Rivendell 3 ~ Reunion with Bilbo, with jan-u-wine's "Rivendell Suite".

[mechtild]

~*~

Where has the year gone? Here it is the middle of fall and I feel as though I have barely posted a thing in my LJ (compared to previously). Events in real life put a halt to my LJ projects for a while, and, when I returned, although I posted some Frodo comparisons, a new manip and a series on Ian McKellen, I did not have the concentration to resume the screencap series. But now it’s back.

Return to Rivendell:

It was in March and April that I posted my last two screencap entries, which were both set in Rivendell. (Links for these entries given below.) The first showed Frodo waking up after his convalescence, the second showed Frodo and Sam walking through the gardens and running into Merry and Pippin. Both featured poems by jan-u-wine. Now I want to continue the series, picking up where I left off, on that terrace in Rivendell, when Frodo sees Bilbo.

I think the fact that it is autumn contributes to my desire to return to the series (Frodo is not the only one who gets restive in the fall). The weather is perfect here right now for thinking about Rivendell. Although it is autumn the weather is still mild, the sunny days recalling the warmth of summer. But the trees—some still green but most of them red or yellow or orange or gold—show that it’s fall.

Yesterday, walking in a nearby park, I thought of the Rivendell scenes constantly. The park is in a residential neighbourhood but runs along both sides of a deep-set creek, which flows swiftly down a cleft in the rocky wooded hillside into Lake Superior. Down in that cleft extraneous sounds are muffled by the dense undergrowth and tall trees. What isn’t muffled is drowned out by the music and noise of running water. The creek trickles here and there, and turns quiet as it broadens and flows into leaf-stained shallows, but mostly it's noisy, rushing and tumbling over stones and falling over breaks in the rocks into frothy-topped pools.

It feels quite remote down there, as though one has left the familiar world behind. It's a secret place, full of bird-song and water-song and moss and rock and leaf. There are red and grey-scored rock faces that the stream has cut away, tall and forbidding, drawing the eye up to the blue sky peeping between the branches. There's an old aqueduct that spans the top of the gorge that reminds me of the ruins of Gondor. There are picturesque little wooden bridges to walk across, old stone stairs to negotiate, and everywhere—at this particular time of the year—yellow leaves. Yellow leaves rattle like pennants overhead where the wind snaps the treetops, yellow leaves trail from twiggy young limbs that drape the path, yellow leaves drift through the air like petals and cover the path in yellow. Yes, this time of year is *very* Rivendell-ish.

Poems by jan-u-wine:

As has been the case in the past, I dearly hoped there would be poems by jan-u-wine that I could feature with these images. Going through old mail all last week (I had clogged up my inbox so badly, gmail was beginning to break down on me), I found a remark that expressed well what I love about her work. Back in 2006 I had written to her,

If someone asked me what is the best fanfic I've read this year (and I've read more this year of procrastinating than in any other!), it would be what you have written. "Oh, but that's poetry," you may protest. It is, but it's very narrative poetry. Reading your poetry is like reading stories, but the insides of stories.

That’s the heart of it for me: they’re like reading stories, but the insides of stories. Beautiful stories, true stories. But not only do I love jan-u-wine’s poems as such, I love the way they work with images (and the way images work with the poems). I find the two complementary.

For this series, I had already chosen a poem jan-u-wine had written for what is going to be Rivendell Pt. 4, but I had nothing for the first three sections. I was *thrilled*, therefore, when Jan said she’d like to write something new for Pts. 1 – 3, three entries that show Frodo and Bilbo together before the Ring comes between them. She has written three poems, one for each section. Like the screencaps they are written to, they go together, and are meant to be appreciated as a whole. The three poems comprise the “Rivendell Suite”.

