Hey Thor! Since I know you’ve seen the trilogy already (I don’t know about The Hobbit trilogy, though), did you know that in the entire 2 trilogies there isn’t a single scene of two actresses talking to each other? Try to think of one. Arwen, Eowyn, Galadriel… nope.
@kratos Also not one scene of Sam's old Gaffer talking to Faramir. We never get a glimpse of Smaug the dragon drinking a pint with Theoden. Don't even get me started on how we never EVER see a single dwarf discuss ANYTHING with the leader of the Haradrim...
The Boromir and Faramir flashback should have been in the theatrical cut. It once again shows that Boromir was a noble and kindhearted person who got corrupted by the Ring and it sets up the family dynamic effectively in less than 5 minutes
Boromir was a good man who carried the weight of his father's expectations and being on the doorstep of Mordor. He really thought highly of Faramir. It shows so much of their relationship as brothers.
They should've kept that in as well as sarumans death, and theodens response to saruman from the books. Actually all of it everyone should see the extended version.
And, without it, you get the reaction a lot of people had. They don't see him as a once-noble man who was corrupted. They just see him as "that shifty guy who hung out with the group and got what he deserved".
I feel I need to say how awesome Christopher Lee (Saruman) was, he was a soldier, commando then spy in WWII then became an actor, HE was the man with the golden gun and Dracula several times. He was a good friend of Tolkien and his 1st choice to play Gandalf if they made a film in his lifetime. He was Count Dooku in Star Wars and was still playing Saruman up until his 90's as well as singing in a heavy metal band pretty much until his death. This guy was an absolute BOSS! R.I.P Sir Christoper Lee
Not denying one bit of the awesomeness of Christopher Lee, but.. He wasn't Tolkien's friend, he met him once. Tolkien did not express preference for him as Gandalf - he would've been too young at the time anyway. That's an urban myth.
The line 'A wizard should know better.' by Treebeard is such a perfect line. It just perfectly describes how Saruman in his greed and arrogance completely lost his wisdom. Its just as Gandalf said in the first movie. 'When did Saruman the wise abandon reason for madness'.
? Saruman wasn't consumed by greed or arrogance. He was Charmed, like Boromir with the ring. We saw that he was using a Seeing Stone, but he didn't know that Sauron had one too, and he Dominated Saruman. THAT is why he became corrupted, so that he was "not himself".
@@Aeroldoth3 I remember reading that one theme with Saruman is the corrupting nature of even studying evil to fight it. Saruman was renowned for studying his enemies and figuring out how they think, which gave him an edge at predicting his enemy’s strategies, but by doing so it also allowed the potential for corruption in Saruman as the more he studied his enemies and their power, the more enamored he became in acting like them (ruling with absolute power).
@@couragew6260 There is the Nietzche(?) quote about looking into the abyss... but we don't even need that. In the movies we saw Gandalf touch both the ring and the stone, and both times Sauron's eye popped up. Gandalf's concern about "not all the stones being accounted for" seems clear to me that anyone who used a stone would be dominated by Sauron, as in fact happened later with Merry(?). Studying others can make you more receptive to their ways, but I think a more direct route is responsible here.
That and Curunir as he was known by before was involved and witness to a much older story through the second age and was around before he became an Istari in Valinor. As all Maia and Vala at both EQUAL as Ainur. He fought a long defeat and it weighed on him. The influence of the ring of Morgoth within the earth itself as well as the presence of Sauron lurking around effecting everyone over many years stirring something in him much like how Maia became balrogs and the eagles.
Notice the contrast between Saruman using black powder for bombs, artefacts of destruction; whilst Gandalf used them for fireworks, to bring joy.
2 года назад+238
Sam's speech at the end is incredible. Many years ago now, I tattooed an elvish translation of the line "There is good in this world and it's worth fighting for" in a circle on my back. Last year, when my little sister died from mental health, at her funeral, I read the full speech. It already was the most important speech in the trilogy to me before, but now, it is probably the most important speech period, to me. Always brings up emotions hearing even parts of it.
@@0okamino Thanks! Planning to make a white tree of Gondor on my chest one day and filling in leaves and flowers with images in them of important things over time :)
38:40 What always hits me about Haldir's death is that Elves are potentially immortal. Humans die someday, be it today, in fifty years, or, in the case of Dunedain, in two hundred years, but they will die eventually. But those elves risked and lost their immortal lives to safe the Rohirrim. Millenia of lived lifes, experiences, knowledge... gone.
@@rollerdavem One of the few movie changes that Is better than the books. The elves coming to help men Is such a powerful event, that even Tolkien would like it
The culvert in the wall of Helms Deep was never an issue before. Whilst there were some low level explosives they were only used for fireworks but the ones created by Saruman were a new weapon never seen before. That's why when Wormtoungue stood over the pot with the candle he was stopped from getting closer otherwise Orthanc would have been rubble. This is also why Theoden was so utterly surprised by the explosion in the wall blowing a big hole in it, that type of weapon had never been envisaged before.
@@decanaba Correct - in the book, it is said that the Ents wanted to destroy it too, but they could only manage faint scratches upon the stone, whereas Treebeard is seen just idly crumbling some other stone between his fingers.
Faramirs line from the book shows his character very well i think. “I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.”
"But fear no more! I would not take this thing, if it lay by the highway. Not were Minas Tirith falling in ruin and I alone could save her, so, using the weapon of the Dark Lord for her good and my glory. No, I do not wish for such triumphs, Frodo son of Drogo."
And that's why Faramir is one of my favorite characters. These movies are lovely, but I'll admit I'm still sad that his character was so changed. (And, of course, changing Farmer Maggot, the most badass Hobbit to ever live.)
Fun little detail, before Eowyn offers soup to Aragorn she offers a bowl to Gimli but he politely turns it down. Dwarves have a stronger sense of smell than humans so he probably could smell that it was horrible and would've had a grand old time watching Aragorn pretend to enjoy it
Faramir's speech about the slain Haradrim always stuck with me "His sense of duty was no less than yours, I deem. You wonder what his name is... where he came from. And if he was really evil at heart. What lies or threats led him on this long march from home. If he would not rather have stayed there... in peace. War will make corpses of us all." Faramir was always the unwilling warrior, basing his unit off the Dunedain of the north and the Elves even calling themselves Rangers. He was a Scholar and Philosopher, a student of Gandalfs and a gentle soul. He fought because he had to not because he wanted to. He fought to earn the love of a father who would never give it. Side note: Pipeweed is Tobacco not Pot as much as i wish it otherwise.
Pipeweed definitely was tobacco in the books, but the movies very much play it otherwise...Merry and Pip and definitely getting stoned at the end of the film.
I am listening to the audiobooks, and these words about the Haradim perhaps not being evil actually come from Sam. “It was Sam's first view of a battle of Men against Men, and he did not like it much. He was glad that he could not see the dead face. He wondered what the man's name was and where he came from; and if he was really evil of heart, or what lies or threats had led him on the long march from his home; and if he would rather have stayed there in peace.” But I believe it is also appropriate from Faramir who DOES say: “I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.”
@@ohifonlyx33 Yeah, they gave Sam's lines to Faramir, and they fit his character very well. He was always one who preferred peace, but would absolutely take up arms, very capably, if need be. So I liked the choice to have him give that speech.
I always like to tell people that Aragorn and Arwen have been together since he was in his twenties. So they've been together for decades. Even though she's leaving, Aragorn will not be able to move on any time soon. I think he's kind to Eowyn because he sees she needs a friend. I think he's given her hope and when he entered her life, her life got better in all aspects (her uncle got better and Grima is gone and she has a friend in Aragorn). Then she finds out he's a descendent of Numenor who she thought were extinct. I think she believes she loves him but I think she's confused the hope and awe she feels for love.
She is in love of what he represents, not him. Her character in the book is so complex. At firsf so full of rage and the need to be like a man so she can feel useful and remembered. But after war, she realises being "manly" and wanting war and fight is NOT the answer and she wants to be a nurturing of life and a healer of things. Tolkien was pretty cool to show that a girl does not need to show manly traits to be strong.
