Frodo the Drama Queen (ahem.)
 

Was that just me, or in Moria, when Frodo was "Stabbed" by the cave troll, didn't he seem to act a little dramatic?! I mean, he was just BRUISED!!! Tell me what you think!

I think, because he was wearing his mithril shirt for some time, he wasn't aware of it, and when the cave troll stabbed him with that giant spear, his first thought was he couldn't possibly survive it. Thinking this, he fell uncounsious and woke up again when Sam shook him.<P>Oh, but wait a minute... This theory only makes sense in the normal version of the movie. Because in the extended version, Gandalf and Gimli have a conversation about the mithril vest Bilbo got from Thorin, not knowing that Frodo was wearing it. And then Frodo touches his chest for a moment, so he was very aware of the fact he was wearing it...<P>Maybe it was a little too dramatic, but hey, it is a movie after all! Or maybe, we would react the exact same way if we were stabbed by a cave troll...

Great thread title! Heh heh...Frodo the Drama Queen! Perhaps it was the slow motion that really made the drama go over the top. I can see a profound grunt and expression of pain, but it would all take place so quickly...I guess they had to draw it out to show how unusual it was that he did NOT get skewered as all thought. I was feeling bad for Merry and Pippin, being thrown about and wondering why Pip didn't have a concussion or something broken when he fell off (was flung off!) the troll at the end of that sequence! <P>Cheers,<BR>Lyta<p>[ July 21, 2003: Message edited by: Lyta_Underhill ]

Regardless of a mithril coat, would you find it pleasant to be stuck between a wall and a huge cave troll trying as hard as he can to skewer you? There would be a tremendous amount of pressure on his stomach, and, if you can recall from the book, the mithril rings ripped through his clothes and pierced his skin. I agree that the slow motion did add a more dramatic effect to it.<p>[ July 21, 2003: Message edited by: Lord of Angmar ]

Frodo: "Theatrical? You think I'm being <I>theatrical</I>? I am simply showing a proper respect for the importance of this moment!" <P>You're right though, I do think that the whole stabbing was a bit over done. Or at least annoyingly done- it was all supposed to happen really quickly- the orc dodging Aragorn and Boromir and skewering Frodo (or at least trying to)... not the whole long drawn-out let's-watch-the-hero-get-killed-wait-"he's alive"-still scene that they turned it into!<P>Fea

It may have been a tad overdone, but I think that is mostly attributed to the slow-motion of it all. Still, that's got to knock the wind out of you at the very least, he felt like he'd 'been caught between a hammer and an anvil' or something like that. His movements before falling to the ground in pain could be passed off as desperate gasps for breath. So I don't think it was SOOO bad.

For someone who was only bruised, he did seem to over-react rather a lot. I was surprised that he made such a big fuss, but it did add drama to the scene.

Let me ask this before I say anything: Have you ever had the wind totaly knocked out of you? It's quite painful at times, and can sometimes feel as if your rib is broken. Though they did draw it out in the movie, I don't think it was too drastic.<P>Nehani of the Forest

I agree with The Only Real Estel. <P>The mithril protected him from being pinned to the wall, not from internal bleeding. Forunately for Frodo though, hobbits are a bit hardier than normal, boring people. <BR>So although he wasn't skewered like you were meant to think, I would imagine that it had to hurt enough to knock him out. Or at least send him into some short of shock... think about it for a minute... it'll make sense. <P>p.s. Welcome to the Downs, Nehani! <BR>(May I ask where you found your signature/quote?)<p>[ July 21, 2003: Message edited by: Arwen Eruantale ]

I'm sure that being stabbed like that by a troll must have hurt, but does it truly result in an expression that looks remarkably like being constipated? I mean, honestly people! That was hilarious! I understood that it hurt, but I didn't understand why he had to look constipated!

As Lord of Angmar said, the book does indeed back up the scene. I would hardly call it "just bruising". He did suffer an injury that slowed him down quite a bit. Hey, in the book he had to be carried for a while

