For Those of Us Who Like Lord of the Rings
(Meaning, if fangirling over The Lord of the Rings annoys you, you might want to skip this post.)
This artist is talented...
I love how the same story can be told in such a different yet complementary fashion in book and movie form. Of course, I watched the movies before reading the books, as is the case with several stories I encounter, so I am not and really could not be a book purist. That being said, though, I do honestly feel that the movies are a faithful adaptation of the books. Sure, Tom Bombadil and Goldberry and a host of other characters/situations either do not appear at all or are not lengthily fleshed out, but the essence of the story, in my opinion, was respectfully captured and portrayed.
Tolkien's writing is really quite good. Truly is. (Of course, I'm biased, but ya know.) It has its *ahem* flaws (he tended to be a little too verbose in parts and too succinct in others), but overall it has a unique flavor, warmth, humor, and poignancy. 'T'is not every author--or every story--that can make you homesick for a place you've never been.
Practically every "good character" is a hero, simply by right of defying Sauron's power, and practically every "bad character" is simply a coward. Understand now, I'm not saying that the heroes didn't feel fear, 'cause we all know they most certainly did--but they rose above it. Individuals like Saruman and Gollum let their fear and selfishness overpower them, while people like Gandalf and Frodo refused to do so.
I don't really know where I'm going with this, except to say…Lord of the Rings, I love you. Thanks for being an inspiration, a source of hope, and just plain amazing.
(And here are three videos about LotR that I find particularly epic;D)
Námarië, vanya nórë!
I hear you girl!!! I am really irritated with our 21" iMac because it wouldn't let us watch FOTR EE last Saturday. We had to watch it in Mom's 13" MacBook Pro. Do you know how irritating that can be? I had SOOO looked forward to watching the EE's on the 'big' screen! It kept telling us that it was 'skipping over the damaged areas' yet there were NO DAMAGED AREAS!! I think that maybe something was accidentally put in the DVD drive. Which means hauling the computer to the repair place and seeing if they can find anything.
ReplyDeleteArrrgh! That is soooo frustrating! I so sowwy:(
Delete...But TELLMETELLMETELLME what did you think?????:D
:)
DeleteI loved it!! It isn't actually the first time that I have seen FOTR EE. That is the only version of FOTR that we have had for the past 2 years. I going to do a blog post on it tomorrow.
Btw, do you have Pinterest?
Ohhhhh....now I understand;)
DeleteI don't have a Pinterest. I rather want one, but for various Reasons it just isn't practical for me:'(
:)
DeleteI see. Yeah I wasn't allowed to get it until I was 18.
Yeah:-/ The thing is, I'd like to have it on my iPod if I get it, and for software reasons I can't, so my hands are sorta tied.
DeleteYeah. iPods are cool, but they do have limits to what you can do on them.
DeleteYup:-/ Which is a shame, because otherwise they're so nifty!:)
DeleteExactly!!!
Delete*shrugs* Ah, well:D
Delete*happy sigh of contentment* I agree with you 110%.
ReplyDelete-Patricia Ellen
Yay happies! Glad you agree, Patricia!:D
DeleteOkay, I know this doesn't have anything to do with LOTR, but I just had to say it since you are a fellow C.S. Lewis fan. I just realized I'm going to one day meet him. And now I'm kind of having a heart attack.
ReplyDelete*has heart attack too* I know right?!?!?! It's so exciting!!!!
DeleteGood post:) Have you heard Tolkien's quote on the euchatastrophy or C.S. Lewis's quote on longing/nostalgia? Those are what come to mind when I think about LotR. =)
ReplyDeleteThanks!:) Yes, I have! I thought about mentioning them in the post and then forgot XD
Delete*Slams hand on table in presidental manner*
ReplyDeleteThis is law!
:P
But seriously it's great!! =D
Haha, thank you, Evie! =D
Delete=D
Delete:)
DeleteAs soon as I saw the title, I immediately perked up! :D "For Those of Us Who Like Lord of the Rings." That's me!
