So (according to the concept art book) as the Fellowship travels deeper into Middle Earth, the places they pass through become inspired by progressively older periods of history. The farther along you are in the story, the more ancient the design influences
We begin in The Shire: which feels so familiar because, with its tea-kettles and cozy fireplaces, it’s inspired by the relatively recent era of rural England in the 1800s
But when we leave Hobbiton, we also leave that familiar 1800s-England aesthetic behind and start going farther back in time.
Bree is based on late 1600s English architecture
Rohan is even farther back, based on old anglo-saxon era architecture (400s-700s? ce)
Gondor is way back, and no longer the familiar English or Anglo-Saxon: its design comes from classical Greek and Roman architecture
And far far FAR back is Mordor. It’s a land of tents and huts: prehistoric, primitive, primeval. Cavemen times
And the heart of Mordor is a barren lifeless hellscape of volcanic rock…like a relic from the ages when the world was still being formed, and life didn’t yet exist
And then they finally reach Mount Doom, which one artist described as
“where the ring was made, which represents, in a sense, the moment of creation itself”
I’ve watched the movies a few times and love them so much so I can’t believe I actually missed this!
This means there shouldn’t be ridiculous limits on how much someone can make while on disability benefits
I’d like to add that this also means acknowledging that being disabled is often expensive, and thus should actually be given proportionately more to ensure they can afford expenses like wheelchairs, medically prescribed diets, prosthetics, modified vehicles, and accessible housing as needed for their condition.
a lot of reviews i’ve seen of rafiki have given it a 3/5 and critics are calling it a sweet, simple, almost bubblegum-ish movie…. but like that’s the whole point of it? it’s meant to be a drama at its core, but bursting with joy, music and love.
we often take advantage in the west of the fact that we can portray the sexual, political and complicated aspects of lgbt life without it being censored, but in a country with militant homophobia and anti-gay laws, a portrayal of a lesbian romance in the modern day between two teenagers as sweet, and innocent is an incredibly brave stance to take.
rafiki is not as complex or heartbreaking or visceral as brokeback mountain, but it’s a powerful statement in and of itself to make a movie about lesbians that’s actually happy in tone for once. it’s something that larger studios here are still too scared to make lmao
I love grandma activities… sleeping early, drinking tea, knitting, buying ugly sweaters and tacky clothing, gardening, feeding all the neighbourhood cats, sewing… Im all abt that!
