Boy With A Bow, Cont'd

[findsthesun]

Stunt Archery in the Age of the Computer Fairy:
When and what to look for while watching FOTR

Note: § represents each time Legolas saves a party member's life.

of Moria:

In which we learn the secret Mantra of the Fellowship:
"Good thing 'ee don't miss"

·                As Frodo is flapping about in the gooey grasp of Calimari Surprise, Legolas runs out and shoots a second tentacle right next to Frodo's head, which was trying to grab him more securely. Legolas, this is not a ring-shoot. Be careful!

·                Boromir yells for help as he and Aragorn lunge out of the water with the Watcher right behind them. Legolas obligingly sends an arrow whizzing past the heads of Aragorn and Boromir, missing them by mere inches, and slows the beastie long enough for them to reach solid ground. §§§

of Balin fight:

Otherwise known as "the battle where Boromir actually remembers he owns a shield."

  First rush: Legolas and Aragorn alternate 1-2-1-2-1 taking out half the orcs in the front ranks; it's fun to observe their completely different techniques. Aragorn goes for any opening he can; professional pride means the elf always has to hit right between the eyes.

  I've heard some people complain that Bloom's Legolas is too emotional. He looks downright angry during some of his shots here (see the anchor illustration above). I think Tolkien said it best: "The elves were the first to charge. Their hatred for the goblins is cold and bitter. Their spears and swords shone in the gloom with a gleam of chill flame, so deadly was the wrath of the hands that held them." ~ The Hobbit. Elves are usually portrayed as level-headed, but I see no reason to assume he never gets steamed.

  But he's still not human, because his aim isn't shaken in the slightest when he's angry or speed-shooting. See the orc that just leapt high in the air and spun dramatically? Bang, nailed between the eyes on the way down.

·                The Boss Fight is signalled by a loud boom, and a troll who only staggers for a second when hit by Legolas' arrow and Gimli's throwing axe. Time to get serious.

·                Gimli gets knocked to the ground when Balin's tomb is smashed. (Poor Balin!) Legolas breaks off from knife-fighting, turns, and whips off a classic stunt to save him: the double-arrow shot. It's extremely difficult to get the release right, because there's nothing on a bow to keep extra arrows from slipping and falling. The arrows tend to go off in different directions. No problem for Legolas; he does some subtle fingerwork with his bow-hand to steady the top arrow and yank his finger out of the way as the arrows come off the string. In yet another "Glad 'ee don't miss" shot; both arrows skim over Gimli's head before knocking the troll off its feet. §

·                Next up: troll-surfing. Now, lest you think shooting point-blank straight down into a large target is child's play, consider: the troll's bucking like a bronco, and its brain is the size of a pea. Unfortunately Legolas forgot to take into account the latter. I would also note that bows are not designed for shooting straight down; chances of jabbing the back of the arrow into your own gut are high. Trust me on this.

·                After this, Legolas vanishes for a while and everyone else gets to be heroic. If only they had his Computer Fairy on their side! All it ever does for them is smash them against walls, floors, and occasional sharp pointy objects. Boromir will especially come to rue this fact. Note the nice collection of elf-arrows and Gimli's throwing axe in the troll when it's making Frodo's life difficult.

·                In the end, Legolas scores the kill, but even more gratifying is the fact that the Boss Fight is won not by brute force, but teamwork. Gimli and Gandalf distract it, Pippin stabs it, and Legolas, who can evidently hold his draw longer than most archers without getting arm-fatigue, waits for it to bellow so that he can shoot up through its mouth and up into its brain, without punching through and killing Pippin. Another "Glad 'ee don't miss" shot which the hobbit was unfortunately not in a position to appreciate. §

·                Non-archery detail on the way out: While sprinting, Legolas looks up before you know what's coming, apparently the only one to get wind of the orcs in the ceiling before they come swarming out. Everyone else is concentrating on the path ahead, the pursuit behind them, and running.

[1:44 Chapter 30] Run on the Stairs:

In which Legolas has to catch many people much smellier than himself.

·                Good thing 'ee don't slip, either: After Legolas saves Boromir from plummetting to his death, they all go charging down the steps. By the first switchback the party is spread out about 15 feet vertically. Watch closely and you'll see Legolas leap over the side of the switchback and take a sickening drop — on horribly steep stairs, yet— to wind up close to Boromir before they hit the next snag. Boromir's not a clumsy idiot: he's just loaded with a chainmail coat, shield, and great sword, plus he's a big guy. Momentum is not his friend. §

·                Legolas winds up assisting Gandalf, Boromir, Gimli, and Aragorn in their jumps, but he also gets one more gratuitous stunt shot in which we get to follow his arrow all the way up to a target several hundred yards away. Insanely good aim at a range beyond that of some crossbows proves, once again, that Legolas is not human. Aragorn also manages to lob at least one up there, which is doubly impressive considering his little bow.

·                That's the last archery for a while, but there's a fun detail as a result of this scene. Legolas arrives in Lórien with only three arrows left, yet has the guts to pull one on the elves who ambush them. He's not stupid; Legolas Math will be explained later.

