"Born of Hope" review
It took me three weeks, but I finally managed to watch Born of Hope, the fan-movie about Arathorn and Gilraen. (It's here, in case someone on my flist hasn't seen it yet.) Once again, I kept a window open while watching to jot down my reactions.
Gilraen and Ivorwen wearing swords...that makes sense. It reminds me of the story of the creation of the character of Cathy Gale on the old Avengers TV show--she was inspired by a picture of a woman in someplace that was considered a "rough frontier area" at the time wearing a bandolier and carrying a baby. That's the kind of feel I'd get for women in the North...and Rohan, for that matter. Not that Rohan is a frontier, but there's a similar feeling that defense might be needed at any time.
Ah, nice introduction of Arathorn. Doing the usual movie combat stunts, I see, and doing them quite well. But it's funny that I look at these scenes and think "Oh, movie conventions" rather than "Wow, what an amazing fighter!"
Not sure about "Action Girl Gilraen," though. Seems like it's intended as a way to make modern audiences think she's worthy. Might be better if she reacted more strongly to killing the orc, since she doesn't come off as having fought a lot before. Even Ivorwen looks pretty rattled about it.
Also, why is Gilraen blonde? Are they trying to make us think of Éowyn? Surely they're not suggesting that she's non-Dúnedain?? It would be easy enough to give her a wig if she's naturally fair-haired. I doubt that's her real hair anyway.
Would JRRT have approved of a female ranger? Possibly, but he wouldn't just toss her in there as background; he'd explain somewhere who she was and why she was rangering, because I doubt he saw it as a common career choice even for northern women. I suspect he genuinely thought most women didn't *want* to fight, even though he acknowledged exceptions.
Dírlad is a good name for the son of Dírhael. Assuming it means anything in Sindarin, but it sounds like it should. Nice to see someone figured out the naming conventions.
Okay, so they do have *some* explanation for the female ranger. (Ack, is she going to be Gilraen's rival? My money's on her getting killed by the end of the movie either way--to clear up a love triangle or make a point about the brutality of war.) But, hmm, how to put this...it just doesn't feel the same as reading the books does. Maybe because it's making Arathorn out to be all progressive and enlightened for letting her join, and I think that's a 21st-century perception of the situation which JRRT wouldn't necessarily have shared, because see above about how I think he saw women and fighting? Need to think more about this.
Gilraen seems to get a lot more interested in Arathorn once she finds out he's of royal blood! (I'm sure it's supposed to come off as her being impressed.)
HAH, called it! The still-nameless female ranger does want him!
Arador is cool. Believable as a king of a diminished people. But shouldn't he have the scepter?
Hmmm, cremation? I thought that was only practiced by the "heathen kings"?
"Such beauty and such sorrow" sounds like they are definitely going for an Éowyn vibe with Gilraen.
Wonder where they filmed the village scenes.
"I will look to the East and await your safe return"--yes, yes, I got it! She's Éowyn and therefore cool and worthy, even if her son prefers girly elf princesses! (Oh wait, she's also going "deep into the forest." So she's Éowyn and Aredhel.)
Nice landscape shots, as usual. I like the snow--that's a nice touch.
I like the little scene between Dírhael and Ivorwen that's almost straight from the book.
What a cool cave! This movie is a good tourist ad too. The cave sort of makes me think of Torech-en-Rusc in Astara's story "Trapped." It has a narrow entrance and a spring!
Why is it a mistake to attack out of the darkness? Don't orcs have the advantage there?
Wait a second, how is hiding the ring going to help Arador? It doesn't sent out beacons like the One Ring.
I like the way they toss in bits of Sindarin here and there. Nobody in any of the movies has entire conversations in Sindarin as casually as Mablung and Damrod do, but then, that would be complicated in a movie.
"If you fail her, it is me to whom you'll answer." Uh, what the heck does that mean? How does Dírhael think Arathorn is going to "fail," apart from getting killed? In which case "answering" will be impossible?
It's fairly striking to see that the best clothes the northerners can muster would be barely middle-class in Minas Tirith.
