Reactions to ROTK the movie

[dreamflower]

Unlike shirebound and claudia603, I did not have an LJ when RotK came out in the theaters. But I was on the tolkien newsgroups, alt.fan.tolkien and rec.arts.books.tolkien. A bit of searching helped me find the post I made with my own early reactions to the last movie-- I had forgotten this post, but I'm glad I found it. Here it is:


Hullo
Been lurking here ( a.f.t. & r.a.b.t. ) off and on for a couple of years,
only rarely posting, but enjoying myself immensely reading the various
threads on topics both frivolous and serious. I am amazed at the depth of
Tolkien esoterica from many, and amused or exasperated by the different
debates and flamewars. However, one reason I seldom post is that I don't
much care to be flamed myself. I realize that this post may open me to
such, but I need to share this with others who love Tolkien. It's probably
going to be a bit long, I apologize in advance.
Caution: lots of spoilers.
S
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36 years ago, when I was 15, I read the Hobbit, followed by LotR. I checked
them out of my H.S. library. I read FotR and TTT in one weekend, and then
had to wait a week for someone else to turn in RotK; I was in agony to know
the ending. When I finished the trilogy, I wept.
My reaction to the trilogy was a deeply visceral and emotional one. In FotR,
I *believed* Frodo had died at the Ford, that Gandalf was truly gone forever
when he fell at Khazad Dum. Although I could see it coming, I was still
shocked by Boromir's betrayal, and saddened by his death saving Merry and
Pippin. In TTT, when Gandalf came back, I actually dropped the book and
danced around the room, and when Frodo was captured, I was in a panic.
Unlike some, I was aware from the start that "Dernhelm" was Eowyn, but I was
*sure* she had died when she had killed the Witch-King. Gandalf's saving of
Faramir and Aragorn's arrival with the hosts of the dead had my heart in my
throat. When Frodo put the Ring on and claimed it, I was so dismayed and
dumbfounded that I had to put the book down awhile, just to breathe. I felt
greatly betrayed by the Scouring of the Shire ( how *dare* they cut down the
Party Tree! ) and when Frodo departed Middle Earth at the Havens, I cried so
hard I did not know if I was happy or sad.
All through H.S. those 4 books were my constant companions, read and re-read
until they were in tatters. I taught myself to write in Elvish runes,
though not how to speak it, and drew up detailed plans for my dream home (
the little house at Crickhollow ). In college, I met my husband, who caught
my attention by our mutual reading of Tolkien.
As the years passed, I re-read less frequently, but developed an
appreciation for Tolkien's poetry and language, and for the depth of his
creation of Middle Earth.
I read the Silmarillion when it came out, followed by some of the other
works as they became available. I still loved LotR, but it was a mellower,
more intellectuall enjoyment, punctuated by smiles or sighs, rather than
laughter or tears.
36 years later, the emotions are back. I've wept again, and laughed out
loud and held my breath. My heart has pounded, as I squeezed my dear one's
hand as hard as I could.
I'm feeling all those feelings again!
Now I know that those films are not perfect; I can see several nits to pick
myself.
I know that PJ has used all the technical tricks at his disposal to
manipulate the audience.
You know what? I don't care.
For me they hit all the right notes.
Since the first movie came out, I had avoided the LotR, instead re-reading
the Silm. and getting acquainted with the BoLT.
But now I'm re-reading the Fellowship. And guess what?
The feelings that were awakened by the films are still there. I'm
re-connected to the characters and can look at the plot with a fresh eye.
The wonder and the awe are back.
I have read the arguments that the good thing about the films is that they
are getting people to read the books for the first time...but there is also
a good thing in giving back the joy to those who've loved the books for
years.
YMMV; obviously for many it does, or there would not be so many blasting the
movies. For *ME* the verdict is in: PJ gave the books back to me renewed.
Go on back to arguing over how good/bad the movies are; depending on the
reactions here, I will probably go back to lurking, or may start to post a
bit more. I don't know.
Sorry. This is even longer than I originally imagined.
Thanks for being here.
Happy New Year!
Barbara