Kill Your Darlings:

Alas, Legolas does not get to bring down a flying Nazgûl in the dark. I am sorry that scene was cut. But his archery in the last battle makes up for it.

[2:09 Chapter 37] battle:

In which Boromir discovers that the Computer Fairy is not his friend, and Legolas demonstrates that 1 + 1 = 1 for especially sharp values of 1.

·                Where did Legolas get his apparently unlimited ammo? The Extended DVD shows him paddling away from Lórien, and piled behind him in the boat are at least nine sheafs plus his quiver. The Galadrim apparently decided, after he had the gall to pull an arrow on them with only three left, that he needed refills.

·                I think Aragorn was justified in being "late" in the next movie, considering how long it took Legolas and Gimli to give him a hand with fifty-odd orcs. Eventually they arrive, and Legolas runs in shooting the orcs surrounding Aragorn, in yet another demo of the Secret Mantra. I can't walk and chew gum, let alone sprint and shoot orcs.

·                Legolas Math: One of his arrows in this scene goes through 2 orcs. Is that a 120# longbow? I'll be over here in this bunker.

·                More Legolas Math: Jam arrow into an orc's eye, nock and reuse it on next target. Legolas, being a nature-lover, believes in recycling. Repeatedly slamming an old arrow into a concrete floor proved this does not snap the shaft, much to my surprise.

·                After Boromir's heroic arrival rushing in to save Merry and Pippin, start watching closely as soon as he scores a kill with a throwing knife. The next camera cut shows Legolas' last great moment; after that the story belongs to Boromir, Aragorn, and the Hobbits.

·                It's what brought me out of the seat most the first time I watched this movie, and it's easy to miss. Legolas shoots 3 arrows in 3 seconds, and of course, kills an orc with every shot. It's fun to watch, listen, and count the time between the lightning bolts! (I hear there's six on the extended DVD). Alas, he then takes several seconds to line up his final shot. Personally, I would have taken, say, a couple weeks of test rounds before trying that one.

 

·                Reality check: A speed-shooting addict, I get 6-7 arrows off in 30 seconds, about half in the kill zone on an unmoving target at 20 yards. I've seen an Olympic-class archer loose 14 arrows mostly on-target in 30 seconds, at peak performance. Aiming isn't the big problem; getting an arrow out of a quiver and onto the string is the problem. There's even more speed-shooting in TTT; count to yourself when arrows are being fired to enjoy it properly.

THE GRAND FINALE §

It's in plain sight, but things are moving so fast you just don't have time to think about it.

While Legolas was plinking away at lightspeed, he could hardly fail to be aware that Aragorn was having a spot of bother with an Uruk-hai. It's strangling him and slamming him against a tree, which blocks Legolas from doing much about it. Aragorn manages to draw his knife, at which point his opponent swings him around trying to snap his wrist with one hand and his neck with the other. In the process the orc steps away from the tree. Legolas sees his chance, steps forward, and shoots an arrow partway through the orc at nearly point blank range. Aragorn regains his feet and goes charging off to help Boromir.

You don't even think about it when you see it. But if you recall Legolas Math and the orc kabobs a few minutes ago, you will realize that Aragorn should have been killed by the arrow that saved him. That shot didn't look spectacular, but it was impossible. How'd 'ee do dat?

All Legolas had to do was know exactly where that orc was about to be, exactly what density it was, and, most importantly, exactly how much force would be required for an arrow to cover the distance, skewer the orc, and stop before it went through Aragorn too. And then, somehow, he had to adjust his release so that he was using only a fraction of his bow's power.

So there's the last real Legolas Moment, and a perfect summary of his character. Although he's a king's son, he's not one of the big players (see my "Prince Among Equals" article for the complete scoop on Legolas in the books), but rather, serves as a support for his friends. In the movie, Legolas is the quietest person in the Fellowship, tends to stay in the background, and usually steps forward only when acting as look-out, or to rescue one of the strong characters caught in a split-second moment of vulnerability. As an elf he doesn't rely on brute force, but rather agility and speed, focus and an uncanny awareness of physical space. And for all that he occasionally shows distress or anger, at times like this, when Aragorn is in mortal danger and extreme duress, the elf is patient, picking off orcs while waiting for the right opening, then taking that extra second he needs to get the shot right. There's not a flicker of doubt in those eyes that he can do it-- it's a look of pure concentration. While he's not singing elven ballads or climbing trees, that is an image of Legolas that fits the character Tolkien envisioned.

To me, while Balrogs and great thundering armies clashing at the foot of Mt. Doom are thrilling and glorious to behold, it's the use of FX to slip in subtle details like this that are the real gems. The miracle will only be registered in the subconscious of 99% of the viewers. Why bother? For those who try to pay attention with elven-sight as well as human.

And so, fellow archery buffs, next time you get out your FotR DVD ...let me finish... be an elf and think about the little things you see but don't notice. And when Legolas does this last glorious shot, say the words Aragorn must be thinking: good thing ee don't miss.