I wonder... maybe getting almost-stabbed by a Troll is similar to getting run into by a very pointy car? I mean, in terms of force, velocity, crushing power, etc... Imagine dear little Frodo being pinned between the cave wall and a Volvo (or is a Troll more like a SUV?). I imagine the expression on his face would be rather similar. ("Arrrarrrarggh..." lol!)<BR>I have to admit that I thought the scene did drag on rather long. And I did wonder about poor Merry and Pippin getting flung every which way and no one even checks to see if they're OK.<BR>But I remember as a kid once shooting off the end of a swing and landing rather heavily on my back. For a very scary few seconds there I *could not* breathe. I was trying so hard to draw breath into my lungs and they felt like they were all squished flat. It was terrifying and my friend thought I was dying because I was making this, "Urrreeeeeehhhhheee..." sound. Maybe a little bit like Frodo. <BR>Of course, when essentially the same thing happens to Aragorn (he gets slammed into a wall), does he make any funny sounds? No, of course not, the great mighty hero guy just lies there for a moment until he can leap up again heroically instead of stagging around wheezing pathetically like the rest of us would.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>I'm sure that being stabbed like that by a troll must have hurt, but does it truly result in an expression that looks remarkably like being constipated?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>BWAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!!!! I knew it was a strange look, but now I'm not going to be able to keep a straight face when I watch that part! And yes, I have had the wind knocked out of me in that very place, and from the inside POV, the only thing I remember was a grey blankness and no clear memory (it was another truck hitting mine-thrown against the seatbelt-had bruises for a month-lucky to be alive and all that...). Now I wonder if I looked constipated during the wreck! *looks around* I don't think I want to know! I think it is more the slo-mo thing than his reaction. I can't say I'd look any more composed than poor Frodo if something like that happened to me!<P>Cheers,<BR>Lyta<P>Edit: Just saw your post, Darby...perhaps it IS a lot like that! In my case, a pickup truck on my side of the car about 9 inches from me! Agh! And about Aragorn's heroically standing back up part, I'd say that that could be shock. I stood up after my wreck until I realized I couldn't walk and then fell down--but for a few minutes, it was like a gray time where I wasn't really there...body walked around on its own...heh heh...<P>[ July 21, 2003: Message edited by: Lyta_Underhill ]<p>[ July 21, 2003: Message edited by: Lyta_Underhill ]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> And about Aragorn's heroically standing back up part, I'd say that that could be shock. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Either that, or he's been knocked around so much in his career as a Ranger that he's got the whole recovery thing down to a fine art now. Rangers - they take a licking and keep on ticking. And they're water resistant, too!

I do not think he was overdoing it. I agree with the car theory...and also the getting the wind knocked out of him theory. It's happened to most of us, and we all probably made the same face as Frodo, trying to draw in air,(and if it was our first time) terrified because we didn't know what was going on. So I think he did it just right...but it was kind of weird how everyone else was normal time and then only Frodo was slow motion. I found that strange. To add drama, I suppose.

Wow, I was actually agreed with!? That can't be right, oh well though. In regards to Frodo 'being constepated', all of his little screams/groans seem to sound that way. Remember his scream after being scewered on Weathertop? Freaky. Truly, truly freaky.

Strange, I always thought that he sounded like he was giving birth on Weather-top...and of course Sam comes running

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Strange, I always thought that he sounded like he was giving birth on Weather-top...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Heh heh...I never thought of it that way! I thought the shrieks he made after being stabbed with the Morgul blade were eerily like the sounds of the Nazgul themselves, on purpose, of course. After all, if you're turning into a wraith, you'd probably start to sound like one...it shows good internal movie logic, anyway. Amusing notion though about childbirth and all! Sam: Look! It's a little Ringwraith baby! What have you been up to, Frodo? <P>It's getting way too late, and my sense of humor is getting way too weird!<P>Cheers,<BR>Lyta

Actually I was very taken aback by the sounds he was making on Weathertop. I really wanted to tell the character to buck up and get a grip. He sounded like he was in the grip of a monumental asthma attack, to me.<BR>But that's one of the parts of the movie I've never gotten used to. I wanted to see the wounded but still strong and noble Frodo from the books. Not the goopy-eyed, at death's door, wheezing, helpless Frodo.<BR>And the less said about that whole scene with Arwen on the riverbank, the better.

I call it the "Frodo is Faking" scene. Don't get me wrong, I understand exactly why PJ did it, it was quite dramatic. But everytime I watch it now, I just can't help myself...

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>And the less said about that whole scene with Arwen on the riverbank, the better.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Agreed, Darby! I've said enough about it in other places; it is one of my greatest pet peeves about the movie. And the quote is one of my favorites out of all the LOTR books!<P>Cheers,<BR>Lyta

Yeah, the Frodo giving birth on Weathertop is what I first thought of, & then the "Oh Sam!" just didn't add any 'rightness' to the whole scene...

I guess Frodo might have momentarily turned into a possum and passed out from sheer terror...did you know that is what possums do when they 'play dead'?<P>Frodo giving birth!!!!!!! And the constipated thing...cheese, you people are too funny...

Great, now everytime someone goes into shock/gets the wind knocked out of them, I'll bust into laughter saying "You look just like Frodo in Moria!". <P>Thanks Arwen Eruantale! Over the summer e-mail and surfing are my only means of entertainment! My qoute is from Mononoke Hime (by Joe Hisaishi)a really cool song!

I have had the wind knocked out of me 4 times and every time I made the same sort of noises as Frodo, because I was trying to breathe. Probably had a similar expression too. (I hope I didn't look constipated!) <BR>Actually I thought Elrond looked rather constipated, never thought Frodo did.

Elrond always looks kinda constapated. He takes sooo long to talk (although that certainly makes him sound more dramatic) it almost sounds like he is in pain...

It also makes me wonder, since Frodo almost always looks constipated whenever he needs Sam's help, and he always goes, "Oh Sam!," it makes you wonder whether Sam remembered to bring Frodo's Ex-Lax!

