When the final chapter of The Hobbit Trilogy: The Battle of the Five Armies was released, the character that impressed me most in terms of the originality of the film was not the protagonist Thorin, Bilbo, or the greatly enhanced White Orc Azog, but the Woodlander King Serandui. The interpretation of this character in the movie perfectly inherits the spirit of the original, and at the same time reflects the creative creation of the adaptor itself: Compared with the other two wizard leaders in the trilogy, Galadriel and Elrond, Thrandu Yi did not fall into the imitation of the first two, but embodied a strong personal style-he is cold, cunning, arrogant, shrewd and self. Compared with the images of the sages of the first two elves, he is more like a reality. Politician, a conservative ruler who pursues isolationism.
Compared with the previous two successful elf leaders, where is the complexity and breakthrough of Thranduyi's image? What is the meaning of this adventurous and radical character?
Maybe we can get the answer in the comparison between the king of the woodland and the other two elven leaders.
Elf leaders in the Lord of the Rings movie
Before Thrandui appeared on the stage, two elven leaders had appeared in the Lord of the Rings movie, with very different styles and personalities.
One is Queen Galadriel, leader of Lothlorien. Galadriel's intuitive image is a "goddess", a perfect character full of power and divinity. This is consistent with her setting: Galadriel is the oldest elves, a member of the Noldor clan, who once went to the Western Holy Land where the gods lived, and learned the power and wisdom far beyond mortal creatures. Galadriel is not only beautiful, but also tall, mysterious, wise, and full of deterrence. He has the power to see through the heart and the ability to foresee the future. He is the perfect character closest to "God" in the Lord of the Rings movie. The golden forest where she lives is also mysterious, glamorous and full of sacredness. It is a concrete representation of the mighty power and wisdom of the Western gods.
The second is Elron, the Elf Lord of Rivendell. Elrond’s intuitive image is a "scholar", advocating a diversified image of wise intellectuals. Unlike the heavily guarded forest fortress in Lothlorien, Rivendell’s atmosphere is more approachable, and the architectural style is closer to human architecture. Perhaps because of Elrond’s own human ancestry, his territory is more open and diverse. Rivendell not only has close ties with the northern Dundan people (the protagonist of the Lord of the Rings, Aragorn, is the descendant of the Dundan people), but also has hosted dwarves, halflings, southerners and northern wood elves. Even if the guests are not friendly at times, the generous Lord Elrond can always live in harmony with everyone and do the same as a landlord. In addition, Elrond is very knowledgeable and has served as the hobbit’s ancient text translation and the staff of the Lord of the Rings. His territory style is more like a university: under the white marble dome, the gentle elves and the sages stroll and talk, rather than tall. The unattainable Lorian Palace has the humanistic atmosphere of the Academy of Athens.
Compared with the above two, the image of the woodland king Thranduyi is even more different: as mentioned above. He is a secular "ruler", more like a real leader than the divine image that elves are used to.
Thrandui
As a leader with a distinct personality, Thranduyi's secularity and particularity are embodied in the following three points:
Highly secular view of matter
Thrandui is one of the few elves who manifests material desires in the original Lord of the Rings: he has a soft spot for jewelry and longs for wealth like the ancient royal family. This is further magnified in the movie: we found that Thranduyi had a suspicion with the dwarf because of his beloved jewels, and later imprisoned Thorin and his party for this. After the death of the dragon, even dispatched a large army to enter the mountain to capture the treasure, which is enough to prove that he is sincere. I really want the treasure, not just talking about it.
And this feature is also reflected in his personal image. Galadriel and Elrond both adopted minimalist attire and wore loose and plain robes, while Thranduyi’s robes were shining golden and luxurious, and the crown of thorns above their heads was luxurious and sharp. Compared with the other two elves who are divine and wise, their temperament is more like a secular king with a sense of oppression, with unabashed arrogance and majesty. After watching his negotiation with Thorin in the second part of the movie, the audience quickly realized that Thrandui, unlike Elrond and others, was a hard-to-talk person. Not only did he speak harsh words, but he did what he said. And his style of behavior is the principle of utilitarianism with the supremacy of interests.
Utilitarian style of behavior
The biggest difference between Thranduyi and Elrond and Galadriel is that he upholds the principle of acting with interests as the core, rather than being driven by justice or a sense of mission to save all beings in the Middle-earth. This makes him seem cold and selfish, but it is also easier to understand.
