Tolkien did heavily imply that elves have long hair, as their hair is what they use to string their bows.
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
True!
@abrahamacevedo5302
2 жыл бұрын
Good point
@adinadamian5634
2 жыл бұрын
Wow, I didn't know that, cool.
@jonson856
2 жыл бұрын
I guess in the RoP version they use their butt hair😂
@Dabedidabe
2 жыл бұрын
I guess the guy with the buzzcut has been stringing a LOT of bows... ;)
@PomiDarQu
2 жыл бұрын
I just loved how Aragorn costume was mostly traveler rugs, not warrior armor. It gave him that "hard-boiled" look.
@DidMyGrandfatherMakeThis
2 жыл бұрын
I also love how Aragorn essentially picks up his armour from all over the lands of Middle Earth he will unite under his rule. The bracers from Boromir, the maille from Rohan then more armour from Gondor itself. It adds to the story and it also follows the progression from Ranger to King.
@MinqApoc
2 жыл бұрын
Not just the hard-boiled look. He's a ranger, someone who survives in the wild, sneaks around on forest paths. Armor would be an obstacle there. You can't be quiet, fast, sneaky in proper armor. So him not wearing a full plate was an absolute no-brainer.
@burnttoast26
2 жыл бұрын
@@MinqApoc He would still be fast in armor, it doesn't really slow you down at all. Sneaky and quiet though, yeah it would be detrimental.
@robbiecale3327
Жыл бұрын
@@burnttoast26 what are you talking about? Of course steel armour slows you down
@VaernSul
Жыл бұрын
@zbroman z you have videos from Metatron debunking the "full plate heavily hampers movement" meme. Bottom line, you can actually still run, crouch, jump and maneuver in full plate. However this is still a drain on your stamina, and yes it is noisy. It still makes sense for a ranger to have a lighter armour that is quiet and doesn't make their occupational long treks across the wild more arduous than it needs to be. But Aragorn picking up more armour as endurance/mobility becomes less of an issue and combat more of an inevitability is also internally consistent.
@glennwatson3313
2 жыл бұрын
I have watched Lord of the Rings many times and I never once thought the actors were wearing "costumes" or even that they were acting. I know both of these thing were true, but I never thought about it. With Rings of Power it is obvious they are acting and they are wearing costumes.
@matiasaguilar2500
Жыл бұрын
Yeah same not even gandalf’s pointy hat took me out. He’s a wizard
@Kangakool
Жыл бұрын
When he started mentioning Aragorn’s clothes, I could barely even really remember any individual aspects of his outfit, cause it all goes together so well. And it doesn’t draw attention to itself. He’s just wearing what a ranger would wear. If you look closely you do see little details that might hint to his heritage, but they don’t stick out. They aren’t meant to. Aragorn was a mysterious character people called Strider because they didn’t even know who he was.
@KoeSeer
Жыл бұрын
LOTR managed to make a grown men and women feels what it feels like to be told a fairy tale story before bed again.
@bosephboestar2726
Жыл бұрын
thats what really sets apart a good movie and a bad one
@shar3859
2 жыл бұрын
When the LotR actors were interviewed, I remember one of them saying there were embroideries on the inside of the armor that would never make it to the screen, but it helped him getting into the role. The fact that they went the extra mile to include that shows they do no such thing as half-assing. Sheer thoughtfulness, respect, passion, and knowledge radiating from the costume designer, Ngila Dickson.
@Tokmurok
2 жыл бұрын
Ah, kinda like stuff seen in the behind the scenes from the Harry Potter movies, entire books and posters that are there simply to immerse the BACKGROUND characters. Insane detail. I dont even like Harry Potter.
@lazycatchphrase8148
2 жыл бұрын
As a an absolute nut for the Peter Jackson trilogy, I can tell you that it was Bernard Hill, who played King Theodan of Rohan. The inside of his breastplate was decorated with embroidered horses in tradition with the Rohan aesthetic. Even the buildings on the set, specially the lavish stables are riddled with carved horse imagery. I binge watched all the extended version appendices and various commentary tracks multiple times while recovering from wisdom tooth surgery in high school, definitely locked a vast amount of trivial details into my brain, lol.
@lazycatchphrase8148
2 жыл бұрын
Also, the fact that so many of the costumes in those movies were hand crafted pieces made out of legitimate materials makes it really hard to look at all the spray painted 3D printed bs in the show (that they supposedly spent so much money on) and convince yourself it’s taking place in the same universe.
@gamble777888
Жыл бұрын
Guarantee you in RoP the sides of the sets that won't be filmed are probably not carved or painted at all.
@gamble777888
Жыл бұрын
@@lazycatchphrase8148 It's really actually a mystery where they spent the money on. The actors and writers are making small salaries. I think it should legit be investigated for money laundering.
@marystombaugh2282
2 жыл бұрын
Another storytelling element I felt the elves have long hair helped with, was their fighting acumen. It IS wildly impractical to fight with your long hair down, but the elves were so graceful and skilled that it was never a problem. It always signaled to me that they were able to deal with it in a way men/dwarves could not.
@sailiealquadacil1284
Жыл бұрын
... Except for Glorfindel XD
@akechijubeimitsuhide
Жыл бұрын
The only elves I could see with short hair (at least until it grows out) are those who spent time as Morgoth's prisoners, such as Maedhros or Gwindor.
@sailiealquadacil1284
Жыл бұрын
@@akechijubeimitsuhide I'm 100% behind that. It'd be a massive blow to their psyche to have their hair cut off by their enemies, and, in Gwindor's case, it would further underline why nobody recognised him.
@PetWessman
Жыл бұрын
Same. To me it was always a sign of the indescribable magic of the elves. Yes there's distinct elven magic such as seeing into the future and speaking in thought, but there's also the constant unearthliness of the elves which lets them walk around without bending a single blade of grass, seeing further than any man or dwarf, or lop off orc heads without spitting their own flapping hair out of their mouths.
@hnybee113
Жыл бұрын
THANK YOU FOR THIS. This is the difference between Jackson honoring Tolkien as a huge fan of the Lore!! I am an opera singer and performer. Costume CAN be everything especially in story telling. Beautiful video essay. BRAVO!!
@evadan100
2 жыл бұрын
Also: a good technique is to apply some weathering and/or discolouring. The costumes should look lived-in. The fabrics from "The rings of power" look like they just came out from the weaving machine, and look cheap. It looks like it's the first time these characters wear their clothes. Sorry for my english, I am italian.
@sapphirevilya
2 жыл бұрын
Your English is very good 👍
@michaelyoung7261
2 жыл бұрын
You are absolutely right!! Too many films and movies look like cheap Halloween store “one night throwaway” costumes. No, give us costumes that would last for 300 years if put into a tomb that would tell us about the people who wore them, not costumes that last 300 years because they got thrown away and immediately buried by candy wrappers!!
@zxyatiywariii8
2 жыл бұрын
That's what George Lucas did with R2-D2 -- after the costume was built, all shiny and new, he told them to roll it around in some rocky dirt so it wouldn't be so shiny and new, but look real.
@seanmarkham6965
2 жыл бұрын
Yeah the fabrics look plastic and stiff
@MayLina
2 жыл бұрын
Costume designer for LOTR said that they kept dying fabrics over and over again just to make them look old and worn by slowly adding the “dirt” color The true talent shows in love and care to what they do
@joshpotter9261
2 жыл бұрын
The hair and makeup department found the typo, instead of giving the actors "Elvish hair" they gave them "Elvis hair".
@Perktube1
Жыл бұрын
Well said! 😊
@ephexa
Жыл бұрын
Thank you so much for this. 😂
@glennwatson3313
Жыл бұрын
Costello or Presley?
@alaia-awakened
Жыл бұрын
This is perfect 😂
@alicehendricks5556
Жыл бұрын
Hahaha!
@diegoborges3716
2 жыл бұрын
In Brazil, we often use the term "cospobre", which means a cosplay made of very cheap material and little effort. The costumes of ROP look like cospobre.
@angeljamais8541
2 жыл бұрын
Brilliant definition!
@douglasdoo
2 жыл бұрын
Cospoor
@JadeOhara
2 жыл бұрын
😂 😂 😂 😂 Eu ri! Mas definitivamente existem cosplay bem ruins. Não é como se ROP tivesse fantasias de tnt.
@diegoborges3716
2 жыл бұрын
@@JadeOhara posso ter pegado meio pesado com o cospobre 😅. Mas o fato é que capricharam bem pouco no figurino dos personagens. O pano dourado da roupa do Gil-Galad parece tecido barato e a armadura de madeira (!!!) do elfo Despacito lá parece eva pintado.
@JadeOhara
2 жыл бұрын
@@diegoborges3716 Se a galera não cancelar a série, eu acho que eles tem total potencial de fazer melhor na segunda temporada, pois dá pra ver que eles tiveram sim muito cuidado com tudo, principalmente os efeitos especiais. Embora pareça que eles gastaram muito, talvez eles tenham sacrificado as fantasias pra favorecer os cenários. Isso é normal de acontecer. Não é o ideal, ainda mais vindo de uma empresa tão grande, mas acontece.
@MrDasSams
2 жыл бұрын
"The more realistic you make Tolkiens elves, the less they feel like elves and the more they feel like regular people that just happen to have pointy ears." That was such a good point! I could never really pinpoint or put into words why the elves from The Shannara chronicles on Amazon Prime never felt like elves, but felt kind of wrong to me, but that's exactly it! They are far too regular looking, like humans with pointy ears. Which is such a shame, because in the book, they are described to be looing quite distinct.
@zippyparakeet1074
Жыл бұрын
Yep, they have a human like appearance but they have a divine, regal aura and their movements are very light, swift and calculated which is almost creepy to a normal man of middle earth. I also hate how the Men of Numenor look worse than the Gondorians in LoTR when they're supposed to be human in all but name. They have an almost elvish appearance themselves, they're tall, beautiful, fair but with dark hair, strong and also very regal. They're literally the descendants of elves who chose the mortal life.
@vanithaahrelis8631
2 жыл бұрын
I think one of the things that makes Aragorn's whole look believable - he looks like he's been sleeping in the woods for weeks at a time. His hair isn't perfectly coifed. It looks like he's run his fingers through it a couple of times and when he stands next to Legolas who looks like he's walked out of a salon fresh as a daisy it adds to the Human/Elf dynamic, especially when Boromir has the same aesthetic as Aragorn just with higher quality fabrics 9like someone buying the brand name outdoors stuff). Gimli looks comfortable even though he looks like he's wearing more armour and heavier layers (granted the beared helps) Frodo and the rest of the hobbits, even when wearing armour towards the end of the films still look hobitish just in the clothing from how thin and light it looks but not quite elvish levels of floating. If you just take the outfits and shove them on faceless mannequins you can easily point to each one and say human, dwarf, hobbit, elf, etc (orcs are easy we don't count them). I think that its because the costume designers also took alot of inspiration from the designs done by John Howe and Alan Lee who did some absolutely beautiful concept sketches in terms of landscape, archecture and even armour designs. Love this video, well thought and very well explained (makes me want to sit for what I know would be an hour long fangirl gushing over concept art, set, character and costume design conversation with you) :D
@nurainiarsad7395
Жыл бұрын
yes, this. legolas always looks impossibly perfect under crappy conditions relative to his companions, who only came close to matching that when they’re bathed and dressed in cities. and that’s the point of elves and why they have the elevated mystique that they have. in my culture there’s also a concept of a forest otherworldly people we call ‘bunian’ and this elusive folk is also described as shining with light, impossibly beautiful, cultured and advanced, and time passes differently in their world, but they are also terrifying if they turn on you. so disappointed that these people think that tolkien elves is ‘just another race’ as though it’s about different human ethnicities. total failure to comprehend the nature of myths and faerie arcehtypes in cultures.
