Not All Tears are an Evil
Dec. 18th, 2003 12:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
liptonrm_backupI saw Return of the King last night. Now, I need to talk about it.
I don't even know where to begin. I loved it, plain and simple. I have never had such an emotional response to a movie ever in my life. I cried a lot when I saw Schindler's List but never in my life has a movie taken me from peaks of joy to depths of sorrow in such an effective, all encompassing way. I had tears in my eyes from beginning to end and I never wanted it to end. After it was over I just wanted to put my head in my hands and sob.
Right after seeing the movie I went home and read the "Grey Havens" again. So many people who have read the books spend inordinate amounts of time critiquing what was done the same and what was done differently but last night, after reading and digesting what I had seen, I came to the realization that for me the movies and the books complement each other perfectly. While sitting in the movie I had thoughts and scenes from the book floating through my head and vice versa for while I was reading afterwards. The movies have made the emotional impact of the book that much stronger, something I didn't even believe was possible. A miracle has truly been performed.
Now, about the particulars of the movie. For me, the important parts of the movie will always have to do with the hobbits. I know people (my father for one) who see the books through the eyes of the human protagonists and some who are bewitched by the elves, but for me the heart and soul will always belong to my dear boys. It's been interesting, and gratifying for me to read reviews and see how much attention is being paid to my dear Sam. He's been my hero since I first read the books and so, through every movie, I've sat and micro-analyzed Sean Astin's performance, making sure that he portrayed Samwise in the correct way. I have never once been let down so I was not surprised that his performance in the third movie was just as convincing and heart-rending as I expected it to be. Hence, it was Elijah Wood as Frodo who surprised me the most. His performance helped me to understand Frodo in ways I never had before. The way he pushed himself to his feet in the dream-like sequence with Galadriel, the way his whole demeanor changed when he claimed the ring, signifying how little of Frodo was actually left at that moment, all of those strong, understated emotions were incredibly powerful. I can't express my gratitude for the job these two wonderful actors did in this movie. It was a revelation.
Another great revelation was Pippin. That's it, if I can't marry Sam I'm definitely marrying dear Pip. I never felt any strong emotions for Pippin before I saw this movie and thanks to Billy Boyd's performance I have a new favorite;-). Plus, that song sequence? Priceless. Poor Merry got a bit of a short end of the stick story-wise and according to Dominic Monaghan quite a few of his scenes were cut out. Now I especially can't wait for the EE to come out so I can see a little bit more of my Merry. All of my hobbits were wonderful. Wow, I could go on forever about all of the little bits that I adored, but I'm afraid that would take up more bandwidth then I'm worth.
Before I go, I just have to bow down to the genius of Peter Jackson. It's because of him that I felt that emotional core to the story. Thank you Mr. Jackson, and if you ever need a secretary, a receptionist, a gofer, or you think someone with a history major would be helpful on your staff, please give me a call. I think I'd sell a kidney if it meant I could work for those people in that environment;-).
I've been at turns melancholy and wistfully happy all day. I have to go see the movie again.
It snowed here in Michigan yesterday and it's a site to behold. It's only a few inches but there's something so joyful about the first real snowfall of the year. My Shire is a beautiful place.
I don't even know where to begin. I loved it, plain and simple. I have never had such an emotional response to a movie ever in my life. I cried a lot when I saw Schindler's List but never in my life has a movie taken me from peaks of joy to depths of sorrow in such an effective, all encompassing way. I had tears in my eyes from beginning to end and I never wanted it to end. After it was over I just wanted to put my head in my hands and sob.
Right after seeing the movie I went home and read the "Grey Havens" again. So many people who have read the books spend inordinate amounts of time critiquing what was done the same and what was done differently but last night, after reading and digesting what I had seen, I came to the realization that for me the movies and the books complement each other perfectly. While sitting in the movie I had thoughts and scenes from the book floating through my head and vice versa for while I was reading afterwards. The movies have made the emotional impact of the book that much stronger, something I didn't even believe was possible. A miracle has truly been performed.
Now, about the particulars of the movie. For me, the important parts of the movie will always have to do with the hobbits. I know people (my father for one) who see the books through the eyes of the human protagonists and some who are bewitched by the elves, but for me the heart and soul will always belong to my dear boys. It's been interesting, and gratifying for me to read reviews and see how much attention is being paid to my dear Sam. He's been my hero since I first read the books and so, through every movie, I've sat and micro-analyzed Sean Astin's performance, making sure that he portrayed Samwise in the correct way. I have never once been let down so I was not surprised that his performance in the third movie was just as convincing and heart-rending as I expected it to be. Hence, it was Elijah Wood as Frodo who surprised me the most. His performance helped me to understand Frodo in ways I never had before. The way he pushed himself to his feet in the dream-like sequence with Galadriel, the way his whole demeanor changed when he claimed the ring, signifying how little of Frodo was actually left at that moment, all of those strong, understated emotions were incredibly powerful. I can't express my gratitude for the job these two wonderful actors did in this movie. It was a revelation.
Another great revelation was Pippin. That's it, if I can't marry Sam I'm definitely marrying dear Pip. I never felt any strong emotions for Pippin before I saw this movie and thanks to Billy Boyd's performance I have a new favorite;-). Plus, that song sequence? Priceless. Poor Merry got a bit of a short end of the stick story-wise and according to Dominic Monaghan quite a few of his scenes were cut out. Now I especially can't wait for the EE to come out so I can see a little bit more of my Merry. All of my hobbits were wonderful. Wow, I could go on forever about all of the little bits that I adored, but I'm afraid that would take up more bandwidth then I'm worth.
Before I go, I just have to bow down to the genius of Peter Jackson. It's because of him that I felt that emotional core to the story. Thank you Mr. Jackson, and if you ever need a secretary, a receptionist, a gofer, or you think someone with a history major would be helpful on your staff, please give me a call. I think I'd sell a kidney if it meant I could work for those people in that environment;-).
I've been at turns melancholy and wistfully happy all day. I have to go see the movie again.
It snowed here in Michigan yesterday and it's a site to behold. It's only a few inches but there's something so joyful about the first real snowfall of the year. My Shire is a beautiful place.
