Why Is Everyone In Lord Of the Rings White?

[EthiopianPrince]

I don't think I'm stuck on color. I think it often makes sense to have an all white cast in a move ... a Jane Austen movie, for example, or a movie about the Titanic. But why was everyone in the cast of the movie The Lord of the Rings white? The setting is in a mythical place called Middle Earth, not in medieval Europe. Perhaps they'll add some diversity in the sequals, as they did with the Star Wars series. I loved The Lord of the Rings, but this is one aspect that left me wondering. Comments?

 

[SINthysist]

you must be stuck on color

Did the Aussie's make the movie?

Who should be what color?

Dwarves, Faries, Hobbits, Men of the Dark Lord, the Southoners (sp?) who will be in the other movies...

Who should be Asians?

Who should be the Indians? The Cowboys?

Should it be the Orcs?

 

[Mensa]

Location, location, location

It's Middle Earth, isn't it? If Middle Earth is in the middle of the earth, then there is no sun. No wonder everybody is so pasty-faced.

 

[JazzManJim]

Unfortunately, Tolkien wrote most of the major peoples in Middle Earth as White, as it was an analog of Europe (or so he said, way back when). There was a race from the South, who played a bit role in the books, who were dark-skinned. They were just pretty insular and rather warlike, though. They didn't travel much, but I do recall some of them among the Dark Lord's troops. I know that's not quite what you were looking for, but that's all he had.

For what it's worth, the Dwarves have always been of a darkish cast and, though not exactly black, have struck me as more colored like someone from the Middle East.

 

[EthiopianPrince]

LOL Mensa

 

[Guest]

Re: you must be stuck on color

 

[EthiopianPrince]

Unfortunately, Tolkien wrote most of the major peoples in Middle Earth as White, as it was an analog of Europe (or so he said, way back when). There was a race from the South, who played a bit role in the books, who were dark-skinned. They were just pretty insular and rather warlike, though. They didn't travel much, but I do recall some of them among the Dark Lord's troops. I know that's not quite what you were looking for, but that's all he had.

For what it's worth, the Dwarves have always been of a darkish cast and, though not exactly black, have struck me as more colored like someone from the Middle East.

Thanks Jim, if race/skin color was specified in the book, then that answers my question. I appreciate the response.

 

[Tim1]

Geee

They were white cause maybe because the people who paid for it just cast it that way. Doesn't make it right but just that way it is.

 

[Pan718]

I'm offended...

Disclaimer: If this post offends anyone in anyway, I promise to listen to Anthony Robbins tapes until I become a better human being.

Hit the tapes, Mister!

And does it make me a bad person that I (a divorced guy) took vicarious pleasure from the knowledge that Anthony Robbins and his second wife were divorcing? (Yeah, I am kind of hijacking the thread for a moment, but I'm on a roll) Or that Mr. Venus and Mars John Gray has been divorced -count'em- 4 times, once from Beverly DeAngellis, therapist, who also does relationship infomercials and has been divorced only twice.

Now, folk of color and the Rings. Sorry man... and the elves are the whitest of white people (with apologies to Martin Mull). I just re-read the first 3 books and the Southrons are 'swarthy' (though not called Moors, brave Othello) and sided with the 'Dark' Lord Sauron... So once again darkness symbolically and in casting gets the evil rap. The white tower is in Minas Tirith (stronghold of the 'good' guys) while the dark tower sits seemingly abandoned but seething with evil presence.

 

[SINthysist]

You seek diversity

I don't know. It bothers me on many levels. As one who has the blood of several races, I want to scream at you,

"THIS IS THE NEW WORLD!"

I wish the racial game could be played out in just the Old World.


Ching?

 

[EthiopianPrince]

Re: I'm offended...

Now, folk of color and the Rings. Sorry man... and the elves are the whitest of white people (with apologies to Martin Mull). I just re-read the first 3 books and the Southrons are 'swarthy' (though not called Moors, brave Othello) and sided with the 'Dark' Lord Sauron... So once again darkness symbolically and in casting gets the evil rap. The white tower is in Minas Tirith (stronghold of the 'good' guys) while the dark tower sits seemingly abandoned but seething with evil presence.

Thanks Pan, that explains it pretty well.

EP

PS ... As a mere mortal with human failings, I also took great pleasure In Mr. Robbins very public relationship problems.

 

[Blindinthedark]

This was something that I noticed too. It was too bad that they didn't use any people of colour in the film and a little dissapointing.

However it could have been worse. It could have been like the Phantom Menace where race was implied by the accents. It pissed me off that the "black" accented folk were made to be stupid (Jar Jar and his bunch) and the "asian" accented folks were made into the bad guys (the Trade Guild)

 

[Pan718]

Thanks Jim, if race/skin color was specified in the book, then that answers my question. I appreciate the response.

