting bit at another forum, and thought I'd mention it here. A poster commented on the "radioactive" Galadriel scene. Galadriel says (when Frodo offers her the ring) "I do not deny that my heart has greatly desired this". They thought that this was the ring trying to draw Galadriel into the wraith world. The weird voice was the wraith Galadriel. Gandalf's temptation didn't involve such stuff since he never sought the power of the ring. Galadriel desired it so this scene was a way to deliver that destructive thought. I was glad for any other way to think of that scene, than just flat out stupid!

[Khamûl]

That's an interesting way of looking at it. Perhaps the Ring was giving Galadriel a view of the power that she could have. I think maybe while she was freaking out, she was being shown how she could overthrow the Dark Lord, but that she would become a Dark Queen. Then she overcame that urge, and therefore passed the test.

Sounds good to me.

[BeardofPants]

It's not the radioactive bit that bugs me. I already knew that that was PJ's version of the events in the book, in which she gets surrounded by light. The wraith world theory is a good one, and can probably explain the SFX. HOWEVER, the thing that REALLY annoys me in the scene is her voice. There's no wraith world theory in the darkest pits of eternal heck that could satisfactorily explain why she went robo-voice on us.

[Artanis]

Interesting theory. I think Galadriel already existed in the wraith world, or the spiritual world, as all the Elves did, and that she was able to move from this world to the physical world at her will. The 'radioactive' scene may be her appearance in the spiritual world when she was influenced by the temptation from the Ring. It pictured her as she would have become, a Dark Queen, if she had accepted the Ring.

[Shadowfax]

I think that theory is good as well. It's like the ring is showing her what she could do and how powerful she could be if she only possessed it. And yeah, I didn't like her voice either.

[markedel]

It makes you wonder how Gandalf will play out his speech to Gimili about everyone around him being extremely dangerous...SFX galore.

[Nibs]

I liked the movie version of that Galadriel scene... really shows what kind of power the ring had... I mean, the audience hears how Sauron only needs it, blah, blah, but things like this show how it can affect its surroundings...

Still, I consider that scene to be a soliloquy of sorts.

[RosieCotton]

Originally posted by Nibs
I liked the movie version of that Galadriel scene... really shows what kind of power the ring had... I mean, the audience hears how Sauron only needs it, blah, blah, but things like this show how it can affect its surroundings...

Still, I consider that scene to be a soliloquy of sorts.

Very true. I mean, for people who haven't read the book, they have no appreciation for the power of the Ring. They'll get that in the next two movies, as Frodo's buren grows, but that gives them a nice taste of it for the first movie.

[Andúril]

Three things:

1) I don't understand why, when Galadriel transformed into CGI Galadriel, she then went and turned back into real Galadriel, and then BACK into CGI Galadriel. They messed up severely on that one.

2) Instead of using two voices for CGI Galadriel, i.e. her normal voice + deeper (male?) voice, they should have used perhaps five female voices (all of which did not depart too much from Blanchette's normal vocal tone) - obviously without harmony.

3) After viewing the scene for the first time at the cinema, I was thoroughly impressed - neither of my quibbles existed until much later, when I had the movie on my pc and could examine the scene in greater detail.

Oh, and one last thing. That part where she widens her eyes......um, no.

[Dolenloteiel]

I really liked that scene, as it showed how the ring could corrupt even the Elves. But about the sort of color switching thing going on. I thought it was neat, but it sort of thinned away the thickness of Galadriel. She looked thinner than she normally or actually was. If you look you can see it. Perhaps the corruption of the Ring??

[Beruthiel]

I adored Galadriel's freak out scene! I had always pictured her as getting taller, her voice becoming loud and powerful, and the very Earth that she stood on quaking.
I was screeching with joy as she morphed into the Dark Queen. How cool!!!
Okay, some might say they like it better toned down. Not me, I say GO FOR IT!

However, I will note that I did not like Bilbo's freak out scene, and I think that Ian Holm is scary enough without pasting over his fantasticly talented features.

Oh, well, guess I'm a CGI hypocrite.....darn.

[Celandine]

Galadriel glows neon blue

[Allorien]

When I first watched LotR my friend had seen it before me and warned me of Bilbo's freak out scene. Still that did not prepare me for THAT face!!!! OMG! I was literally SCARED. ***shivers uncontrollably***
As for Galadriels' little peice, I kind of liked it. Like I said, the first time i watched the movie, my friend had seen it before. I commented on how much Galadriel looked like an angel, and my friend said "She won't in a minute" and at that precise moment she totally flipped out. I saw what my friend meant!!! But it does show how great (or horrible?) the ring's power is.

[osszie]

I thought the scene was staggering...................
The ring seems to "enhance" the natural powers of the bearer before it twists them to evil, and to see a glimps of the power of galadriel seemed very fitting for the movie.

As to the voice effects.........I think it showed very clearly the duality inside everyone (in this case galadriel) when faced with the temptation of the ring. In galadriels case her serenity before the ring waws offered and then a desire for power.....and the masculine voice fitted the "power" aspect perfectly (would darth vader be as scary with the voice of a woman)

[entss89]

i think maybe that the ring was testing her and trying to draw her in! what do you think?

[Rána Eressëa]

The color wasn't that bad. Compared to the voice.

[Khadrane]

I think the whole radio active thing kinda confused some of the non-Tolkien audience. I mean, if I had never read the books, I wouldn't have known if she was good or bad.

[galadriel]

I agree that the Scary-Galadriel scene gave non-readers the idea that she was *always* that creepy. The inclusion of the gift-giving scenes probably would have balanced that out.

The scary-skeletal-glow deal was certainly different than I pictured her in the book (after all, Tolkien described her as "beautiful beyond enduring" - beautiful in a scary way). But it got the point across. I suppose. Certainly the contrast between her serene composure beforehand and her shakiness afterwards was an example of terrific acting, showing the effect the whole ordeal had on her.

[Telperion]

I found that when people who had not read the book saw Galadriel in the movie, they believed she was evil. As a matter of fact, my father still thinks that. I think its the turning wraith-like and deep voice that gives them this idea.
This is very different from the impression Tolkein gives in the book. When I read the book I imagined Galadriel as being one of the least evil characters there could be!

[galadriel]

Exactly! One of my friends, who saw the movie before reading the books, *still* doesn't like Galadriel. I was going to give her a long lecture on how cool Galadriel is, citing The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales in excrutiating detail, but this was at a sleepover at four in the morning, and I kind of fell asleep before I got around to it. Someday, she will learn!