What are they throwing? It's the wrong climate for rice, but it's definitely white.
Hmm, I suppose they felt like they had to make Gilraen into something of an action-girl so that nobody would be annoyed at Arathorn for choosing her over Ranger-chick.
Is that a troll?? Doesn't look much like Bilbo's trolls (and it's out in daylight, too), but it's furrier than the movie cave-troll too. How many kinds of trolls are there?
"Fear not tomorrow, for it is not ours to know or to command." Very true to the books there.
Ha, I was right! Haboron is Halbarad's father. (Nice Dúnedain-looking kid for Halbarad!)
I hear the sound of a thousand squees when the twins show up! I like their costumes too.
Okay, I'm going to say the orcs are carrying torches because they want to set things on fire, not because they need them to see.
I was resisting the thought that Elgarain was supposed to be a nod to the famous Hethlin, but now that she wants to go off to the post at *Hithlin*, and Arathorn even repeats it? I now strongly suspect fanfic shout-out. At least she didn't yell at Arathorn for marrying Gilraen.
Aww, Ranger-dude-who's-in-love-with-Elgarain is kind of cool.
Okay, I know Arador didn't want to hide the ring, but wearing it on the outside of one's gloves seems a bit excessive.
Is Aragorn having an early flash of premonition?
Halbarad's doing pretty well! Go Halbarad! (Somebody I know is going to survive this movie.)
Maybe Gilraen will save Elgarain and she'll have to endure the indignity of that.
No, I take it back. Elgarain will die defending Gilraen and Aragorn and the others. She's got nothing else to live for, after all.
Ha, called it!
I know they love their special effects, but I kind of wish we didn't have to spend so much screentime on orcs spewing black blood.
In the back! Ooh, what a coward!
You'd think they'd want sleeves on those sheepskin vests.
I was going to say, way to traumatize the kid, but he seems very un-worried. I suppose he's seen plenty of blood already even at age 2.
Wait a sec--Ranger-chick was the *director*?
The closing song doesn't do much for me.
On the whole, it seems less indebted to Peter Jackson than The Hunt for Gollum.
Gilraen and Ivorwen wearing swords...that makes sense. It reminds me of the story of the creation of the character of Cathy Gale on the old Avengers TV show--she was inspired by a picture of a woman in someplace that was considered a "rough frontier area" at the time wearing a bandolier and carrying a baby. That's the kind of feel I'd get for women in the North...and Rohan, for that matter. Not that Rohan is a frontier, but there's a similar feeling that defense might be needed at any time.
Ah, nice introduction of Arathorn. Doing the usual movie combat stunts, I see, and doing them quite well. But it's funny that I look at these scenes and think "Oh, movie conventions" rather than "Wow, what an amazing fighter!"
Not sure about "Action Girl Gilraen," though. Seems like it's intended as a way to make modern audiences think she's worthy. Might be better if she reacted more strongly to killing the orc, since she doesn't come off as having fought a lot before. Even Ivorwen looks pretty rattled about it.
Also, why is Gilraen blonde? Are they trying to make us think of Éowyn? Surely they're not suggesting that she's non-Dúnedain?? It would be easy enough to give her a wig if she's naturally fair-haired. I doubt that's her real hair anyway.
Would JRRT have approved of a female ranger? Possibly, but he wouldn't just toss her in there as background; he'd explain somewhere who she was and why she was rangering, because I doubt he saw it as a common career choice even for northern women. I suspect he genuinely thought most women didn't *want* to fight, even though he acknowledged exceptions.
Dírlad is a good name for the son of Dírhael. Assuming it means anything in Sindarin, but it sounds like it should. Nice to see someone figured out the naming conventions.
Okay, so they do have *some* explanation for the female ranger. (Ack, is she going to be Gilraen's rival? My money's on her getting killed by the end of the movie either way--to clear up a love triangle or make a point about the brutality of war.) But, hmm, how to put this...it just doesn't feel the same as reading the books does. Maybe because it's making Arathorn out to be all progressive and enlightened for letting her join, and I think that's a 21st-century perception of the situation which JRRT wouldn't necessarily have shared, because see above about how I think he saw women and fighting? Need to think more about this.
