(no subject)
Jun. 7th, 2010 04:24 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
kiltsandlollies.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
monaboyd_monthLet's be honest here; the reason this friendship we're celebrating even exists is the Lord of the Rings films. I'd bet on it that hardly anyone had heard of Billy before then, and Dominic had already walked away from Geoffrey Shawcross and so on. So what luck and what a blessing the LOTR trilogy was and is, for the movies themselves and for the bond these two made during its filming. So, a little pictorial happiness involving their characters seems in order.
They'll wait while you get yourself a pint and join them.
Billy wins out better than Dominic in these early character portraits, mainly I think because neither of them had really formed his character, and so Dominic's look and expression aren't quite right; he's far too tense, to begin with (a little of that same tension can be seen in Billy's hands, too) and let's not even talk about that wig. Still, I'm glad both these shots exist, because you catch in their eyes a glimpse of what was coming, from them and at them.
Besides, Dominic gets his own back with this gorgeous full-pager from Vanity Fair. For someone who had such trouble with the pipe, he looks just right with one here, doesn't he.
Billy's Vanity Fair portrait doesn't look nearly as natural or comfortable, but you can see what they've done to make him look Tookish--darkening and thickening his eyebrows, for one thing--and you know, I think this had the opposite effect of what they wanted: he looks older than he was even at that time, older and tired. What we see in the films is something much softer and gentler than this, as it should be.
This is frankly adorable. Look how thin Billy is, and how strangely they're posed. It was still so early.
Ringmaster with his most adorable animals, ready to be trained. :)
Sing it with me: no one else in the room.
These desktops that lordoftherings.net provided were such good fun. The amount of energy New Line invested in all of this was so lovely and important, and I think really changed the way films were presented and marketed online. But the really important thing here is look at Dominic's adorable face, and look at Billy's complete nutjob expression. It's awesome.
So freaking silly. LET'S GET ANOTHER ONE.
*claps forever and ever*
Dominic's fingers get a lot of play in fic and, um, spams, but again I say THERE'S A REASON FOR THAT.
I remember this clip; Billy says something like they haven't aged a day between principal filming and pickups, and I thought well, Dominic hasn't, anyway. :D Oh, you silly creatures.
I absolutely adore these sleepy hobbits shots. I will spare the four million reasons why.
AAAAAH MY HEART. One of my favourite screencaps in FOTR.
So often we see Pippin getting scolded or held back; it was lovely to have this little moment, too. Also, nnnghfff Billy's hand.
Merry's little FACE! Don't stick an arrow in it!
So tremendously sad. I've written scads about this scene and the shots taken from it, but oh, it's just beautiful and sad and sweet, and Billy really pulls out all the young stops for it.
Dominic's beautiful as Merry, too, in Rivendell, and he doesn't often get the chance to be so in these films, so it's something to celebrate.
*squeaking noises* I totally had the Pippin wallpaper on my screen at work for about six months.
This is another gorgeous shot, and not just because Billy's setting Pippin's shoulders back again; look at Dominic back there, soft and rounded and pensive. Lovely.
It still thrills me every time I recognize how much Merry knows and figures out without having to have everything laid out for him. He really is the smartest of the hobbits, street-smart and book-smart, and I love it.
THEIR FACES OMG.
One of my favourite behind the scenes shot. I still maintain Billy forgets his lines because he's just flabbergasted by Dominic's wig. :D
Pippin's curiosity is always a dangerous thing, and here he seems to recognize it even if he can't not ask what the hell is going on.
MOAR SLEEPY HOBBITS. They really need to be lit like this as much as possible.Thankfully, TTT takes care of that.
I love this scene so much, and I've so often covered how much I love where Dominic took it, acting-wise, when he had so little to work with. I dearly wish I could have been a weta on the wall, as it were, as they ran through it to get it just right. The rapport he and Billy have would have made any line reading fascinating.
RAAAAR BOYS WITH SWORDS. Except they don't look terribly threatening, do they? :D
Oh, the wonder of it all, and they're only just getting to the storeroom. There's a wonderful sense of "we finally made a mess the right way" to this scene and this picture, and you get a perfect feeling that they've both grown up so much already but know they're in for a lot more before this is over. In the meantime, though, they're long overdue for a smoke-up.
Oh, that face, the places my head goes with it. Pippin's all peachy-soft, but you don't want to touch him; he's somewhere else in his head, and it's fantastic.
I love that ROTK lets you see how the characters have aged, inside and out. This scene is a quick, sharp gift in that respect, and while it's over too soon, it sort of needs to be--we don't want to see what happens when the music stops for them, not just yet.
LOOK. AT. THAT. FACE. *explodes*
Little soldiers, ready to rumble for different reasons. They're both so desperate to show their courage and loyalty, and they're both disappointed in different ways, but in the end, wow. <3
I say again, the detail on that helmet is magnificent. The Rohan helmet are so much cooler than the Gondorian ones. I mean, Rohan soldiers do not want to look like they're wearing a silver soft-serve ice cream on their heads, whereas the Gondorians are clearly okay with that. Anyway, look at Merry's lovely determination here. <3
Well, that's not so bad. Oh god, no it isn't. Billy just slaughters everything around him in this scene. Another I would have loved to see being rehearsed, to see that comfort between him and Ian as they worked it through. Goodness.