@@LadyOndyne But she IS strong, and she is going to show just that in the next movie. Caring and nurturing and brave and strong are not opposites. Even Aragorn has that caring and nurturing qualities. But i bet everyone see what they want to see.
@@juanausensi499 It isn't that she isn't strong. Instead it's about her thirst for glory in battle and resentment for being kept from the fighting. When Theoden told her to lead their people the rest of the way to Helms Deep while the men fought the Warg riders, she tried to insist she could fight instead of being relegated to non-combat leadership. She felt she had to act like a man and fight in order to be useful and have meaning in her life. But she sees that being a woman and having feminine traits and roles isn't to be lesser or without honor. She finds out war isn't the glory she thought it would be, and while healing is a gentle pursuit she would have shunned before, it is just as meaningful and honorable as fighting to protect one's home.
From what I know of Boromir in the books, he was always known as the helper and protector of Faramir. He would protect his younger brother’s honour, giving him responsibilities that would gain him some respect and renown, defending Faramir from their father’s wrath. It’s telling to see that Boromir was easy to gain the respect of and love from which is what the Ring twisted and corrupted in the end.
25:21 - I totally get that not every line from the book can be included but I am always a bit sad that Eowyn's response to Aragorn's 'valour without renown' speech didn't make the cut. In the book she replies "All your words are but to say: you are a woman, and your part is in the house. But when the men have died in battle and honour, you have leave to be burned in the house, for the men will need it no more". And Tolkien actually lets her have the last word, and arguably get the better of the argument. It's a cool moment and one of the few times that Aragorn isn't necessarily presented as being entirely in the right.
And fools say Tolkien is not Woke. They are wrong, he is just not "woke". He created a REAL heroine in Eowyn. She wasn't Xhena, she was a bird in a cage longing to be free. And she broke free.
Except that [SPOILERS] This isn't the #GIRLBOSS #strongwomen #fightlikeagirl moment that feminists think it is. Tolkien never glorifies war, because he fought in a world war. If Eowyn seems to glorify battle, it is because she is scared to stay behind and see her loved ones die like her cousin. Eowyn was scared of being vulnerable, afraid of loss... so she put up a strong front and was mad at anyone who told her to stay behind. Of course, she does ride out later into battle and she DOES prove herself. She is strong and courageous and kills that which cannot be killed by man, BUT she also is horrified by what she sees and is consumed by darkness after. She wished to fight like men and seek glory, but it isn't until she meets Faramir, a man of battle who fights with valor and honor for a just cause but who also does not love the sword and arrow, that she is able to come back into light. Then her perspective literally shifts from this tormented woman living in perpetual misery, wanting nothing more than to slay the enemy before they get to her people, to this smiling woman who wants to go live her cottagecore life with her husband, healing and growing and nurturing... And that brings her joy and peace and rest. 'I wished to be loved by another,' she answered, 'But I desire no man's pity.' 'That I know,' he [Faramir] said. 'You desired to have the love of the Lord Aragorn. Because he was high and puissant, and you wished to have renown and glory and to be lifted far above the mean things that crawl on the earth. And as a great captain may to a young soldier he seemed to you admirable. For so he is, a lord among men, the greatest that now is. But when he gave you only understanding and pity, then you desired to have nothing, unless a brave death in battle. Look at me, Éowyn!' And Éowyn looked at Faramir long and steadily; and Faramir said: 'Do not scorn pity that is the gift of a gentle heart, Éowyn! But I do not offer you my pity, For you are a lady high and valiant and have yourself won renown that shall not be forgotten; and you are a lady beautiful, I deem, beyond even the words of the Elven-tongue to tell. And I love you. Once I pitied your sorrow. But now, were you sorrowless, without fear or any lack, were you the blissful Queen of Gondor, still I would love you. Éowyn do you not love me?' Then the heart of Éowyn changed, or else at last she understood it. And suddenly her winter passed, and the sun shone on her. 'I stand in Minas Anor, the Tower of the Sun,' she said; 'and behold! the Shadow has departed! I will be a sheildmaiden no longer, nor vie with the great Riders, nor take joy only in the songs of slaying. I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren.' And again she looked at Faramir. 'No longer do I desire to be a queen,' she said.
Treebeard and the Entmoot weren’t (at least I don’t believe they were) a metaphor for government but rather Treebeard had a very specific inspiration, his mannerisms and especially his shall we say catchphrase “don’t be hasty” was directly inspired by Tolkien’s good friend and colleague C. S. Lewis (you may remember him as the author of the Chronicles of Narnina series). The taught across the hall from one another at Oxford, and with other friends formed something of a literary club they called The Inklings. And the line “Don’t be hasty” was something Lewis would often tell to his students.
I like how Aragorn is slightly grinning when he admits he's 87 He knows he's still got it xD Also, Gimli and Legolas have one of my favourite bromances just in any movie, ever. The two are great.
@@toolatetothestory In the books Legolas takes Gimli into the deep parts of Fangorn forest to show him the majesty of that ancient forest and Gimli takes Legolas into the caverns of Helms Deep to show Legolas the beauty of the caves. Upon returning from viewing the caves Legolas states that only a dwarf could find the right words to describe what he saw. The two travel together back to their homes and after the war they maintain their friendship to such an extent that when the time comes for Legolas to leave middle earth it is said Gimli went with him. The only dwarf to forsake middle earth for the sake of his friendship with Legolas and out of a desire to see Lady Galadriel again.
@@toolatetothestory Why would I spoil it? I want people to read the books if they’re interested in the story. But, I can tell you that there is much more dialogue between them and they do enjoy the others company. Lego goes with Gims to underground places and Gims goes with Lego to forested places, about all I’ll say. Edit: nvm I see someone spoiled it already lol I just want people to read
When Legolas gives his advice about the Orc armour's weak spots, I always imagine some hardened elf master archer at the back grumbling "aye we know that little princeling, we've been killing Orc for a 1000 years before you were born" & getting a chuckle out of his mates :D
I really like the 'valor without renown' line, since it has such a deep meaning. It means that there can be a time where you have to fight and resist evil (valor) as the very last line of defense, in which time there will be no one left to remember your valor and share the story after (renown). It just gives so much weight to how hopeless the reality of their situation is. They kept fighting while fully knowing an utter defeat is possible.
The forbidden pool basically marks the entrance to their secret hideout in what is now enemy territory. They don’t even let their allies know about it. (Hence the blindfolds when they bought them there) The strategic importance of its secrecy necessitated the death penalty for trespassers.
and that is Faramir’s rule, which he is free to waive. He’s doing it to make Frodo tell him the truth. After all, Gollum doesn’t know the pool is anything besides a pool. He would only be a threat if he knew that the pool was an entrance to something.
The Numenoreans (Aragorn's heritage) really knew how to build strongholds and big things. They built Helm's Deep, Minas Tirith, Minas Ithil, Osgiliath, The Black Gates (to keep Mordor contained), The Argonath, The Great Watchtower of Amon Sûl and hewed the tower of Orthanc (Isengard).
Don't blame Theoden for not foreseeing Saruman's plan for the wall. He and Aragorn had no idea Saruman was going to use explosives The culvert by itself was too small to be a danger.
I mean think about gunpowder in actual history and its influence onto the battlefield when it became widely used. Suddenly the old tactics were causing massakers on your own side but it took time to adjust to the new rules of war.
Yes, it's no more a bad design than the exhaust port was on the Death Star...reactors need exhaust vents to keep from overheating, and if not for the culvert, eventually Helm's Deep would've become Helm's Lake.
Here's a fun fact for y'all: that was not the only bomb the orcs had at Helm's Deep. In the book, the orcs planted explosives at multiple points along the wall, and even had hand grenades, some of which they threw at Aragorn while he was trying to convince them to leave at dawn of the last day of the siege.
@@robertbryant8243 I can find no reference in the book to hand grenades. There was indeed an explosion under the gate Aragorn had stood upon, but that's all Tolkien says about it. And other than the one in the previous paragraph, I couldn't find mention of other explosives. Can you point any out to me?
@@BobBlumenfeld "Taking his leave, he returned to the walls, and passed round all their circuit, enheartening the men. Legolas went with him. *Blasts of fire leaped up from below shaking the stones*. Grappling hooks were hurled, and ladders raised. Again and again the Orcs gained the summit of the outer wall, and again the defenders cast them down." You're probably right about the hand grenades though; that may have just been a product of my fevered imagination.
