Hollywood Makeup Magic

The Lord of the Rings, besides being one of the most beautiful movies ever to be made, is also a tribute to the power of make-up artists. Because the movies were shot in New Zealand, most if not all of the make-up artists, are from New Zealand so we can't give Hollywood the credit for the magnificence of the incredible number of characters who were created by the make-up staff. Hollywood started the process but now everyone all over the world has learned from them.

These New Zealand make-up artists won two Academy Awards, one for The Fellowship of the Rings, and one for Return of the King. I am not sure why they weren't nominated for The Two Towers but I am sure Hollywood had its reasons. Unlike many movies, the Lord of the Rings movies were given a truckload of awards for make-up, not because they just created monsters but also because they created some of the most beautifully crafted characters ever to grace a movie or countless posters. Their genius created some of the most hideous monsters ever and many incandescently gorgeous non-humans, the elves.

Cate Blanchard is a very beautiful woman, but in her Galadriel make-up she shines as the perfection JRR Tolkien envisioned her. I don't know enough about make-up, but I do know that her subtle make-up and wig made her the ethereal elf that Gimli falls in love with at his first sight of her. The audience agrees that her beauty is other worldly and that she is the Queen of her people. She is a light that inspires love and confidence. It would have been very easy to put too much make-up on her so that she would look like every other celluloid beauty, but the make-up artists knew their craft well. Her skin is unblemished and very pale. The combination of her pale skin, light make-up, wig, and back lighting make her a perfect replication of the drawings of her in the books. Now we can't forget the elf ears. They were perfect and gave each elf an interesting look. They weren't Spock ears; they were cute elf ears that only added to their beauty.

I do love the elves because they have an other worldly existence. They are an ancient race and definitely not human. They have a glow and a confidence that humans can never replicate. I would love to know how the make-up artists came up with the look for the male elves, especially Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood. When they put on his long blond wig, his pale make-up, and his outfits, they created arguable the most beautiful man to ever appear in a movie.

I was startled when I saw him on television out of character. I would have never thought man and elf would look so different so the make-up artists outdid themselves. They created the poster boy of Lord of the Rings. They created an elf that transcended beauty in a way that even the women in the movie could not match. Of course, Orlando Bloom is naturally gorgeous, but Legolas is luminous, manly, and beautiful. He is the incarnation of beauty in the form of an elf who is loyal, courageous, and self-effacing. He is a superior creature but never shows that he is above the other members of the Fellowship. He takes a subordinate role to Aragorn.

Another beauty created by the make-up staff is Arwen. Liv Tyler is a very beautiful woman made even more beautiful by the make-up team. Her make-up enhances her natural beauty and again gives her that other worldly beauty that all of the elves have. She is innocent but at the same time very strong and loyal. Although the actress is a very modern woman, in the movie she looks like she could have lived in Middle Earth as the daughter of Elrond. Don't get me started on Elrond. The make-up and hair they created for him made him completely unrecognizable, at least to me. He, while looking like an other worldly creature, epitomized strength and courage. He was a natural leader and his make-up, clothes, and wigs added to his lordly appearance as King of his people. After the first movie, my husband told me he played the evil guy on the Matrix movies. To prove him wrong, I went to the Internet for research. He was right but how could that be-great make-up and wigs. Those two characters could not look more different.

The elves, my favorite characters, were gorgeous to look at, ethereal, and perfectly created by the staff in charge of them. The artists created beauty, an other worldly look, and a perfection never realized in a movie before. All the elves were tall, thin with long hair. Each one looked different but beautiful in his/her own way. Watching the long line of elves going to the Grey Havens was always my favorite scenes in the movie unless it was the close-up of Legolas.

If the elves were beautiful, the Hobbits were simply cuddly and adorable. Each Hobbit had curly hair, big furry feet, and adorable ears. Their rosy cheeks and curly hair made them look harmless and friendly. They really looked like they could live in peace and harmony in Hobbiton. The females were very similar to the men except they were very womanly. No skinny sticks for the women. Rosie Cotton is so pretty with her rosy cheeks and curly hair. Her Hobbit beauty makes it understandable that Sam spends the whole movie hoping to get back to her. The four Hobbits Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin all look similar but different. The make-up artists also had to create the main characters when the children or little people were needed for stand-ins. It's amazing to watch the extras on the DVDs when they show the extras because they look so similar.

Bilbo took even more work. As soon as he gave the ring away, he had to start aging. The make-up artists did a fabulous job aging him as he would normally age without the help of the ring. Sometimes, when characters age, it is obvious that make-up is aging the actor and there is no realism. In the case of Bilbo, he does begin to look like the frail old man he is supposed to be. No other character ages but the artists reached perfection as Bilbo becomes older and older until he has to go to the Grey Havens.

Now for the ugly. The Orcs or Uruk-hai have to be some of the ugliest and creepiest monsters to ever scare moviegoers. Because each is portrayed by a different actor, no one could look completely alike. Each one had to be made up to look like an Orc or Uruk-hai but had to have his or her own make-up plan so that they would stand out. Some of the evil creatures had names and specific jobs. Probably the creepiest of all is Shagrat; even his name says evil. His make-up made him look animalistic and almost demon-like. If you are not sure who he is, he is the one who captures Frodo and taunts him with his plans for torture. Shagrat is killed by Gorbag who is equally horrible. I imagine that their make-up took hours to apply and to remove. The artists in charge of them were very busy during the filming. Many Kiwis were in the movie playing the large Orcs. Watching the DVD extras, I saw most of them without their make-up and they were very handsome. The make-up artists had their work cut out for them to make these men look so monstruous. Fortunantly, many of the Orcs and Uruk-hai were digitally created or there wouldn't have been enough make-up artists in the world to get their make up applied.

As you can see, I am a big Lord of the Rings fan. At one time I thought I was a fanatic until I watched Ringers, now these are the real fanatics. I am not in their ballpark. I love the movies because of their great themes, storylines, and the incredible characters created by some of the greatest make-up artists in the world.

Frances Coleman

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