A Tale Of Two Samwise Gamgees
November 15, 2009
I loved the Lord of the Rings. Like any good geek, I have read it multiple times. And, like most geeks, I also loved the movies. I thought they hit it on the money 90% of the time. But one thing about the movies I really think they missed on was the casting of this moron as Sam.
Here the my problem: I believe movies should be a full emersion experience, especially one as big and epic as this. Sean Astin does such a terrible job as Sam that he pulls me out of the movie and I just see Sean Astin on the screen doing a silly voice and making a goofy face. It isn’t Sam Gamgee. Most of his scenes are with Frodo, obviously, and Elijah Wood is Frodo. He nails it inside out and backward. As do the entire cast. But for me Sean Astin is not only a weak link in the chain, he ruins the entire thing. Given that (SPOILERS!!!) he basically becomes the hero of the piece when Frodo falls at the last hurdle, we need to believe in him. And I just can’t. Because Sam isn’t there for me, Sean is.
Now, last night I was watching the TV and I see a few minutes of an interview with UK stand-up comic Johnny Vegas and I find out something amazing: He almost got the part of Sam! He was beaten by Sean Astin at the last moment. Although I didn’t catch the entire quote, I believe it came down to whether or not Sean Astin could put on the weight in time. If he hadn’t, it would have gone to Vegas. So here is the deal; I think Johnny Vegas is about as funny as a bad cold.
His stuff nauseates me. But he would have been PERFECT as Sam! He’d have captured the pitiful, clumsy, shy oaf that Sam is supposed to be. Sean Astin keeps taking these moments in the movie to try to “act” and suddenly turn Sam into a hard-ass (one of the most wonderful moments in the story is ruined for me by his trying to puff out his chest and be manly, the “I can’t carry it…but I can carry you” moment toward the final moments of their quest.) Even in these moments Sam is Sam and I think Vegas would have done a better job by just being pathetic, which Sam pretty much is. (Watch Bakshi’s cartoon adaptation to see a great Sam portrayal).
What a shame we’ll never know now.
November 15, 2009 at 7:59 pm
You are correct, sir: you ARE tragic. AND unhip. AND tragically unhip. Also, imho, very wrong about Sean Astin’s portrayal of Sam. Please take a moment and read what Prof. Tolkien said about the character of Sam (as well as about the character of Frodo, since the cannot truly examine the one without also looking at the other). Whereas Tolkien saw Sam as “rustic”, he certainly did not see or write him as an “oaf”. Tolkien, in fact, called him a “jewel among hobbits”, a “hero”, and “most representative of hobbits”. (these references are all in “The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien”). I only wish Bashki had done his homework on the character of Samwise Gamgee as well as Sean Astin did. Now, *that* was a proper ‘nailing’, IF you take my meaning.
November 15, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Thanks for the comment, but I have to disagree!!
November 15, 2009 at 10:34 pm
I imagined that you would, although quite honestly, I find your viewpoint on Sam (and the casting of Sean Astin) bewildering. (not as bewildering as the Bakshi love, but let’s not go there)
Maybe this entry is all a November Fool’s joke, and you will soon laugh and say “psych”?
Naaahhhhh….
November 16, 2009 at 8:11 pm
No it isn’t a November fool joke. It’s my opinion. I’m perfectly entitled to one of those.
As for Bakshi, yes i am a fan of his movies so I can indeed “go there”. It isn’t an unmentionable subject.
November 17, 2009 at 12:23 am
I meant no disrespect. You certainly are entitled to your opinion. What I should have said (in re Bakshi) is that *I* wouldn’t go there.
November 17, 2009 at 8:23 am
Cool beans. Let’s agree to disagree then.
November 21, 2009 at 3:24 pm
you were holding your own babe until you used the term “cool beans”
-sigh
November 21, 2009 at 4:00 pm
At that point i ran out of giving an arse.