@unimpartialobserver
Жыл бұрын
" If you just take the outfits and shove them on faceless mannequins you can easily point to each one and say human, dwarf, hobbit, elf, etc (orcs are easy we don't count them)." This is true, in fact. They took the costumes and whatnot on a tour of museums in the U.S. after the movies concluded, and I got to see them on mannequins. They were truly splendid, so detailed that you could look at them forever and still miss all the little bits and bobs relevant to their cultures. (Also, the sculpture they made of Boromir in his funeral boat looked so real, I thought for a minute it was Sean Bean pranking us all!)
@svetlanaandrasova6086
Жыл бұрын
Because Viggo actualy slept next to Horses to give Aragorn authenticity. Thats dedication.
@TheCursedCat1927
Жыл бұрын
@@svetlanaandrasova6086 Not only horses. For weeks, he literally took his costume and went camping in the forest, while wearing it.
@ColoradoStreaming
2 жыл бұрын
Tolkien did not specifically say Aragorn had a bow but considering the Rangers were avid hunters and Strider himself mentioned his ability to hunt for food on the way to Rivendell in the book implies he had a hunting bow of some kind. It would also make sense a paramilitary guerilla force like the Rangers would have some kind of ranged weapons.
@zubbworks
Жыл бұрын
Wanted to say, a hunting bow is not the bestly bestest for war. You need not mention in the book, that aragorn carried his special soup spoon with him everywhere he went. So maybe the logic went that he need not mention in great detail, how aragorn got his rabbit snacks every couple of days.
@JesusFriedChrist
Жыл бұрын
Yes. And I thought of it more from the Ranger perspective. A man that roams the wild would have all the essentials for survival. A bow for at least hunting small game could be the difference between life and death. “Strider” having a short bow entirely makes sense in our world, and is canonically sound.
@vfxtutswithdan1893
Жыл бұрын
And, like the whetstone, Viggo Mortensen suggested that Aragorn have a bow, as that would explain how he could survive in the wilderness.
@scratchy996
Жыл бұрын
@@zubbworks The Mongols used their composite bows for both hunting and war. I see the rangers as ambush fighters. In hit and run attacks in forests you don't need long range longbows, which are impractical in a dense forest anyway.
@brianpond945
Жыл бұрын
Tolkien specifically said the only weapon carried by Aragorn was Anduril. But short bows were a thing even in medieval periods so that doesn't bother me as much as this video harps on "not a longbow"
@petiteetoile8376
2 жыл бұрын
That whole ethereal elf trope that became common to fantasy was in many ways inspired by Tolkien's elves. Hence, why would ROP change one of the signature things about Tolkien's work: the ethereal, otherworldly beautiful elf
@zoebaggins90
2 жыл бұрын
And Tolkien himself was inspired by the national epics, the Edda and the Kalevala.
@mynamename5172
2 жыл бұрын
For the fairness and inclusion, obvi.
@Adedero
2 жыл бұрын
Yeah, because black people can never be ethereal, otherworldly or beautiful. Got it!
@anxietatema
2 жыл бұрын
@@Adedero you said it yourself 🤷🏻♀️
@tktsunami6236
2 жыл бұрын
And it's not only the hair. I think most of the actors do a good acting job, but they don't look like an elf because of their facial looks. Sorry but no elf was lloking ethereal to mee. There were human mens in the series who had more the look of that
@n00bplayer72
2 жыл бұрын
One design point that irked me about Rings of Power is that the designers used shades of blue for everything in Numenor because it was a seafaring kingdom. Like, what is this? Last Airbender? Bionicle? If anything, they would have had numerous, bright colours to show that being a well-travelled seafaring nation grants you access to so many resources to use for dying and painting.
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
Great point
@jozephusmusic
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you for mentioning Bionicle
@Giagantus
2 жыл бұрын
Not really, symbolic colour has always existed for cultures and blue may very well be that. It seems blue might also be a uniform color .Just because u are a seafring nation doesn't u have access to all sort of colours. The Norse didn't wear all sorts of colors. In Medieval Europe colourful out fits exist in plenty. If you were rich. The Rich loved colours. But average joe ? I
@zippyparakeet1074
Жыл бұрын
@@Giagantusblue as a colour for seafaring peoples' clothes would be goofy as hell. Imagine you're wearing a blue tunic because you're so proud that you're a person of the sea and then you somehow fall off the ship. Goodluck getting people to spot you in the water. I do agree with the theme color bit tho. Rohan had a green color scheme, Gondor had grey and black, Dol Amroth has white and blue, etc etc
@yaboy821
Жыл бұрын
@@Giagantus the norse did wear a lot of different colours tough
@sokandueler9578
Жыл бұрын
Viggo Mortensen was the one who insisted on Aragorn having a bow. He also personally cut holes in his costume and sewed patches in place to give his costume a much more “lived-in” feel.
@erinwojcik4771
Жыл бұрын
He also spent time actually camping out in costume to break it in.
@demoulius1529
Жыл бұрын
@@erinwojcik4771dident he also wear his outfit and/or armor as much as possible even while not filming so he got used to it?
@TheCursedCat1927
Жыл бұрын
@@demoulius1529 Yes, yes he did.
@KateKramer-qc1sc
Жыл бұрын
Yes he did! It makes me love him even more
@spamhere1123
Жыл бұрын
He also turned some heads and nearly got in trouble a few times because he insisted on carrying his sword everywhere he went. Even to places like restaurants and cafes.
@poozlius
2 жыл бұрын
It's not the folks designing the costumes, it's the folks telling them what costumes to design. I shall point my fingers toward the showrunners, and scowl!
@texasbeast239
2 жыл бұрын
And "nih" and fart in their general direction!
@AnotherDuck
2 жыл бұрын
Always point upwards in the decision hierarchy. It's like how it surprisingly rarely the actors fault their roles are portrayed poorly. It usually boils down to poor direction or script. Although the actor's skill certainly has influence. As an example I like to take Anakin from the SW prequels and compare his scenes where he has to say the lines written with a straight face, and the scenes where he can just act without talking. I mean, an actor like Christopher Lee could probably even make talking about coarse sand work, but while Hayden Christensen can give a good emotional performance, he just can't handle those garbage lines. Most actors can't.
@Tirryna
2 жыл бұрын
@@texasbeast239 IT will be glorious when they smell IT!
@KalonOrdona2
2 жыл бұрын
Very important point, indeed
@Astavyastataa
2 жыл бұрын
You say that as though most of the people involved in modern entertainment industry at most if not all léveles are highly progressive liberals.
@dingusrevolver
2 жыл бұрын
7:38 that's a great point. They probably saw all of the behind-the-scenes footage of LotR costume design and really wanted to show that they could imitate that level of detail...without any of the thought BEHIND those details. A perfect example is Aragorn wearing Boromir's bracers after Boromir dies. Not a minute detail, but something some people might have missed. It not only represents Aragorn honoring Boromir and his sacrifice, but also him becoming open to his obligation as king of Gondor.
@angeljamais8541
2 жыл бұрын
I am one of those who missed that detail. Thank you for pointing it out.
@JadeOhara
2 жыл бұрын
Have you missed the black elf armor? That was made to look like ents? Well, that's definitely ridiculous detail. Amazon is such an ass. The opening scene with reference to the Ainur creating through music and Melkor dissonance. Very bad opening. Amazon should know better! Only bad points to Amazon.
@danielchilds8327
2 жыл бұрын
isn't it too early to criticize that detail though? It seems incredibly likely that they will make the custom with the apple seeds relevant later on
@darkrevan2
2 жыл бұрын
@@danielchilds8327 that is highly unlikely with the last episode (6). The end of the episode is flawed on all levels. First the episode should have rolled with "the end". There is no way the people in the village will survive that for at least 3-4 different reasons alone. Then, the end and how they got there, is already overlooking dozens of details. Why didnt see anybody the hole in the ground? Why have such mechanism in place at all? Just nock the blocking stone out with a hammer or something. Why did Adar trust they guy, that claimed allegiance to sauron and then him. To do this? Why didnt he give it to an ork? How is it possible the elves in the tower didnt see "the tunnel". There are many more but you can get what I am pointing out. They have no attention to detail it is more like they think o look shiny! Or this will look cool.
@danielchilds8327
2 жыл бұрын
@@darkrevan2 Didnt have to bother with the message. Basically picked up on all that while watching the last episode. Ep 6 was perhaps the one episode with serious plot development and it was filled with all the bullshit you mentioned. Im convinced 6th graders couldve done a better job writing this show Thanks for the time you put into your message though
@boginoid
2 жыл бұрын
I once went to a small con to help out a few friends (setting up tables, etc). Got a free ticket to roam around all day, I mostly spent my time observing people's costumes, I had never been on an event like that before, so I was quite intruiged. All of them were pretty decent to my untrained eyes, some were more on the funny side, some people obviously went the extra mile in quality, some did cool group themes. Then this guy comes in. He looked like he just stepped out from the latest LOTR movie, like he accidentally wandered off set when they were shooting the Siege of Gondor and somehow ended up there: the armor perfect to the last detail, long dark hair, pleasant features, piercing blue eyes, and the stature and the confidence of someone who knows how to move around in it. I swear, never ever seen any costume that looked just like the real thing in real life, except that one. It was so surreal I stared at him for solid two minutes because I couldn't believe my eyes, best theory I have that he was an actual side actor (although I live on the other side of the planet) who somehow took his costume with him back home. I was too shy to chat him up and I regret it. Years later and I still want to know HOW.
@Thelaretus
2 жыл бұрын
In 'Laws and Customs among the Eldar' Tolkien does state that the Elves strongly favoured long hair as an indication of attractiveness.
@lyndabethcave3835
2 жыл бұрын
I have a diploma in costume cutting and construction and I just wanna say this is fantastic. The costumes serve the story and the character, always. And I love that you bring up believability, and does it make sense WITHIN the world. Bernadette Banner has a video on the costumes and "historical accuracy" of Game of Thrones and it's fantastic. Basically, every costume makes total sense within the world of GOT, making them believable.
