Sophie, you'll love this...
I'm taking a class on critical analysis of drama this quarter, and I put myself in the Gay/Lesbian critique group. For my part of my presentation, I'm planning on showing how Frodo and Sam actually do have more than friendship feelings for each other. Anyone have any suggestions for scenes I should show? I only have access to the ROTK DVD, so
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The one where Sam thinks that Frodo is dead. "Don't go where I can't follow". That's a classic *directly* from the book. Maybe the "I can't carry it for you but I can carry you" bit, because they look at each other like they'd kiss, and the one after the ring is destroyed and they are at the end of all times. But Sam does mention Rosie there.
And: definitely the scene in Minas Tirith where Frodo's in bed and everybody comes in and is happy and then Sam enters. That look - that look transcends everything. Love, friendship, romance - it's amazing. And yes, the scene where they say goodbye. I'd say RotK is the gayest moive of them all. If you get hold of FotR, though, there is a scene in Rivendell where Sam takes Frodo's hand. In the commentaries, Sir Ian talks about that moment and how it was very important for him because it was in the book too and well. I ♥ Sir Ian. And Sean Astin actually talks about Frodo's and Sam's relationship in his book - a friend of mine posted some excerpts some time ago, but her journal is FO. I will go and look for it ... here it is:
That the scenes between Frodo and Sam provoke such a visceral emotional response in audiences speaks volumes about the purity of Tolkien's writing, and the characters he created. There is, after all, an abundance of tenderness and closeness between male characters in LOTR - more than one might reasonably expect to find in a blockbuster Hollywood epic - a fact that moviegoers have generally accepted without reservation. And yet there exists an ongoing debate, in both critical and casual conversation, over whether there is an undercurrent of homoesexuality in both Tolkien's books and Peter Jackson's movies.
Simply and succintly put: are Frodo and Sam gay?
I think it's a legitimate question. A lot has been written about homoeroticism throughout the three-year cycle of the movies, and many people on the Internet have really had a field day fantasising about things or writing fictional humour pieces. I've even been interviewed on t his subject by both The Advocate and Out, two of the most visible and successful US publications that cater to a predominantly gay audience. So I do think it's a subject worth discussing; in fact, it would be kind of spineless not to discuss it.
There was an inordinate amount of male bonding during the filming of LOTR. When you put a bunch of men together in a relatively confined space, with little female influence to mitigate their bad behaviour, things can and do get ugly. Raunch was often the order of the day and, as in any all-male environment (locker rooms, army barracks, prison cell blocks), there was a lot of juvenile behaviour: ass-grabbing, horrifyingly graphic insults regarding anatomy and sexual proclivities, and various permutations of, sometimes gay, jokes that have been around since the dawn of time. Or at least the dawn of Monty Python.
I'm not talking about making jokes about homosexuals who weren't in our presence, but rather making jokes that centred on the possibility that any one of us might be gay. I think that happens a lot with guys in such circumstances. When you change clothes together, eat meals together, travel together, get your makeup and hair done together (OK, maybe that's a bad example), you can't help but grow close, and humour, perhaps defensive humour, arises out of that scenario.
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Near the end of The Return of the King, for example, there is a scene in which the reunited hobbits gather around a healing Frodo and hug him and hold his hand and eventually begin jumping on the bed together, and it's like, OK, do you guys want to be alone for a little while? I think our standard of awkwardness was significantly higher than an adolescent boy's, but there was a standard, and when it was met, either because of a longing look that you could see magnified tenfolds on a monitor, or because someone inadvertently touched the backside of a fellow hobbit...well, it provoked laughter.
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There was one rather memorable day during the looping phase of the production when Elijah and I were working on a scene in which Sam reaches around Frodo to lift him off the ground. The technicians kept rewinding and playing the scene as we tried to match dialogue to the film - back and forth, back and forth - the result being a slightly pornographic image of what appeared to be Sam having his way with Frodo. Elijah and I fell victim to our most juvenile tendencies in this setting, as we looped dialogue appropriate for the moment.
This is from Sean Astin's "There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale" as typed up by many_miles_away.
And I've got other news, but I think I'll wait with it a little...I'll just leave you with the thought that everything seems better when you find someone within touching distance that you know would like to kiss you. Extra points if you've just met this person, and already have mutual attraction.
Very good news! But I understand about not really wanting to talk about it. Still, I'm happy for you! <3
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Do you know of any reviews of the movie that specifically talk about the relationship between Frodo and Sam? Especially ones that claim that there is only friendship between them?
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Also, I'm exclusively focusing on the movie...to my analysis, it doesn't matter what Tolkien wrote or intended...all that matters to me is what I see on screen.
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