ReplyDeleteYes, yes and yes. I think LoTR will always be my favourite of favourites book/movie/story, no matter how many others come as close seconds. It's so wonderful and magical and amazing and gah.....there aren't any words to describe it. I really do pity people who dislike/haven't seen these, they really miss out on a lot!!
I know, so many stories are lovely, but the story line is weird or the theme is not very happy. This is one of hope, and I love that. That, THAT IS SO TRUE!! "'Tis not every story -or author- that can make you homesick for a place you've never been." YES!! Well said, well said. :D
Those videos are amazing. I love Faramir and Eowyn, and that song from Elrond's perspective is amazing. Country music like that doesn't entirely suit, but the lyrics are exquisitely perfect. I love the Celtic Women one also. :)
Ooh....Pedig edhellen?
Lovely post indeed. :D
~Miss Meg March
Yay! Tolkienknights forever, Miss Meg!!!:D
DeleteAbsolutely. I'm not sure what story is my favorite, but LotR is definitely my "ultimate" story--it's on a level all its own, hehe:D
Thanks:D And yuuuusssss...I like to think of the homesickness as a longing for heaven:)
Aren't they, though?!?! Faramir and Éowyn are mah babies, and I know, those lyrics to the country one! The twang is a little out of place, but the words are so perfect:D And yeah, the Celtic Woman one makes me happy;)
Uh...quetin titta Quenya. Ma quetelye Quenya?
The internet played up and my comment was deleted so I'll try again. :D
DeleteYes, LotR is definitely on a level of it's own. ;)
Hehe.....well, sorry but: La istan quet' Quenya. *sigh* I only know things from Google Translate but I think I should memorise some handy lines. :D Maybe I'll teach myself someday. (But I did understand what you said, besides all that, hehe.)
~Miss Meg March
Oh, haha, I get it! I have this app that "teaches" you Quenya, but I've only had the patience to pick up a couple words and phrases :D
DeleteI'm currently reading The Two Towers right now (for the first time!). I've already read the Fellowship (and boy, was it good!!). I'm absolutely loving this series and Tolkien is just an amaaaazzzing writer. I hope I can see the movies once I finish the books. :)
ReplyDeleteOh my my, that Aragorn/Arwen video was beautiful! That song is already one of my favorites, so it made the video even more enjoyable.
Natalie!!! I cannot even begin to tell you--this is so exciting!! You're reading them!!!:D And you're loving it! I'm so happy. You don't even know;D And YES WATCH THE MOVIES. For sure.
DeleteIsn't it?! I know, I LOVE that song:D
I've never actually read the books... the movies just didn't really interest me. My brother is nagging at me to read the books, though, so I figured I'd get a second opinion.
ReplyDeleteAre the books better than the movies, even if it's your own opinion--which I will respect--that the movies are still great?
~Bekah the Bookworm
Gotcha! Are the books better than the movies...hmm, I'd have to think on that for a while. I think I'd say that the books are richer, in terms of symbolism and development and such, but I'm not sure that I could say either one was better in this instance:) Possibly, but I'm not sure.
DeleteGood to know, thanks :)
DeleteYeah, 3 more people have now told me that I really ought to (well, technically one of them said I "had to or else", but, y' know...) read LotR, so I'm gonna read it... expect a review of the entire series in about a month or so!
Sure thing! Sorry I wasn't able to give you a definitive answer, hehe;D
DeleteHaha, well then, I think you'd better read them! "Or else"s are serious, what;) Oh, wow! If you manage to read through all three books in the trilogy in a mere month, I shall stand in awe of you forever XD (Well, okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but still, I'd be pretty impressed.)
I appreciate this post. Fangirling over the Lord of the Rings does not, as it happens, annoy me. :D (Well, if it did I’d be a wee bit hypocritical, haha.)