I love that Faramir says that his coming into the opportunity to possess the Ring is a chance for him to prove his quality - and he does. By letting it go.
Saruman’s lines are so good you might have to join him… 🤣 His power is his voice. He speaks and the words weave into your mind, making you want to listen and believe the words he says. It is dangerous to have a conversation with him, most people would fall to the spell, and trust his words.
2:40 She's an expert horsewoman and warrior, making decent stew is just outside her skill set. 11:50 Viggo loved that horse, he actually bought two horses after filming finished and paid a vet in New Zealand to stable and take care of them and he visited them often.
Don’t you dare Don’t you FUCKING DARE besmirch Eowyn’s name like that You know how many cookbooks they have in Edoras? How many culinary classes? They don’t, that’s how many. You learn to cook from your family and guess what, Éowyn doesn’t get to hang around her mom and dad, her duty is to take care of the king, who for god knows how long has been 60 going on 160, totally fucking useless and only takes advice from an escaped convict from Madame Tussaud’s, no one can even be bothered to fix the fucking flag and Éowyn’s job has been to pretend like all of this is a-oh-goddamn-kay all the while training with a sword, and on top of that she’s pretty damn light on good cooking influences - Éomer, the only family she’s got that doesn’t have fucking Saruman‘s hand up their ass is Éomer, who eats a goddamn brick of meat off a knife. You really expect her to learn to make a good vichyssoise from The Meat Marshal? No fuckin way, Éowyn is stressed af and she’ll be damned if you’re gonna give her shit for not being able to Gordon Ramsay on the road with nothing edible but lumps of whatever the hell that was in the soup. Tbh it’s a fucking miracle considering the circumstances that Éowyn managed to conjure soup out of nothing - you’re not gonna give her shit because she didn’t add enough flour to the base, you take it and are fucking grateful. Aragorn understood this. Did he complain like some shitty suburban parent at an Olive Garden? No he fucking didn’t, because that would be a grade A ~dick move~, and because Éowyn would’ve probably just fucking lost it and killed him on the spot and then we wouldn’t have gotten a third movie, and if Aragorn understands one thing it’s box office ka-ching. He’s not stupid, he wants his $$$ and to not die and to not be a piece of shit. So you don’t. Talk. Smack. Bout. Baeowyn’s. Soup. 🙃
I really appreciate both your takes on Gandalfs changes, because this is much more important than many people realize, even though its absolutely understandable that you can't grasp every aspect of the movies when there are so many of them. Sarumans job was to basically be the main-opponent of Sauron, the one to rally the armies and unite the forces of good. Gandalf was supposed to be an advisor, someone wo wants to understand the people, while Radagasts job was to tend to the animals. What we see here is Gandalf taking another job. That of Saruman.
Hey Thor! Theodens speech when his armor is being put on him is partly from an old English poem called 'The Wanderer' Tolkien was a big fan of old English and Norse mythology. I think you should give it a look over think you would enjoy it. Thanks for another great video!
Tolkien wasn't "a big fan of" Old English/Norse mythology. He was one of, if not the most, prominent scholar and academic authority on Anglo-Saxon language and Norse culture of his time at Oxford, whose academic insight is still studied and accepted to this day across the world. Credit where credit's due.
@@rollomaughfling380 I don't disagree but I doubt he would have chosen to do that with his time if he hadn't loved the subject which makes him also a fan. A well studied one of course.
23:23 “we are alone” “No you’re not” Book: “Yes! Yes, they really are” Long story short: Mankind had to fend for themselves because the other races were also fighting Sauron’s armies, and were completely overwhelmed as is. That is how BIG Sauron’s army was. The elf reinforcements were a pure movie thing added in (I’m not complaining though)
@@Matt-ij7pe Not as far as I remember. The dwarves had their own issues to fight in the War of the Ring, there are no other races that came to reinforce those defending Helm's Deep. In the books Gandalf arrives at dawn with a thousand men and ents to help them.
@@Matt-ij7pe The Dwarves of Erebor were too busy fighting in their homeland, so they don't make an appearance in the main body of the book. The appendices do talk about the battle of Dale. And it is mentioned somewhere that they did come to Minas Tirith after the war to rebuild the main gate.
it took 4 months to film Helm's Deep. of 120 days it rained 90 of them. afterwards somebody printed up "I survived Helm's Deep" shirts for the whole crew.
That flashback with Boromir, Faramir and Denethor is definitely one that should not have been cut from the theatrical release. So much story, so much character.
Elrond is blunt with Arwen because he loves her, but also because he knows something about losing someone to mortality. As half-elven, Elrond chose to be an immortal Elf, but his brother chose to be mortal. Elrond has lived thousands of years past his brother's death by this time. (Aragorn is descended from Elrond's brother.)
27:00 Theoden story arc is phenomenal. Here we have a true leader feeling all the responsibility and reflecting upon what he must do. And he does not hide behind armies - he actively leads from the front. How many military and political leaders do that in real life?
Gosh the love I feel for each of these characters... Gimli who might be a small dwarf but has the heart and the courage of a giant. Aragorn who is honestly the most humble and most valiant man to ever exist. Eôwyn the shield maiden of Rohan, brave and beautiful and gentle. Our sweet and smart little hobbits who grow so much throughout the story, proving that even the tiniest creatures in the world can make a huge difference. Gandalf... my favourite wizard of all time, witty and powerful, always there to guide and help and protect. ...and so many more! And each character has traits we can learn something from. It's great to rewatch this glorious and timeless masterpiece with you guys ❤
"Water is such an ally in these films." This is mainly because Ulmo, the valar/"god" of the oceans, is one of the only divine being still doing his best to help free people.
28:08 What not many people realize is that that's the son of the guy who got killed by the warg scout, so him loosing hope after his father just got killed, its quiet understandable
The look of sheer excitement and pure joy on this guys face even after 20+ viewings is all of us. Appreciate not backseating too. Also credit to her for being so observant and perceptive. Great reaction from both of you. Genius for cross channeling too. 👏 Gothmog - Hold my beer.
When Grima realizes what his betrayal caused, and one teardrop spills out from his eyes while he has shocked face. What an amazing acting... absolutely brilliant.
I think it's important to keep in mind when Théoden tells Eowen that she must not take part in the cavalry skirmish, that this has come just after the death of his only son and heir, and with his nephew all but gone, she is the only living family he has left. Of course he isn't going to let her fight, he is of course riding out for the sake of his people, but he is likely riding out with her personal safety in mind. I see way to many people react so flippantly to that moment and it's a shame, because it actually gives us a great insight into Théoden's mindset at that time period, that he his afraid of bringing more death to his family and Kingdom and will do whatever he thinks right to prevent it.
From the book: "And then, sudden and terrible, from the tower above, the sound of the great horn of Helm rang out. All that heard that sound trembled. Many of the Orcs cast themselves on their faces and covered their ears with their claws. Back from the Deep the echoes came, blast upon blast, as if on every cliff and hill a mighty herald stood. But on the walls men looked up, listening with wonder; for the echoes did not die. Ever the horn-blasts wound on among the hills; nearer now and louder they answered one to another, blowing fierce and free."
The 'involved in the war' part is so potent. Especially when looking at the backstory about when Tolkien designed this story. Deep in the trenches of WWI, he had a unique viewpoint of how horrible war was. The sacrifice, the selflessness, the horror. Tolkien experienced all that which is what gives his writing so much emotional weight. He understood how even ignoring the conflict was basically feeding into it. The fact he was an incredible learned linguist and visionary doesn't hurt at all either, but being a combat infantryman myself, I've always respected his viewpoints on the effect of warfare on the individual. Even those who claimed world wide conflict 'wasn't their concern' (aka America, my homeland, for both of the world wars).
