Boromir the Viking, Gollum the Frog, Samwise the Troll.
The animated movies' take on The Lord of the Rings is…unique.
By the late 1970s, there were two major animated adaptations ofThe Lord of the Ringsin development.
The performances are mostly pretty good, especially John Hurt as Aragorn in Bakshis film.
Gollum/Smeagols debate with himself is also well done, and a clear influence on Jacksons films.
It was also a cheaper way of creating the battle scenes.
But all the principal characters, though live models were used, are drawn in traditional two-dimensional animated style.
Sadly, the same is not true for poor Sam.
Theres a moment when Aragorn is telling the Hobbits the story of Beren and Luthien.
Saruman the White Is Wearing Red
Saruman the White, Gandalf the Grey, Radagast the Brown.
The costume choices would seem fairly obvious here.
But no Bakshis Saruman is wearing a bright red robe over a purple-ish long tunic.
I liked white better, I said.
But the animated Saruman isnt wearing a translucent, rainbow-colored gown, nor is he wearing many colors.
He is wearing red with a purple-ish tunic underneath.
And the statement doesnt mean very much when he has barely been introduced as Saruman the White.
But Gondor has far more in common with other historical societies.
So why is Boromir wearing a horned Viking helmet that looks like a cheap party costume?!
But all three are wearing tunics that are practically riding up their animated underpants.
This seems extremely impractical.
Boromir is wearing Viking-style furs with his horned helmet, so why is he letting his legs get cold?
If they had to bleed something other than red, wouldnt green have been a better option?
Have you ever seen a tree that was that shape?!
Its a neat idea and for years the three together were the best screen dramatization available.
But watching them as a trilogy is certainly an odd experience.
But even if you do, you get mental whiplash from the change in style and tone.
But the most egregious is definitely the character design for Gollum.
Its not easy being green.
That in itself makes them a special part ofLord of the Ringshistory.