ReplyDeleteISN’T IT JUST. The story, I mean, being wonderful and all that, in whichever format. I have to say I’m a firm believer in the book being better, but… well, I think that the movies did almost the best that they could possibly have done, and I can’t really say more than that. ;) Although actually, there is the almost… I think I could have done with it being just a fraction closer to the book. (Did you know that Peter Jackson thought about adding Arwen to the fellowship? UM WHAT. But some good person talked him out of it, so.)
I'm the same about the ring... hahahaha. A friend has one on a necklace, and I was so excited to be able to try it on, but when you think about it that's not really the point. Ahem.
I actually adore Tolkien’s writing style. He knew all about words, and he could just use them so beautifully. Sighhhhh. "Homesick for a place you've never been" is exactly right.
Those videos. GAH. The second one’s my favourite-- I’ve heard that song put to clips from a couple other things, like Les Mis and Lark Rise to Candleford, but it fits here too. Almost too well. I didn’t cry, but… I came close. Sniffles. But thanks all the same. ;)
Haha, glad you liked it, Sophie!:D
DeleteYES IT IS I CAN'T EVEN. I get that; did you read the books before the movies? I might just start to love the books more than the movies, myself--I'm really loving all the bits that weren't included in the movies this time around:D Haha, really?! That is definitely odd...I mean, I agree with Peter Jackson's view that Arwen is immensely important to the story, being, as it were, one of the (if not the greatest) driving forces behind Aragorn, but I also agree that placing her in the fellowship would be carrying it too far;) Then again, I am a huge Arwen fan (she might be my favorite...but then I also really love Galadriel and Goldberry, so I can't say for sure), and I'm personally glad that she's in the movies as often as she is. BUT I also really wish we could have seen more of Faramir and Éowyn, since they are my LotR OTP and mah babies, so...yeah. I go back and forth:)
Haha, isn't it interesting? It just goes to show how thoroughly Tolkien understood what he was talking about with the Ring...
I quite like it, too! Yuuuussss--he could do amazing things with words. Re-reading TFotR, the phrases he uses to describe nature and the sound of Goldberry's voice or footsteps and Tom Bombadil's singing...gah. The man was a genius;) My only quibble is how, like I mentioned, he'd go on for a number of pages simply describing the hobbits meandering along the countryside, and then in TTT, he (heartlessly, in my opinion) kills off Boromir in about two stiff, rather emotionless paragraphs. Which makes me mad, dontcha see;-P But overall, he was tremendous.
RIGHT?! Er mah gersh, yes--the first couple times I watched that second one, I actually had a hard time of it to keep from crying! Haha, you're welcome;)
I did read the books before the movies. Personal preference there. ;) Oh, I’m definitely glad that Arwen got plenty of screen time! She’s a wonderful character, and, like you said, vital to the plot. I just think that her being in the fellowship would have muddled up her storyline and Aragorn’s and led to even more changes… heh, heh.
Delete(They're my OTP too. Faramir and Eowyn forever! :D)
I do feel ya there, haha. I think that sometimes he had an excuse-- like, in TTT, the amount of time he takes describing the Hobbits walking is an effective way of showing us how dull and monotonous it was. Um, too effective. But I agree, sometimes it's just plain annoying.
Um, so's I don't end the comment on that note... I'll echo you. Overall he was a genius. Heehee.
Cool! Hehe, I often think that I should more often read the book before I watch the movie...for some reason, it just doesn't happen very often:-/ But when it does, I do often prefer the book;) Like with Bleak House--I read the book first, and then, though I liked the movie, I still preferred the book:D
DeleteYou're right; Arwen being in the fellowship would just be...weird. For one thing, how would Aragorn concentrate?! =D
Farawyn forever!!!!!!!! <3
That's true--at some points I guess it was just a very effective tool to really get you "into the hobbits' shoes", hehe. I'm reading this book sort of about that at the moment called Tolkien's Sacramental Vision: Discerning the Holy in Middle-earth, and it's really good. I'm picking up on so much more symbolism in the books!