The Rivendell series will have twelve new entries. After the first three (Frodo sees Bilbo, and looking at the Red Book), there will be a post for the scene between Frodo and Sam on the terrace. Five segments for the Council of Elrond will follow, finishing up with four for the scene in which Bilbo presents Frodo with Sting and the mithril corselet. I will be providing a related book excerpt for each post. The film scenes do not always follow the book’s narrative closely or in the same order, but there are many rich cross-references. Being able to read the book scene while looking at the film caps—and visa-versa—is always a rewarding experience for me.



~*~


Book scene:

Once he has recovered, Frodo attends a feast at which he is the guest of honour. Afterwards, he walks with Gandalf to the Hall of Fire for songs and tales.

(…) Frodo looked with delight upon the many fair faces that were gathered together; the golden firelight played upon them and shimmered in their hair. Suddenly he noticed, not far from the further end of the fire, a small dark figure seated on a stool with his back propped against a pillar. Beside him on the ground was a drinking-cup and some bread. Frodo wondered whether he was ill (if people were ever ill in Rivendell), and had been unable to come to the feast. His head seemed sunk in sleep on his breast, and a fold of his dark cloak was drawn over his face.

Elrond went forward and stood beside the silent figure. ‘Awake, little master!’ he said, with a smile. Then, turning to Frodo, he beckoned to him. ‘Now at last the hour has come that you have wished for, Frodo,’ he said. ‘Here is a friend that you have long missed.’

The dark figure raised its head and uncovered its face.

‘Bilbo!’ cried Frodo with sudden recognition, and he sprang forward.

‘Hullo, Frodo my lad!’ said Bilbo. ‘So you have got here at last. I hoped you would manage it. Well, well! So all this feasting is in your honour, I hear. I hope you enjoyed yourself?’

‘Why weren’t you there?’ cried Frodo. ‘And why haven’t I been allowed to see you before?’

‘Because you were asleep. I have seen a good deal of you. I have sat by your side with Sam each day. But as for the feast, I don’t go in for such things much now. And I had something else to do.’

‘What were you doing?’

‘Why, sitting and thinking; I do a lot of that nowadays and this is the best place to do it in, as a rule. Wake up, indeed!’ he said, cocking an eye at Elrond. There was a bright twinkle in it and no sign of sleepiness that Frodo could see. ‘Wake up! I was not asleep, Master Elrond. If you want to know, you have all come out from your feast too soon, and you have disturbed me—in the middle of making up a song. (…) I shall have to get my friend the Dúnadan to help me. Where is he?’

Elrond laughed. ‘He shall be found,’ he said. ‘Then you two shall go into a corner and finish your task….”

~ from Many Meetings.

~*~



Film scene:

Frodo walks around Rivendell with Sam. They meet Merry and Pippin. After they embrace, Frodo looks down a stone path and sees Bilbo sitting on a bench reading a book.

Frodo: Bilbo! Bilbo begins to rise.

Bilbo: Hello, Frodo, my lad! They embrace.

~*~


The screencaps in this series have been taken from the fullscreen edition of the theatrical version. They have all been adjusted for brightness, contrast, and focus.

1


I am not
a lad
anymore.


Not a lad
who

laughs

merely
because

the sun is
especially

golden,

or the sky
danc'd

with lamb-clouds,

or the
stars

holding to their stations

with twinkled
abandon.

Not a lad
who counts

the mud of a country lane,
clinging

fast
to road-weary feet,

as something of a prize,

nor a night spent
within the forest's

bold roots,
an earnest of grand adventure.


But
my heart

has not forgot those
small

things,

nor
a voice,

its slow cadence
threading me

with wonder,
the echoes of it

holding me quietly
in place,

yet
placing my feet

with simple surety
upon a larger

Road.

And when I see him,
there,

so small
(or have I grown

*that*
much larger?)

*when*

I see
him....

Nearly do I
break

beneath the weight
of memory.

Age *has* caught him up,

and I cannot smooth away
with my hand

the lines of it upon his face,
nor calm my own fear

at the fragile beat of his heart
against mine

as he holds me as he used to.

