The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - If the Movie had been Directed by Someone Else

Lostgaeriel · 05-04-2002, 03:03 PM

Then I wonder if Frank Capra may have been an ideal choice to direct a movie of The Lord of the Rings.Frank Capra (1897-1991) was the director of these classic films: ·It Happened One Night (1934) – Best Director, Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress ·Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) – Best Director ·Lost Horizon (1937) ·You Can’t Take It With You (1938) – Best Director, Best Picture ·Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) – Best Motion Picture Story ·Meet John Doe (1941) ·Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) ·It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) ·State of the Union (1948)I think Tolkien's story has a Capra-esque feel. Capra's sensibilities seem compatible to The Lord of the Rings. It has that universal Capra theme of the little guy up against the evil powers-that-be. There is a shared idea that every person – no matter how seemingly small – is important and a hero.Capra liked sentimentality and could do it without ‘mushiness’ – he could wed sentiment to serious dramatic scenes and to comedy. Capra's stories emphasize the importance of friends and family and community. So I think he would have focused on the relationship of Frodo & Sam and established the hobbits and the Shire as the touchstone of the piece. The Scouring of the Shire would be included.Capra knew how to shoot a really good romantic (and sexy) scene or love story with ‘steam’ and/or humour as appropriate. Claudette Colbert & Clark Gable, Gary Cooper & Barbara Stanwyck, Cooper & Jean Arthur, etc. Think of Tony Kirby (Jimmy Stewart) & Alice Sycamore (Jean Arthur) in You Can’t Take it With You – she’s on the phone in his office - very light in tone. Recall George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) & Mary Hatch (Donna Reed), again ‘on the phone’ – together - in It’s a Wonderful Life - but in this film it's serious, dramatic, intense. So no problems with Aragorn & Arwen, (Éowyn & Aragorn), Éowyn & Faramir, Sam & Rosie – except there aren’t any phones in M-E!Capra was no stranger to flights of fancy or fantasy – Clarence (Angel second-class) of It’s a Wonderful Life, Shangri-La of Lost Horizon, etc. Special effects required? Well he did achieve the realistic effect of snow on the Bedford Falls set – using cornflakes! Also the angel’s wings, the starry universe – all in It’s a Wonderful Life. I’m afraid I’m not so familiar with Lost Horizon – I have seen clips of it long ago, but there must have been special effects in it.The action bits (battle scenes, sword fighting, horseback riding) may have been a stretch though.So what would the Capra-corn version look like? Would it be filmed in Black & White?! The shots would be workmanlike, proven to tell a story, nothing fancy or showy like Orson Welles or Hitchcock would do. The film would look a bit like a stage play for 'interior' shots like the Council of Elrond. There would be lots of detail in sets & background to reveal character – much as PJ shot Bag End. Very good cinematography of landscapes (Lost Horizon).The pacing would be quick where required with snappy comic dialogue. Some jokes would be lost in the speed – great for a 2nd or 3rd viewing. Bilbo's Party scene would look much the same as PJ's but shorter, more frantic, quicker to the point. Something similar to the dinner party / firecracker / arrest scene in You Can't Take It With You. [Edited May 5/02: On reflection, the Party scene would have been about the same length as PJ's, very chaotic, but then with a quiet scene with a LONGER (ie. the whole) speech by Bilbo. I was thinking more of Howard Hawks' screwball comedies. Sorry about that.]The confrontation between Saruman & Gandalf would be more sinister and based on verbal (rather than physical) sparring – truer to Tolkien - Gandalf almost falling for Saruman’s offer. Recall George Bailey being offered the job by Mr. Potter in It's a Wonderful Life – ending with the sweaty handshake.A song or two would be included. (Auld Lang Syne if he could fit it in somehow!)There are no small roles in a Capra movie – all roles are important – Capra personally selected every member of the cast in his films. The Lord of the Rings is an ensemble piece, if ever there’s been one.He worked with many of the great stars and character actors of his time. I think he would have done as PJ did - cast solid character actors for the most part - actors who aren’t already too well-known. He