As much as I do love how the film has Pippin finding Merry now (the night version in the extended cut, anyway), this would have been interesting to see, too. I want to know what Pippin's screaming. I mean, I have an idea, and I know what I would have wanted to hear, but you know.
Not all tears are evil, no way, not when they're coming from those eyes. This scene suffers from being too long, and was clearly exhausting, but it's probably 75% worth it. And Billy is beautiful.
This is the perfect meld of Merry and Dominic: the hobbity joy is there along with natural cheekiness, and I love it. <3
These two should really be our last impression of them, though, I think. It still stuns me that it wasn't shot last--it probably just couldn't have been, for all sorts of scheduling reasons--but it feels like it was; it feels like they're ready to fall over in character and out, and we're exhausted, too. We know what they've been through, we know half the people at the table are still in physical pain and the other half are suffering in their own ways too. There's resigned pride and an understanding they all share, and between Merry and Pippin there's a knowledge they never really wanted to have and aren't sure what to do with now. Yes, I am reading all kinds of things into it, but again, that is sort of what I do, and these performances are a gift that lets us do that, and again, I am ever so grateful for them.
I hope Billy and Dominic are still proud of those performances, even with all the cuts made, even with all the aches and pains, even with the homesickness they surely had, and even with the early struggles before they really found their feet (and some decent money!) in New Zealand. I really, really hope they're still proud of them and remember it all happily, as we so often do. <3
They'll wait while you get yourself a pint and join them.
Billy wins out better than Dominic in these early character portraits, mainly I think because neither of them had really formed his character, and so Dominic's look and expression aren't quite right; he's far too tense, to begin with (a little of that same tension can be seen in Billy's hands, too) and let's not even talk about that wig. Still, I'm glad both these shots exist, because you catch in their eyes a glimpse of what was coming, from them and at them.
Besides, Dominic gets his own back with this gorgeous full-pager from Vanity Fair. For someone who had such trouble with the pipe, he looks just right with one here, doesn't he.
Billy's Vanity Fair portrait doesn't look nearly as natural or comfortable, but you can see what they've done to make him look Tookish--darkening and thickening his eyebrows, for one thing--and you know, I think this had the opposite effect of what they wanted: he looks older than he was even at that time, older and tired. What we see in the films is something much softer and gentler than this, as it should be.
This is frankly adorable. Look how thin Billy is, and how strangely they're posed. It was still so early.
Ringmaster with his most adorable animals, ready to be trained. :)
Sing it with me: no one else in the room.
These desktops that lordoftherings.net provided were such good fun. The amount of energy New Line invested in all of this was so lovely and important, and I think really changed the way films were presented and marketed online. But the really important thing here is look at Dominic's adorable face, and look at Billy's complete nutjob expression. It's awesome.
So freaking silly. LET'S GET ANOTHER ONE.
*claps forever and ever*
Dominic's fingers get a lot of play in fic and, um, spams, but again I say THERE'S A REASON FOR THAT.
I remember this clip; Billy says something like they haven't aged a day between principal filming and pickups, and I thought well, Dominic hasn't, anyway. :D Oh, you silly creatures.
I absolutely adore these sleepy hobbits shots. I will spare the four million reasons why.
AAAAAH MY HEART. One of my favourite screencaps in FOTR.
So often we see Pippin getting scolded or held back; it was lovely to have this little moment, too. Also, nnnghfff Billy's hand.
Merry's little FACE! Don't stick an arrow in it!
So tremendously sad. I've written scads about this scene and the shots taken from it, but oh, it's just beautiful and sad and sweet, and Billy really pulls out all the young stops for it.
Dominic's beautiful as Merry, too, in Rivendell, and he doesn't often get the chance to be so in these films, so it's something to celebrate.
*squeaking noises* I totally had the Pippin wallpaper on my screen at work for about six months.
This is another gorgeous shot, and not just because Billy's setting Pippin's shoulders back again; look at Dominic back there, soft and rounded and pensive. Lovely.
It still thrills me every time I recognize how much Merry knows and figures out without having to have everything laid out for him. He really is the smartest of the hobbits, street-smart and book-smart, and I love it.
THEIR FACES OMG.
One of my favourite behind the scenes shot. I still maintain Billy forgets his lines because he's just flabbergasted by Dominic's wig. :D
Pippin's curiosity is always a dangerous thing, and here he seems to recognize it even if he can't not ask what the hell is going on.
MOAR SLEEPY HOBBITS. They really need to be lit like this as much as possible.Thankfully, TTT takes care of that.
I love this scene so much, and I've so often covered how much I love where Dominic took it, acting-wise, when he had so little to work with. I dearly wish I could have been a weta on the wall, as it were, as they ran through it to get it just right. The rapport he and Billy have would have made any line reading fascinating.
