FotN Scene 6-7, plus ideas for Luthien/Leithian

[Huinesoron]

First, the scenes.

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Scene 6: Hall of Valmar


Maedhros: Maglor really is playing very well today, father.
Fëanor: Yes, but doesn't he always?
Maedhros: True… but as his father, you should at least congratulate him. He does long for your praise, you know.
Fëanor: [Startled] He does? [Maedhros nods] I assumed he knew I appreciated his work… well, thank you, Maedhros. I shall do that when we get home.
Maedhros: He'll be ecstatic, I'm sure.
[There is a stir in the middle of the hall, and the assembled elves open a path from there to the dais]
Fëanor: Ah, they're starting. You have the box?
[Maedhros takes a smallish wooden chest out of his robe]
Fëanor: Good. Come on, we have to get into position…<br>[Fëanor and Maedhros start to move through the crowd towards the dais. Note: There is no pushing and shoving. The only contact between elves is deliberate, even in such a tightly packed space. Pan back up and in towards the dais, just as a group of Noldor (including Fingolfin and Finarfin, led by Noldo #1) reach it, carrying something long and thin wrapped in silk. Maglor stops playing and looks over]
Noldo #1: King Manwë Súlimo… [The group bow to Manwë] Queen Varda Elentári… [The group bow to Varda] We, the Noldor of Tirion, on this day set aside for remembrance of our coming to thy land, present to thee, Lord of the Blessed Realm, this gift.
[Fingolfin and Finarfin step forward, holding the thing horizontal]
Fingolfin: Lord Manwë, this is the product of the work of many craftsmen of the Noldor.
Finarfin: Long was the making, and our hearts we put into it.
Fingolfin and Finarfin: We ask you now to accept this gift of thanks from all our people.
[Fingolfin and Finarfin pull the silk off the thing, revealing the Sapphire Sceptre. The watching Eldar gasp as the light of the Trees refracts through the sceptre. Manwë reaches down and takes it, and smiles. Fëanor speaks from behind the camera]
Fëanor: Yes, that's very pretty, I'm sure.
[Quick pan around, following the turning heads of the Eldar, to see Fëanor jumping down from a table. As he walks towards the dais, Maedhros hurrying at his side, the crowd parts for him]
Fëanor: It's certainly well-wrought, and a fitting gift for you, O Lord of the Breath of Arda. Now me, I've only got a small thing to show you today, certainly not good enough for a gift. Originally they were only going to be a proof of concept, but it turns out that making any more would be very difficult, and they aren't as useful as I thought they would be, anyway.
[He reaches the dais and hold out a hand to Maedhros. Maedhros hands him the box and steps back into the crowd. Fëanor smiles, and faces Manwë]<br>Fëanor: Behold, Lord, the fruits of my own labours. I call them Silmarils.
[On the word Silmarils, Fëanor opens the lid of the box. Manwë and Varda are bathed in the light of the Trees. The camera pans back towards the back wall as Fëanor turns, displaying the Silmarils to all the elves, filling the hall with light. Snap cut to…]

