What unpretty 🧝Galadriel!

[Starbrow]

Cate Blanchett pretending to be galadreil

That's a great way to describe it, dregj. I don't like her looks either.

 

[dregj]

wondering in a few years when they do a remake or a mini series version

who would make a better galadriel?
casting call time

 

[HLGStrider]

I don't see a remake any time soon. I know there are some books that are brought to the big screen every five to ten years (Three Musketeers comes to mind. . . just once I wish they'd get it right instead of reinventing it with air ship battles and squashbuckling Milady Dewinters. . .), but these are generally shorter works than the Lord of the Rings and also (and this is really important) public domain books. The Lord of the Rings is still under copyright and until that expires I doubt we'll see another version.

Of course, we can speculate and say what we would prefer. In my mind Galadriel is still going to be plus size by today's standards, for instance. My images of her was influenced mainly by Italian Renaissance paintings (I don't know why, but that's the image that popped in my head the first time I read the book, sort of a Birth of Venus look except with clothes. .. ) so I don't think there are any modern actresses who could take the roll where I'd like to see it. They're all simply too thin.

 

[dregj]

it will probably be at least 20 years until someone tries this agian hopefully
therell be more suitalbe looking actresses available to fill the role

 

[HLGStrider]

See, this is why there will never be a version that satisfies everyone. I don't particularly find the picture you just linked appealing. The features are too harsh. I'm sticking with my mental Italian renaissance Galadriel.

 

[dregj]

when thinking of an actual actress to play her i couldn't come up with one at all,either not pretty or terrible actress perhaps she aint born yet something to look forward to.

maybe a game of thrones type mini series
for the silmarilion
i believe galdriel is in this as well
*****ing and sniping about the noldor
and their kin killing ways

 

[Halasían]

Re: This is a Pretty Galadriel!

This is a nice Galadriel!

 

[dregj]

it is indeed
lets have less deep voiced manish galadriels in the future

 

[grimalkin]

hollywood publicists?

 

[CirdanLinweilin]

Am I the only one who liked everything about the female castings in all three movies? I love Arwen, Galadriel, and especially Eowyn.

Go ahead, send the hail of arrows.

 

[Gilgaearel]

I think that I'm the only one that I didn't like most of the actors and actresses that were cast for the Elves roles.
Blanchett was unpretty as you said above, Liv Tyler putting aside that she was very young wasn't that beautiful to depict the most beautiful or elven ladies Arwen, Hugo Weaving was looking way too old ( though he wasn't ) to play Elrond and only Orlando Bloom who was in his twenties back then, looked slightly suitable to play an Elf but neither old nor androgynous enough for this role.

The only actor that IMO was brilliantly cast for the role of an Elf was Lee Pace who played Thranduil on the Hobbit movies. He had all the characteristics that made him suitable to play an Elf. The right age - in his late twenties back in 2011- and the right appearance - very tall, with not so masculine facial features that made him look andorgynous but masculine enough for not looking like a transgender person.

That is how I've always imagine elves should look like. Tall, androgynous and a completely alien as it is supposed to be ageless; persons that look young but they are thousands of years old.
None of the actors and actresses that were cast in the Lord of the Rings movies were looking this way. Not a single one of them.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

I never pictured Elves as androgynous- looking.

 

[del-Kinofnerdanel]

It seems to be more aligned with the modern interpretation of Elves, largely based on Tolkien rip off world building. I simply can't imagine the professor to associate any allure with androgynous looks! Lee Pace was mesmerizing and otherwordly, and he completely owned the stage, but to me he also came across as narcissistic, if not metrosexual, which I can't attribute to most sensible Elves. But he is my perfect Saeros

And here I am completely stunned by how near everyone finds Cate (gorgeous imo) and Liv (awe-strucking imo) un-pretty for these roles. I was desperately searching for any better ideas in vain. Could anyone name more suitable contestants for these roles? Are you sure it is not just a friendly argument on personal preferences and individual standards of beauty? (You know, largely based on genetics and environmental factors, such as when and where you grew up, who was the main target of your Oedipus complex, etc. )

Once I found another thread like this probably on reddit and one guy, after complaining about Cate, named Uma Thurman as otherwordly beauty... I don't mean to be mean by that ellipsis, but... Uma Thurman! As Galadriel!