@@rollomaughfling380 In his letters Tolkien has called his work both an allegory and not one. He even went on to explain the story WAS an allegory about power, but the theme was more about death and immortality than anything else. “I had a real taste for fairy-stories,” Tolkien once explained, “which was wakened by philology on the threshold of manhood, and quickened to full life by war.” So no one is projecting anything, simply acknowledging how his actual experience translates to his characters. “This business,” he wrote in another letter, “began so far back that it might be said to have begun at birth…But the mythology (and associated languages) first began to take shape during the 1914-18 war…The kernel of the mythology, the matter of Lúthien Tinúviel and Beren, arose from a small woodland glade filled with 'hemlocks' (or other white umbellifers) near Roos on the Holderness peninsula-to which I occasionally went when free from regimental duties while in the Humber Garrison in 1918.” Not really projecting anything when the author himself admits it. And my comment wasn’t to draw direct parallels to the nations or that specific conflict, just simply the fact that he existed thru that which gave him a unique view point on the emotions and struggles of individuals who would experience those same difficulties. Which is why it gives his characters more depth. The ‘America sitting out the war’ wasn’t supposed to directly call out their inaction during that time, but simply acknowledge that a natural human reaction to distant conflict is to look at that as ‘someone else’s issue’. Mordor isn't Germany, Gondor isn’t England, but the book does capture the spirit and intensity that comes from conflict, the bonds created by those who suffer thru it, and (my favorite part) regardless on how conflicts ends, it fundamentally changes those involved. Even the ones that made it home physically in one piece.
@@RicoRaynn Seems a stretch coming from "the backstory about when Tolkien designed this story. Deep in the trenches of WWI . . ." Obviously his experiences at the Somme would shape his perspective, but to suggest that they were the formative impulses driving the creation of his multiverse, written decades later, (like you did to begin with) is not definitive, especially when you're also quoting him contradicting this, saying "'This business,' he wrote in another letter, 'began so far back that it might be said to have begun at birth.'" Authors (of popular books, poetry, rock music) are often not the most reliable narrators of even their own inspirations. In latching on to one or another of their accounts, in retrospect, one risks one singular hagiography or another. Looking back, maybe I shouldn't have termed it 'projection," a charged word, but the idea was clearly at hand. I appreciate your thoughtful rebuttal, but due to the preponderance of differing statements by Tolkien, I remain unconvinced by your original statement.
@@rollomaughfling380 the ‘trenches’ comment wasn’t meant to imply that Tolkien chose to design and create the story while serving there. His entire front line service was less than six months (if I remember right) due to him catching trench fever which prevented him from ever serving on the frontline again. Which turned out to be a blessing due his Battalion being effectively wiped out a few weeks after he was sent back to hospital. His writings were constantly in flux. The Silmarillion is probably the best example of the constant shifts Tolkien made over the years. I’ve heard a few others claim that LOTR should be classified as a ‘war story’ which I also understand due to the emotions and subject matter it delves into, but I think it sells the literature short. In my mind it’s a dive into the human thought process when thrown into the worst imaginable situation. And you get glimpses into multiple ideas on how people, and nations, deal with that. But I think that time Tolkien spent in combat, dealing with the horror and loss, really gave his work something more. Which is an oddity, even when compared to other writers. I love CS Lewis’ work as well, but the emotions of his characters are nowhere as deep as Tolkien. Robert Jordan and Martin fall into that category as well. But I also think that’s why Tolkien’s work is so well accepted and loved. Simply because it deals with the emotional content of being human, much less than simply pushing a specific ideal. I worded my initial comment poorly in that regard. Was not my intent to claim he first came up with idea in WWI.
@@RicoRaynnRight. "Informed," "inspired," and "designed" are terms with vastly different meanings I would think Tolkien would have liked to point out himself 😀. But I appreciate your candor, and your enthusiasm toward the body of work here, and your point of view as a fellow veteran. Take care.
Faramir's speech over the body of the young Southron immediately makes me think of Tolkien's time in WW1, how he probably viewed his enemies, both living and dead.
Poor Theodan was valid to be confident his walls would hold. Never before were there explosives so the thought that the walls could be breached was unheard of.
Sam's speech at the end is one of the best speeches of all time, in anything. I'll actually play it when I'm feeling hopeless about the world. So... I've watched it a lot over the past few years.
Something to remark is the fact that rock launching is the hobbits way to fight, instead of using arrows they are so good at throwing them. Literally those rocks are mortal weapons.
When Elrond is speaking to Arwen there is a rather important tapestry in the background. It has the Trees of Valinor, Laurilen and Telperion, on it. The Trees were the source of light in the world for many years. After they were killed the Valar fashioned the sun and moon from their remains. The boat and the star above it are references to Elrond's father, Eärendil. Eärendil sailed to Valinor with one of the Silmarils, a sacred gem containing the light of the Trees, and it was set as a star in the heavens.
“Weed” was slang for tobacco when Tolkien was writing. The books make it very clear that they’re referring to tobacco. Hobbits are not smoking marijuana, regardless of what many stoners try to claim.
Well Tolkien doesn't exactly say what it is. The hobbits smoke many herbs and longbottom leaf is one of the rare plants, believed coming from Valinor or Numinor.
@@colinstubblefield4670 Tolkein explained it in the appendix; it's a form of tobacco. People didn't start using "weed" as slang for marijuana until years after these books were written.
Pipe weed is not the marijuana. It is a LOTR version of tobacco first grown in Numenor and brought to middle earth in the second age. J.R.R. Tolkien was born in 1892, where he grew up in England where at the time, recreational cannabis consumption was, almost entirely unheard of. Even its traditional medical uses were becoming “unfashionable,” replaced by newer forms of pain relief like aspirin. New media portraying it as cannabis and making people think it is "weed", is down right wrong.
One of my favorite moments in this whole series is when King Theoden looks up and sees his nephew and Eomer bellows "to the king!" As they charge. Like that's not just his uncle, that's his KING and he could very well be riding into death to save his king. I love that. Full body shivers every time.
Helm's Deep was absolutely amazing in the theaters. The entire room shook with the Uruk-hai's marching and slamming of the spears on the ground. Just phenomenal. There are some things I'm holding back on saying, since you're going to be diving into the books. I did note before it cut to a different part of the scene, Domi reacting to the one-eyed man who yells "Fire!" He was on set, I don't think he was one of the actors, but I'm not sure. Peter asked if he could see what was under his eyepatch and then asked if he could film him. The gentleman was very self-conscious but decided to do it. I remember my reaction in the theater was a moment of shock and then a brief thought of "How did they make that look so real?"--well it was real.
I love that you can see how well-respected Aragorn is by both Theoden and the elves. When Haldir shows up he looks at Aragorn for the line "We come to honor that allegiance" as if it's him they feel they owe their allegiance. And even tho Theoden is the king of Rohan, Aragorn takes command of the elves for the battle
58:39 I *LOVE* the duality of Smeagol/ Gollum, especially in this particular film 🎭💍👍🏾 1:00:58 We ALL miss the Grey Pilgrim but his rebirth as the White Rider was *cool AF* 🐎🧙🏻♂️✨
@@nickreacts6394 I can understand giving it a chance. But for a lore nerd like me, when they in the trailer had Elendil (the father of Isildur - the guy that cut the ring of sauron in the first movie) say "the past is dead", that is so antithetical to the book Elendil that I am just off. There is devianting from the lore, and then there is outright doing the opposite. The book character of Elendil is essentially a super conservative guy who does not fall to evil, because he is like "we should act like we did 1000 years ago". So Amazon lost me. But I do hope for some pretty still images and music.
@@And-ur6ol I feel too many people get too hung up on "the lore" when they talk about RoP. Especially if one sentence from a character in a trailer is enough to lose you - a character, mind you, that appears on like what? 30 or so pages during his 322 years of living. Saying that one sentence is "so antithetical" to a character feels like grasping to me. If such a small deviation is enough to lose you, then I don't get how you can enjoy the Peter Jackson movies either, with all their deviations from the lore? In the end, all Tolkien's works are supposed to be taken from copies of copies of copies of a book that Bilbo and Frodo wrote, meaning that everything we read about in the Hobbit, LotR or Silmarillion may have happened in a completely different manner than what we consider 'lore'. Which is why I'm completely fine with the addition of Tauriel (lore-wise, at least, the character was kinda cringe) in the Hobbit, and whatever characters and storylines they invent for RoP; because I'll see this as just a different adaptation of the Red Book - or maybe even an adaptation from stories that are not in the Red Book at all. I'm not saying that RoP will 100% be amazing, and that everyone should think so, I just think it's weird how obsessed some people (I'm not saying you're one of them) seem to be about lore specifics for this show, while completely disregarding the same thing for the PJ movies.