(Wonder why Blogger thought fit to insert that space at the end of my comment there. Huh.)
DeleteFunny how that works! One of the times I saw the film first is with Little Dorrit, and I actually ended up liking it more than the book. So it really must make a difference. :)
How would Aragorn concentrate, bahahahahaha.
Yep, reading about him can help you appreciate the story so much more-- there's just SUCH a lot to pick up on. I was lucky in that I got to do a lot of "research" on him for a project on him for school, heehee. (Well, actually it was more on C. S. Lewis, but I did stuff on all of the Inklings, so. :D)
(I was wondering about that myself...)
DeleteYes! I think it really does. I've found that with me, at least, whichever form I "experience" first is usually the one I prefer--though there are exceptions, such as with Peter Pan, Ella Enchanted, and The Princess Bride (I watched the movies before I read the books, but ended up loving the movies more).
It definitely can! Ooh, nice! Was it one of those research papers? One of my friends did one of those on Tolkien, and my mom and I have been debating about whether or not I should do one, haha:D The Inklings!!!!!! "Their very name just thrills me to my fingertips!" ;) Actually, one of my uncles is a big Tolkienknight too, and he actually started a sort of Inklings club with some of his friends! Needless to say, it made me very happy:)
Oops! I meant "I ended up liking the books more." ;-P
DeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one there. :D
DeleteNot a research paper, actually... I don't know precisely what you'd call it though. Just a project, haha. But 'twas a lot of fun. ;) And agreement about the Inklings. (Was that an Anne of Windy Willows quote? *grins*)
I read a book about them-- just called The Inklings, by Humphrey Carpenter-- which narrated a few imaginary meetings with them, and... wow, it was fascinating. I would give a LOT to see one. Haha.
And having your uncle start such a thing sounds super! I've often wanted to myself, but-- well, maybe sometime.
Haha, nope!:)
DeleteOkie dokie, good show. Yes! That is, I think it was--I was actually quoting the Anne of Avonlea movie, which is based on three of the books, so probably:D
That sounds like a good book! I'll have to keep an eye out for it. And yes, I was excited:D You should start one! My friends and I have talked about it before, too, so we'll see!
Tolkien's work, in book and movie form, have provided so many hours of enjoyment to my life! The world would not be the same without him.
ReplyDeleteFunny story about the ring. My dad claims he would never fall under the ring's influence. So, a couple visits ago, we have a one ring replica, and we put it out on the table, just sitting there. My dad immediately snatched it up, grinned with wild eyes, put it on his finger, and hissed, "My precious!" We were all like, "AH-HAH! See? You cannot resist the power of the one ring!!" He was like, "wait, what? No!" But it was too late. We have not let him forget that either. LOL.
Exactly! "The world would not be the same without him"--so true.
DeleteHahaha! That's a great story--I don't think I would've let him forget it, either;)
This is such a cool post--and I'm not even a LotR fan, but I love seeing how much enjoyment people get out of them!
ReplyDeleteI don't know why I never really liked Tolkien. It's not like I don't like fantasy, per se, because I LOVE Narnia and King Arthur . . . I think he just doesn't appeal to my personality, or something. I'm sure he must have been a truly great author, even so--because, like you said, he makes so many people homesick for a world that isn't even strictly real. He's just not MY personal favorite.
Thanks, Jessica!:D
DeleteI completely understand. In fact, if you want to know a secret...*looks furtively around* The first time I watched the movies, I rather blew them off *hangs head in shame* I was all, "What's the big deal about these?" Sort of the same thing with the books, hehe;) But the I saw the light and all was well:D And it's totally fine if he's not your personal favorite! I'm not very big on Dickens or Austen, so...I get it;) My favorite ever author is C. S. Lewis, because Reasons.