would have cast with and against type. But in the studio heydey he would have had to cast stars in the ‘lead’ roles. Unfortunately there is a dearth of female roles in tLotR; in the 30s & 40s the lead actress’ name was billed before the lead actor’s in the credits; the women were the big stars then. And since I don’t know the ‘bit’ players very well and you wouldn’t recognize their names either, I’ll just cast from the actors he worked with that we know fairly well. Given today's special effects technologies anything is possible, so he might have cast like this:·Jean Arthur (she just glows!) as FRODO - requiring a bit of a re-write?! ·Jimmy Stewart as SAMWISE (obviously) ·Lionel Barrymore as GANDALF ·Gary Cooper (Longshanks himself) as STRIDER/ARAGORN ·Clark Gable as BOROMIR ·With what would have been a breakthrough bit of casting - Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson as PIPPIN ·No one comes to mind as MERRY ·Again, a blank for LEGOLAS – but it’s a bit part! ·Ditto for GIMLI!! ·Thomas Mitchell as BILBO ·Claude Rains (smooth) as SARUMAN ·Cary Grant as ELROND ·Greer Garson as GALADRIEL, of course ·Katharine Hepburn - typecasting – as GLORFINDEL ·Claudette Colbert, or possibly Myrna Loy as ARWEN ·Spencer Tracey as THÉODEN ·No one comes to mind for ÉOMER either ·Barbara Stanwyk – one of Capra’s favourites - as ÉOWYN ·Peter Lorre (slimy) as WORMTONGUE (he'd make a great GOLLUM too) ·Ronald Colman as FARAMIR ·This is a really tough one – I had thought of maybe Edward Arnold as TOM BOMBADIL – but I don’t know if he could smile continuously –or at all!!! ·Donna Reed as GOLDBERRY ·Edward Everett Horton as TREEBEARD – his eyes are right, I think – now if he could just SLOW DOWN - a LOT! ·Walter Brennan as THE GAFFER ·Gloria Grayhame as ROSIE ·Raymond Massey as DENETHOR ·Henry Travers as BARLIMAN BUTTERBUR ·Frank Faylen & Ward Bond as NOB & BOB ·Jim the Crow would be featured as one of the crebain!!! Only fooling: Capra's alternate title to The Lord of the Rings might have been You Can’t Take It With You (Well, Maybe You Can – Depending On Which Jeweller Made It). [ May 05, 2002: Message edited by: Lostgaeriel ]

05-04-2002, 03:03 PM	#2
Lostgaeriel Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Toronto the Good Posts: 477	Then I wonder if Frank Capra may have been an ideal choice to direct a movie of The Lord of the Rings.<P>Frank Capra (1897-1991) was the director of these classic films: <BR>·<I>It Happened One Night</I> (1934) – <B>Best Director</B>, Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress<BR>·<I>Mr. Deeds Goes to Town</I> (1936) – <B>Best Director</B><BR>·<I>Lost Horizon</I> (1937)<BR>·<I>You Can’t Take It With You</I> (1938) – <B>Best Director</B>, Best Picture<BR>·<I>Mr. Smith Goes to Washington</I> (1939) – Best Motion Picture Story<BR>·<I>Meet John Doe</I> (1941)<BR>·<I>Arsenic and Old Lace</I> (1944)<BR>·<I>It’s a Wonderful Life</I> (1946)<BR>·<I>State of the Union</I> (1948)<P>I think Tolkien's story has a Capra-esque feel. Capra's sensibilities seem compatible to The Lord of the Rings. It has that universal Capra theme of the little guy up against the evil powers-that-be. There is a shared idea that every person – no matter how seemingly small – is important and a hero.<P>Capra liked sentimentality and could do it without ‘mushiness’ – he could wed sentiment to serious dramatic scenes and to comedy. <P>Capra's stories emphasize the importance of friends and family and community. So I think he would have focused on the relationship of Frodo & Sam and established the hobbits and the Shire as the touchstone of the piece. The Scouring of the Shire would be included.<P>Capra knew how to shoot a really good romantic (and sexy) scene or love story with ‘steam’ and/or humour as appropriate. Claudette Colbert & Clark Gable, Gary Cooper & Barbara Stanwyck, Cooper & Jean Arthur, etc. Think of Tony Kirby (Jimmy Stewart) & Alice Sycamore (Jean Arthur) in <I>You Can’t Take it With You</I> – she’s on the phone in his office - very light in tone. Recall George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) & Mary Hatch (Donna Reed), again ‘on the phone’ – together - in <I>It’s a Wonderful Life</I> - but in this film it's serious, dramatic, intense. So no problems with Aragorn & Arwen, (Éowyn & Aragorn), Éowyn & Faramir, Sam & Rosie – except there aren’t any phones in M-E!