@somethingclever8916
Жыл бұрын
The costume also needs to hold interest in the viewer and these designs dont make that cut. They arent rememberable and look like renfaire stock
@PerpetualJoy
2 жыл бұрын
The hobbits themselves are also much later than medieval, they have things like buttons and waist coats and time pieces. I like how they didn't try to limit their fantasy by wanting to be "realistic." As you said with the elves, sure it could make sense to have shorter hair for battle/hunting but they are specifically described to be elegant and beautiful, not practical. The "fantasy" works better when you don't try too hard to be logical with the real world. Internal logic is enough
@damagingthebrand7387
2 жыл бұрын
Exactly! You said that great. Tolkien was not recreating the northern European middle ages.
@XiuFeanaro6
2 жыл бұрын
@@damagingthebrand7387 um... But, that's what ROP haters said everywhere on social media that Tolkien based everything on medieval and north Europe "culture". So, which it is...?
@damagingthebrand7387
2 жыл бұрын
@@XiuFeanaro6 Because other commenters do not use the correct verbage is not my fault. Tolkien said he was creating a story(ies) based on pre-medieval mythic tales of the Celts, Finns, North Germans and Norse. But, he also said he was writing a story not a history.
@gracefulPainter
Жыл бұрын
Long hair was also prevalent in medieval times, especially amongst the wealthy and royalty. Often a status symbol. Makes perfect sense to use l9ng hair to signify regality, timelessness, and beauty
@sailiealquadacil1284
Жыл бұрын
As far as we know, Viking men had long hair, and their women went to battle, too. Long hair isn't necessarily a problem if you know how to work with it.
@TripleBarrel06
2 жыл бұрын
Something I noticed from the books after having read them recently is that Tolkien never actually mentions anybody wearing plate armour. Whenever he mentions armour, it's always helmets and mail, which makes me think he actually intended everyone to look like 9th or 10th century versions of themselves. When I watched the movie though, the plate armour used was so believable that I never actually noticed that anachronism.
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
I think part of it was needing to differentiate the different peoples on screen. Perhaps my mind and scope are limited, but there is only so much you can do with chainmail. Though I have seen this used, almost to dismiss the Jackson trilogy in some forums. And this is where I have noticed a bit of cognitive dissonance, because some people (not you, my friend) will defend RoP by saying "adaptations are always different" then pivot to attacking the PJ Trilogy based on the introduction of plate armor. But RoP is using scale and plate too, Jackson's just looked better.
@TripleBarrel06
2 жыл бұрын
@@LivingAnachronism Definitely, and that's where what you said in the video about believability vd realism comes in. I'm sure there are ways to accessorise mail, but plate armour is far more distinctive and varied (and it looks really cool so I'll always give a pass for well executed plate).
@goransekulic3671
2 жыл бұрын
Well, of course. He wanted for it to feel ancient, like Beowulf or such. Anglo Saxons and such. When you see Breastplates and other Platemails, that's approx 14th century(iirc), not ~10th.
@GeraltofRivia22
2 жыл бұрын
@@LivingAnachronism I definitely agree on the idea that the Gondorians got plate armour to differentiate them from the Rohirrim. It definitely conveys the idea that Gondor is the richer, more advanced of the two realms. I have noticed a lot of defenders of RoP try to discredit the Jackson trilogy and then call critics of RoP hypocrites for not also criticising said trilogy. This conveniently ignores the fact that the Jackson trilogy got pretty heavy criticism at the time. The difference is that Jackson and his team didn't try to smear the critics and actually listened to their criticism. As an example, Jackson originally planned to have Arwen fight at the Battle of the Hornburg. But outcry from fans convinced him to scrap the idea.
@TheMacPherson
2 жыл бұрын
There is one place that plate is mentioned, where Imrahil checks that Eowyn is breathing by holding his burnished vambrace to her mouth. But that’s the only place I’ve seen it
@tokyo_taxi7835
2 жыл бұрын
The biggest and most glaring problem with ROP is that the show runners tried to make Middle Earth look too much like the real world, which, thereby, makes it essentially *not* Middle Earth at all. If you do something like that to Middle Earth then it's lost everything that Tolkien put into its creation that made it so unique and enchanting.
@HisameArtwork
2 жыл бұрын
you believe thought went into this production? I admire your optimism.
@kristiankopera
2 жыл бұрын
Yeah they are not doing Middle earth. Its just earth...
@Doomsdayparade
2 жыл бұрын
@@kristiankopera modern earth at that.
@blackc1479
2 жыл бұрын
That's the crux of it. There is no right solution. (Sticking to the movies, it's been a while since I did the books) Yes, his characters were all essentially white. But the story was also written as a northern European mythology. So that kinda tracks. i don't have any more of a problem w it than black panther being an afrocentric story. I don't want white wakandans to "balance it out" even if that's not in the story. And I get it, I'm multiracial, no reason for not including us. But it could be done so much better. There's so much unexplored territory. Like faramir wondering about the guy he killed on the Oliphant. How did he get there? What did he want? Don't take established stuff and make a shallow show of inclusion by mucking about w it. Take all the rest of middle earth and make good stories of it. Give the east as rich a backstory as the west, get to know the people. That would be a hell of a lot better (and more progressive) than just saying "here's a brown elf".
@tokyo_taxi7835
2 жыл бұрын
@@blackc1479 Totally agree. The East was always left as a mystery. They were just thrown in there as "the bad guys" to a large extent. Would be really interesting, like you said, to see how they came under the influence of Sauron. Surely they were not always under his sway.
@laura-bianca3130
2 жыл бұрын
Good costume design: 1. Made with love 2. Made to look used 3. Looking as if they are serving their purpose 4. Respect the original material 😊 Respect Tolkien, boycott Amazon 😊
@JesusFriedChrist
Жыл бұрын
Reject modernity Return to beauty
@somethingclever8916
Жыл бұрын
These studios need to hire people with talent, not some friends kid to do the job. Fashion and interior design, car design is the same as it's been for 25 years because these industries hire someones well connected child with no eye for design or talent. Now this nepotism has entered books, films, and tv
@annasstorybox7906
Жыл бұрын
Also, the stuff in the movies looks like one could wear it all day. It looks comfortable or in case of the armor at least practical.
@Smallpotato1965
2 жыл бұрын
The thing that totally throws me in that horrid RoP abomination, is how frikkin' *dirty* those 'harfoots' are!! These are supposed to be proto-hobbits!! Even the poorest hobbit would be utterly disgraced if she and her clothes were that filthy!! Heck, there are still hunter-gatherer tribes here on Earth who keep themselves spotlessly clean! Why this obsession with dirt?!
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
Nothing about the Harfoots makes any sense to me
@Maletizer
2 жыл бұрын
Agreed. The hobbits have always been depicted as a very comely, clean and organized race. Look at how shocked Bilbo was when the dwarves ransacked his house and made a mess. You don't have to look like a troll under a bridge to be depicted as a nomadic people. It's honestly a little racist and demeaning to actual nomadic people
@MrDwarfpitcher
2 жыл бұрын
It is the same as that Medieval people are mostly dirty peasants often covered in mud. The people who live in the leftovers of the Roman empire often kept using Roman bathhouses, administrative buildings etc. They also took pride in cleanliness, sometimes being clean was not good enough so they'd make themselves look whiter with often unhealthy Medieval make-up. I believe this Hollywood obsession with dirty people from the past is because it is cheaper to make
@ScottRuggels
2 жыл бұрын
I think the Harfoots are supposed to be Representation of the Homeless.
@69SalterStreet
2 жыл бұрын
Also the show runners said they aRe nomads that follow the crops. Nomads don’t have crops, they follow herds that move. Crop stay in one place why would they need to move around if their food stays put?? 😭
@Shyndryth
2 жыл бұрын
So gonna make a comparison myself here, what I loved about Aragorn's ranger costume is that that it was meant to make him look inconspicuous and blend in and make him almost look like a vagrant to keep people at bay, by stark comparison Galadriel hunter outfit or whatever it was when she was climbing the ice was off and it made no sense, who in their right mind would be wearing metal gauntlets climbing ice, its like the costume designer took a look at a fantasy game and was like elves should wear this or something.
@tubey84
Жыл бұрын
9:55 - Aragorn is a Ranger who is depicted as hunting in the wilds. Not just foraging, hunting - he wasn't running at boars with a sword to hunt it; he had a bow, anyone in his position would, but the book was smart enough not to detail absolutely everything about the character that wasn't relevant to whatever chapter the character was in. Instead, Tolkien painted with broad strokes and added the detail in as it became relevant.
@MasterIceyy
11 ай бұрын
THis is further shown by Aragorns disbelief about Frodo surviving the wound from the troll, he say's "that spear would have skewered a wild boar" showing he's clearly experienced hunting with multiple weapons
@ChrisLeeW00
2 жыл бұрын
This is something I noticed when the Peter Jackson movies first came out. Most fantasy themed movies/shows are not done nearly as well, and the attention and talent that went into that trilogy stands tall among most other examples. It’s a high bar, but can be achievable with a team that is given the time and care that it took. The rings of power just looks cheap in comparison.
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
Agreed. It is a masterpiece, and given the current state of the film industry, it is unlikely to be repeated, but that doesn't mean that no one could do it. It set the bar. And all things will (and should) be compared to it. Richard Taylor (Chief Creative Supervisor for LOTR) said to his team "If you couldn't rise to the highest level of enthusiasm, passion and professionalism and grasp this task as if it was the most important thing that you have ever taken on in your life, you weren't worthy of the task."
@torq21
2 жыл бұрын
@@LivingAnachronism Historical accuracy and aside, I absolutely love the costuming in Black Sails. That show set a high bar all around for production quality in television.
@sVieira151
2 жыл бұрын
I truly think that the PJ films are a unique case in pretty much all of movie history. The way it was produced and filmed was unique for the time and it is unlikely to ever be repeated. They had an outrageous amount of pre-production time and they filmed all 3 films at the same time, allowing for the design of each film to be flawlessly cohesive. They honestly ruined fantasy adaptations for me by age 10, but that's not the point. They will always be the standard but I doubt that there will ever be a fantasy series that can match it purely because of the unique circumstances.
@simonhandy962
2 жыл бұрын
@@LivingAnachronism I expect the ROP costume design team will cite the mythology of the Downfall of Atlantis which notably influenced Tolkien too in his writings, for their Classical Grecian / Minoan "inspiration" in raiding the prop set of "Spartacus". Tolkien wrote of Númenor as Atlantis in several of his letters.
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
@@simonhandy962 He also specified that the tone of Middle Earth should be reticent to the air and climb of the hither parts of Europe: not Italy or, the Aegean, still less the East."
@jedh3721
2 жыл бұрын
I showed some pictures of elves from both The LORT Trilogy, and Rings of power to my friend who knows nothing about Tolkein or high fantasy or anything like that, and she immediately latched on to the Peter Jackson Elves look like elves and the Rings of Power Elves look like generic white people with pointy ears.
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
Most people I know who don't really know LOTR say RoP doesn't feel like LOTR when I show them.