Gilraen seems to get a lot more interested in Arathorn once she finds out he's of royal blood! (I'm sure it's supposed to come off as her being impressed.)
HAH, called it! The still-nameless female ranger does want him!
Arador is cool. Believable as a king of a diminished people. But shouldn't he have the scepter?
Hmmm, cremation? I thought that was only practiced by the "heathen kings"?
"Such beauty and such sorrow" sounds like they are definitely going for an Éowyn vibe with Gilraen.
Wonder where they filmed the village scenes.
"I will look to the East and await your safe return"--yes, yes, I got it! She's Éowyn and therefore cool and worthy, even if her son prefers girly elf princesses! (Oh wait, she's also going "deep into the forest." So she's Éowyn and Aredhel.)
Nice landscape shots, as usual. I like the snow--that's a nice touch.
I like the little scene between Dírhael and Ivorwen that's almost straight from the book.
What a cool cave! This movie is a good tourist ad too. The cave sort of makes me think of Torech-en-Rusc in Astara's story "Trapped." It has a narrow entrance and a spring!
Why is it a mistake to attack out of the darkness? Don't orcs have the advantage there?
Wait a second, how is hiding the ring going to help Arador? It doesn't sent out beacons like the One Ring.
I like the way they toss in bits of Sindarin here and there. Nobody in any of the movies has entire conversations in Sindarin as casually as Mablung and Damrod do, but then, that would be complicated in a movie.
"If you fail her, it is me to whom you'll answer." Uh, what the heck does that mean? How does Dírhael think Arathorn is going to "fail," apart from getting killed? In which case "answering" will be impossible?
It's fairly striking to see that the best clothes the northerners can muster would be barely middle-class in Minas Tirith.
What are they throwing? It's the wrong climate for rice, but it's definitely white.
Hmm, I suppose they felt like they had to make Gilraen into something of an action-girl so that nobody would be annoyed at Arathorn for choosing her over Ranger-chick.
Is that a troll?? Doesn't look much like Bilbo's trolls (and it's out in daylight, too), but it's furrier than the movie cave-troll too. How many kinds of trolls are there?
"Fear not tomorrow, for it is not ours to know or to command." Very true to the books there.
Ha, I was right! Haboron is Halbarad's father. (Nice Dúnedain-looking kid for Halbarad!)
I hear the sound of a thousand squees when the twins show up! I like their costumes too.
Okay, I'm going to say the orcs are carrying torches because they want to set things on fire, not because they need them to see.
I was resisting the thought that Elgarain was supposed to be a nod to the famous Hethlin, but now that she wants to go off to the post at *Hithlin*, and Arathorn even repeats it? I now strongly suspect fanfic shout-out. At least she didn't yell at Arathorn for marrying Gilraen.
Aww, Ranger-dude-who's-in-love-with-Elgarain is kind of cool.
Okay, I know Arador didn't want to hide the ring, but wearing it on the outside of one's gloves seems a bit excessive.
Is Aragorn having an early flash of premonition?
Halbarad's doing pretty well! Go Halbarad! (Somebody I know is going to survive this movie.)
Maybe Gilraen will save Elgarain and she'll have to endure the indignity of that.
No, I take it back. Elgarain will die defending Gilraen and Aragorn and the others. She's got nothing else to live for, after all.
Ha, called it!
I know they love their special effects, but I kind of wish we didn't have to spend so much screentime on orcs spewing black blood.
In the back! Ooh, what a coward!
You'd think they'd want sleeves on those sheepskin vests.
I was going to say, way to traumatize the kid, but he seems very un-worried. I suppose he's seen plenty of blood already even at age 2.
Wait a sec--Ranger-chick was the *director*?
The closing song doesn't do much for me.
On the whole, it seems less indebted to Peter Jackson than The Hunt for Gollum.