When I was a lad,
he held me

*thus*,

when I was a lad,
frightened and oddly alone.

Oh, uncle,

cousin.

I am
but a lad

again.

Note:

Screencap lovers should know that the talented Blossom has capped these first Bilbo-Frodo scenes to create an animated gif and slideshow (with music and bits of dialogue), plus a gallery of selected caps. If you don’t know Blossom’s work, it’s stunning. Her caps are all from the widescreen version, and are beautifully, expressively tweaked. Each one is a work of art. To show the difference, here is one of her caps from the same series I posted above. It’s just gorgeous.

If you would like to see her slideshows and caps for this scene, go to her Frodo website, In Dreams. Go to the slideshow called “My Dear Boy”. The animated gif and the gallery of caps are accessed with links provided. You won’t be disappointed!

Next entry:

~ Riv. 4 – The Red Book: ‘This is wonderful!’, plus Pt. 2 of jan-u-wine’s ‘Rivendell Suite’.

Other related entries:

~ Riv. 1 – Frodo recovered in Rivendell, with jan-u-wine’s “They All Imagine”, in honour of March 25th.

~ Riv. 2 – Reunion with the cousins, plus jan-u-wine’s “The Gifts of the Three Hobbits”.

~ Riv. 16 – Farewell to Rivendell: caps from the widescreen EE version.

Other Links:

~ All entries with jan-u-wine's poems.


~ Main table for all entries

~ Mechtild

Comments

[rakshi.livejournal.com]

As always... the caps and the poetry are exquisite. This is one of my favorite scenes in the entire trilogy.

Thank you for this treasure.

Oh! You might enjoy this.

http://www.sean-astin.net/show%20the%20way/show%20the%20waynew.mov

I did this a year or so ago and the scene you screen-capped is a centerpiece. You might enjoy it.

Love... and thank you both.

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Rakshi. It's a beauty, isn't it, this scene, and this poem?

I tried your link but it wouldn't open. I copied and pasted it into the address bar and it still wouldn't open. Hunh! I hope our computer isn't beginning a downward spiral. Maybe the site is having difficulties at the moment.

[rakshi.livejournal.com]

http://www.sean-astin.net/show%20the%20way/

try going to that folder, then right click the one entitled 'Show the waynew.mov'.

Sorry you're having problems!

Love..

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

Nope, I couldn't open any of them either. In the list of four files, three would not open at all (inlcuding 'show the waynew.mov'). The one titled 'show the waynew.m4v' gave me the option of saving it, which I did, but when I went into my files to open it, it wouldn't.

Maybe we don't have some program that opens these kinds of files? Or maybe our computer is being weird. We're going to replace this one next month, because as it has got older it has experienced more problems that come and go. Can you give me an idea of what I would have seen or heard?

[rakshi.livejournal.com]

Well, I guess you'd need quicktime for the .mov, sweetie... and Itunes for the m4v. If you don't have those... then, yeah. I guess you couldn't see it.

It's no big deal. It's just a lotr video I did which features the scene where Frodo greets Bilbo. Maybe another time.

Love..

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

You're right, we don't have either program. We used to have Quicktime but my husband removed it when it was suspected of acting up. We don't have an Ipod, so we don't have Itunes. Ah, well. :)

[shirebound]

Thank you for capturing this scene for us.

That's truly a magnificent, heartfelt poem. How beautiful.

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

And it gets evenbetter! (the poem)

[primula-baggins.livejournal.com]

One thing about doing screen caps for a scene that, in the movie, goes by so fast is that we get to see so much more detail and cherish it longer. Thanks for these.

Jan's poem of seeing an old Bilbo is beautiful and heart breaking.

Nearly do I
break

beneath the weight
of memory.

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

Hi, Primula. Yes, I love that about screencap versions of scenes, too. That's why I love looking at Blossom's screencap slideshows. They do that, too, but in yet a different way, since she adds music and bits of dialogue. The movie is so good, it's worth slowing down and appreciating in its different aspects.