Thranduyi acted highly rational, self-sufficient: In order to get the jewels, he took the initiative to trade with Thorin, whom he despised, but after being rejected by the opponent, he imprisoned the dwarves and his party because they were unwilling to accept his terms. This is a behavior that the other two elf leaders Galadriel and Elrond could hardly do: it is hard to imagine Elrond’s imprisoning others for not getting jewels, because he is an image of a kind and wise man, even more difficult to imagine Galadriel To do this kind of thing-this method is not in line with her tall status (unless it is a magical power such as the Lord of the Rings or the Silmarillion). But Thranduyi, the king of the woodland, was able to do it because of his personality and personality: to achieve his goal he would not refuse a deal, let alone be afraid of war. When he learned of the death of the evil dragon, he led the army to march into the Lonely Mountain to capture the treasure as soon as possible, and be prepared to face the dwarf swordsman, which is also a manifestation of his highly utilitarian thinking.
Conservatism culture and ethics
Unlike the first two leaders who were knowledgeable and fraternal, Surandui was also culturally more conservative to the right. If Elrond is a white leftist who is highly tolerant of diversification, then Serandui is the red-necked leader of the elven camp. He not only publicly discriminates against dwarves, but also prohibits his son from marrying ordinary wood elves of his race. If the Lothlorien building is like a sacred church, Rivendell is like an elegant and peaceful university, and the palaces of the Woodland Kingdom are luxurious and dark and oppressive. They have the functions of palaces, forts and dungeons, and have a strong atmosphere of despotism. When seeing Thorin wearing a sword made by Gondolin, Loreman Elrond talked about its historical origins, and the son of Thranduyi was determined to have stolen from a dwarf. Regardless of whether Prince Legolas is really convinced in his heart, the difference in his attitude towards foreign races is a self-evident expression of the woodland's top-down conservative style and the traces of Thrandui's personal will.
Isolationist diplomatic strategy
This may be the biggest difference between Thrandui and the first two elven leaders. Although Galadriel and Elrond live in the same corner, they have always cared about the fate of the entire Middle-earth and the safety of their allies: both of them are members of the de facto international organization of Middle-earth—the White Council, and have always been middle-earth sentient beings. The guardian of destiny. Galadriel personally exiled Sauron’s soul in the movie, and once sent troops to support Rohan; Elrond is a wise healer and polymath, a senior scholar and consultant of ancient history and ancient literature, and he has a great deal of Nasir’s holy sword. Casting contributed to the victory of the hero. For this reason, we have never regarded Galadriel and Elrond as the lords of Lorian and Rivendell, but the leaders of the entire Middle-earth.
But if the first two leaders are the leaders of a community with a shared future for China and Turkey, then Surandui is practicing isolationism against the integration of China and Turkey. He lives in a corner and is extremely negative about the world situation. In his view, Dol'gor's monster derivation and Gundaba orc rampage are nothing to do with him, as long as he keeps his territory and keeps it flooded outside. When he learned the clues of Sauron's resurrection from the orc captives, what he did was to close the door and sweep away the snow. According to the movie's setting, if it wasn't for the evil dragon to be attracted by the jewelry after the death, I'm afraid he would still sit at home during the Battle of the Five Armies.
Here we can see that compared to the original, the differences between the three wizard leaders in the movie have been further enhanced, but they are quite reasonable and consistent. What is the basis and source of this design?
I personally think that in addition to the settings in the original book, the differences between the three elves in the movie version as the advanced civilizations at the top of Middle-earth actually reflect the foreign policy of the real world empire—the United States.
An Interpretation of the Elf Political Style from the Perspective of American Foreign Policy
For more than two hundred years, the American foreign policy has changed, but its laws have always existed. It is believed that they all originated from the four most important propositions: Hamiltonism, Jeffersonism, Wilsonism, and Jacksonism. Except for Hamiltonism with free trade at its core, there was no room for display in the Middle-earth Continent in the Middle Ages, and the remaining three types corresponded to the political styles of the three leaders.
Galadriel's style is closer to "Wilsonism." Wilsonism is named after President Wilson of the United States. In a word, his style is "missionary" and "leadership". Americans with Puritanism as their national foundation have a view of destiny. They believe that as the chosen people of God, they have the responsibility to promote their systems and culture to the world, not only to convert themselves, but also to become world leaders and beacon of civilizations, leading the people of the world.
If the American Puritan’s title of the elect of God is boasting, Galadriel, who is the Nordor family, is the true elect of God. Her influence also extends beyond the limited territory of the Golden Grove, and is applied to the entire Middle-earth Continent, leading allies against the enemy of God-the ideologically opposed Sauron and his vassals. Galadriel has a very strong thought of joining the world, and is the most radical and active among the elves. Although he broke away from the will of the gods and came into conflict, he is actually the best practitioner of the will of God, and his role is no less than that of the official messenger of God Gandalf. Galadriel has a very positive attitude towards international affairs and the destiny of the world. When Gandalf was suppressed by Saruman’s eloquence in the Holy White Parliament, which played the role of an international organization, she exerted influence and secretly supported the former’s insistence on opinions and showed evidence. She personally exiled Sauron's soul, promoted the promotion of Gandalf's incarnation of white robe, and used force to send Rohan to fight against Saruman. This series of positive measures is the best embodiment of its implementation of its own value system and its leadership role. This is why Galadriel is more like a deified world policeman than one of the local forces in Middle-earth.