@@Frelzor It is not just one line. I just think that line is the most telling about the whole show in the shortest amount of time. I don't like that they made the elves have short hair. I don't like how they made dwarf women have no (or almost no) beard. I don't like how they made a dwarf woman black, when dwarves are suppose to live underground. I don't like how they have a black elf when Tolkien have described them as fair skinned. I don't like the inclusion of hobbits (or Harfoot), when they weren't even there in the second age. I don't like how they have turned Sauron into a human male, when we know Sauron would never portray himself as "mortal". He would portray himself as good, as a emissary of Valinor, but never as a human or elf. I don't like how they have Elrond tell off Galadriel when she was not only his mother in law, but also much older, and of higher birth than him. It is just silly. I don't like how they have black hobbits I don't like how they have black numenorians Which by the way makes me wonder. With black elves, black dwarves, black hobbits and black numenorians... Just when was the giant genocide of the black people suppose to happen between the second and third age? I don't like how they turned Galadriel from a powerful and very feminine woman, into some sort of warrior queen. As if women can only be "strong" if they act like men. What make Galadriel so amazing, is that she is the embodiment of feminine virtues, and yet still the most powerful elf in the 3rd age. I don't like how Galadriel acts like a 18 something teenager, when she was thousands of years old at the time. I don't like the elves costumes. I don't like the numenorians armor. I don't like Elendils character. I don't like how they removed Celeborn (just so they can have Galadriel be single at the start) I could go on, but I think you catch my drift... I have A LOT OF PROBLEMS with RoP. And I would say the main problem boils down to this. I felt like Peter Jackson respected Tolkiens work, when he made the LOTR trilogy. I don't feel like the RoP writers respect Tolkien. Not when they say things like "Can we come up with the novel Tolkien never wrote and do it as the mega-event series that could only happen now?". That tells me that they don't view Tolkien as their superior. And that is peak arrogance from someone that has no credit to their resume yet. The disrespect I get for Tolkien, from RoP is the buttom line issue here. And it is a serious one. ALL the other stuff just confirms this issue. And when Amazon makes a trailer where they talk about "the past is dead", that isn't an accident. That is deliberate, and it is sending a clear message to the real fans, that the Tolkien fans are not welcome. Also, not how they have changed their marketing from "Tolkien adaption" to "based on the works of Tolkien". There is so many issues here. It is not just about breaking lore.
@@Frelzor If RoP was a fantasy show on it's own merits. I would probably applaud it, and definetely watch it. But using Tolkiens name and works as a starting point, changes everything. There are some works you don't disrespect. LOTR is one of them. At least to me and many other fans.
More reactors need to share these like you 2 are. It's so much more enjoyable to have 2 parts uploaded to 2 channels at once... instead of waiting a week to see each part! 🤣 Plus it's more fun to watch multiple people watch. If one has seen it they can help fill in the blanks, but neither have it's fun to see them work together to put things together too.
It's interesting that you said that 'water is such an ally in this movie' because Ulmo, the spirit responsible for all the waters in Arda/the Poseidon equivalent in Tolkien's world, is actually the Dark Lord and his minions' greatest enemy. And Ulmo has always been one of the few, aside from Yavanna and maybe Oromë, who is concerned about and directly/indirectly involved in the events occurring in Middle-earth.
The perception of time is inherently different for the Elves and Men; Elves are immortal, so all their grieves, losses etc are also profound on the level the Men cannot ever reach, as their lives are just a fleeting thing in the eyes of the Elves. Just imagine yourself being immortal and see your loved one wither and being gone in the blink of an eye, while you yourself just linger on and feeling that loss forever? Not a very tempting fate. Thats why the romantic relationships between the Elves and Men are extremely rare in the Middle Earth, and only in very special circumstances. Even most of them didnt end up well, or at least somewhat bittersweet.
I didn't learn this until recently, but Elrond and his brother was able to choose their race (because of things that occurred with his parents). Elrond chose to be an elf, while his brother chose to be mortal. Of anyone in Middle Earth, Elrond knows the pain of what Arwen (and by extension Aragorn) will go through, and he tries to prevent that fate. He does it out of love and compassion. I've always believed that Elrond knew the weight of what he was asking.
@@curtiswfranks true, but because of lies and deceptions of Melkor (and later Sauron) many Men became to see rather a curse than a gift. It also created much of resentment towards the Elves from Men, and how couldnt it have? Elves, even the most primitive clans, seemed almost otherwordly in the eyes of Men and reminded Men of their own seeming feeblesness compared to the "Elven superiority".
1:01:30 Gandalf is a "Maia". One of five Maiar that the Valar sent to Middle Earth long, long ago. The Valar (the "Gods") sent the Maiar (think of them as Archangels or Demigods) to Middle-earth to help contest the evil of the fallen Maiar, Sauron and Balrogs. (Yes, in a sense, Gandalf and the Balrog are brothers.) They had great skills of hand and mind and assumed the guise of Men, seemingly old but of great vigor. Their mission was to guide Elves and Men by gaining trust, giving advice, and spreading knowledge, not by ruling them with fear and force. They were known as the "Istari" or Wizards. These Istari were: *_Gandalf the Grey_* (later Gandalf the White) *_Saruman the White_* (Curumo or Curunír; later "Saruman of Many Colors") *_Radagast the Brown_* (Aiwendil) Two "Blue Wizards" (for their sea-blue robes, they went East and disappeared) Gandalf was known by the following names: *_Olórin_* (his "true name" as a Maiar) *_Gandalf_* (Men, Hobbits, in the North) *_Mithrandir_* (Elves : "Grey Pilgrim" or "Grey Wanderer") *_Incánus_* (Gondor / in the South, possibly "Mind Ruler" or "Mind Master") *_Tharkûn_* (Dwarves : "Staff Man") *_Greyhame_* (Rohan : "Grey Cloak") *_The Grey Pilgrim_* (Elves & friends of elves) *_Stormcrow_* (by King Théoden of Rohan, due to Gandalf chasing trouble) *_White Rider_* (by some of Edoras) *_Láthspell_* (derogatory name by Grima Wormtongue : "Bad News") *_Old Greybeard_* *_Gandalf the Wandering Wizard_*
In the scene where Aragorn talk to Haleth, you can see another boy next to him before Aragorn asks to see his sword, that's Viggo Mortensen's son Henry (who pushed his dad into accepting the role as Aragorn) making a cameo. He also appears as an orc that Aragorn kills in The Return of the King, that scene was done in pick ups in 2003 so he is older there and even taller than his dad. Haleth himself is played by Callum Griffith who is writer Philipa Boyens' son, though his voice broke, so he had to be overdubbed by another boy who was at the right age.
Sam is the heart of this movie. He defines the theme of the entire trilogy with that line, "That there's some good in this world and it's worth fighting for." I'm team Sam. Completely.
Love watching the reactions of a true fan and one who is becoming a true fan! With all the credit given to some of the actors, I don't think Bernard Hill (Theoden) and Miranda Otto (Eowyn) get enough credit. But then all the acting is superb, like the little girl being put on the horse... amazing!
24:50 Eowyn: My Lord! Aragorn! I am to be sent with the women into the caves. Aragorn: That is an honorable charge. Eowyn: To mind the children, to find food and bedding when the men return. What renown is there in that? Aragorn: My Lady, there may come a time for valor without renown. Eowyn: They also want me to cook more... Aragorn: (yells) Someone get her a sword and shield! We need her in battle!!
Viggo Mortensen actually bonded with the horse Brego real name Uraeus so much that he bought it and kept it after the film wrapped it passed in 2015 viggo wrote "Aged 28, but a timeless presence in the minds of those who had the honour of knowing this proud, handsome, and supremely intelligent being, mighty Uraeus has finally come to rest on the physical plane. Thank you, Jane and Ray, for helping him do so with dignity. Dearest friend and teacher, I hold you and keep you."
