forth Eorlingas!
Mar. 27th, 2005 12:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kittenscribbleI am deeply grateful to N for holding his Lord of the Rings extended-edition marathon. Such a great experience - lovely big screen, with a wonderful surround sound system (though Nazgul screams that sound like they're coming from a spot directly behind one's left shoulder are kind of disorienting). I was amazed at how much the movies gained from being seen all strung together. The themes became a lot more cohesive, the words and actions better justified. And since I had already made my peace with my nitpick points, I was just able to sit back and enjoy.
Kudos also to N and K2 for getting the movies all played within a thirteen-hour period, even including pauses for dog walks, bathroom breaks and pizza. The efficiency was amazing.
There's something deeply tragic about Rohan in the movies, and bucket-o'-sunshine Theoden doesn't help any. His idea of an inspiring call to battle is something like "It will be a red day ere the sun rises! Ride, ride for ruin and the world's ending! Death! Death!" (Not that Aragorn's any great shakes at optimistic speeches either. "There will be a day when the courage of men fail... but it is not this day." And meanwhile the soldiers are gazing out onto a field full of orcs and thinking, "I don't know, man, I think there's a definite probability that it is this day.") At any rate it's not just Theoden; you get the feeling that all of Rohan is hovering on the brink of destruction. We open on Theodred's funeral after all, and at Helm's Deep they're putting the old men and adolescents in armor. Even Edoras looks temporary, all wood and thatch. No help from Eomer either; he spends all of his time hanging around looking grim.
But it's their music that really does it, I think. It's a beautiful violin theme, mournful and soaring, trailing off in a minor key. Even when the Rohirrim are triumphant and the violin is buttressed by orchestra, it still kind of dwindles off at the end. The most you can do is bring the volume down, diminuendo before you hit the saddest bit. I don't get it; it's not as if the Rohirrim are about to go extinct. They are entering the age of Men, after all. Elves, okay, I understand that elves are tragic; they're beautiful and dying and about to leave forever. But why the mourning for Rohan?
(I still flinched every time I saw a horse go down.)
After watching all three in a row I was definitely noticing the music a lot more. Jackson's really consistent with his music cues. The happy Shire theme is immediately recognizable, but other themes are less obvious. However, by the time we reached the third movie, it had gotten so that I could hear a strain of melody and start looking around for Gollum, or Faramir. It's brilliant, really.
Also, Gollum is a lot more sarcastic in the extended editions. Amazing what a bit of extra facial expression can do for him.
It was so much fun I want to watch them all again someday, but I fear I lack the stamina.
Kudos also to N and K2 for getting the movies all played within a thirteen-hour period, even including pauses for dog walks, bathroom breaks and pizza. The efficiency was amazing.
There's something deeply tragic about Rohan in the movies, and bucket-o'-sunshine Theoden doesn't help any. His idea of an inspiring call to battle is something like "It will be a red day ere the sun rises! Ride, ride for ruin and the world's ending! Death! Death!" (Not that Aragorn's any great shakes at optimistic speeches either. "There will be a day when the courage of men fail... but it is not this day." And meanwhile the soldiers are gazing out onto a field full of orcs and thinking, "I don't know, man, I think there's a definite probability that it is this day.") At any rate it's not just Theoden; you get the feeling that all of Rohan is hovering on the brink of destruction. We open on Theodred's funeral after all, and at Helm's Deep they're putting the old men and adolescents in armor. Even Edoras looks temporary, all wood and thatch. No help from Eomer either; he spends all of his time hanging around looking grim.
But it's their music that really does it, I think. It's a beautiful violin theme, mournful and soaring, trailing off in a minor key. Even when the Rohirrim are triumphant and the violin is buttressed by orchestra, it still kind of dwindles off at the end. The most you can do is bring the volume down, diminuendo before you hit the saddest bit. I don't get it; it's not as if the Rohirrim are about to go extinct. They are entering the age of Men, after all. Elves, okay, I understand that elves are tragic; they're beautiful and dying and about to leave forever. But why the mourning for Rohan?
(I still flinched every time I saw a horse go down.)
After watching all three in a row I was definitely noticing the music a lot more. Jackson's really consistent with his music cues. The happy Shire theme is immediately recognizable, but other themes are less obvious. However, by the time we reached the third movie, it had gotten so that I could hear a strain of melody and start looking around for Gollum, or Faramir. It's brilliant, really.
Also, Gollum is a lot more sarcastic in the extended editions. Amazing what a bit of extra facial expression can do for him.
It was so much fun I want to watch them all again someday, but I fear I lack the stamina.
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no subject
Date: 2005-03-27 04:21 am (UTC)I'm jealous you had the stamina for doing it once!
Re: Rohan
Say what you will, but the "Death!" battlecry is about the coolest thing ever. Rohan to me is much more interesting than Gondor.
no subject
Date: 2005-03-27 06:07 am (UTC)That's one of my favorite scenes too. The hopeless charge of the cavalry is breathtaking. It was the tragic interpretation of their culture that surprised me; for some reason I hadn't noticed it before.
And I'm deeply fond of Bernard Hill's depressed Theoden.
no subject
Date: 2005-03-27 06:14 am (UTC)Dont' tell anyone, but I think he's my favorite actor of the trilogy. He makes me cry at his son's funeral, every time I see it.