@Vexarax
2 жыл бұрын
Everything about the elves in Rings of Power is bizarre. From the choice of casting to the weird hair, and even some of their ears look really strange in the new promotional footage - like really thick on top so they look swollen. And yeah again the ridiculous short hairstyles 1) will date the show immensely very quickly and 2) would have required a fair amount of daily hairspray to maintain lol Edit: not to mention the fact that Celebrimbor is being acted by a man who looks visibly very old, despite the fact that elves don't age the way humans do and his character is the same age (or younger than) Galadriel!
@Runegrem
2 жыл бұрын
@@LivingAnachronism As someone with the LotR knowledge of your average viewer, even in this video, where you were clearly talking about RoP, when you showed that Roman-like pic I didn't even connect that it was from RoP until you actually pointed it out later in the video. It just looks so much like a lazy generic Roman-ish thing I didn't even thing twice about it.
@jedh3721
2 жыл бұрын
@@Vexarax they really did make Celebrimbor, the master smith, forger of near deific artifacts which are wielded by the most powerful men and women to exist, look like some random white guy. This is like in Shamalan's movie where Fire Lord Ozai was played by the most average Indian man you could think of and was presented in a way that most people completely missed that he was the Fire Lord.
@Blondie42
2 жыл бұрын
Vulcan? 🖖 😉
@superficialtamarind
2 жыл бұрын
As someone who's heavily read tolkien's work from silmarillion, histories of middle earth, etc, there IS a lot of evidence that tolkien imagined his elves with long hair. its mentioned over and over again, usually as the first detail we learn about the character. in general tolkien has very limited character descriptions, usually the most we get is Long Beautiful Hair (and its color), eye color, and height (tall). In fact one of my biggest problems with ROP and this is kind of petty, but it really bothers me, is the appearances of Elrond and Celebrimbor in this show. we KNOW what elrond looked like, and we know what Celebrimbor's father and grandfather looked like so we can say reasonably what Celebrimbor looked like, and i just don't understand why they wouldnt just give the actors wigs......
@LauraJdogmom
2 жыл бұрын
This. I can get past Elves and Dwarves of color (especially the Dwarves, as there are groups of Dwarves that we never see in LotR or The Silmarillion). I understand that they need to appeal to a wider audience. However, I cannot get past their casting choice for Elrond. He's still a white dude. It would not have cost them extra to find someone who looks a little closer to Tolkien's description. Instead they got Young Ned Stark, who is okay looking but hardy beautiful. Elrond's looks are just as important in the story as Galadriel's; they show his lineage from Luthien Tinuviel.
@superficialtamarind
2 жыл бұрын
@@LauraJdogmom I actually really appreciate the elves and dwarves of color tbh, I don't think it's counter textual and I almost wish they included more actors of color in major roles (I was really hoping for Ismael Cruz Cordova as Gil-Galad.... he has such a regal face....). But I definitely agree with you about Elrond. hes supposed to look like luthien!!
@angelayang1850
2 жыл бұрын
What's even funnier is that Elrond is actually one of the very few characters that have a detailed despcription. Unlike, say, Merry or Legolas, we know exactly what he looked like. And yet they picked an actor who doesn't even have the same hair color and refused to give him a wig. Why?
@LauraJdogmom
2 жыл бұрын
@@angelayang1850 Exactly. My issues with Rings of Power go way beyond diverse casting. It's their lack of attention to details of all kinds. Nobody pronounces "Galadriel" correctly; they say "Galadhriel." She wears a Star of Feanor on her armor. They screwed up the timeline for no discernible reason. Arondir has a bearded "Green Man" face on his armor. Disa has no beard. And Dark Lord only knows what else.
@Slurptacular64
2 жыл бұрын
@@superficialtamarind I can understand representation and all that, but in a situation where the setting is based off a white country, in a ‘mythical retelling’ of European history as was Tolkien’s original idea, and in a story without colored characters in the race of elves, why change this? It’d be like a bollywood movie about ancient buddhist history having white men being a large part of their ancestors, it is simply not true to the story.
@Kishqui
2 жыл бұрын
one point regarding Aragorn - his bow IS actually very similar to a number of bows depicted in medieval artwork. The longbow gets all the attention, but shorter bows were very prevalent.
@Kiterum
Жыл бұрын
Great video, just FYI, the hunting bow used by Aragorn in the trilogy is pretty much correct for a hunting bow of medieval Europe. Perhaps a touch on the short side for the actor's ease of carry, but quite accurate. The reason a longbow is call that, is because it is LONG. It is a weapon of war rather than a tool, but there were many bows of smaller size used in everyday life, and so within that range Aragorn's bow should be considered accurate to the context of Europe rather than an anachronism drawn from North American history.
@mitchel8522
2 жыл бұрын
Wow, I didn't knew that Aragorn's bow and quiver kit was inspired by the comanche. Very cool and practical!
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
I'm not 100% sure that was their inspiration, but there are definitely a lot of parallels. Even down to the way Viggo holds arrows in his bow hand for a quick reload and the type of draw he uses (looks like a 3 finger pinch grip, not the Mediterranean like Legolas) THOSE are good details!
@lupuscorvus841
2 жыл бұрын
To be fair, the English long-bow was very specifically a weapon of war and wouldn't necessarily be used for hunting. Theoretically it could be but it wouldn't be very practical for long journey or for someone who needs to travel fast and light. There were almost certainly shorter bows during that period which would have been used by a ranger/hunter architype, hence the designation of "long" bow.
@ReasonAboveEverything
2 жыл бұрын
@@lupuscorvus841 You are absolutely right. Long and short bows have been used by almost every single culture in the world and so have the easy modifications like recurves, gullwing bend, and sinew backing. Long bows are always shitier option for hunting. There are hundreds of medieval pictures of short bows some horn composite bows some simple one wood bows.
@mguard9428
2 жыл бұрын
@@LivingAnachronism To me it looks very much like a medieval hunting shortbow too, not sure how right you are on the comanche influence on his bow. Otherwise great video though!
@Theeight8b
2 жыл бұрын
@@LivingAnachronismAFAIK, there a lot of hunting shortbow or nomadic bows at that times, but they are not so different from comanche or other culture shortbow. There not much ways you can make something for this purpose with tech that were available at that time.
@asterthecrow
2 жыл бұрын
I don't cosplay, but I'm a writer and I think everything about a character should tell a story about who they are. If my characters don't have a design I like, I find it harder to imagine them and therefore write about them. After watching this, I realize I've got some work to do to add more form and function to their clothing. WHY they wear what they do and what in the history of my world led to these styles being in fashion. And I agree about elves. They should have long hair. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing to me, long hair gives them an ethereal, otherworldly appearance.
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
Glad I could help, in my small way. Look forward to reading what you write one day. We need more works like this!
@LordEsel88
2 жыл бұрын
I've always felt that long hair for Elves is a great symbol of their immortality.
@kendra_t
2 жыл бұрын
The Elves in Jackson's trilogy looked like an ancient, unchanging people, untouched by the world around them.
@jonson856
2 жыл бұрын
@@kendra_t whereas in Amazon's Version they look like Roman emperors 😂
@thestraightroad305
Жыл бұрын
Tolkien actually discusses at length the elves’ feeling about their hair. And the reasons. They just never bothered to research it and see what he thought. They flat didn’t care.
@empirate100
Жыл бұрын
Comes from only having rights to the appendices. That's barebones stuff, so they just took some barebones ideas and expanced on them however they saw fit. Pity so little of the billion dollars spent on the show went into actually making it good.
@TheCursedCat1927
Жыл бұрын
@@empirate100 To be fair, that doesn't limit them when it comes to character design. They can still make them look accurate to the Books. They are only limited in terms of the Story, and what can happen in it. They just flat out didn't do any research and the Showrunners even straight up admitted, that they didn't care about Tolkien, because according to them "He was an old white dude living in the 18th Century." They straight up never tried to be accurate. It was always going to be a Fan-Fiction, whete they "modernize" the Story and "make it more inclusive for the modern audience."
@swara4704
Жыл бұрын
So many elves in the silm or otherwise have fin- in their name. that means hair, and JRRT included 'flowing hair' 'great plaits braided with gold' (in the case of fingon), the epesse 'russandol' pretty clearly shows that elves took great pride in their hair and considered it a thing of beauty. Having rights to the appendices doesn't cover character design so it feels silly not to give the elves long, gorgeous hair especially wiht a 500 mil budget
@thestraightroad305
Жыл бұрын
@@swara4704 But all must be sacrificed on the altar of “relevance” in modernity. Or at least the concept of relevance as seen by the few but wealthy media moguls. I was so offended by the trailer showing the twisted story of little “Galadriel” being bullied by the other “elf children”, and then the insipid meaningless advice given her bur brother “Finrod of the buzz cut”, that I erased the whole Amazon project from my mind. The writers dragged the whole story down to the level of American politics and middle school playgrounds. “Relevance”.
@voratittchunharuckchot9711
Жыл бұрын
I don't really know much about the lore of the LOTR series, but I think the hair is very important to the elves (from when Gimli asks Lady Galadriel for her hair). So it would make sense that Tolkien's elves would have long hair.
@chiauve868
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you for pointing out the long hair thing. I was so angry at how generic and...mortal the Rings of Power elves look, no grace or timelessness, and the short hair was a big part of that. But I didn't have a way to explain it properly and my friends looked at me weird when I tried. It's a visual medium and the visuals are there to express things to the audience. Peter Jackson's version clearly shows the elves are almost otherworldly and majestic, obviously not human. You could take away the pointed ears and still know they're elves. Amazon's? Look like humans even with the ears.
@johanjonasson4188
2 жыл бұрын
I absolutely love Aragorns ranger outfit. It has been a favourite for a long time. I also love Faramir's outfit. So grounded in reality.
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
Agreed! I'll have a video coming out soon about costume details, and my personal costume takes a lot of inspiration from both!
@johanjonasson4188
Жыл бұрын
Okay. Have you've been in contact with Ngila Dickson? She is a costume genius.
@parkerbrown-nesbit1747
Жыл бұрын
I own a copy of his coat.
@AlatheD
2 жыл бұрын
What I'm hearing is "Long hair is sexy". I agree. No seriously, though, you're bringing up some great points here. I also watch Bernadette Banner, who does a lot of *historically accurate* old-style costume design and critiquing. This is stuff I love. Thank you, Kramer!
@AnotherDuck
2 жыл бұрын
Bernadette is awesomely snarky in some of her critiques.
@AW-uv3cb
2 жыл бұрын
@@AnotherDuck I love it when you watch videos or channels that seemingly don't have a lot in common, and then it turns out that the creators follow each other too. Bernadette slays (in the most ladylike manner, of course)!
@LoremasterYnTaris
2 жыл бұрын
As a man with long hair, I fully agree. Also, glad to see some fellow Bernadette fans here.
@AnotherDuck
2 жыл бұрын
@@LoremasterYnTaris Long hair generally looks better on all people regardless of gender.
