I went to see it today at a 10:30 AM showing which was actually perfect because the crowd was mainly college students on break and retired people. Everyone seemed to be a pretty hardcore fan, probably much more hardcore than me. (I've only read the books once about two years ago.) So there was no innappropriate laughter or anything annoying except that the projectioner or something broke as Sam was saving Frodo from the Orcs. Luckily they fixed it within five minutes (and it actually provided a nice intermission). I loved the movie and it's just so amazing that they were even made. I've been worried for a month that they would end it with Aragorn's coronation, but I should have known that PJ has better judgement than that. The only thing that bothered me was that there was no scouring of the shire and no Saruman at the end . But I'm sure that will be on the DVD.
I think the best thing about these movies is the experience you get (if you're lucky) in the theater. Here it is, late morning/early afternoon on a Thursday, Everyone is enrapt, a 50-ish woman on my right is quietly sobbing through the entire last hour and a 65-ish man in front of me actually raises both his arms in the air everytime there's a heroic victory. There's not much that compares to it.
LotR haiku from the Seattle Times.
An Oscar for 'King'?
The trophy will be taller
than the movie's star.
wow.
I too went to the trilogy and then back to RotK the afternoon following.
On second viewing I cried much more -- I loved the Beacons, seeing the Rohirrim lined up to charge and so much more. On second viewing I noticed the White Tree in Bloom at the coronation, the way everything in Theoden's tent swayed from the wind, the lovely way that Sam's hole has flowers all around it and a floral doorknob and a gardening motive about the door . . . I also loved the very graceful Elven Smith - - was that one of the weta-guys? . . . he looked familiar. . . that Eomer's shoulders are twice as broad as everyone else's, the moments between Eowyn and Merry, Pippin, the lovely Elven ships and boats in comparison to the Corsairs ships and the Morgul boats.
Anyway, seeing it again on Saturday.
Also, my gift had Isildur floating down the Anduin, Aragorn tracking Merry and Pippin by the Orc pile (when I saw it I picked out Legolas first and couldn't figure out what the big blue thing next to him was) and a headshot of Denethor.
Well, Aragorn finding invisible signs of Merry and Pippin in the grass is one of my favorite things from both the book and movie of TTT so I'm very glad there.
Fair enough. I mean, discussing gender politics in Lord of the Rings can be tiresome enough in a pleasant room, with nice alcohol to hand. Which I'd be glad to do some time.
Ooo, yes!
Sometimes I have trouble separating my gut from my intellect. I know this. (Also had a nassty meeting to go to)
I was going to try again, but it's still not coming out right. Suffice it to say I'm seeing the movies placed within a larger framework of films that change a lot of 'historical' details, but won't mess with gender roles.
To change the topic (while staying on topic) amyth just played the 'fields of pelennor' track off of napster and it had me crying in FIFTEEN SECONDS. Even giving some credit for that to my hormones, I think that's pretty remarkable. I can't even remember what was happening, I didn't get any images. It just made me cry.
eta quotation marks to historical, b/c while the books FEEL like they happened...
Aragorn finding invisible signs of Merry and Pippin in the grass
I made the people around me snicker muttering, "There was a great battle. It ranged all over!" at that scene. (But I said it really quietly)
just played the 'fields of pelennor' track off of napster and it had me crying in FIFTEEN SECONDS. Even giving some credit for that to my hormones, I think that's pretty remarkable. I can't even remember what was happening, I didn't get any images. It just made me cry.
Oh, I know. I'm afeared to play my soundtrack cd again. I just got rid of the cried-too-much headache this morning.
There was a great battle. It ranged all over!"
Hee.
I'm taking my soundtrack CD out of the car player. I'm scared of that last track.
Kathy, thanks for the haiku pointer! Many of them were great but I agree the winner was best. (For those who haven't checked out this link, you should.)
The only thing that bothered me was that there was no scouring of the shire and no Saruman at the end. But I'm sure that will be on the DVD.
No to the first one; it wasn't even filmed. Yes to the second one.
eta quotation marks to historical, b/c while the books FEEL like they happened...
Funny you should say that. A friend of mine who is anything but a sentimentalist (and is in fact a history professor in his fifties who was a founder of the Tolkien Society at Michigan State) refused to go with me to the exhibition of props and sets from the movies that we had here in Toronto in '01 and '02. His reason: he didn't want to see things that would make him feel like the events of the War of the Ring didn't actually take place and he felt the exhibit might do that.
I understood his feeling instantly. I still went -- I can separate the movie version from the actual events in my mind, no problem. :)
I know that they filmed the stuff from the "Houses of Healing" and "The Voice of Saruman" and I remember seeing Eomer's grief on finding what he thinks is Eowyn's body and also seeing Merry being sworn to Theoden's service in the trailer -- but not in the films - - so likely to be in the EE. I think that if PJ had meant to film the he would have had Galadriel give Sam the same gift he got in the books.
