Even before the invention of cinema as such by the Lumiére Brothers, in 1894, Étienne-Jules Marey, a French scientist, created a milestone in the history of audiovisuals: the first cat video. Falling Cat It was just a few seconds that showed, indeed, his cat falling. That same year another short was made that is much more similar to what we understand as a “cat video”: two michis fighting on top of a small boxing ring. Boxing Cats It’s practically a gif, and for that reason alone you have to love it. More than a century later, cats would continue to be a vital part of our audiovisual culture.
My treasure
It seems like the intro is going to have nothing to do with the rest, but follow me: when Peter Jackson had to find his perfect Gollum for The Lord of the Rings, he only knew that he wanted it to be completely digital. But he wasn’t really aware of having a hit on his hands until he met up with Andy Serkis and he did the vocals. That voice that has followed the character through four films, iconic, fantastic and… inspired by cats.
More specifically for Serkis’ cats, who, like everyone, sometimes they have hairballs in their throat and they throw them out by vomiting. That specific moment that all of us who have a cat have suffered at some point became the voice of the character. Have you ever thought about your cat saying “My treasure”? Think about it next time.
Although Serkis does not appear during most of the films (only in a flashback in The return of the King), he does have something to call his own within the CGI performance: a moment in which, when Sam is cooking rabbit, the character spits. That spit is from the actor himself. Hey, yes, whatever you want, unemployment has already come out more in The Lord of the rings than any of us.
