Frodo is 50... not 20...

[Theoden]

I thought Frodo looked way too young. I mean, Pippin is supposed to be the youngest one on the Fellowship and he looks the oldest of the four hobbits in FotR. And Sam is supposed to be alot younger than "Mr. Frodo", and yet he looks OLDER!

Maybe someone can explain this to me.

[Talimon]

While there is truth to this, by the standards of Hobbits Frodo wasn't supposed to look "old" either. For artistic purposes, Frodo had to be cast as a younger actor, as did the other hobbits. It wouldn't fit to have a 50 year old actor play Frodo. Even if that's how Tolkien wrote it, is that how you imagined it? I always imagined Frodo looking around 30 years old in terms of humans (at the oldest). His wisdom was perhaps 50 years old, that's true, but not his looks. Remember that Hobbits only come of age at 33. This would say something of what's considered young and old in thier societies.

[Shion]

Firstly, I believe that hobbits age differently to humans, as Talimon explained well. Similar to how 1 year for a human is 7 years for a dog.

Secondly, the movie eliminates the "17 year gap" between Gandalf leaving to do his research and Frodo leaving to begin the quest. So really, he's probably 33 years old as opposed to 50 (although unlike the book, his exact age is not specified in the film). Considering that 33 is the "coming of age," an 18-ish human (like Elijah Wood) seems like the appropriate choice.

You're right about Frodo looking the youngest of the four hobbits in the movie (due to Wood being the youngest actor), though, and that seems like a definite deviation from the book. Perhaps Jackson wanted to emphasise Frodo's youth and innocence? (Although he still seems to be the most intelligent of the four.)

-Bon

[Talimon]

I think having Frodo be so young emphasizes the idea of this small charachter going up against these tremendous odds. I don't thik Frodo looks the youngest, though. The other hobbits looks pretty young as well.

[Rangerdave]

Yeah, the Hobbits all seemed to have aged pretty well.

And what about Aragorn. I did not realize until recently that he was acttually older that Theoden. Man, must be all that clean livin' and freash country air.

RD

[Hirila]

As far as I saw pics of the second film Aragorn looks younger than Theoden. But that is because he is of the Numenorean line and ages slower than other men do. Isn't he somewhat about 70 years old in the book when all this happens?
Then in the film he looks like between 30 and 40 which must be the correct age in our counting. Just like Frodo looks like 20 when in the book he is 50.

[LadyGaladriel]

Frodo is 50... not 20...

The ring makes the bearer look young. Think of Bilbo being 111 and he only looked 50 (Which is middleage.) I think all the hobbits did in fact comment about Youthfull looks gene in the family after Frodo looked so young. I hope this clears it up!

[Frodorocks]

As people have been saying, You only come of age when you're 33 for a hobbit and you come of age at like, 18 for a human. Also they leave out that long gap with Gandalf. It is a deviation from the book,but in the movie he really would've bee 20ish in human time. Elijah Wood did a wonderful job as Frodo. He portrayed him EXACTLY as I envisioned him. It's so uncanny.

[Asmodeus]

The best portrayal in my opinion was Gandalf-Ian McKellen. Now that ive seen him play Gandalf, i couldn't pick someone who could do a better job. He deserved supporting actor;)

[fantasydude]

yes even at 50, frodo is still a young man by hobbit standards. But i do believe the other hobbits were miscast, since the actors were clearly older than elijah wood, and were supposed to be younger than frodo in the book. So frodo looks about right, yet the other hobbits should have been younger. Sean astin is good as sam, but i did not care for the actors who played merry and pippin, who come off as nincompoops when they were not so in the book.

[Legolas_lover12]

the ring makes frodo "Well preserved" as the hobbits in FotR said. so he probably really did look younger than his friends, who, were actually older than him. and i don't think they left out the 17 yr time gap. they showed gandalf looking through a lot of papers and then he found the one he was looking for and read it. then he comes back to frodo's house and says the whole "is it secret?!! is it safe?!!!" thing. which i thought did not sound like gandalf at all. but anyway, where do you think that library was? right next door to frodo's house? no. it was...........oh, i can't remember where it was. wasn't it in gondor, or orthanc? maybe not. but anyway gandalf did leave and although he may not have been gone for 17 yrs, he was gone for a while.