RAAAAR BOYS WITH SWORDS. Except they don't look terribly threatening, do they? :D
Oh, the wonder of it all, and they're only just getting to the storeroom. There's a wonderful sense of "we finally made a mess the right way" to this scene and this picture, and you get a perfect feeling that they've both grown up so much already but know they're in for a lot more before this is over. In the meantime, though, they're long overdue for a smoke-up.
Oh, that face, the places my head goes with it. Pippin's all peachy-soft, but you don't want to touch him; he's somewhere else in his head, and it's fantastic.
I love that ROTK lets you see how the characters have aged, inside and out. This scene is a quick, sharp gift in that respect, and while it's over too soon, it sort of needs to be--we don't want to see what happens when the music stops for them, not just yet.
LOOK. AT. THAT. FACE. *explodes*
Little soldiers, ready to rumble for different reasons. They're both so desperate to show their courage and loyalty, and they're both disappointed in different ways, but in the end, wow. <3
I say again, the detail on that helmet is magnificent. The Rohan helmet are so much cooler than the Gondorian ones. I mean, Rohan soldiers do not want to look like they're wearing a silver soft-serve ice cream on their heads, whereas the Gondorians are clearly okay with that. Anyway, look at Merry's lovely determination here. <3
Well, that's not so bad. Oh god, no it isn't. Billy just slaughters everything around him in this scene. Another I would have loved to see being rehearsed, to see that comfort between him and Ian as they worked it through. Goodness.
As much as I do love how the film has Pippin finding Merry now (the night version in the extended cut, anyway), this would have been interesting to see, too. I want to know what Pippin's screaming. I mean, I have an idea, and I know what I would have wanted to hear, but you know.
Not all tears are evil, no way, not when they're coming from those eyes. This scene suffers from being too long, and was clearly exhausting, but it's probably 75% worth it. And Billy is beautiful.
This is the perfect meld of Merry and Dominic: the hobbity joy is there along with natural cheekiness, and I love it. <3
These two should really be our last impression of them, though, I think. It still stuns me that it wasn't shot last--it probably just couldn't have been, for all sorts of scheduling reasons--but it feels like it was; it feels like they're ready to fall over in character and out, and we're exhausted, too. We know what they've been through, we know half the people at the table are still in physical pain and the other half are suffering in their own ways too. There's resigned pride and an understanding they all share, and between Merry and Pippin there's a knowledge they never really wanted to have and aren't sure what to do with now. Yes, I am reading all kinds of things into it, but again, that is sort of what I do, and these performances are a gift that lets us do that, and again, I am ever so grateful for them.
I hope Billy and Dominic are still proud of those performances, even with all the cuts made, even with all the aches and pains, even with the homesickness they surely had, and even with the early struggles before they really found their feet (and some decent money!) in New Zealand. I really, really hope they're still proud of them and remember it all happily, as we so often do. <3
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-06-07 10:40 pm (UTC)LOLLLLLLLL! I laughed so hard I CRIED when I read this!!!! I could not think of a proper comparison for the Gondor helmets until you laid it out for me! OMG SO FUNNY!!!
And thank you for this, it was so so lovely!
no subject
Date: 2010-06-10 12:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-07 11:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-10 12:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-08 12:19 am (UTC)This post has cheered me up no end after a frustrating evening - thank you :)
no subject
Date: 2010-06-10 12:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-08 01:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-10 12:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-08 03:27 am (UTC)Now 10 years later their performance in LOTR still holds up to time...and will hold up for many many years to come! <3
no subject
Date: 2010-06-10 12:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-08 03:55 am (UTC)could you (or if anybody else knows) please tell me what scene the shots of pippin looking sad and merry up on his elbows on a pillow are from? i don't remember that in the movies, though i've been trying really hard... are they from a deleted scene perhaps?
no subject
Date: 2010-06-10 12:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-10 01:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-08 07:42 am (UTC)and the years after the first time.
These two have always been so very dear to me
What is there to say? Just this, thank you dear Kiltie.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-10 12:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-08 05:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-10 12:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-09 06:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-10 12:21 am (UTC)That's pretty much #1 on my short list of things I would change about the films, yes. But they both worked very hard, and it paid off beautifully. :)
no subject
Date: 2010-06-09 11:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-10 12:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-09 01:31 pm (UTC)The Rohan helmet are so much cooler than the Gondorian ones. I mean, Rohan soldiers do not want to look like they're wearing a silver soft-serve ice cream on their heads, whereas the Gondorians are clearly okay with that.
HEE, yes, so true.
xoxo
no subject
Date: 2010-06-10 12:36 am (UTC)THOSE HELMETS OMG. UP WITH THEM I CANNOT PUT! /o\
no subject
Date: 2010-06-11 12:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-13 04:33 am (UTC)Heeee! And, awwwwww. :D
One of the best things to come out of the films is that I get to hear your thoughts about these darling lads. ♥
no subject
Date: 2010-06-15 03:34 am (UTC)I'd wager they do, even more so. ♥