took my niece to see ROTK ...

[gorrister]

... tonight. Her first time seeing it, my fifth. She's 10 years old, and her parents have recently divorced (she's my sister's daughter). She liked the movie a lot, though she felt sorry for the oliphants and horses that were "killed." I told her they were all CGI. She said she knew that, but she still felt bad for them. I told her well, the oliphants were used against their will by the bad guys, and there was nothing they could do about it. And the horses bravely died helping to defeat Sauron. There were still many more left alive. She really liked the part were Èowyn and Merry kill the Witch-King ("Fool! No man can kill me! Die now!" "I am no man!") She also cried at the end. She's a great kid.

[kalian]

1. Its an inspiring epic....

I remember reading the entire trilogy when I was about her age.
Glad to hear you had a great time.

:toast:

[gorrister]

2. thanks!

:D

[Enraged_Ape]

3. Yes, it truly is inspiring

The audience I saw this movie with erupted into cheers when Eowyn delivered her line to the Witch King, and I haven't seen that happen in years.

I have never seen a trilogy more infused with the spirit of friendship, sacrifice, strength, courage, and honor as these movies. They surely will stand the test of time.

[gorrister]

4. yes, the LOTR trilogy will be remembered ...

... long after The Passion is forgotten.

(oops...can I say that?)

[AngryYoungMan]

5. What's particularly nice about the movies...

...is that they didn't take out any of the anachronisms in an effort to make it more palatable to a modern audience.

They could easily have put multiracial actors or gotten rid of Anglo-Saxonisms like, "Come, Men of the West!" in Aragorn's battle cry. But they didn't.

The only exception I can think of is a slight softening of Frodo and Sam's "master/servant" relationship to more of an equal friendship. Movie Frodo isn't nearly as much of an arch aristocrat as book Frodo. And, Aragorn has to work a lot harder to "deserve" the crown (particularly in movie "The Two Towers," where his minor role at Helm's Deep is thoroughly expanded).

They could have made it much more multicultural and modern, and severely weakened the strength of a deliberately archaic story. Out of devotion to the book, I'm really glad they didn't. But it must have been tempting.

I thought my post would have something to do with the horses...I guess not. Oh yeah! I recommend you have your niece watch the extended DVD of Two Towers, in which Aragorn impresses the hell out of Eowyn by ordering his horse set free. "Let this fellow go. He has seen enough of war."

[gorrister]

6. yes, she has seen the Two Towers dvd ...

she loves horses. :)

(DU people are some of the nicest people I've ever "met.")

[gorrister]

7. I agree with you on the other points...

I'm sure they were tempted to modernize it. Glad they resisted the temptation.

[AngryYoungMan]

8. I'm really looking forward to Extended ROTK

...for the following scenes:

1) Saruman and Gandalf's confrontation

2) The "mouth of Sauron" shows off Frodo's mithril coat

3) Eowyn and Faramir's courtship in the "Houses of Healing"

4) Merry's oath of fealty to Theoden

5) Eomer weeps on the battlefield

...and much more, I'm sure. Too bad we have to wait until November.

[gorrister]

9. yeah ...

Bruce Spence as "The Mouth of Sauron." Can't wait!

[AngryYoungMan]

10. It's makes Aragorn's line ("For Frodo.") much more wrenching.

eom

[CanuckAmok]

12. Wasn't he the Gyro Pilot in "The Road Warrior"?

:shrug:

[gorrister]

13. yes...

that was him.



http://www.theonering.net/movie/cast/spence.html

[fujiyama]

14. If I were to ask for two gifts for Christmas...

it'd be the LOTR:TRILOGY DVD, and John Kerry being elected!

Now that would kick all ass!

[Lorien]

11. except for in FOTR

"nobody tosses a dwarf"!

Middle Earth was fairly multicultural (Men, Elves,Hobbits, Dwarves, Orcs..) There were dark skinned people as well; the Oliphant riders were supposed to be Middle Earth equivalents of Africans (in the books, anyhow).