<P>Capra was no stranger to flights of fancy or fantasy – Clarence (Angel second-class) of <I>It’s a Wonderful Life</I>, Shangri-La of <I>Lost Horizon</I>, etc. Special effects required? Well he did achieve the realistic effect of snow on the Bedford Falls set – using cornflakes! Also the angel’s wings, the starry universe – all in <I>It’s a Wonderful Life</I>. I’m afraid I’m not so familiar with <I>Lost Horizon</I> – I have seen clips of it long ago, but there must have been special effects in it.<P>The action bits (battle scenes, sword fighting, horseback riding) may have been a stretch though.<P>So what would the Capra-corn version look like? Would it be filmed in Black & White?! The shots would be workmanlike, proven to tell a story, nothing fancy or showy like Orson Welles or Hitchcock would do. The film would look a bit like a stage play for 'interior' shots like the Council of Elrond. There would be lots of detail in sets & background to reveal character – much as PJ shot Bag End. Very good cinematography of landscapes (<I>Lost Horizon</I>).<P>The pacing would be quick where required with snappy comic dialogue. Some jokes would be lost in the speed – great for a 2nd or 3rd viewing. Bilbo's Party scene would look much the same as PJ's but shorter, more frantic, quicker to the point. Something similar to the dinner party / firecracker / arrest scene in <I>You Can't Take It With You</I>. <P>[Edited May 5/02: On reflection, the Party scene would have been about the same length as PJ's, very chaotic, but then with a quiet scene with a LONGER (ie. the whole) speech by Bilbo. I was thinking more of Howard Hawks' screwball comedies. Sorry about that.]<P>The confrontation between Saruman & Gandalf would be more sinister and based on verbal (rather than physical) sparring – truer to Tolkien - Gandalf almost falling for Saruman’s offer. Recall George Bailey being offered the job by Mr. Potter in <I>It's a Wonderful Life</I> – ending with the sweaty handshake.<P>A song or two would be included. (<I>Auld Lang Syne</I> if he could fit it in somehow!)<P>There are no small roles in a Capra movie – all roles are important – Capra personally selected every member of the cast in his films. The Lord of the Rings is an ensemble piece, if ever there’s been one.<P>He worked with many of the great stars and character actors of his time. I think he would have done as PJ did - cast solid character actors for the most part - actors who aren’t already too well-known. He would have cast with and against type. But in the studio heydey he would have had to cast stars in the ‘lead’ roles. Unfortunately there is a dearth of female roles in tLotR; in the 30s & 40s the lead actress’ name was billed before the lead actor’s in the credits; the women were the big stars then. And since I don’t know the ‘bit’ players very well and you wouldn’t recognize their names either, I’ll just cast from the actors he worked with that we know fairly well. Given today's special effects technologies anything is possible, so he <I>might</I> have cast like this:<P>·Jean Arthur (she just glows!) as FRODO - requiring a bit of a re-write?!<BR>·Jimmy Stewart as SAMWISE (obviously)<BR>·Lionel Barrymore as GANDALF<BR>·Gary Cooper (Longshanks himself) as STRIDER/ARAGORN<BR>·Clark Gable as BOROMIR<BR>·With what would have been a breakthrough bit of casting - Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson as PIPPIN<BR>·No one comes to mind as MERRY<BR>·Again, a blank for LEGOLAS – but it’s a bit part! <BR>·Ditto for GIMLI!! <BR>·Thomas Mitchell as BILBO<BR>·Claude Rains (smooth) as SARUMAN<BR>·Cary Grant as ELROND<BR>·Greer Garson as GALADRIEL, of course<BR>·Katharine Hepburn - typecasting – as GLORFINDEL <BR>·Claudette Colbert, or possibly Myrna Loy as ARWEN<BR>·Spencer Tracey as THÉODEN <BR>·No one comes to mind for ÉOMER either<BR>·Barbara Stanwyk – one of Capra’s favourites - as ÉOWYN<BR>·Peter Lorre (slimy) as WORMTONGUE (he'd make a great GOLLUM too)<BR>·Ronald Colman as FARAMIR<BR>·This is a really tough one – I had thought of maybe Edward Arnold as TOM BOMBADIL – but I don’t know if he could smile continuously –or at all!!!<BR>·Donna Reed as GOLDBERRY<BR>·Edward Everett Horton as TREEBEARD – his eyes are right, I think – now if he could just SLOW DOWN - a LOT!<BR>·Walter Brennan as THE GAFFER<BR>·Gloria Grayhame as ROSIE<BR>·Raymond Massey as DENETHOR<BR>·Henry Travers as BARLIMAN BUTTERBUR<BR>·Frank Faylen & Ward Bond as NOB & BOB <BR>·Jim the Crow would be featured as one of the <I>crebain</I>!!! <P>Only fooling: Capra's alternate title to The Lord of the Rings might have been <I>You Can’t Take It With You (Well, Maybe You Can – Depending On Which Jeweller Made It)</I>. <p>[ May 05, 2002: Message edited by: Lostgaeriel ] __________________ Elen síla lúmenn’ omentielvo, a star shines on the hour of our meeting.