Araogrn is not immortal, but Arwen is and that is what she is giving up if she marries him. In the first movie, Strider sings the Lay of Luthien, who was an elvish princess who gave up her immortality for her love of Beren, a man. On the gravestones of JRR Tolkien and his wife Edith are the names are Beren and Luthien.
In the books, Faramir shows his quality way before it’s mentioned in the movie. From the start he never had any intention to give the Ring to his father. He resisted its charms when his brother succumbed to it. Faramir is a very honorable man
I read these books 50 years ago (I know) it fascinates me how Gollum seems to have jumped right off the pages... exactly how I pictured him to be. The books are amazing, I know you'll love them!
While the ent-moot takes several days in the book, they don't need to be tricked into attacking Isengard, and the movie missed the perfect to have the ents sing their war chant as they march. "We come, we come with roll of drum: ta-runda runda runda rom! We come, we come with horn and drum: ta-rūna rūna rūna rom! To Isengard! Though Isengard be ringed and barred with doors of stone; Though Isengard be strong and hard, as cold as stone and bare as bone, We go, we go, we go to war, to hew the stone and break the door; For bole and bough are burning now, the furnace roars - we go to war! To land of gloom with tramp of doom, with roll of drum, we come, we come; To Isengard with doom we come! With doom we come, with doom we come!"
If I'm not mistaken, Faramir has been mentored by Gandalf in the past. It is not shown in the movies, but Boromir was always the fighter, and the one interested in war and leadership, while Faramir loved to read and learn. So I think here when Faramir lets Frodo and Sam go, it shows the wisdom imparted to him by Gandalf. But most importantly, it shows that if it were not for Gandalf planting all of these small seeds of hope and wisdom in the people of middle earth for literally millennia, then things would have arguably not gone as "well" as they did.
Very much so! That poker face is incredible. I seriously need to learn from this, as I'm nowhere near that able to keep my real emotions and reactions hidden! Especially in regards to Gollum's character.
Fun fact, but Viggo Mortensen actually LOVES horses and buys just about every horse he works with, if he can manage. During the filming of LOTR, he would get up hours before the rest of the cast to go brush his horse partner, go riding, and he'd be in the stables practically any chance that he could get. I saw a picture once of them sharing a bowl of oatmeal, because he'd genuinely bring the horse to the kitchen table with him sometimes 😂 I just find it so incredibly wholesome that he has such a connection to the horses that he works with in his films. I'll try to link the video that talks about all this if I can find it! I think it was mentioned in a behind the scenes bit on one of the movies.
Don't feel too bad for the dead elves. Their spirits will spend some time in the Halls of Mandos before they are reincarnated in exact replicas of their old bodies in Valinor. Elves are Immortal, capital I :D And it's that immortality that Arwen is giving up for Aragorn, she will still live for thousands of years before... well before eventually dying of depression tbh... kinda dark but there we are. Anyway her spirit will visit the Hall of Mandos before passing on to... well wherever the spirits of mortal creatures (Men, Hobbits & the other half-elves of Elrond's bloodline that chose mortality) go when they die, Tolkien never revealed their exact fate.
I totally agree that Smeagol/Gollum is one of the greatest characters in these movies. Andy Serkis did such an amazing job bringing this character to life. I would imagine that even Tolkien might have liked that part but it is hard to determine as he was very critical about every adaption of his work. This movie has some very controversal changes compared to the book and i still remember after watching it at the cinema for the first time i was really bothered by especially one of these changes while i totally loved another of them. I won't go into detail not to spoil your reading of the books right now. But the Smeagol/Gollum arc in this movie is definitely one of my favourites about it and it immediately was. They also did a great job making the Ents fight in Isengard. That was really fun to watch.
The thing is, Elrond is a half-elf, and those people get to choose whether to live as mortals or to embrace immortality. Elrond’s brother, Elros, chose to be mortal, and went on to be the first King of Númenor (the fall of these people is one of the stories the Amazon show is going to cover). This is why Elrond couldn’t turn on Isildur when he kept The Ring; they’re family. Incidentally, the Ents couldn’t destroy Saruman’s Tower of Orthanc- it was built by the Men of Númenor when they first returned to middle earth, using methods long since lost. When their Kingdoms declined, Saruman ended up being handed the keys.
4:40 I really want to say this - Aragorn wasn't just living with Arwen! Elrond wouldn't give her to Aragorn unless he could prove himself King of Gondor - so he HAS to go to get his paradise! I really love that.
The shot where Frodo and the wraith face off on the battlements of osgiliath is fantastic. The wraith is on the dark side of the sky and Frodo is right at the part where the light meets the dark. Sam comes and forcefully pulls Frodo back squarely to the light. Such good symbolism
Elrond's discussion with Arwen comes not just from his concern for her - he watched his own brother, who also chose mortality, age and die several thousand years ago. He's witnessed the story of an elf choosing mortality for love of another before.
They expanded more on Eowyn's not being brought to fight in the books. 1) They were riding out from Rohan to meet the enemy rather than being ambushed on the way to Helm's Deep, only retreating there after realising just how mighty the enemy force was. Eowyn was tasked with leading the non-combatants to the safety in the White Mountains. 2) They needed someone to stay behind, both for the reason mentioned above and in case this fight led to their deaths. Eowyn was strong, capable and beloved by the people, so if Theoden and Eomer died in the battle against Saruman's forces and the Wildmen (present at Helm's Deep in the books), there would still be someone to lead Rohan. It was more 'her strength was needed elsewhere'.
The reason why Legolas can swing onto the horse and defy gravity and walk on top of the snow while the others couldn’t is because he is an elf and is very light on his feet and extremely agile. Living for 2,000 years at this point as well also allows him to have had a lot of practice.
I remember watching this movie in the theater, it is the one that confirmed me as a Peter Jackson fan. I was still holding myself apart after the first film because of my deep respect for Tolkien. The Helm’s Deep filming and screenplay utterly swept away my reservations. This is Tolkien at his most perfect in the English tragic tradition. The balance in the king’s speeches is beautiful and poetic in the Anglosaxon idiom. Notice that all of the words are native, Germanic ones: ‘Where is the rider,…’ etc. It could have been part of a Shakespearean drama.
Regarding Peter Jackson's children: I think you're right, and I think they also appeared in a medium-distance shot in the caves when the young boys were being conscripted.
I've watched so many reactions to this trilogy this is def one of my favs now. Yalls dynamic for this is great getting the reaction of someone seeing it for the 1st time and someone who's seen it just appreciating all the little things that made it the best trilogy ever made.
Honestly, I think Legolas does the battle victim counting thing with Gimli solely to give him additional incentive to fight and stay alive. It's more of a friendship caring thing than a competitive thing.
I’m sure someone said this but a lot of the structures were done in model big-atures. The blend of CG and practical effects is what made this film so realistic and believable.
"Mr Frodo" Shire society was modeled on English rural culture with gentry & servants. Frodo, Merry & Pippin were gentry, Sam & his Gaffer were servants. so for Sam Frodo was always Mr Frodo as was proper.
These movies and this story has been with me since I was 9. No one can create a world as intricate, detailed and beautiful as JRR Tolkien did. I read LOTR religiously each year and I've watched these movies over 50 times, and they still bring me to tears. Absolute masterpieces, and Tolkien is in a class of his own. Absolute mastermind.
Brego is an unsung MVP of this series. For the record, Éomer gives Brego to the Fellowship; this is different of course between book and movie, but the motif of Rohan valuing a fine horse and also being free-handed with them is perfect. As is the idea of Brego being worthy of Aragon, and vice versa.
fun fact Aragorn's actor really got into the role in this one when he kicked the helmet he broke his foot but his scream was so fitting they left it in.
Watch Part 1 of this reaction on Domi's channel HERE: ruclips.net/video/fIIeZVbAIIQ/видео.html
React to the Haunted Mansion movie next please 🥺🥺🥺❤️
React to the Page Master movie
Hey Thor!
Since I know you’ve seen the trilogy already (I don’t know about The Hobbit trilogy, though), did you know that in the entire 2 trilogies there isn’t a single scene of two actresses talking to each other?
Try to think of one.
Arwen, Eowyn, Galadriel… nope.
@kratos Also not one scene of Sam's old Gaffer talking to Faramir.
