**RotK - Sam (Sean Astin)**

[Lyta_Underhill]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>I think watching Sean Astin is kind of like that. It seems like he really believes he is Sam. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Welcome, <B>Teleri</B>! And I have no doubt that Sean and Sam are one in this realm! There is no doubt in my mind that Sean <I>became</I> Sam and, now that he has finished playing the role, it is part of him forever. Sean will <I>always</I> be Sam in this way to me. I, like you, would have liked to see the Watchers sequence and also to see Sam struggling with the Ring, rather than having it as a big surprise when Frodo tells him "they took the Ring!" To me, the handling of this issue weakened both Sam's fight against the Ring's power and Frodo's deep despair at the loss of it (although there was a nod to this, but not as much as I internalized it when reading, but that's probably just me--I fall into Frodo's point of view a lot). <P>One other thing I wanted to mention after this, my third viewing of the film, was an obtrusive part that finally made me realize <I>why</I> I found it obtrusive. Right after Frodo's "naked in the dark" speech, Sam tells Frodo he can't carry the Ring for him, but he can carry <I>him</I>. At this moment, the music swells so much that it becomes intrusive and this simple moment where Sam really shines becomes what I like to call an "obvious Oscar moment." It is like PJ is saying, "look at Sean Astin in his finest moment!" at that instant. It detracts from the experience and becomes a moment from "The Player," where one steps outside the story and realizes it is a film again and that it is a device in use to create a "moment." And this right after one of the most revealing looks into Frodo's soul in the entire series, one that put me squarely into the mind of Samwise, catching a glimpse of the depth of Frodo's struggle. I don't know if this is just an instance of the moment striking me oddly or if this is an experience anyone else shares. I just wanted to throw it out there, though. Sean shines through in the scene, but I think the music was overdone and it somehow takes away from Sam's effect here for me.<P>And now I say goodnight! <BR>Cheers,<BR>Lyta