Scene 7: Streets of Valmar

[Noldo #1 is talking to Melkor in a small park in Valmar. The ambient light is, of course, Treeslight, suitable for around the mixing hour]
Melkor: So then what happened?
Noldo #1: You'll never believe this. Instead of punishing him for his insolence – I mean, come on, if one of us had said 'No, sorry, Lady, you can't have them, but if I ever get around to making more, I'll give you them if I remember' we'd've been, well, I don't know, but it wouldn't have been pretty – Varda goes and hallows the things. Now, I admit they're pretty, but isn't that going a little too far?
Melkor: It's blatant favouritism, really. So what exactly did she say about them?
Noldo #1: Oh… something about how no mortal flesh, or hands unclean, or anything of evil will could touch them, because it would be scorched and withered. – there's a thing. What does she mean, 'mortal flesh'? Surely she can't be worried that animals are going to steal them?
Melkor: Oh, you hadn't heard?
[Noldo #1 blinks, and looks suspiciously at him]
Noldo #1: Heard what?
Melkor: Oh, only that you elves aren't the only Children of Ilúvatar.
Noldo #1: We… what?
Melkor: It's true. There's going to be a second race born soon, a race of weaklings. They'll be mortal, too, and have just one life – a short one – here before going off to who knows where. You mean to say Manwë hasn't told you that?
Noldo #1: Well, it's the first I've heard of it.
Melkor: Ah, well, I'm sure they have a perfectly good reason. It's not like they'd think they could give these mortals the Outer Lands and control them easily, is it?
[Melkor laughs, and Noldo #1 joins in, but you can see the slightest hint of doubt gnawing away at his mind: What if that is why?. After a few moments, Melkor speaks again]
Melkor: But let's get back to your news. Didn't you mention something about Lord Námo?
Noldo #1: What? Oh, yes. He made some sort of prophesy about how the fates of Arda are bound to these things, these Silmarils, in earth, sea and air. I don't suppose you'd happen to know what he meant?
Melkor: Not a clue, I'm afraid.
Noldo #1: Ah, well. Thought you might, being one of his kindred and all.
[Noldo #1 glances out at the Trees]
Noldo #1: Oh, but I have to be going. Farewell.
Melkor: Farewell.
[Noldo #1 walks out through a golden park gate, almost colliding with Fingolfin and Finarfin, who enter arguing. Seeing them, Melkor moves into a small copse]
Fingolfin: Finarfin, he is our brother, our elder brother. We should not seek to belittle his achievements.
Finarfin: I do not seek to belittle them, merely to point out that they should be presented at the right time and place. And although you may have forgotten, he has repeatedly proclaimed himself not to be our brother.
Fingolfin: Whether he would claim that kinship or not is irrelevant. He is our brother, and we should treat him as such. That means we should support his actions.
Finarfin: How can you speak so, Fingolfin? You worked hard on that sceptre, as did many others, and who will remember it? No one. They'll all remember Fëanor and his Silmarils.
Fingolfin: We did not do it to be remembered. We did it out of gratitude, and it was its own reward.
Finarfin: Oh, you're impossible.
Fingolfin: And you are young, brother. Perhaps when you have grown older—<br>[Finarfin cuts him off]
Finarfin: Don't you patronise me, Fingolfin. You're not Father.
Fingolfin: And nor are you. Do not then presume to condemn our elder brother. If anything, we should ask Father his opinions of Fëanor's actions.
Finarfin: Then perhaps I will.
[Finarfin storms back out of the gate they entered by. Fingolfin looks after him sadly]
Fingolfin: It's strange to see you acting like you did as a child again, when now you have five children of your own… I just wish it were in a better way.
[Shaking his head slightly, Fingolfin follows his brother. Melkor steps back out of the copse]
Melkor: So there is strife in House Finwë, is there? So much the better. Perhaps I should pay Fëanor a visit…<br>[Melkor exits via the golden gate]

~~~~~~~

And now, the idea. There are bits in the Lay where Sauron/Finrod/Luthien sing songs with Workings in them -- songs that are supposed to do something, and are presumably breathtakingly beautiful. Quite obviously, we won't be able to do these justice. So I was thinking, and came up with this alternative.

The scene progresses. Cases where this might be needed are Finrod's duel with Sauron, Luthien making her hair grow, Luthien before Morgoth, and Luthien's song to Mandos. There may be a few more. So the scene runs, and it gets to the first few notes of the song. Then the sound in the film cuts out, and while all the flashy visual effects are going on in the background, someone (I'd vote for Artanis again) reads the relevent fragment of the Lay (slightly adapted to fit the Silmarillion version) over the top. This is, in fact, exactly what Chris Tolkien did for the Finrod v Sauron sequence. Rather than trying to put it in words, he copied a few dozen lines from the Lay, made about five changes -- mostly to get Thu ==> Sauron and the like -- and left it.

So, opinions on that?

[Maeglin]

Loved Feanor's casual presentation of the Silmarilli...but could we perhaps see Varda and Mandos doing their stuff on them, rather than have those bits conveyed solely by Noldo #1?

About your Lay ideas...they're good, but I think Arwen should do the Luthien voice-overs, Artanis the Finrod ones, and perhaps Mithrandir the Sauron ones, presuming all this is being told probably to an audience of Lorien elves in the Third Age. I picked those three characters because they are the closest available things to the characters themselves...what do you think?

[Huinesoron]

The reason I conveyed the hallowing and prophesy in inderect form, other than to give me a chance to tell Melkor about it, was that I'm a little uncertain how it would go. 'Hey, Feanor, why not give us those jewels?' "No, sorry" 'Oh, okay, I'll just hallow them instead' "... you what?"

And I was just assuming that the voiceovers would be best all done by the same person, to avoid unnecessary distraction. Plus there are bits that involve two characters -- Finrod v Sauron ends with 'And Finrod fell before the throne'. Who would you give that to?

But I don't know. I just come up with these things, I don't do the think-it-through bits.

[StarwindRohana]

*Raises eyebrow.* I frequently do the just-come-up-with-the-idea-and-think-it's-great-first-time thing too.

But I don't know, I think the whole "Okay, I'll just hallow them instead" thing would be quite amusing. And would give me a chance to laugh at Feanor's cluelessness.

Maybe you wouldn't give the Lay bits to either Saruman or Artanis, but had someone else read them? Somebody completely unrelated, but who could get the appropriate 'mood' in? That would be better in general, because nobody would be distracted by the voice of, say, a Maia who came along in the Third Age, and could jut enjoy it. But that's just me.

Example:

(Sauron stands, looking black and big and generally scary. The 'orcs' shake.)

Random Voice (someone good at sounding doom-ey and imposing and amazed, all at the same time): He chanted a song of wizardry...

(Sauron opens his mouth. A fierce, deep under-beat begins -but not too loud. Fire flashes.)

RV: Of uncovering, betrayal, of trechary...(Or whatever the line actually says.)

(The 'orcs' seem to quiver, flashes of white seem to appear on their skin. See-through daggers stab in the air and hissy voices whisper.)

(Dum-de-dum-de-dum, because I am working from memory here, so things get a bit worse.)

RV: Then suddenly Felagund there swaying...

(Finrod appears as an Elf-King. He sways, looking tired.)

RV: Sang in answer a song of staying...

(Finrod's mouth opens. A firm, pleasant tune starts up -<i>quietly</i>. The 'orcs' stop quivering.)

RV: Of snares eluded, broken traps...

(Brief switch to a broken man-trap with an Elf slipping by it.)

RV: The rope that fails, the chain that snaps...

(Brief switch to a snapping chain.)

Etc, etc...

[Huinesoron]

Feanor? Clueless? I was under the impression that he was laughing at the whole of Valinor by this.

Aren't multiple interpretations great?