Yeah but that doesn't explain Liv Tyler smooching with Aragorn... in the book he's reserved but the wannabe warrior princess of Rohan has the hots for him. Is he cheating on Liv Tyler the fairy after she accepts mortal life for him? (Glad no women are on this thread to say how that's just like a man.) Halle Berry would have been hot as a fairy... I bet a US production company would have worked her in...

Pan

 

[JazzManJim]

Thanks Jim, if race/skin color was specified in the book, then that answers my question. I appreciate the response.

Yeah...Tolkien did some general descriptions in the books, but got into a bit more detail in his other writings. He pretty much had Europe (or something very similar to it) in mind when he was writing and modeled the races and peoples on ones which already existed. It was more a case of writing what he knew than anything else, I think.

 

[JazzManJim]

Yeah but that doesn't explain Liv Tyler smooching with Aragorn... in the book he's reserved but the wannabe warrior princess of Rohan has the hots for him. Is he cheating on Liv Tyler the fairy after she accepts mortal life for him? (Glad no women are on this thread to say how that's just like a man.) Halle Berry would have been hot as a fairy... I bet a US production company would have worked her in...

Pan

They would have, but they would have murdered the books even more than the example you used.

All they did in that story was to combine Arwen and Glorfindel into one character. Arwen and Aragorn were an "item" in the books already, but in the background. They played that up a lot more than the books let on. Blending the two elves gave them a chance to play up that line more than the books did. Eowyn, the Rohanian chick does get the hots for Aragorn, but I remember her not getting him, because his heart belonged to an Elf, or something similar.

Halle Berry would have been a great actress in the movie but she would have made a terrible elf, since they're pretty plainly described as tall, thin, pale (nearly albino, as I recall) people.

 

[SINthysist]

I'm pissed

If [haven't seen, probably won't see, book-type] they haven't used a ton of midgets and Dwarves...

 

[SINthysist]

PS EP

What you see is what you get.

My understanding is that all three films have been made as the director/producers did not want to be left hanging. They will only release them year-by-year unless somthing terrible happens, like no one went to see movie one.

 

[KillerVanity]

Pan is smart!

 

[Fly_On_Wall]

EthiopianPrince did you read the books? (just wondereing)
who would you have said should have been none white?

and no there will be no sequal to the movie. all 3 of the triology were made at the same time so have all been taped. there will be no new cast from what was already taken....

as for the races. looking at mythology and legend
Elfs there are three classes. High elfs who are white... no not coucation... fucking pale white then your regular elfs who are white, becasue they are in the forest and not in the sun much, (the more a race is in the sun the darker their skin is) the third race is dark elfs, these ones are black. (well a brownish grey)

Dwarfs are alwasy underground so don't need much protection from the sun therfore have less mellin in their skin and are also white creatures but usualy dirty.

as for the humans. JRR Tolkin was a white man in europ (mostly white) he wrote about white people in the old european area.... most people write what they know that is why most white righters right about whites and black writers write about blacks.

I don't think Treebeard is played by a white person though, that should make you happy. and most of the Orcs of the white hand and the orcs of the red eye are played by blacks. (some of them even have Important roles in the story.

Remember you have only yet to see 1/3 of the movie.

 

[Mensa]

To a tee

Halle Berry would have been a great actress in the movie but she would have made a terrible elf, since they're pretty plainly described as tall, thin, pale (nearly albino, as I recall) people.

Sounds more like a job for Michael Jackson than the beautiful Halle Berry.

 

[scylis]

(in addition to everything added above)

they're all white b/c of the geographical location of Middle Earth. the world it takes place in has land masses arrayed in similar places to that of our own, though the actual shapes and details are quite different. this somewhat follows along with Tolkien's original intent to creat a fantasy world based on European folklore and mythology, mainly focusing on that of England. as the stories and history evolved, it distanced itself from the original course, but some elements remained. thus Middle Earth is located in a position relative to that of Europe, making its inhabitants, for the most part, caucasians.

do realize that had the story encompassed the entire world that Tolkien created, one would encounter peoples of every color, and even some new ones, too.

 

[riff]

Not enough sun?

an idea

 

[android1966]

Tolkein wrote LOTR just after WW1, at that time the UK had a
very small coloured population. The great war between good
and evil was based on his feelings of serving in the trenches
during the great war. It's unlikely that he purposely made any
colour statement in the book, simply that outside of the large
cities most people in the UK at that time would never have seen
anyone who wasn't an anglo.

 

[Draco]

FYI: Coloured actors were used. New Zealand Maoris to be precise. Don Selwyn springs to mind, he played a hobbit at the grand party. PC gone into overtime here. Its just a movie. A brilliant awesome movie showcasing the scenery of New Zealand and many of its talented sons and daughters. A rumour from Peter Jackson himself. If he had the finance to do it, he would have used a wholly New Zealand cast as well as locations.

 

[Sorsha]

Umm because it fit their parts in the movie??