Another thought: standards of beauty doesn't simply change, in our age they evolve. Rich and famous people have access to cosmetics and surgery, not to mention movie effects that women 5 years ago couldn't have dreamed of. Those women of 5 years ago also can access means to improve their looks that ladies of the early 2000's couldn't, those ladies can improve their looks by means their fellow sufferers in the 90's couldn't, and so on and on, until we arrive at the beginning of the 20th century, the youth of Tolkien, who was born in 1892! If you google famous beauties from that era, I am not certain you would call them attractive by even the standards of Men in our age. Not ugly - unpretty. The ranges of beauty vary on a far greater scale in our times, through cosmetics and surgery women can become far more stunning, even if deceivingly so. Maybe when Tolkien thought of Elves, he couldn't have imagined such as goddess as Cate Blanchett's Galadriel would have been in his time.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

I am not certain you would call them attractive by even the standards of Men in our age.

Steady on, there, Kinofnerdanel -- maybe I'm out of step, but but even today I could see myself falling for her!

 

[Elaini]

Steady on, there, Kinofnerdanel -- maybe I'm out of step, but but even today I could see myself falling for her!

Edith Bratt was very attractive. I can see why Tolkien could eventually not forget about her. Actually Tolkien was very handsome as well when he was younger.

Though the funny thing is actually that his mother did not cut his hair when he was a small boy (so he did look like a little elfling), but eventually started doing that when they moved into the UK.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

And there's something about a man in uniform:

Or so I hear, from you ladies!

We're so used to the image of the older, grandfatherly Tolkien that the rather dashing younger man is forgotten. I remember reading a comment from someone who had studied under him in the 30's that he was like a handsomer, more virile version of Leslie Howard.

 

[Elaini]

Regarding to the original post, plenty of people do think Cate Blanchett is gorgeous, has a regal air about her and is an amazing actress. But according to herself, she has a funny face which can be shaped to many roles depending on the hair and makeup. All points can be proven with the wide variety of characters that she has played as well as her two Oscars (supporting actress in The Aviator and best actress in Blue Jasmine).

I never saw any problem in her playing Galadriel either, but over time I have viewed a lot of fan art about The Silmarillion instead and I have grown accustomed to the idea of the characters being made truly their own people instead of having an identical reminiscence to any living model, actor or actress. After all we are talking about such characters in The Silmarillion that could truly take our breath away.

Is it possible with CGI to the point of crossing the uncanny valley? Well yes, but time consuming and probably very expensive.

Such as in Beowulf:

Or in a more recent example: replicating the face of Rachel in Blade Runner on a body of another actress.

And of course, Gollum.

 

[Gilgaearel]

I never pictured Elves as androgynous- looking.

Strange because Tolkien describes them as such. He says for instance that Galandriel was very tall with a very deep voice, deeper than the voice of a woman. How would you characterize a very tall woman with a very deep voice? Not the epitome of femininity I suppose.
Male elves didn't have beards. I assume that if they didn't have facial hair they wouldn't have them on their bodies too. I find it hard to imagine an elf with hairy chest!
Also all elves looked very young, in their late twenties hardly early thirties. At this age the facial features of both men and women look soft. What makes us look older, even if we take care of ourselves is the rugged harder facial features. Even if we don't have wrinkles.
When you put together all these ( and other characteristics) you come up with a race of rather androgynous people. People that didn't have the distinct characteristics of the one or the other gender as at least, we - the humans - understand them. Very feminine women and very masculine men.
I think that it would be right to say like a race of people in permanent post puberty state.. ha ha ha..

