A Lesson on Perspective from LOTR
I guess TV can teach you a thing or two?
Iβve always considered myself a pretty big fan of the Lord of the Rings franchise.
I started watching the first LOTR movie a little late. My sister was a big fan by the time all three movies were out, and she kept telling me it definitely was going to be my cuppa tea, but I procrastinated.
One afternoon, I watched it at her insistance (again), but fell asleep because I was already too tired. It was also a very hot day.
Fast forward to my college days, where I had to take a lesson in video production. Lo and behold, my professor made us watch clips from different LOTR movies - and not for fun.
He made us watch to spot all the mistakes!
So, yes my introduction to LOTR, was a mistake, so to speak. I still cannot unsee those scenes, but it did spark my love interest into the trilogy, and I never looked back.
As of today, I've watched the movies more times than I can count. After being introduced, I found myself loaning the DVD from the school library numerous times and watching it every time I had a few hours to spare between classes or over the weekend.
Iβve even read the books (okay, fine, I'll admit this was the hardest read of my life). Although I'm a bookworm, in the case of the Lord Of The Rings, my preference is the movies over the book.
It's just one of those things, I guess.
To cut the long story short - I take pride in knowing the ins and outs of Middle-earth.
My husband, however, is NOT a fan.
Until a few weeks ago when he decided to give in to my constant pleas of watching the movie together.
As he started watching the movies, I found my confidence being shaken.
My husband finally decided to watch ππππ: ππ©π¦ ππ¦πππ°πΈπ΄π©πͺπ± π°π§ π΅π©π¦ ππͺπ―π¨, and just 10 minutes in, he asked a question that completely stumped me.
I didn't have an answer. Letβs just sayβ¦ while he was watching, I was spiralling.
Googling answers. Digging through theories. Reading Reddit/Quora threads.
It hit me: Iβve watched this movie easily a hundred times and never once thought of π΅π©π’π΅ question.
The question?
"If between Bilbo finding the ring, and the Nazguls finding Gollum was 60 years, and Gollum knew who took the ring and where he lived, WHY DIDN'T HE GO FIND THE RING HIMSELF?"
I found many versions of this answer from threads on Quora, Reddit, the interwebs. Everything.
What this made me realise are two things:
1) I clearly don't know LOTR too much
2) The power of perspective.
I was so deep into the LOTR universe, that I didn't think about this. I mean, I had other theories, but how did I miss this?
I lost sight.
And then it made me realise another thing...
Itβs the same with marketing.
When youβre so close to your own product or brand, you start to assume everyone else sees it the same way you do. You lose the fresh eyes, the curiosity, the βwhy.β
Thatβs where an outsiderβs perspective can be game-changing.
Sometimes you donβt need a full rebrand or complete overhaul of your strategy. You just need someone (like a third-party agency or consultant) to ask the right questions. Shift the spotlight. Remind you of what your team is already capable of.
I help businesses do this through my marketing consultancy service.
But I don't claim to know everything.
It's all a learning process.
p/s As I said, I found many versions of answers for his question. If you want to chat about this, drop a comment. Won't say no to a conversation about LOTR.
About the Creator
Manisha Dhalani
Content writer and marketer helping solopreneurs achieve organic growth. Loves reading, eating cake, and having insightful conversations.
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Comments (4)
Fantastic story!
The simple answer is that most of Middle Earth had no idea hobbits even existed, let alone lived somewhere called the Shire, let alone where in the world the Shire was. Gollum knew Bilbo was a hobbit from the Shire, but that's hardly helpful for him. And it's not like Gollum could just walk into a local tavern and ask directions, even if hobbits and the Shire were well-known. Then you add the fact that it took him years and years to even leave his cave and go out into the world again, and he tried to avoid daylight as much as possible and...yeah, Gollum was never going to find Bilbo.
Since there are an infinite number of possible reasons why Gollum might not have gone earlier (including both the basics of fear &/or restraint, whether his own or that of another), & since it is not integral to the plot, most LOTR fans just accept that it is & don't ever ask the question. Which is not to say that the question should not be asked. Rather, it points to a whole other story spanning 60 years that is waiting for someone to tell it. Which I believe is pretty much what you said (though you said it better), up above. Great point!
I am a fan of LOTR since I read the first book in my teens, the movies came years later. Everything...event that answer can and is answered in the books. Remember the movies version was close but not exact. The simple answer is 'Fear' there is a longer version but then I'll sound like every LOTR fan. The book is deeper in meaning but because it id writtten as a fantasy it is not taken seriously by those who lack imagination. (This is not an insult just a fact) I enjoyed this very much and I would like to know the faults you found in the movies because..yes they are there.