@zoeen5650
2 жыл бұрын
Long hair is literally sexy. It's an evolutionary marker of fertility and health. Humans can't help admiring long hair across every known culture throughout history.
@jadekaiser7840
Жыл бұрын
I would say the first, most prominent way that Aragorn's costume looked better is that it didn't look _like a costume._ It looked like he actually wore that stuff out in the wilderness, waded through streams and walked along dusty roads. Even when he was in his more "dressed up" costumes for scenes at Rivendell and the like, it was designed in a way where it looked like it could be his actual clothes. It looked like something that he could actually wear off-set without it being weird, and the actor wore it like he had in fact done just that to get a feel for it. It looked real and natural. That's got to be the ideal in any case of costume design.
@twylanaythias
Жыл бұрын
If you want to illustrate visual storytelling in Lord of the Rings, one need look no farther than the four Hobbits: Merry is very much the 'business casual' when it comes to Shire fashion, with a tangible "off the rack" feel to his clothing. Inherently practical (including voluminous pants legs to accommodate oversized Hobbit feet) and made of quality yet simple cloth. Sleeves are slightly baggy to accommodate movement (and comfort), ending in simple button cuffs, with a buttoned plain tab collar - off-white in color with a slightly darker buttoned vest; natural earthy colors which are easy to produce and maintain. His coat is full length, a dark muted brown-green in color. Very much "down-to-Earth" by most every criteria, as is Merry himself. Pippin is notably more casual (one might better say 'careless') in his attire - wearing a similar shirt though lacking a collar and usually with several buttons undone; for most of the movie, he is never seen wearing a vest. His coat isn't as well-made as Merry's, nor as long, with misshapen lapels and is missing buttons. It's never explicitly stated in the movies though it is apparent that he is of the lowest station among the four, simply doesn't care much about his appearance, or some combination thereof. Regardless his clothes are reflective of how he seldom gives much thought to, well, pretty much anything. Fool of a Took! Samwise is 'the practical one'. While his outfit is slightly better quality than Merry's, his fashion choices and how he wears it reflect his hard-working nature. The top button of his collared shirts are all missing and his vest, while more elaborate than Merry's, is always unbuttoned. He is the only one of the four whose coat lacks lapels, and also the only one whose shirt has fitted sleeves. All his clothes have a greenish hue to them, and he's also the only one to wear patterns - nearly always narrow vertical stripes. Despite the wear and tear, his clothes are well-maintained and one need look closely to notice the damage they have endured. Frodo is a Baggins (of Bag End) - as close as Hobbits come to having nobility, particularly following the escapades of his Uncle Bilbo. His shirts are the only ones with embroidery, his vests far more elaborate, and the only one with a lined coat (notice the contrasting lapels). Even through most of their journey, his outfit remains immaculate (though much of this can be attributed to Sam's attentiveness, seeing himself as Frodo's batman). In addition to connotating that Frodo is of considerably higher station than his fellow Hobbits, it is only within Mordor as they approach Mount Doom that his clothing degrades - further emphasizing the tremendous toll that carrying the One Ring it taking upon him. From this, one can readily see how their outfits - though they all come from Bag End - reflect not only their personalities, but also their respective roles in the story as it unfolds.
@gryphonvert
Жыл бұрын
Pippin's outfit giving the impression that he is of the lowest station among the four is something that actually needs a bit more examination, because in fact, Pippin was of the HIGHEST station amongst the four. So what's being communicated by his "dressing down" that much? Pippin was the youngest child of Paladin II Took, the Thain of the Shire, one of the highest offices amongst Hobbits. (Pippin would, much later, become Thain himself.) Merry was Pippin's first cousin -- Paladin's sister was Merry's mother. Merry's father, Saradoc Brandybuck, was the Master of Buckland; so Merry himself (especially as an only child) was also of high social status. (And in general, the Tooks and the Brandybucks are two of the most powerful families in the Shire overall.) Samwise is the real "lowest station" of all of them. Frodo's situation is weird; first, because he is an orphan, and then second, because he was adopted by the childless Bilbo. The Baggins were respectable and wealthy, but not on the same level as the big, powerful families that held offices of the Shire. Bag End is like a mansion, in comparison to the rest of the hobbit holes in Hobbiton, but it was only built by Bilbo's father (in order to impress Belladonna Took, who became his wife). Frodo originally grew up mostly within Brandy Hall, as his mother was a younger sister of Merry's grandfather, and the Brandybucks were much more well-off than the branch of the Baggins family from which his father Drogo came. (Drogo and Bilbo were like... I think third cousins or something?) So Drogo was very willing to spend a lot of time in his rich wife's father's house (with its correspondingly well-stocked larder). Bilbo, meanwhile, was not particularly socially or politically powerful, in Shire terms. He was just very, very rich, on account of his share of the dragon's hoard (and the troll hoard) that he came home from his Adventure with. Being childless, adopting Frodo made Frodo Bilbo's heir. But in comparison with with much larger and more politically powerful families of the Tooks and Brandybucks, the Baggins were just... rich, and that's it. They weren't at all Shire "nobility", and in fact, Bilbo's adventures *counted against him* in Shire society. He was considered very weird and uncouth by most other Hobbits (although neither thing would stop other hobbits from taking advantage of his hospitality and riches, or desiring those riches. So here's what I'd suggest: the social standing goes Pippin > Merry > Frodo > Samwise. Frodo's elaborate and rich clothing is due to Bilbo having *so much money*, because of bringing home his share of the dragon's hoard. Bilbo wasn't reluctant to spend that money at all. The difference in dress between Pippin (son of one high-ranking Shire official) and Merry (son of another high-ranking Shire official) *could* be an indication of how seriously each takes their social position. Merry was the Master of Buckland's ONLY child, and since these positions were hereditary, you could understand him trying to dress a bit more "business casual", as you put it -- like, not TOO rich-looking, but presentable. Pippin, meanwhile, was the fourth child of the Thain. In the normal course of things, he probably wouldn't have expected to become Thain in turn; although, he had three older sisters, and I don't know whether the Hobbits placed great emphasis on the office of Thain being held by a male heir, or what. At any rate, I'd suggest that Pippin's marked casual dress is in line with the son of a very important family, who is perhaps rebelling a bit against the expectations put upon him. I think he's the youngest of the four, so maybe that plays into it.
@twylanaythias
Жыл бұрын
@@gryphonvert Apologies if I misinterpreted something - it's been *ages* since I read the book and am vastly more acquainted with the movie(s). Primogeniture was the dominant 'regime' throughout much of history, so being the youngest would likely make Pippin "nobility in name only". In most cultures, younger sons were typically seen to be more burden than asset (unless all their older brothers suffered untimely ends). Hobbits didn't appear to consider gender in succession - Sam named his eldest daughter, Elanor, as his successor. So it would appear that Pippin, as the youngest, hadn't been expected to become prominent in the family lineage - as apparent in his behavior as in his wardrobe. (Or, as you suggested, he markedly rebelled against any such expectations.) At least prior to his adventures throughout Middle Earth. It may well have been both the prestige of his role in saving Middle Earth and how much his character had grown which contributed to him becoming Thane.
@JaneNewAuthor
Жыл бұрын
All of the hobbits' attire reflects their personalities perfectly!
@stardancer119
Жыл бұрын
I love reading both of your detailed clothing analyses! It's been a long time since I read the books, so it was nice to brush up on the details, and ultimately your comments are additional proofs that the LotR production/costume departments were thorough enough to create costumes more accurate than the average movie-goer would even realize!
@tosa2522
2 жыл бұрын
"Elves lived for thousands of years, so as they changed their hair length, they have had sometimes good and sometimes bad designers for clothes." ...would now say the people responsible for the show.
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
Any argument about "The elves live for thousands of years" should be met with the response that a) they are compressing the timeline, so thousands of years doesn't apply and b) even if they were telling the story with the proper time frame, that time frame needs to be scaled to the life span of the characters. 1000 years is nothing to the life of an elf. Why would they be changing their looks and styles in the equivalent of a couple of human weeks? The only answer can be a story driven one, which they have not given.
@GeraltofRivia22
2 жыл бұрын
@@LivingAnachronism this applies doubly so because most of the main elves in the show are already thousands of years old at this point and fully mature. It's not like they're the equivalent of teenagers or something where that excuse of them changing their hair over time would hold a little water.
@Friedbrain11
2 жыл бұрын
Aragorn was a scout as well as a hunter. He would be both a swordsman and a bowman. He probably could even wield a spear just as well. Yes, elves should have long hair...period.
@ryanjmay
2 жыл бұрын
Also he was raised in Rivendell, among elves, the mere thought he wouldn’t be capable as an archer is laughable.
@fantasywind3923
2 жыл бұрын
Well from the descriptions of the Rangers, both of the North and Rangers of Ithilien who were these 'special forces' of Gondor, experts scouts, guerilla tactics, recon force and almost a 'commandos' type soldiers :) it does make sense that he would have some skill in both weapons. "A little apart the Rangers of the North sat, silent, in an ordered company, armed with spear and bow and sword. They were clad in cloaks of dark grey, and their hoods were cast now over helm and head. Their horses were strong and of proud bearing, but rough-haired.... There was no gleam of stone or gold, nor any fair thing in all their gear and harness: nor did their riders bear any badge or token, save only that each cloak was pinned upon the left shoulder by a brooch of silver shaped like a rayed star...." ... "Two had spears in their hands with broad bright heads. Two had great bows, almost of their own height, and great quivers of long green-feathered arrows. All had swords at their sides, and were clad in green and brown of varied hues, as if the better to walk unseen in the glades of Ithilien. Green gauntlets covered their hands, and their faces were hooded and masked with green, except for their eyes...." The Two Towers, LoTR Book 4, Ch 4, Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
@timothyflynn2738
2 жыл бұрын
Seeing how he fared against the cave-troll in Moria with a salvaged polearm, he definitely can wield a spear!
@nathandougherty7058
2 жыл бұрын
@@fantasywind3923 great quote! I just read that section of the passing of the grey company to my 10 year old kids tonight. They were so excited to hear the original story - they've seen the movies and recall the paths of the dead. But they'll soon understand the reason. Now they have a picture of the breadth of Aragorn's story, with his kin coming to find him and fight alongside.
@timebemyfriend
2 жыл бұрын
I have been straying away from looking at anything Rings of Power because it's all just...sad. And I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said in this video. You're always so well spoken and to the point. It's very much appreciated. I personally think another huge aspect of costume design in many contemporary fantasy worlds is cosplayers. I think people designing costumes for these shows and films have the thought of, to some extent, "People will make this for conventions and also even before said shows or films are released for free promotion, so it's good". Fantasy worlds, more often than not, don't look or feel like a solid, "real" thing anymore. At least when they're being put onto screen by the wrong people, I mean. And that is heartbreaking.
