We calculated. With the ads thrown in, we pretty much squandered about 12 hours over the past three Sunday nights watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy on TBS. I use the word "squandering" generously of course... As much as we love the movies, there is an element of regret and guilt (and I stress the present tense...) 12 hours spent watching Lord of the Rings is 12 hours of work not done, readings not read, and data not analyzed... And the last 30 minutes of last night's installment did almost get a little tedious- we were screaming at the TV, "Get there already!" We had initially told ourselves that we wouldn't watch The Return of the King, but we switched the TV on while we had dinner, saw Gondor falling to the Orcs, and before we knew it, it was almost 11.00 before either one of us got up from the couch. Such was the power of the ring... ;)
If I had to choose, I would say that The Two Towers is my favorite of the three. It has all the requisite ingredients of a masterful operatic epic- conflict, romance, duty, valor, sacrifice, redemption, and two ragging, cathartic battles. One could argue of course that this describes all three installments, but there's just something about the middle story that really moves me, where it's not about the journey beginning, or the task completed; it's about the struggle, the quest. Or maybe I just love the Ents...
At the end of the day, nothing beats a good story about Good vs. Evil, the righteous vs. the wicked, and my favorite part, that a hobbit and a woman can defeat the big, dark dude... Yes, it may be three movies, but it is ONE story, one powerful narrative that stirs you to believe that there is something good and pure in any world to fight for. One day... one day, we will watch all three movies back-to-back as it was filmed. Watching it three Sundays in a row was already a very different experience compared to watching it a year apart each. That or maybe I should just sit down and read the darn thing. Jude thinks it's appalling that I haven't read any of the books- I think so too...
It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.
- Sam, The Two Towers
4 comments:
hello! its scarily coincidental that i am also trudging through LOTR and im currently at two towers and i agree with you that the ents are just so cool and that sam says the most astute comments! i love to quote him too!
and this is my first time reading LOTR coz being the purist that i am, im just going to read the trilogy all the way before i watch the movie. dont tell me its a travesty that i havent watched it yet ok!
and yes, love two towers even though its reallly verryy loonnggg.
The two towers is my favorite movie of the trilogy as well. I tell people that it's because the plot is the best played-out in this installment, but most people think it's because it's the one where Orlando Bloom gets all of his dreamy screen time. =)
i totally agree about the plot- it's richer than either the 1st or 3rd for some reason. i actually DON'T like Orlando Bloom- both in or out of this movie. i guess only elves can emerge from epic battles with their hair still perfectly in place and outfits still pristine and clean... ;)
I didn't prefer the 3rd installment. There was too much crying.
I was watching part of 1 and 2, as well. I wonder if J.R.R.Tolkien was saying something about the power of friendship and companionship, more so than Good vs. Evil - though that matters. (Evil-doers are every where!)
I feel almost misty-eyed when I think of Sam, and how much true loyalty he had for Frodo: staying with him through the end and always looking out for his best interest.
How much is that worth? At least 1 Ring of Power. (My precious!)
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