And the poem, ah! And there are two more movements to the suite, each one enriching the other.

[mews1945.livejournal.com]

Oh, the light of Rivendell! Sunlight, but it feels old, as though the long ages have turned it darker than the young sun that shines on the Shire. Rivendell is so beautifully created in the film, exactly as I imagined it when I read the books. It's beautiful and magical, but there's a lingering melancholy about it too, and a feeling of something that's lasted past its time, and is slowly fading.

The screencaps are lovely, as always. And that poem is exquisite and heartwrenching.

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

"Melancholy". Yes, I feel it too. It permeates Rivendell, certainly. But it runs all through LotR, and Jan's poetry. I'm a big fan of melancholy in art, perhaps because I experience it in my own life, whether unadulterated or in the midst of other emotions, even joy. I think it enhances one's sense for things in their passing, especially beautiful things, valuing them all the more for their transitory-ness. And I remember you saying you loved that light, Mews. In fact, you've got an eye for light generally. I think that's a precious gift.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

a feeling of something that's lasted past its time, and is slowly fading.

Lovely description, Mews. The Shire is eternal spring, the mud slides along with the blossoms, but wedded to harvest time's bounty, in contrast to Rivendell's fragile falling leaves of autumn. PJ captured them perfectly. Though I thought book Rivendell had some domestic fireplace storytime with blankets solidity to it as well that PJ let go to focus and build upon that last age of the Elves melancholy feeling.

[mews1945.livejournal.com]

Yes, Tolkien wrote about how the Last Homely House had something to satisfy any heart's desire, including warmth and coziness, and the movie didn't show any of that. The ambience they created for Rivendell was a much sadder one.

[telstar-gold.livejournal.com]

Jan's poems are always exquisite, of course, and always complement your screencaps beautifully. But in this case, the match is so perfect, the poem could almost be a commentary to the scene. Wonderful!

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Telstar. Sometimes the elements do come together especially well. Speaking of coming together well, your icon is *perfect*!

[telstar-gold.livejournal.com]

The icon is by annwyn55, as is this one.

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

She's very talented!

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, we're in for a treat! A whole series of 'Rivendell' entries to look forward to. I love the first instalment, Mechtild ~ beautiful screencaps, as always. Jan's poems inevitably pierce the reader's heart, and this one is no exception.

I find Autumn both beautiful and melancholy, and I especially enjoyed reading your vividly descriptive account of your parkland walk: the old aquaduct; little wooden bridges; stone stairs and yellow leaves:

'Yellow leaves rattle like pennants overhead where the wind snaps the treetops...'

I can almost hear them. Wonderful!

By the way, I tried opening Rashki's music video too, but I could only get the audio to play. It's a beautiful song, with very poignant lyrics ~ perfect for LOTR.

~ Blossom.

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

Ah, Blossom, I'm so glad you stopped in. I hope you continue to present screencaps for these scenes yourself. You haven't done a slideshow set for CoE, I don't think, or Bilbo giving Frodo Sting and the mithril shirt (although you must have made a few caps, since these moments appear now and then in the music videos). Your caps are so unique (and big!), like individual art works. I want more!

Maybe I should do an ad for them in these posts? What if I put a little notice in at the bottom of each of this three-part section, something like....

"For another beautiful treatment of the early Frodo - Bilbo scenes, made from the widescreen edition, go to Blossom's In Dreams site [give link]. Look up the slideshow titled "My Dear Boy". There are two lovely animated displays of the caps featuring music and snippets of dialogue, or open the gallery for extra screencaps."

I mean, just look at the difference! Yours are not only richer than mine, the widescreen format shows more of the gorgeous setting (and other characters). I'm not throwing mine out, of course, because they make nice portraits, but Oh la la! for Blossom's screencaps!