I've also gotten the wind knocked out of me, by falling off of horses. The first time it's really scary, I thought I was dying And yes, you do make gasping gurgling noises Then it's a weird feeling when you can start to breathe again.

Going into shock is worse. I once smashed my fingers really badly between two sailboats (ahem) and the pain was so intense that at first, I forgot to breathe. Then I started making gasping noises, alot like Frodo's in Moria. That was sooooo painful. Nothing was broken.

Yes, the way Frodo was gasping is certainly realistic. I also got my fingers smashed, though that was in a train door, and even if you don't forget to breathe (I didn't) the pain is enough to do that...<P>Swan song,<BR>-Menelien

I know how that feels actually. I've been kicked by a horse square in the ribs before, and I toppled over backwards in the stable and just lay there for a half-hour because I couldn't breathe at all, and once I could, I just felt too sick to get up. My cousin ran up, and claimed that I acted exactly like Frodo. I had this squinched expression on my face, and I was making gasping/gurgling noises.

I've had a couple of those instances:<BR>* Once I smashed my fingers sooo badly in the door of my brothers car. That hurt worse than anything I think I'll ever go through. <BR>* Another time I fell off my stairs trying to swing myself up by the banester, that knocked the wind out of me really bad as well. I just lay there not moving & barely breathing for about 10 minutes.

Hm... I guess I can sympathize- I've had the wind knocked out of me too- once I tried to swing across a ditch on a branch but I misjudged the distance and fell on a big rock. Breath knocked right out. I also got it knocked out of me when my cousin's horse bolted down a hill and threw me. And in Phys. Ed. when I accidentally got headbutted in the ribs by my best guy friend when we were playing Arena Football (we both dove for the same player and missed!). So I can understand the look of shock on Frodo's face. It's really scary not being able to breathe. I guess they didn't over do it <I>too</I> much... I just hope I didn't look constipated or in labor!<P>Fea

I suppose it is all those who can relate to what Frodo feels at that moment and others that really doesn't allow the word "overacting" to enter my mind. The only problem I had with Frodo was the draining of his power by reordering and structuring certain scenes and making the Ring's influence and Frodo's mindset subtly different by the same measure. I'm sure Elijah had to draw on experiences and remembered feelings much as you all have recounted, at least to some extent, when preparing Frodo's character in his mind. I wonder what he thinks when he watches it in slow motion? "Gee, Peter! It looks like I'm constipated!" <P>Cheers,<BR>Lyta

The first time I saw the movie (before reading the books) I was a bit 'skeptical' of the Moria scene. I thought it was a bit dramatic and everthing but now, after having seeing it so many times and reading the books, I don't think it's that bad. I agree with all of you guys, having the wind knocked out of you is no fun, and that's probably what happened to Frodo. The slow motion over did it just a bit but all in all, I think it's ok.

My sister says he threw up. You know, Aragorn says, 'Oh no...' then when he turns Frodo over it looks like he hurls (Frodo hurls that is). I think that's possible because of the trauma and pressure he experienced. I think that if I was pinned to the wall by a javelin I would probably look equally err... constipated. And to those of you who say, '...just a bruise...' I still think that it was a pretty big bruise for such a little person to bear. He might even have sustained a broken rib. Not to mention the fact that Frodo is made out to be a bit of a wimp. He was a lot braver in the book than he was in the movie. In the book when Aragorn was carrying Frodo & he woke up he told Aragorn to let him walk. Of course Peter Jackson the Story Slayer always has to make things look dramatic, traumatic, vomatic, atic, atic, atic!!!! AARRGH!!! HE'S CRAAAAZZZZYYYY!!!!!! HmMmm! *clearing throat* To the point, P.J. had to make everything look like a soap opera or something. And I DO think that Frodo is sort of dramatic.

Yeah, I still say the only real dramatic thing was the slow-mo. <BR>But I did nearly laugh on that part, only because I could hear my Mom saying "oh no!.." when Frodo "died". <BR>Having read the books first I was prepared for all the scenes like that. But, unfortunately for her, my mom was not. Every time she hears something about what is or might be coming she looks at me as if to say "really?". But I don't tell her. It's almost a game we play.<P>Thanks for the info on your quote, Nehani. I'll have to look at that...

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Peter Jackson the Story Slayer <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Oh come on, He's not that bad...when hes in his element that is, LotR isn't gory enough or dark and twisted enough.<P>Those of you who have seen Heavenly Creatures and Meet the Feebles know what I mean. Those of you who haven't think of when Frodo falls into the Dead <BR>Marshes in the TTT Movie and you'll understand how PJ likes to work <P>P.S All Blacks winning against Australia 38:16 at 67 minutes

Hmmm...and I thought my experience was painful. I think we have all come to a conclusion: there was meaning behind Frodo's actions. Now I'm going to have a phobia against horses. <P>Nehani of the Forest

I just saw Elijah Wood get a game over in "Spy Kids 3D: Game Over", and felt so awful when his face made me think of our whole discussion here about Frodo's "childbirth", as well as his bruising/puking/gasping for breath "death" in Moria... *sort of laughs* See what you guys have done to me?!