Hobbit

Ok, so at the end of LotR, Frodo is looking pretty jaundiced even after they return to The Shire. There’s talk of old wounds, the sword to the shoulder, the trauma of the trip and all that.

And they represent that lack of light, that dampening of his soul through the makeup. Here’s a shot of Frodo when they’re standing in the docks and he’s just told everyone he’s going to be leaving too:

Dark circles under his eyes, yellowish skin tone, no flush on his cheeks, pale lips, even his eyes look a little desaturated. He looks like a walking corpse. And that’s generally how I remember him looking at the end of the movie.

BUT. Did you ever notice his face after he gets on the boat??

He’s alive! Pink cheeks! Lip color! Dark circles gone! The sparkle is back in his eyes!!!

And I just think that’s such a cool, tiny thing, to show that for Frodo to heal, he has to leave.