@Justin_Black
2 жыл бұрын
Excellent! Yes, Peter Jackson's screen adaptations were exactly that, adaptations. Because the book doesn't describe ever single item you have some liberty to enhance and detail the gear, Improving it and making it more functional. Aragorns bow is a good example. But what Amazon is doing is not an adaptation. It's a total rewrite. Not even that. It's something else all together. Not that Peter Jackson didn't go to far in "improving" the Authors vision some times. But he actually had a love for the Books. Amazon does not.
@AnotherDuck
2 жыл бұрын
Most of the changes PJ made were to make the story more suitable for a film trilogy rather than a long book split into three. Action, dialogue, descriptions, internal thoughts and reflections, and other aspects are very different between books and films. And pretty much all of those changes he made made the story hold up better in its new format. It's because it was always about how to tell Tolkien's story in the best way possible as a film, rather than to show his own adaptation on the big screen.
@ChrisLeeW00
2 жыл бұрын
Corners have been cut and it shows. Its an Amazon Basics project.
@mnk9073
2 жыл бұрын
It reminds me of the Battleship (yes the guessing game) movie: Get a license (any license really), come up with the most generic plot utterly unrelated to the lore, slap a boatload of CGI on to mask it, cast one big name (doesn't need to be actors) to draw in the suckers.
@Justin_Black
2 жыл бұрын
@@mnk9073 exactly! *boatload of CGI* nice! 👌
@GeraltofRivia22
2 жыл бұрын
It's "the novel Tolkien never wrote" according to the show runners.
@helenas7948
2 жыл бұрын
Great point about the long haired Elves. I would also add that in the Tolkien's fantasy world Elves are a different race and everyone can tell it at one glance. Since we have all the races played by humans, we have to find other ways of making all the races really distinctly looking.
@quiver6192
2 жыл бұрын
Myself I'm not a huge diehard dan of LOTR, but even i was outraged by the clear disregard for everything before Rings Of Power. This franchise will ve majorly hurt by this show, hopefully Amazon hears ppls feedback and adjusts. Great vid too!
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
They probably won't, but the solace I take, is that LOTR is not a franchise, it is a world, with many lore masters (of which I do NOT consider myself one). None the less, my hope is that this world will not be so easy to commercialize. But it has been done in the past, and their strategies have been proven to work.
@resathe6760
2 жыл бұрын
I think the problem is, how do you adjust in a possible second season if you have done so much wrong in the first one? I mean a detail here and there (as in the Witcher, where the armour of the Nilfgaardians looked a lot better in season 2), but they seem to miss the point completely not only in the costume departement.
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
@@resathe6760 The Witcher season 2 was like 1 step forward and 6 steps back. They changed the armor, but with absolutely no story explanation why the first set existed, or why it was changed. Anyone watching the 2nd season might not even recognize Nilfgaard as Nilfgard. Then they made way more changes to the story, and attacked the fans using Jaskier as a mouthpiece in like the 4th episode. I have not idea how they can come back from a bad first season when their ego is more important than the story.
@resathe6760
2 жыл бұрын
@@LivingAnachronism How was the first season of the Witcher bad? And yes, I agree that there was no explanation for the change in armour, but almost everyone who saw season one complained about the armour so I guess they just wanted to make a better one, even though it would have of course been better if there was an explanation for it (although I'm not sure what an explanation that could've been, that made sense, reasonably speaking). But I think everyone was able to recognize them with either Fringilla or Cahir present almost always, when Nilfgaardian soldiers were shown. I Can't talk about changes to the story with the Witcher because I haven't read the books or played the games. If you go in with a blank slate you surely are able to enjoy some storylines more as if you go in carrying certain expectations. I enjoyed season 2 but I also understand if book readers can't as much. I also don't have a problem with Jaskier being a mouthpiece as you called it (maybe for the same reason that I don't reas the book). I think the bigger problem is that he is not aging appropriately but honestly I love his character so much that I don't care that much if it means we see him all the way through the series.
@quiver6192
2 жыл бұрын
@pyropulse Except none of us asked for rings of power
@MsJackle99
Жыл бұрын
I have recently discovered your channel thanks to You Tube's recommended videos. Sometimes the algorithms can lead to surprising happy accidents. Living Anachronism has quickly become one of my favorite channels. I appreciate that you come at costumes designs and wear from a practical sense. Keep it up
@AStone-ov8wz
2 жыл бұрын
I will always love the fact that people seem to never stop finding stuff the LotR did amazing with. If it's Aragorn as the opposite of toxic masculinity or their amazing costume design, shown in this video! LotR is just a legend.
@rynnarokh3895
2 жыл бұрын
I am so glad I am not the only one who has disdain for the Rings of Power. Maybe the movies had too much of an influence on me, as I LOVE everything about them, but I just cannot get behind the design choices of the Amazon show.
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
The Lord of the Rings has had an influence on us for a reason!
@TexasDevin
2 жыл бұрын
Give it a chance to succeed or fail on its own merit :)
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
@@TexasDevin I have done this many times before, and every time been disappointed (example the Witcher on Netflix). There is more than enough to see the way that this is going.
@FinrodFelagund5
2 жыл бұрын
@@TexasDevin We already have.
@Vexarax
2 жыл бұрын
Well from someone who took a lot of issue with many aspects of Jackson's adaptation, I, like you, cannot get behind anything Rings of Power has done, haha. I'm actually starting to respect Jackson's movies a lot more, the more I see of Rings of Power :)
@myragroenewegen5426
Жыл бұрын
What I most appreciated about Aragorn's costuming, as someone who only got through a fraction of the books is that it was grubby, well-worn, mostly seemed black in the lighting, and had cloaks capable of hiding him. The first time we encounter him, he's a trope we see a fair bit in fantasy--mysterious, potentially dangerous brooding guy hiding in shadows in a dark body-covering hooded cloak who turns out to be someone important and good who is simply hiding because he's more aware than most of how violent the current world can be.
@jngarrettart
2 жыл бұрын
Positively loved your “For Tolkien” video, and now I’m enjoying this talk on costumes as a writer and comic creator. Thanks for this great analysis on character clothing!
@inoanium
2 жыл бұрын
Love everything about your analysis ! I’d also add a few things that are so evident, netflix/prime/any tv showrunners forget them every time : - quality fabrics : yes they are expensive but the way a 100% linen shirt falls perfectly vs polyester makes the few extra bucks on their enormous budget worth it, and also historical accuracy ofc - no oversaturated colors : back in the middle ages they used natural dyes that could not even begin to reach the amount of color saturation we have in clothes today, plus people used their clothes for a very long time so their color would fade even more through the years (so seeing a cast dressed in bright orange roman robes is just painful) - not trying to make stuff fashionable at any cost : cause we can appreciate middle age fashion perfectly fine, they don’t need to « modernize it for our time » the only thing it ensures is that in a few years it will look weird whereas middle age clothes will never look bad, we are striving for timelessness here not fashion week That was a long rant haha, i’m now ready to sign the « elves have long hair » petition
@ScottRuggels
2 жыл бұрын
The people in medieval times though, loved their color. There is a brilliant Madder Red that was used up unto the 1930s because of it's brilliance, and mostly colorfastness. There are a few other such dies. Look at Hieronymous Bosch paintings and see the colors of the clothes the peasants are wearing. Generally the further south you go, the brighter the colors. Even dour Scotsmen had some color *though they loved their white shirts under their jackets.
@inoanium
2 жыл бұрын
@@ScottRuggels thanks for the discoveries ! Never heard of Hieronymous Bosch before (: I totally agree that they had brilliant dyes back then already, especially in countries like India ! I believe indigo and madder red were very popular in Europe ? Even though mostly richer people could afford them. I exaggerated a bit when talking about color saturation, what I meant to say was that you wouldn't find a traffic cone orange garment back then so it's more about the shade and less about the saturation I guess. Also I kind of look at it from a peasant/regular citizen perspective by default haha, and they usually couldn't afford very expensive dyes so they mostly wore greys and browns (from what I know, please correct me if I'm wrong !). Thanks for your input !
@sarahrosen4985
2 жыл бұрын
@@ScottRuggels I’m sure that Elin Abrahamsson has dyed some fabric madder red. In general, her clothes pallet is what I expect from historical accuracy. And she’s just so adorable.
@gozer87
2 жыл бұрын
A note about Aragorn's bow, there were plenty of short bows used in the European context, check out the archers in the Bayeaux tapestry or archers in later period hunting manuscripts for examples. But I do think the professor would have envisioned Aragorn with a long bow, given that the Rangers of Ithilien are described with them, as are the men of Morthond vale during the battle of Pelennor. Regarding the Rings of Power, the costuming feels cheap despite the richness of it.
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
From the shorter bows I've seen not just in europe, but asia as well, they all apear to be a sort of recurve. I admit my knowledge may be limited, but I believe Aragorn's bow in the films is a small D curve bow. And one of the bows that fits this description, is a bow used by the Comanche.
@goransekulic3671
2 жыл бұрын
Of course. It's called "kitsch", I believe. Like when an actor / actress wears something super expensive(talking a gown that costs 50000$+), but still looks cheap. And then you have a 1000$ gown that's obviously cheaper, but looks and functions better. Kitsch is just /ugh, the worst!
@logicisuseful
2 жыл бұрын
I actually think Aragorn probably *did* carry a bow in the books, albeit not a master archer’s weapon and him not being that amazing of a shot. Three main reasons: 1) He tells the hobbits that he has “some skill as a hunter” - not a trapper, but a hunter. Can’t really hunt without a projectile weapon. 2) To the extent bows are associated with elves, he’s part elven, albeit only a tiny part. 3) While bows *seem* to be primarily associated with elves, they really aren’t - the elves also use swords, and men, hobbits, *and* dwarves are all recorded in the books using bows. The real reason people associate bows with elves is that Legolas uses one as his primary weapon, is noted as being a particularly good shot, and is given a really nice bow by Galadriel.
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
@@logicisuseful Agreed, I think it makes perfect sense for him. I meant rather that the design of the elvish bows is quite distinctive, and they probably didn't want to give Aragorn a bow that would look like an elvish bow. Though given the time he spent in Rivendell, I would have bought that too.
@GeraltofRivia22
2 жыл бұрын
@@logicisuseful about the hunting thing, a projectile weapon is not strictly necessary. The spear was used for hunting, particularly for things like wild boar.
@JohnYoo39
2 жыл бұрын
I love that you mentioned "internal consistency". That is what is very much missing from a lot of fantasy and sci-fi productions these days. Rule of Cool is only acceptable and cool because it happens rarely, if ever, but so many writers seem to rely on breaking their own rules and just throwing away stakes all the time.
@jenni5104
Жыл бұрын
Tolkien did specify many times in his works that elves had long hair. I have a whole list of quotes that I used to combat the RoP defenders.
@toodlescae
2 жыл бұрын
I told my mom that Amazon bought all their costumes on Wish. I actually made the same comparison to the costumes at the Texas Renaissance Festival compared to the ROP costumes.