Elrond’s style is closer to "Jeffersonism." Jefferson was the third president and founding father of the United States, and the drafter of the Declaration of Independence. He has a scholarly image just like Elrond. Its foreign policy is cautious about ruling internally, wary externally, pursuing isolationism, minimizing involvement in warfare, and adopting circuitous means to achieve its goals.
Elrond's style is quite Jeffersonian. Unlike Galadriel, Elrond has made many appearances in both the Lord of the Rings movies and the original works, but he mostly serves as an interpreter, logistics and doctor, and rarely contributes directly. Most of his experience in battles in his youth can only be found in Pokemon. Looking back on the history of drilling. This style is more obvious in the movie: he refused to keep the Lord of the Rings in Rivendell in the Lord of the Rings, on the grounds that he could not fight the pressure of Isengard and Mordor at the same time, and led the crowd from the shore of Grey Harbor before the war. Withdrawing from Middle-Earth, completely retained Rivendell's strength and avoided the dispute with Sauron. In the Hobbit's prequel, Elrond is even more opposed to the dwarves awakening the dragon, breaking the balance of the situation and threatening the safety of the north. But despite avoiding the war and doing everything to protect itself, Elrond is still willing to provide other forms of help to the sentient beings in China and Earth, but prefers methods other than direct confrontation, such as providing advice, technology, and physical and mental medical treatment and recovery.
Thrandui is closer to passive Jacksonianism. Derived from President Andrew Jackson, who believes that the international community is the law of the jungle, emphasizes the supremacy of interests, is willing to use any means for the national interest, despise the rules, and uphold the utilitarian concept of "if anyone offends me, I will commit a crime, and if a person does not offend me, I also commit a crime" .
Thrandui’s policy has a high degree of overlap with Jacksonianism: he is not worried about starting the war, not trapped by morals or rules, he dares to use extraordinary methods, and has a strong pragmatism color. But unlike Jacksonian belligerent warriors, Surandui is not able to bear the cost of war losses. He is willing to fight a battle that must be won, but he is unwilling to accept too much loss, giving it a certain isolationist characteristic. , Is quite similar to Elrond. This is why Surandui places more emphasis on his country's interests than the universal value of saving Middle-earth, and is more realistic.
Why does the movie shape the difference between the elves in this way?
I think this is more likely to be the subtle influence of the current reality on the adaptor than deliberately. Literary and artistic works inevitably reflect the reality of the creator's life. For this reason, when shaping the image of a powerful elven civilization, it may also be brought into the real-life model of great power diplomacy. But in terms of the results, the film’s approach has increased the distinction between the three leaders and prevented human-made crashes. After all, the overlap of the kind, wise, and benevolent settings is too high. Based on the above analysis, we will find that Galadriel is closer to calling for the establishment of an international order Wilson, Elrond is more like replacing Obama with force, and Thrandui is like the wizard Trump, insisting on "woodland first" and keeping the door behind. To protect the country’s interests. In fact, I think this adaptation fits the original and is creative and can be called a success. Because the difficulty of film compared with literature is that it cannot create ambiguous and inaccurate intentions-novels can create an obscure passerby, an inexplicable conflict, and an environment where no description depends on imagination, but movies cannot rely on one. People who look like mosaics and only have limbs promote the plot and must add flesh and blood with distinction to it. This is also one of the important principles of the adaptation of the Lord of the Rings movie.
The Elf King Thrandui is indeed a relatively vague image in the original work. We know that he loves jewels and will get angry because dwarves trespass on territory, but he is also kind and kind, willing to negotiate with dwarves, and will fight bravely with orcs. But in the eyes of the film producer, this image does not seem to have enough appeal to capture the general audience, which led to the birth of the movie version of Surandui.
Where did the unique character of the movie Surandui come from?
Perhaps we can infer from the following aspects and find some clues. .
The source of Thrandui's personality
The personality of Surandui may be derived from the characteristics of his ruling country.
The Woodland Kingdom, unlike Lothlorien and Rivendell, is more backward and weaker. Except for the royal court, the nation is composed of Silvan elves. Silvan elves are wood elves. Because they have never been in contact with Western gods, they are at the bottom of the elven society in terms of strength, wisdom, and civilization, and their technology and equipment are even more backward. We will find that the elves of Rivendell are dressed in costumes, elegant manners, and good at musical instruments. They are the images of elites who have been immersed in higher education for a long time, while the woodland elves are plainly dressed (except for Thrandui himself) and are more wild. , And even drink to the point of drunk, much more down-to-earth. Woodland is also the only elven force in the original writing that maintains trade with humans, which may imply that the gap between its productivity and humans is not as obvious as that of the other two places.