I know--it was the same way with me when I first started reading Shakespeare as a teenager. For a while, I was like, "this doesn't seem all that great to me" . . . but then I actually saw a few of the plays performed onstage, and the whole thing started "coming to life," as it were. Later, I took two college classes that were heavily focused on Shakespeare, and that REALLY opened my eyes to how amazing his plays are.
DeleteI'm with you on Dickens, actually--I really enjoy the Pickwick Papers and A Christmas Carol, but for the rest, I'm like, "not my cup o' tea." But I love Jane Austen. I can totally understand, though, that she might not appeal to everyone, either.
Awesome! I'm actually sort of experiencing that myself, at the moment, so maybe all will turn out well in my Shakespearean experience after all;)
DeleteYay! Someone else who understands about Dickens:D Yeah, I love the stories Jane Austen crafted, but I don't, so far at least, care overmuch for her writing style itself:-/
Try watching the movie "The Tempest" from 2010, with Helen Mirren. It's a really, um, "different" take on Shakespeare, but it's AMAZING. Honestly, it really helped me to understand/relate to the play much, much better. "The Tempest" is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays now . . . the other favorite being "A Winter's Tale" (which is also awesome, and I totally recommend it :) ).
DeleteOkie dokie! Thanks! I'll keep an eye out for it!:)
DeleteI love Lord of the Rings! I am so glad you did a post on it! I have read all three of the books and the Hobbit and now I'm working on the Silimarillion. It's very interesting. They are my favorite movies, there's just something about them, the longing to be in another world. Which is what we were made for! Thank you for doing a post. I love hearing how other people love it as much as me and get the same feelings. Blessings, Morgan M.
ReplyDeleteHi, Morgan! I'm so glad to meet another Tolkienknight, and I'm so glad you liked the post!:)
DeleteYay! We're on the same page with the books, then! (Well, I technically finished The Silmarillion, but it took me forever XD)
The movies are amazing, absolutely. "There's just something about them"--exactly! We were made for another world:D
You're so welcome! Thanks so much for reading:D
I've heard people who like LOTR be called Ringers. I like Tolkienknight way better!! :D
DeleteTolkienknight now and forever!! :) Seeing that you responded to my comment made my day!
Thanks again! :D
I've heard that term too! But yeah, then I saw this awesome picture that says, "They called us Tolkienites...let us be Tolkienknights!" It was really cool:D
DeleteOf course! Well, to he honest, your comment made my night yesterday, so there we are!:D
No problem!:) I do hope you'll visit again?
Yes!! Definitely!! :D I don't normally comment, I will try to do it more often! It's been fun chatting with you! :)
DeleteYay happies! Well, no pressure…but I really love chatting with people over blogging comments:D
DeleteI tagged you on my blog!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness though, this is such a great post! I love the Lord of the Rings so much, for the reasons you mentioned and plus some. I've been dying to re-watch the movies, but it's hard to find time -- especially when you absolutely must watch the extended editions! :P And I've been thinking I should re-read the books as well. When I first read them I wasn't a good enough reader to understand and appreciate them as much as I'm sure I can now.
I totally get what you're saying about the Ring. I own a replica, and when I first got it I wore it all the time, and it occurred to me that since the Ring is evil maybe I shouldn't. But I ended up at this conclusion: If it's a symbol of evil, wearing it on your finger is symbolically "giving in to it" and wearing it on a chain is "resisting temptation." But then again, there's still the part where you're wearing around you neck and find yourself holding it all the time, and smiling strangely... :P
"'T'is not every author--or every story--that can make you homesick for a place you've never been." -- I love that. I get homesick for Middle-Earth, for sure! :)
Ooh, goody! Thanks a bunch, Sarah!:D
DeleteAnd aww, thank you! Yes, you should definitely re-watch and re-read them. You sha'n't regret it;)
That's a good way of thinking about the Ring issue..."smiling strangely," haha:D
I'm glad! And yay, you get it!:D