It seems to be more aligned with the modern interpretation of Elves, largely based on Tolkien rip off world building. I simply can't imagine the professor to associate any allure with androgynous looks! Lee Pace was mesmerizing and otherwordly, and he completely owned the stage, but to me he also came across as narcissistic, if not metrosexual, which I can't attribute to most sensible Elves. But he is my perfect Saeros

These characteristics describe the character that it was supposed to have in the film. Not the appearance. The appearance of the character Thranduil as an elf was spot on. That is how and elf should look like IMO. Not like the Martin Tcokas ( I think) who played Celeborn or the guy who played that other elf that was killed in the battle of Helm's Deep ( I can't even recall his name...).

And here I am completely stunned by how near everyone finds Cate (gorgeous imo) and Liv (awe-strucking imo) un-pretty for these roles. I was desperately searching for any better ideas in vain. Could anyone name more suitable contestants for these roles? Are you sure it is not just a friendly argument on personal preferences and individual standards of beauty? (You know, largely based on genetics and environmental factors, such as when and where you grew up, who was the main target of your Oedipus complex, etc. )

There are objective standards of beauty that are beyond fashion or era trends.
This woman for instance is objectively beautiful.

These too:

Once I found another thread like this probably on reddit and one guy, after complaining about Cate, named Uma Thurman as otherwordly beauty... I don't mean to be mean by that ellipsis, but... Uma Thurman! As Galadriel!

I agree with you. Uma Thurman wouldn't be suitable to play Galadriel. Charlise Theron perhaps but not Uma Thurman.

Another thought: standards of beauty doesn't simply change, in our age they evolve. Rich and famous people have access to cosmetics and surgery, not to mention movie effects that women 5 years ago couldn't have dreamed of. Those women of 5 years ago also can access means to improve their looks that ladies of the early 2000's couldn't, those ladies can improve their looks by means their fellow sufferers in the 90's couldn't, and so on and on, until we arrive at the beginning of the 20th century, the youth of Tolkien, who was born in 1892! If you google famous beauties from that era, I am not certain you would call them attractive by even the standards of Men in our age. Not ugly - unpretty. The ranges of beauty vary on a far greater scale in our times, through cosmetics and surgery women can become far more stunning, even if deceivingly so. Maybe when Tolkien thought of Elves, he couldn't have imagined such as goddess as Cate Blanchett's Galadriel would have been in his time.

I don't think that any of the ladies that played the elves on LOTR needed cosmetics or surgery. They were all young enough. But even surgery an cosmetics can't give to a face the golden ratio, the totally harmonic facial features that you either born with them or you don't.

 

[Elaini]

Actually one of Galadriel's other names was Nerwen which translates as "man maiden", referring to her being perfectly capable to compete with the princes in Valinor, both athletes and scholars alike. When her and Fëanor are being compared it says something in the lines of "these two greatest of the Noldor were unfriends for ever". If she is being compared to the Fëanor in skills then the pedestal is very high.

Her voice was deeper yes, but I don't know how much that takes away from femininity. Alto singers can still be very feminine.

But I think she was feminine enough if she was called as the fairest of the House of Finwë, though she may be tied with Finrod on that...

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

I finally took the time to read through the thread. Some odd notions -- Galadriel "voluptuous"? She's described as "a slender elf-woman". Well, that was long ago now.

I've not seen the movies since they came out, but I don't recall having any problem with Cate, either in looks or performance. To me, the important qualities any Galadriel needed to convey were dignity, wisdom, and power, and she did that. "Prettiness" never entered into it -- for me.

My objection, as usual, is to what Peter Jackson did to her: inventing a "scary banshee" version, one of several sequences that worked to plant the idea of a separate "Wraith-world" in the minds of a number of people, where it seems to have become permanently cemented.

Despite best efforts to dislodge it!

PS: Cirdan had a beard.