@hydroac9387
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the helpful commentary. A key element of success of a costume is if you don't notice it at all. Then it is just part of the character and it helpf builds the world. Good examples: Rohan costumes - functional and had Nordic themes that tied them all together, indicating a common culture that was distinct from Gondor Gondorian armor and costumes - elegant and indicated high culture LOTR Elves - as you noted, ethereal and other worldly. Clearly these were NOT humans Amazon RoP male dwarves - completely believable, and broadly similar to Jackson's dwarves. LOTR battle at the end of the 2nd Age in prologue - absolutely amazing. The armor of the elves, humans, orcs and especially Sauron told the tale almost all by themselves. Sauron's armor exuded malice and threat. These brief images and Blanchett's monologue shows that a few images and words are all that are needed to establish the tone and set up a complex backstory Bad examples: RoP Númenor court - looks like a court from a low-status Germanic robber baron and some weird Roman-looking costumes, which was and anachronism (where the RoP constume designers shooting for Byzantium? Ancient Rome?). Style is all over the place. This does NOT look like the highest human culture ever to exist. Moreover, this does NOT look like the progenitor for what we saw in Jackson's Gondor RoP Young Elrond - lots of swoopy draped cloth. This is not an elegant design I'd expect of the elves. Sloppy. Perhaps from a bargain basement costume designer? RoP Battle Galadriel's armor - instinctive dislike. This is NOT Galadriel but rather a generic warrior princess. Also, this was plate mail, whereas the Jackson elves at most had what appeared to be a form of chain or scale mail which is a LOT better for their style of fighting. Moreover, the Jackson armor from the prologue and 3rd Age was both beautiful and appeared functional, and screamed 'elven'. The same can't be said of Amazon RoP elven armor designs
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
Great examples. I'll add the costume design of the Uruks in PJ's Trilogy. Brutal, rough, unpolished, a race that cares nothing for the aesthetics of their weapons, only that they function. No armor on the backs because they do not retreat.
@Kronecraft
2 жыл бұрын
I agree with everything else, but just feel obliged to point out that RoP isn't trying to be a prequel to the Peter Jackson trilogy, and as such, the RoP Númenoreans not looking like precursors to Jackson's Gondor isn't a meaningful criticism.
@scatterthewinds3126
2 жыл бұрын
I appreciate a video like this. Like many other people, I can subconsciously recognize costumes that are "off" but I can't really identify why.
@TwistyMcFisty
2 жыл бұрын
Peter Jackson went out of his way to not draw direct references from the real world, and Amazon is doing everything in their power to include them. Because you honestly cant love The Lord of the Rings unless you can directly identify with the characters on screen. They need to look and act like me.......
@nalublackwater9729
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you for this video! About the perceived anachronism in Aragorn's long coat, let's not forget that Hobbits had clocks in the Shire, and pretty much acted like your average English country dweller from late 19th-early 20th century, if not earlier.
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
There is lots of 18th century influence in middle earth!
@DoodlePenguin
Жыл бұрын
Aragorns bow looks like a recurve bow to me. The recurve has been around since 2,000 BC. They were more expensive to make so weren’t as mass produced for armies like long bows in the medieval era. But they did exist. And some soldiers did use them. Horse bows were also a thing. So I can believe Aragorn as a traveling Ranger would have come across them and possibly had one.
@DMingThoughts
10 ай бұрын
> "Some people believe, that detail equals depth. But it doesn't". Damn, that's so well said. This is an important for wriners or fellow DMs to keep in mind so they would not fall into meaningless worldbulding abyss of fleshing out all the random things imaginable.
@korrde
2 жыл бұрын
I've used this Tolkien quote a lot with regards to Rings of Power and I'll do it again, "The Shadow that bred them can only mock, it cannot make: not real new things of its own."
@ScottyAlmondjoy
2 жыл бұрын
There were medieval short bows as powerful as longbows, though. They just weren’t as common in the British Isles because the humidity made them harder to maintain. They also were more expensive, owing to their composite construction.
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
Yes. Aragorn's bow appears to be a self bow, and a small D bow, which is why I think it is more closely related to the comanche, even if short bows existed in the medieval period. I think probably because legolas already had a recurve, so they didn't want Aragorn to have an "elven" bow. The way he carries and uses the bow, holding an arrow in the bow hand, is also not medieval to my understanding. And it also ties in with my theory that his costume is more 18th century inspired than medieval to begin with. But you are correct.
@obliviousthunder
2 жыл бұрын
@@LivingAnachronism you should check the "Bayeux Tapestry" it was created around 1070 ad and it shows Norman Archers actually carrying arrows in their hands. which makes me believe they actually did carry arrows in hand while using the bow in the middle ages
@ScottyAlmondjoy
2 жыл бұрын
@@LivingAnachronism everything I’ve learned has taught me that absolutes are almost always overstated. If the absolute is “medieval people never did X”, ask yourself “why not?“ If there’s no good reason, someone somewhere back when probably did it. Especially if it’s something simple to experiment with like archery stances, drawing methods, etc that people practiced and used all the time.
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
@@ScottyAlmondjoy I agree. I have a few archery videos on the channel, and that is my general approach to how a fantasy society with adventurers would have developed. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence etc.
@Tom-ys1xn
2 жыл бұрын
This is making insanely good sense. It's great to see someone articulating so accurately and eloquently the innate bugbears that the LOTR fanbase has towards the RoP released content to date - thank you for the effort taken to do this video!
@theharpest13
Жыл бұрын
As someone who does have the degree, you are SPOT ON! Not that you need that validation at all 😊
@pixietwitch
2 жыл бұрын
Nailed it! The image of the "elves" from the Amazon series, especially the 2 shot of the elder elves, looked more like high powered CEOs out doing a team building exercise.
@rosie_gamgee
2 жыл бұрын
Yes! Understanding what is a good or bad costume is an innate thing! Thank you for saying that
@goransekulic3671
2 жыл бұрын
Beautiful catch with the Comanche Bow! And that addition by Jackson and co was brilliant. Historical accuracy matters only if you're filming, idk, Tudors or something, otherwise there is a rather simple question that needs answering when it comes to costumes: "Would this character in this specific setting / situation be wearing something like this?" (the answer is a resounding YES for Aragorn and wtf / who knows for RoP). Then go hog wild with a, basically, storyboard.
@pleh7019
Жыл бұрын
Amazing video! I am also an actor with a passion for costume design, love your perspective. It's so depressing to see such an important storytelling craft be cast aside in these multi million dollar productions. Thankfully it seems like education efforts are paying off, and audiences are starting to notice and want better.
@raehughes6465
Жыл бұрын
The short "horse bow" was actually used in Europe for ages. It was also used across Asia, Middle East and other areas. It was also easier to train out and you didn't need the physical strenght. The "Welsh" and "English" long-bow was a specific type of weapon used for hunting on foot and war.
@mnk9073
2 жыл бұрын
What makes a good costume? Everything that makes you forget the character is wearing a "costume" and not just clothes.
@Bones12x2
2 жыл бұрын
I think part of the value of having the elves with long hair is to distinguish them from humans and to create a somewhat uniform aesthetic that helps to communicate elements of their culture and life style. Elves are not intended to be totally relatable and grounded in reality...they are different than us, and having random elves look different from each other and sometimes too similar to us or the other humans breaks the immersion of viewing them as a unified and unique community of beings. Elves have a "look" and in fiction/fantasy when telling a story, its important to be consistent with a "look" that creates subconscious associations. Breaking that "look" for practical reasons is counter productive for immersion and world building.
@jinorasabayramoglu7955
Жыл бұрын
I'm designing characters for video games and I stumbled upon your videos. They are really informative and helpful. Thank you so much... No words can describe how grateful I am for these videos.
@beckymurphy4714
2 жыл бұрын
What I love about the costume and accessories designs of LotR (and The Hobbit trilogy) is that they took influences from other world cultures and incorporated them into the finished look, which made everything feel more believable. Nothing was just "set decoration," or added "because it's pretty" - it all had a function. They considered what skills each race would have, as well as what materials they'd have access to, so the dwarves had clothing and weaponry whose design was influenced by the earth and the rocks that they worked with, while the orcs had scavenged bits and rusty, broken and badly repaired things. Everything *made sense* to each culture.
@trentsteel4421
2 жыл бұрын
I liked the way Conan had a back scabbard. It was there for travel and it dropped down to his waist for battle. Looked cool and very practical. However Prince Adam drawing his sword to become He-man also very cool!! The books on design by Weta workshops on each of the movies (Hobbit & LOTR) is a great read if you haven’t read them. They really go into the design & philosophy of not only races of middle earth but also characters and how their back story influenced the outfit and items they carried.
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
I don't have own those books (I want them) but have read what I can from pages on line, and regularly watch the making of content on the disk sets for both extended trilogies. Great stuff!
@trentsteel4421
2 жыл бұрын
@@LivingAnachronism it’s quite amazing the detail they place in designing each character. Not only the weapons but the colour and type of fabrics each would have worn dependent on their backstory. Weta still sell them.It’s great to see the characters are not just generic. Definitely worth the money.
@Songbirdstress
2 жыл бұрын
Ha, my Skyrim Elf has a back scabbard ...but then I save and draw it before every dungeon, so it works...
@cadiastands3308
2 жыл бұрын
A great video. I'm really glad people like you are pushing back against this corruption of beloved stories by these lazy and talentless corporate stooges.
@th3logician
Жыл бұрын
I would also like to point out that the elves are ageless and are mentioned multiple times to be an unchanging people. In the films made by Jackson you can *feel* (as you mentioned in the video with all of the design centered around what the elves are) the agelessness of the elves where as in the Rings of Power all of the excuses for the changes are: "Well this was thousands of years before SOOOOOOO obviously you idiot they would be completely different!" It's honestly horrifying for me as an author to imagine someone doing that to one of my stories or to impact (hopefully in the future) fans of what I will have written in that way. I'm truly grateful to all the fans who recognized the massive insult to Tolkien since it gives me hope for my own writing in the future (and without a doubt many other authors and storytellers as well) that our work will have the impact it was meant to have and not some abomination poorly crafted by others.
@lukeyznaga7627
2 жыл бұрын
wow, this is an EXCELLENT teaching and explanation of what costumes shouild do. Form and function. This is what Grace Randolph sometimes explains about fashion.
@honeyblade110
2 жыл бұрын
Awesome video. The most ridiculous thing abt rop’s awful designs is that elves are not different from men, they simple look the same and you have to look at their ears to know that they’re actually elves. This is so wrong and unforgivable because elves should be the most beautiful beings of this ‘billion dollar show.’ So disappointing. i appreciate yt for recommending me this channel.
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks honeyblade. And I agree. When I saw "Elrond" I was dubious. When I saw Celebrimbor, I was dumbstruck. And I won't even discuss the new characters. I didn't like the addition of Tauriel in the Hobbit, but at least she still looked and acted like an elf.