[Flame of Anor]

Frodo was technically supposed to have been 33 when he got the ring. And if you remember Bilbo looked the exact same as when he got the ring; so Frodo would have also looked the same as when he got the ring. Still you would think that 33 is kinda old, but you have to take in to account that Hobbits could and very possibly age differently than humans.

[Leto]

Gandalf went to Minas Tirith, and spent a long time looking for the scroll of Isildur. The movie does not do a good job of portaying the passage of time, or the great distances of Middle Earth. Thet could have had a 'aside', a sub-title, a narration, or something, that says 'seventeen years pass in the shire'. I realise it is a film...but someone not knowing the book would think that Minas Tirith WAS right next to the Shire, for all the time it took Gandalf to get there, and back again. The same with the Nazgul...we see them burst forth from Minas Morgul, ride for a shot or two, and then all of the sudden they're in the Shire, beheading Hobbits. In the story, the Nazgul search for months, or even years in the wrong places after they first leave Mordor. All they have is the word 'Shire', and the name 'Baggins' to go by. I understand they wanted to make things more exciting...but that mad dash from the Shire, with the Nazgul right on the Hobbits' heels was too much. I disapprove. :)

[Leto]

...and I believe Aragorn is closer to 200 years old, at the time of the story...according to the "tale of years". He served Denethor when Denethor first became steward, in Gondor, for many years under an assumed name, and gained much fame. He left when people started noticing him too much, and getting jealous. Numenoreans are mortal, but they were granted life many times the length of normal men. Bilbo was 50 when he went on his adventure, too. That's full adult age. Though Hobbits are all a bit naive and innocent, even the adults. They know nothing of the world beyond the Shire. So even Frodo, an adult Hobbit, seems somewhat childish to Men and Elves.

[fantasydude]

yes you are right about the hobbits though i beleive that aragorn was more like 81 years old during the fellowship, and he is well preserved as a numenorean, and lives to about 200 or so.

[Beorn]

Originally posted by Leto
...and I believe Aragorn is closer to 200 years old, at the time of the story...according to the "tale of years".

IIRC, he was 87 during the War of the Ring....he was near 200 when he died...

[Leto]

that's right. He was still well mature, and prepared for what was going on. None of this reluctant king nonsense...

[Rangerdave]

Originally posted by Asmodeus
The best portrayal in my opinion was Gandalf-Ian McKellen. Now that ive seen him play Gandalf, i couldn't pick someone who could do a better job. He deserved supporting actor;)

Especially if you have seen him in Gods and Monsters or Richard III.

Great films

RD

[aragil]

RD- I thought a nice touch for the part of Gandalf was that I.M. listened to tapes that Tolkien recorded shortly before the publication of the Lord of the Rings. I haven't heard the taps myself, but by all accounts I've heard Sir Ian perfectly copied Tolkien's rendition of Gandalf!

[Lily from Bree]

I think the reason why Frodo looks young, is, as Lady Galadriel has stated, because he has the Ring. According to FOTR, page 42, it says, "Outwardly he retained the appearance of a robust and energetic hobbit just out of his tweens."

[Gandalf_White]

I aggree with the idea that the Ring made Frodo look young. I wonder if that is what PJ thought. I think a lot of the actors looked young. But hey you can't have a 60-100 year old man play somebody like Aragorn can you?

[Legolas_lover12]

what gandalf_white said.

[CyberGhostface]

If a 50 year old man played Frodo, I doubt people would call him cute.

[Legolas_lover12]

yeah, and half the people that saw the movie just went to see cate blanchett, or elijah wood, or orlando bloom.......................so they were just trying to get a bigger audeince.

[LadyGaladriel]

Outwardly he retained the appearance of a robust and energetic hobbit just out of his tweens


If he had kept the ring then he would start to feel as though he was butter stretched on too much bread. He wouldn't live but just exsit. what a sorrowfull existance