Here's one of my fullscreen caps:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v382/mechtild/FotR%20-%20Rivendell%20II/Bilbo10.jpg


Here's one from your "My Dear Boy" gallery, from just the moment before:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v382/mechtild/FotR%20-%20Rivendell%20II/MyDearBoy1a.jpg

WOW.

[(Anonymous)]

I think both the full-sreen and wide-screen versions of the films have their advantages. In my widescreen screencaps, I notice that the top of Frodo's head is often missing, whereas your full-screen captures have him complete to the tips of his lovely hobbity hair ~ the two caps in your links demonstrate this. For Frodo portraits (it's usually Frodo we are looking at!) I would say the full-screen is preferable.

I haven't yet made a slideshow for CofE or the Sting/Mithril shirt scene, though of course I do intend to feature them at some point. I have been working on several new slideshows and screencap sets ~ it's quite time-consuming tweaking each individual image, and often real life disrupts my good intentions ~ so I will be updating the site as soon as I can.

Of course you may link to any relevant material on 'In Dreams,' if you would like to, though I'm sure your own Rivendell screencaps/commentary and Jan's poems will keep your readers' attention firmly fixed here.

I'm very much looking forward to seeing more of this series. Thank you, Mechtild.

~ Blossom.

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

I would be linking In Dreams as a public service! I would *hate* to miss seeing that stuff, and I am betting other fans still in love with Frodo would too.

As for widescreen vs. fullscreen, I do agree with you. I did a post once comparing the two, which was when I made the discovery that the widescreen version often became widescreen by cutting off the tops and bottoms of the original images. Fullscreen almost always produces better portraits.

But it's not that your widescreen caps are wide, it's that they're so gorgeously done. I do tweak all my caps individually, but to a rather modest degree. You do bolder things with the caps, which is why I think they come out like little art works in themselves.

I like having both. I always make manips, for instance, from my own screencaps precisely because they are not significantly altered (I'm usually just trying to make the images more visible on a computer monitor, sharpening and brightening), not ones that have already been notably photoshopped. But there's no getting around it that people who *do* make more changes to the original caps get some exquisite effects. So for me, I can't wait to see your next screencap/slideshow sets, *whatever* they are of.

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

Blossom, just to let you know, I added a note to the bottom of this post, and am adding one to the bottom of the next part (just posted), and the one after that (still in draft).

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks, Mechtild.

I see you have posted the next entry in the series. I'm heading there right now.

~ Blossom.

[(Anonymous)]

RASHKI??? I should have said I tried opening RAKSHI'S video. A thousand apologies, Rakshi!

~ Blossom.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Oh, you also have a gift for describing the beauty of a place--I love the description of your very own wandering grounds--very beautiful.

I love Jan's description of the encounter--putting Frodo in touch with his lost childhood as well as Bilbo's changes that leave the younger stricken and reversed with caretaker vision.

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

It's a perceptively written poem, very true to the film scene yet extending it. I read your comment to Mews, and liked the "fragile" adjective applied to the autumn the films created for Rivendell. I think of its feel more as "elegiac", but "fragile", too, in terms of what you're talking about: that it's passing, waning, seeing its last sunny days.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

I also love how Sean plays Sam here--his face is so--"oh!ooooowwwh! Awwwww!" A cute contrast with Merry's and Pippin's "Hehehe! Yay!"

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Sean's Sam always wears his heart on his sleeve, it's so expansive. But his sensitive nature, which makes him so thin-skinned, also makes him tender-hearted. He is a master of the "loving look", whether looking at Frodo, his family, or a bedding plant. :)

[frodosweetstuff.livejournal.com]

Is there anything better than seeing hobbits hugging??? :)

Thank you for the screencaps! :)

[mechtild.livejournal.com]

ANOTHER great icon! You have a treasure trove of them -- but why not, considering the nearly inexhaustible source? :)

[frodosweetstuff.livejournal.com]

Thank you!! Yup, Frodo is inspiration for at least a thousand icons... :D