@ryoalouette345
2 жыл бұрын
Oh so true, about elves being not so different from men. I was very outraged at the first teaser trailer of which Light-of-Two-Trees-Shining-From-Her-Eyes, She-Whose-Hair-Was-Remaked-as-Beautiful-and-asked-by-Feanor-thrice *Galadriel* had *her hair* flipped to look at her ear. The later teaser/trailers just got worse and worse, regarding both costume and cast. Amazon just shows that they're 1) "cheap", 2) ageism (someone whose age is younger than her looking much older than her wtf), 3) sexism (all males are beta useless males, especially the elves), 4) etc- etc- Seems like the only thing differing elves from men to Amazon is literally just the ears...
@Blondie42
2 жыл бұрын
I love the Forgotten realms novels and the stories of Drizzt Do'urden. In one novel predominantly about the Drow a character was presented who had short cropped hair while all of the others had the typical long elf hair style. The author made a point of explaining why this one guy chose a more "modern human" style as the weapons master cut it short so then while in combat it couldn't be used by an opponent to grab onto. My personal view is long hair on elves 🧝♂️🧝♀️ Unless it's a kid and it hasn't gotten all that long, yet.
@chadmagnus5850
2 жыл бұрын
There was also the drow Jarlaxle Baenre who shaved his head bald. But he did that as a form of protest against drow society, if I remember correctly.
@coop5329
2 жыл бұрын
Short hair is definitely a plus in combat and in rough living, although long hair is, in my opinion, better looking :) There is a certain element among both current and historical groups where long hair is a kind of macho boast. "See, I'm SUCH a good fighter that I don't have to worry about leaving my enemy a handle to grab my head by." At any rate, you don't see much hair on MMA fighters, so it appears to be a practical liability in some venues.
@texasbeast239
2 жыл бұрын
The drow dark elves wore different styles of hair to denote house and station. There should be long and short, parted and chili bowls, curly and straight, and wild or shaved. And aye, Jarlaxle eventually chose to shave it all off because he didn't want to tell anyone his house or station. He defined himself by his deeds, and not by his birth.
@AnotherDuck
2 жыл бұрын
@@coop5329 Yes, long hair is better looking, for men and women. If you wear a helmet in combat, long hair is a non-issue. Well, you can make it a non-issue. And if you're not likely to start grappling, it's not much of an issue either.
@thodan467
2 жыл бұрын
@@coop5329 Many landsknechts wore their hair long
@stevecarter8810
Жыл бұрын
When you place a stone in the game of go, it can claim territory, threaten opposing pieces and/or strengthen your own pieces. A good move does as many of these as possible at once. Perhaps an analogy applies in costume. When you add something to a costume, it can say where the character is from, what they value, what they had intended to do when they dressed, what economies are necessary in their life, it can be a setup for a pot moment... And good costume elements tell you multiple of these.
@TheLivingBlobfish
Жыл бұрын
I clicked on this video thinking it would be fun to watch, and in seconds I was sitting forward taking notes, not only on the things he was saying, but even on things like how he presented and what points he brought to the fore, and everything! Loved this video, thanks so much
@jwessel1969
2 жыл бұрын
I recommend that you watch Shadiversity's video on short bows in the Middle Ages. They were a lot more common than people think.
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
I think I have seen that one, it was a good video, short bows are a lot more powerful than people think too!
@walkir2662
2 жыл бұрын
@@LivingAnachronism ...I was just going to comment on the "bow not historically accurate to the medieval age because not a longbow" from someone who follows Shadiversity. But I assumed you simply had fallen to the algorithm sabotage.^
@wingzero595
2 жыл бұрын
The biggest issue is they’ve said Rings of Power is going to strip Tolkien from LoTR and make it modern. So it’s just the name that’s it
@pleh7019
Жыл бұрын
I see some comments attributing the costume design to Peter Jackson. Ngila Dickson (and team led by Richard Taylor) was the costume designer for LOTR. I feel it's important to remember the work of these professionals.
@BlazingPhoenix14
2 жыл бұрын
This was articulated absolutely perfectly and sums up the problem in its entirety. More people should hear this - especially costume designers for such shows.
@BatterBoyShorts
2 жыл бұрын
YES!!! YES!!! Every single word you said is how I feel about the ROP. My first thought when I saw the trailer was: "This looks really cheap for how much money was put into it." The costumes being especially bland and lacking any sort of character as well as everything else. Outstanding video, thank you for putting my thoughts into actual words. Now I'm gonna tell my friends to watch this.
@andyknightwarden9746
2 жыл бұрын
Aragorn's bow could also be based on the European short bow. Shadiversity did a video on it.
@bumble-bee189
2 жыл бұрын
The armor of Karl Urban Eomer (and his magnificent helmet that the actor took for himself) twenty years ago make the "armor" of the MOST EXPENSIVE show look cheap and completely without imagination
@jellomiki
Жыл бұрын
Elves having long hair is even more important in the context of a medieval fantasy setting, in medieval europe long hair flowing free was a sign of something wild / magical / divine / untouched by mortality. For elves to have such hairstyle in this context adds to the idea/feeling that they're not quite real, they're something other and they most definitely don't belong to the same realm as humans
@MsEnglishtea
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for making the video! I also agree the elves should have long hair, look at Celebrimbor in the rings of power, he looks more like a hobbit than an elf. 😄
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
I wonder if they had more budget or copyright constraints than they are letting on, and all the defenses for the short haired elves the showrunners give are retroactive justifications, rather than the actually reason behind the design choice. Could be they just didn't want to pay for wigs and costumers to upkeep them and apply them. We may never know. But it looks wrong.
@sneezy3233
2 жыл бұрын
Wow, I just googled it to confirm. I genuinely thought they at least cast one guy that can really pull the hobbit look off.
@MsEnglishtea
2 жыл бұрын
@@LivingAnachronism you might be right about the constraints. Do you think that is why they refused Peter Jacksons help? Even so, it still looks bloody awful! It's not just that the elves lack long hair, and the female dwarves all have no beards... The outfits, especially the breastplates on the Numenoreans look so bad🤦♀️I see that some characters have slightly long hair like young Isildur and Halbrand, so the whole look in the series I think it's just randomness.
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
@@MsEnglishtea Random is a good word to describe it. The breastplates are TOTALLY wrong. Given how the show is essentially using John Howe, Howard Shore and Tom Shippey as name recognition and little else, I personally believe they asked PJ to be part of it, with 0 intention of following through, just so they could say that they asked him and use it as a marketing ploy. That is just a theory, so take it for what it is worth.
@IchNachtLiebe
2 жыл бұрын
Even in costumes consistency in tone can have strong effects on how the story immerses you. Sure a giant full suit of golden armor looks cool but it'll have a much greater effect if it's in only one scene in an epic battle. Have the great king in your story wear a standard tunic for day to day market shopping then put him in the golden plate when he raids the enemy castle. As the story escalates escalate the costumes. For me this is the same in video games. I liked games like Fable where you start off as a scrawny peasant. Your obstacles are fighting wasps. As time goes on you get bigger and stronger, have better armor, and face scarier opponents. My least favourite game is one where you start off looking like a God and there is no asthetic quality change. Boring
@francreeps4509
Жыл бұрын
Even just a subtle change in the colors of clothes can show a character's evolution, like Luke Skywalker's most memorable outfits in the originals, in episode 4 he wore mostly white, in 5 gray, and lastly black. Not a big detail but helps show his character evolution throughout the story.
@danielblom391
Жыл бұрын
There's so much to it though. The whole philosophy of LotR vs RoP is so different. In LotR there's good and evil, and a clear distinction at the surface: pretty elves and dirty orcs, Grima slithering around and Gondorian soldiers standing upright and broad shouldered. All of this reflected in casting, performance and costumes. But the one thing in LotR that changes this around is the Ring. Boromir is like all the other good guys, tall, amazing, super-duper-fantastic dude, until he's corrupted by the Ring. Even Galadriel and Gandalf are almost corrupted. And then there's RoP, where conniving politicians are shown in casting, performance and costume, to be 'upstanding citizens protecting the integrity of the people' or some nonsense. Nothing in their appearance reflects their evil intentions, and maybe they have none, but that's not the Tolkien way. That's very obviously GoT influence, where it would fit well (if it was done a bit better) but not in Middle Earth. You could argue that's simplistic, but it's only simple at surface level. It's more about people's own struggle between good and evil, and maintaining hope, instead of an accurate world. And in such a world, Numenoreans, gifted with longer life by the Valor of Valinor, descendants of Eldar and ancient Men of Beleriand, 6 foot tall with eyes as stars, master boat builders and rulers of all the seas, don't get beer bellies and beat up local competition in an alley. Fr this pissed me off
@ghostoftanelorn9928
2 жыл бұрын
The long hair lends to the etherealness of the Elves. Short-hair takes away their etherealness.
@LivingAnachronism
2 жыл бұрын
Exactly!
@AnotherDuck
2 жыл бұрын
The consistently long hair makes them look older, like a long beard. Their relatively youthful faces turn that around to their ageless looks.
@ulvapyren978
2 жыл бұрын
When I first saw the Greek/Roman inspired costume designs, my brain immediately asked if there was a new 300 movie or a new Spartacus coming soon. It didn't at all say to me that this was for anything related to Tolkien.... Makes me want to cry.
@Schizm1
2 жыл бұрын
The biggest issue for me with RoP is the fact that while LotR trilogy and even Hobbit movies - The characters look like from historical epic rather than fantasty. Gritty, dirty, washed out etc. Cloths and hairstyles look like something characters would actually use. With RoP everything looks like... Well, like made for a movie. Not like real thing, if that makes sense. IMO even Game of Thrones set and costume design is MUCH closer to LotR trilogy than what I've seen in RoP so far.
@ItsNotSunny
Жыл бұрын
I still don't understand it... They tried so hard to make it look like the Lord of the Rings by adding hobbits, but then they make the "genius" decision to give elves MODERN FKN HAIRCUTS!! Are you kidding me? WHY????
@LindyLime
2 жыл бұрын
You are so right about them having no "why" behind their details. I actually think a huge problem with modern shows and movies is that they do things that they know tend to work well with audiences but the "why" is just not there so it falls flat. One example, after The Last Jedi came out I saw someone defending it saying that it was so amazing because of all the twists and turns and you had no idea what was going to happen next!!! Yeah except that all the twists and turns had no REAL reason to be there other than to get a cheap gasp moment from the audience.
@LittleMezzoBird
2 жыл бұрын
C.S. Lewis once said (in one of the essays in the collection "On Stories") that people should focus more an interesting story points than unexpected ones, because if the only interesting/good thing about a plot point is that it was unexpected, it will be worthless when someone rereads/rewatches the story because they already know about the "unexpected" portion.
@meadowbird
2 жыл бұрын
Great video. I remember the first time I saw Fellowship of the Ring, having not yet read the LotR. It was so immersive.. the world was so believable and historical. I felt like it was absolutely real and completely lost myself in it. The costumes supported and enhanced the characters in a way that was unobtrusive. They weren’t costumes on actors, they were clothes worn by real people. . What I’ve seen of RoP - the costumes are competing for attention and are actually distracting in the worst way possible. Garish even.
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