We never get a glimpse of Smaug the dragon drinking a pint with Theoden.
Don't even get me started on how we never EVER see a single dwarf discuss ANYTHING with the leader of the Haradrim...
@@Palestrike
Not my point.
The Boromir and Faramir flashback should have been in the theatrical cut. It once again shows that Boromir was a noble and kindhearted person who got corrupted by the Ring and it sets up the family dynamic effectively in less than 5 minutes
Boromir was a good man who carried the weight of his father's expectations and being on the doorstep of Mordor. He really thought highly of Faramir. It shows so much of their relationship as brothers.
That orc suicide bomber would have got a medal in the Orc hall of fame, he was so committed to his mission lol
It also makes more justice to Faramir, who seems unwise in the theatrical cut.
They should've kept that in as well as sarumans death, and theodens response to saruman from the books. Actually all of it everyone should see the extended version.
And, without it, you get the reaction a lot of people had. They don't see him as a once-noble man who was corrupted. They just see him as "that shifty guy who hung out with the group and got what he deserved".
I feel I need to say how awesome Christopher Lee (Saruman) was, he was a soldier, commando then spy in WWII then became an actor, HE was the man with the golden gun and Dracula several times. He was a good friend of Tolkien and his 1st choice to play Gandalf if they made a film in his lifetime. He was Count Dooku in Star Wars and was still playing Saruman up until his 90's as well as singing in a heavy metal band pretty much until his death. This guy was an absolute BOSS! R.I.P Sir Christoper Lee
And Fu Manchu.
Not denying one bit of the awesomeness of Christopher Lee, but.. He wasn't Tolkien's friend, he met him once. Tolkien did not express preference for him as Gandalf - he would've been too young at the time anyway. That's an urban myth.
they weren't good friends dude, he met him like once or twice.
He also played Dracula in some really terrible horror movies, but he was very good in them nonetheless.
@@PhilBagels False myth. Tolkien never gave him his blessing and only met once in a pub
The line 'A wizard should know better.' by Treebeard is such a perfect line. It just perfectly describes how Saruman in his greed and arrogance completely lost his wisdom. Its just as Gandalf said in the first movie. 'When did Saruman the wise abandon reason for madness'.
Agreed as Ents know a wizard is a protector almost an angel in lots of ways .
Love the reaction BTW
?
Saruman wasn't consumed by greed or arrogance. He was Charmed, like Boromir with the ring. We saw that he was using a Seeing Stone, but he didn't know that Sauron had one too, and he Dominated Saruman. THAT is why he became corrupted, so that he was "not himself".
@@Aeroldoth3
I remember reading that one theme with Saruman is the corrupting nature of even studying evil to fight it. Saruman was renowned for studying his enemies and figuring out how they think, which gave him an edge at predicting his enemy’s strategies, but by doing so it also allowed the potential for corruption in Saruman as the more he studied his enemies and their power, the more enamored he became in acting like them (ruling with absolute power).
@@couragew6260 There is the Nietzche(?) quote about looking into the abyss... but we don't even need that.
In the movies we saw Gandalf touch both the ring and the stone, and both times Sauron's eye popped up. Gandalf's concern about "not all the stones being accounted for" seems clear to me that anyone who used a stone would be dominated by Sauron, as in fact happened later with Merry(?).
Studying others can make you more receptive to their ways, but I think a more direct route is responsible here.
That and Curunir as he was known by before was involved and witness to a much older story through the second age and was around before he became an Istari in Valinor. As all Maia and Vala at both EQUAL as Ainur. He fought a long defeat and it weighed on him. The influence of the ring of Morgoth within the earth itself as well as the presence of Sauron lurking around effecting everyone over many years stirring something in him much like how Maia became balrogs and the eagles.
Notice the contrast between Saruman using black powder for bombs, artefacts of destruction; whilst Gandalf used them for fireworks, to bring joy.
Sam's speech at the end is incredible. Many years ago now, I tattooed an elvish translation of the line "There is good in this world and it's worth fighting for" in a circle on my back.
Last year, when my little sister died from mental health, at her funeral, I read the full speech. It already was the most important speech in the trilogy to me before, but now, it is probably the most important speech period, to me.
Always brings up emotions hearing even parts of it.
Now that’s some ink to show your quality, sir.
@@0okamino Thanks! Planning to make a white tree of Gondor on my chest one day and filling in leaves and flowers with images in them of important things over time :)
I'm so sorry for your loss.
@@pamelahofman1785 Thanks ❤️
38:40 What always hits me about Haldir's death is that Elves are potentially immortal. Humans die someday, be it today, in fifty years, or, in the case of Dunedain, in two hundred years, but they will die eventually.
But those elves risked and lost their immortal lives to safe the Rohirrim. Millenia of lived lifes, experiences, knowledge... gone.
They'll be reembodied in the Halls of Mandos as their fate is permanently bound to that of Middle-Earth, but their time in Middle-earth is now over.
@@PrinceOfDolAlmroth I know. Still it always feels so tragic.
@@rainerbloedsinn182 Maybe for them it's like a case of a change being as good as a holiday.
Good thing in the books they weren't even there
@@rollerdavem One of the few movie changes that Is better than the books. The elves coming to help men Is such a powerful event, that even Tolkien would like it
The culvert in the wall of Helms Deep was never an issue before. Whilst there were some low level explosives they were only used for fireworks but the ones created by Saruman were a new weapon never seen before. That's why when Wormtoungue stood over the pot with the candle he was stopped from getting closer otherwise Orthanc would have been rubble. This is also why Theoden was so utterly surprised by the explosion in the wall blowing a big hole in it, that type of weapon had never been envisaged before.
afaik Orthank is made out of indestructible stone, so it would hold, but the occupants would definietly perish ;D
@@decanaba Correct - in the book, it is said that the Ents wanted to destroy it too, but they could only manage faint scratches upon the stone, whereas Treebeard is seen just idly crumbling some other stone between his fingers.
In the book, the explosion is not clearly described as being mechanical, as it is in the movie. It could have been magical.
The film rendition shows Saruman inventing dynamite.
@@rimasmuliolis1136: Correct.
If you were replying to me, I just meant that the books are (I think: intentionally) vaguer on this matter.
Faramirs line from the book shows his character very well i think. “I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.”
"But fear no more! I would not take this thing, if it lay by the highway. Not were Minas Tirith falling in ruin and I alone could save her, so, using the weapon of the Dark Lord for her good and my glory. No, I do not wish for such triumphs, Frodo son of Drogo."
And that's why Faramir is one of my favorite characters. These movies are lovely, but I'll admit I'm still sad that his character was so changed. (And, of course, changing Farmer Maggot, the most badass Hobbit to ever live.)
@@normalgamergal Yes, I totally agree
@@normalgamergal I think what the did to Aragorn might be the worst. They took a King and made a coward.
@@Notme195 How is Aragorn a coward?
Fun little detail, before Eowyn offers soup to Aragorn she offers a bowl to Gimli but he politely turns it down. Dwarves have a stronger sense of smell than humans so he probably could smell that it was horrible and would've had a grand old time watching Aragorn pretend to enjoy it
Faramir's speech about the slain Haradrim always stuck with me "His sense of duty was no less than yours, I deem. You wonder what his name is... where he came from. And if he was really evil at heart. What lies or threats led him on this long march from home. If he would not rather have stayed there... in peace. War will make corpses of us all." Faramir was always the unwilling warrior, basing his unit off the Dunedain of the north and the Elves even calling themselves Rangers. He was a Scholar and Philosopher, a student of Gandalfs and a gentle soul. He fought because he had to not because he wanted to. He fought to earn the love of a father who would never give it. Side note: Pipeweed is Tobacco not Pot as much as i wish it otherwise.
Pipeweed definitely was tobacco in the books, but the movies very much play it otherwise...Merry and Pip and definitely getting stoned at the end of the film.
Pipeweed is some STRONG tobacco, if ya follow my meaning... "Don't be hasty" 😉
@@Corn_Pone_Flicks agreed
I am listening to the audiobooks, and these words about the Haradim perhaps not being evil actually come from Sam.