Compared with Lothlorien and Rivendell, another major disadvantage of Thrandui's rule is that he does not have the Lord of the Rings. The woodland kingdom is the only place where the three elves are not protected by the Three Rings of the elves, so it may be even more vulnerable before an enemy attack. The military strength of the woodland may also be the weakest. According to the original book, even after the destruction of the Lord of the Rings, Galadriel led his army to destroy the Dol'gor Fortress, the source of the shadow in the dark dense forest. Perhaps driven by the harsh environment, Thranduyi formed a more severe, pragmatic and conservative ruling style than other elves.
Another source of personality is the film's excavation of the psychological trauma of Surandui.
In the movie version, we know that Thranduyi once lost his wife, which may be the reason for his hard-hearted performance. We can even understand from the tidbits that he was also struggling to pursue his favorite white gemstone because he missed his deceased wife. Another source may come from the original setting: in the last large-scale alliance between humans and elves in the West, Thranduyi’s father led the army of Silvan elves to join the alliance to conquer Sauron, but suffered heavy losses in the expedition. He also died in the chaos. Thrandui also participated in the expedition and probably witnessed the death of his father. For this reason, his anger when he saw the fallen fellow elves may have originated from painful memories in ancient times.
The road from closed to open
But despite the selfishness and coldness, Surandui is still a good person. He will send troops to support the dwarves, but he does not want the people to retreat because of the dragon's wounds; he brings supplies to the disaster-stricken people in Long Lake Town, although he does not admit that it is his original intention; he finally chooses to send troops to fight the Gundaba Orcs , And angry as mad because of the sacrifice of his people; he obstructs the love of the female elf Taurier, but understands the price and trauma of love better than she. Surandui is very imperfect, but it is difficult for us to hate or even blame this person: because he does not have the power of the three precepts of the elves, the great wisdom and ideals beyond the mortal world, but an ordinary person with wounds and weaknesses. I tried my best to do everything I could.
This is why the plot still gives this character a final change. He faced his inner feelings squarely, and finally showed sympathy and compassion when Tao Ruier sacrificed and wept for his lover, and cherished the relationship with his son even more. When Thranduyi gradually regains himself from the numbness and coldness, it may also mean that the woodland kingdom will step out of isolationism, contact the world more actively, and fulfill its due responsibilities. At the end of the film, Thranduyi sent his son to follow in the footsteps of Aragorn, the heir of Gondor, which hinted that the elves of the dark and dense forest gave up self-enclosure and began to actively intervene in the fate of Middle-earth.
This kind of characterization change and transition is also what I think is the success of Surandui in the film. Instead of recreating a wise and kind-hearted leader of the righteous forces in the original text, it shows a rather three-dimensional image of a secular ruler. In contrast with the first two elf leaders, it also enriched the breadth and connotation of Middle-earth. And Suranduyi’s mental journey has precisely catered to the change in his foreign policy:
From the perspective of individual psychology and dramatic conflict, Surandui’s experience is the ultimate catharsis and reconciliation of personal emotions and contradictions. His final recognition of Taurier’s feelings gave the audience a sense of healing after their inner tensions were fully released; and from international relations From the perspective of this, Thrandui’s change in his understanding of external affairs and his own responsibilities also reflects in fact reflections on Jacksonism and isolationism: woodland elves, dwarves of isolated mountains and iron hills, humans in Long Lake Town, The orc army was in danger for a while, and finally won the battle of the five armies with the strength of unity. As the audience, can we learn from it?
From the perspective of organizational relationships, this story reveals that in the face of the worldwide catastrophe that has swept through Middle-earth, no power can be alone. Isolationism and trade barriers, racial discrimination, and conservatism may bring short-term petty gains, but in the long run they increase the internal friction among ethnic groups and weaken the competitiveness of the good forces of China and Turkey in the face of real crisis. . For the long-term interests of all ethnic groups, only by uniting as one and setting aside differences can we usher in the dawn of victory.
From an individual perspective, Thrandui’s story tells us that everyone needs reconciliation and transformation, even the domineering president. Long-term self-enclosure, self-pity and self-pity will only make people lose themselves and fall behind the times without knowing it. Only by seeking reconciliation and coexistence can we achieve growth and welcome a new future.
*other
When it comes to isolationism, I have to say that the one who was once more conservative and isolated than Surandui was the Oak Shield Thorin who was bewildered by the Lonely Mountain Treasure. At the moment of the disaster, when my compatriots were killed and wounded, they were still planning to prevent the elves and human neighbors from making money, to protect their wealth without regard to human lives. But in the absence of people, how will money be attached? I also hope that people in the world today can, as the author Tolkien hopes, get an opportunity to reflect on reality from the story, understand what Thorin finally figured out before his death, and don’t wait for things to be irreparable before regretting it.
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