“It was Sam's first view of a battle of Men against Men, and he did not like it much. He was glad that he could not see the dead face. He wondered what the man's name was and where he came from; and if he was really evil of heart, or what lies or threats had led him on the long march from his home; and if he would rather have stayed there in peace.”
But I believe it is also appropriate from Faramir who DOES say: “I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.”
@@ohifonlyx33 Yeah, they gave Sam's lines to Faramir, and they fit his character very well. He was always one who preferred peace, but would absolutely take up arms, very capably, if need be. So I liked the choice to have him give that speech.
I always like to tell people that Aragorn and Arwen have been together since he was in his twenties. So they've been together for decades. Even though she's leaving, Aragorn will not be able to move on any time soon. I think he's kind to Eowyn because he sees she needs a friend. I think he's given her hope and when he entered her life, her life got better in all aspects (her uncle got better and Grima is gone and she has a friend in Aragorn). Then she finds out he's a descendent of Numenor who she thought were extinct. I think she believes she loves him but I think she's confused the hope and awe she feels for love.
She is in love of what he represents, not him. Her character in the book is so complex. At firsf so full of rage and the need to be like a man so she can feel useful and remembered. But after war, she realises being "manly" and wanting war and fight is NOT the answer and she wants to be a nurturing of life and a healer of things. Tolkien was pretty cool to show that a girl does not need to show manly traits to be strong.
@@LadyOndyne Something I wish modern writers understood.
@@LadyOndyne But she IS strong, and she is going to show just that in the next movie. Caring and nurturing and brave and strong are not opposites. Even Aragorn has that caring and nurturing qualities.
But i bet everyone see what they want to see.
This is pretty much exact. With the line "It is but a shadow and a thought that you love" in the next movie, it really encapsulates what she feels.
@@juanausensi499 It isn't that she isn't strong. Instead it's about her thirst for glory in battle and resentment for being kept from the fighting. When Theoden told her to lead their people the rest of the way to Helms Deep while the men fought the Warg riders, she tried to insist she could fight instead of being relegated to non-combat leadership. She felt she had to act like a man and fight in order to be useful and have meaning in her life. But she sees that being a woman and having feminine traits and roles isn't to be lesser or without honor. She finds out war isn't the glory she thought it would be, and while healing is a gentle pursuit she would have shunned before, it is just as meaningful and honorable as fighting to protect one's home.
From what I know of Boromir in the books, he was always known as the helper and protector of Faramir. He would protect his younger brother’s honour, giving him responsibilities that would gain him some respect and renown, defending Faramir from their father’s wrath. It’s telling to see that Boromir was easy to gain the respect of and love from which is what the Ring twisted and corrupted in the end.
25:21 - I totally get that not every line from the book can be included but I am always a bit sad that Eowyn's response to Aragorn's 'valour without renown' speech didn't make the cut. In the book she replies "All your words are but to say: you are a woman, and your part is in the house. But when the men have died in battle and honour, you have leave to be burned in the house, for the men will need it no more".
And Tolkien actually lets her have the last word, and arguably get the better of the argument. It's a cool moment and one of the few times that Aragorn isn't necessarily presented as being entirely in the right.
And fools say Tolkien is not Woke. They are wrong, he is just not "woke". He created a REAL heroine in Eowyn. She wasn't Xhena, she was a bird in a cage longing to be free. And she broke free.
I'd guess that that idea was heavily influenced by Tolkien's experience in the War
Except that [SPOILERS]
This isn't the #GIRLBOSS #strongwomen #fightlikeagirl moment that feminists think it is. Tolkien never glorifies war, because he fought in a world war. If Eowyn seems to glorify battle, it is because she is scared to stay behind and see her loved ones die like her cousin. Eowyn was scared of being vulnerable, afraid of loss... so she put up a strong front and was mad at anyone who told her to stay behind. Of course, she does ride out later into battle and she DOES prove herself. She is strong and courageous and kills that which cannot be killed by man, BUT she also is horrified by what she sees and is consumed by darkness after.
She wished to fight like men and seek glory, but it isn't until she meets Faramir, a man of battle who fights with valor and honor for a just cause but who also does not love the sword and arrow, that she is able to come back into light. Then her perspective literally shifts from this tormented woman living in perpetual misery, wanting nothing more than to slay the enemy before they get to her people, to this smiling woman who wants to go live her cottagecore life with her husband, healing and growing and nurturing... And that brings her joy and peace and rest.
'I wished to be loved by another,' she answered, 'But I desire no man's pity.'
'That I know,' he [Faramir] said. 'You desired to have the love of the Lord Aragorn. Because he was high and puissant, and you wished to have renown and glory and to be lifted far above the mean things that crawl on the earth. And as a great captain may to a young soldier he seemed to you admirable. For so he is, a lord among men, the greatest that now is. But when he gave you only understanding and pity, then you desired to have nothing, unless a brave death in battle. Look at me, Éowyn!'
And Éowyn looked at Faramir long and steadily; and Faramir said: 'Do not scorn pity that is the gift of a gentle heart, Éowyn! But I do not offer you my pity, For you are a lady high and valiant and have yourself won renown that shall not be forgotten; and you are a lady beautiful, I deem, beyond even the words of the Elven-tongue to tell. And I love you. Once I pitied your sorrow. But now, were you sorrowless, without fear or any lack, were you the blissful Queen of Gondor, still I would love you. Éowyn do you not love me?'
Then the heart of Éowyn changed, or else at last she understood it. And suddenly her winter passed, and the sun shone on her.
'I stand in Minas Anor, the Tower of the Sun,' she said; 'and behold! the Shadow has departed! I will be a sheildmaiden no longer, nor vie with the great Riders, nor take joy only in the songs of slaying. I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren.' And again she looked at Faramir. 'No longer do I desire to be a queen,' she said.
@@ohifonlyx33 Actually she wante to die like a man in battle.
Treebeard and the Entmoot weren’t (at least I don’t believe they were) a metaphor for government but rather Treebeard had a very specific inspiration, his mannerisms and especially his shall we say catchphrase “don’t be hasty” was directly inspired by Tolkien’s good friend and colleague C. S. Lewis (you may remember him as the author of the Chronicles of Narnina series). The taught across the hall from one another at Oxford, and with other friends formed something of a literary club they called The Inklings. And the line “Don’t be hasty” was something Lewis would often tell to his students.
And Tolkien absolutely intended Treebeard to make fun of Lewis, who was his closest friend at the time
I like how Aragorn is slightly grinning when he admits he's 87
He knows he's still got it xD
Also, Gimli and Legolas have one of my favourite bromances just in any movie, ever. The two are great.
Their bromance in the movie leaves out the best parts of it, there’s so much more in the book about their adventures and relationship.
@@CChissel Such as? Don't leave us hanging now :p
@@toolatetothestory In the books Legolas takes Gimli into the deep parts of Fangorn forest to show him the majesty of that ancient forest and Gimli takes Legolas into the caverns of Helms Deep to show Legolas the beauty of the caves. Upon returning from viewing the caves Legolas states that only a dwarf could find the right words to describe what he saw. The two travel together back to their homes and after the war they maintain their friendship to such an extent that when the time comes for Legolas to leave middle earth it is said Gimli went with him. The only dwarf to forsake middle earth for the sake of his friendship with Legolas and out of a desire to see Lady Galadriel again.
@@toolatetothestory Why would I spoil it? I want people to read the books if they’re interested in the story. But, I can tell you that there is much more dialogue between them and they do enjoy the others company. Lego goes with Gims to underground places and Gims goes with Lego to forested places, about all I’ll say.
Edit: nvm I see someone spoiled it already lol I just want people to read
@@CChissel Listen, I may read quite a bit, but Lord of the Rings is by no means easy literature xD
Or short xD
When Legolas gives his advice about the Orc armour's weak spots, I always imagine some hardened elf master archer at the back grumbling "aye we know that little princeling, we've been killing Orc for a 1000 years before you were born" & getting a chuckle out of his mates :D
Also it’s the weakness of literally every armor ever, so it’s just a like… yeah no shit
And still they shooting in the chest XD
Such a shame that Legolas Is very old.
@@MaiconDouglas-ik6qs Why?
@@avrace2708 I think he means that the joke doesn't make sense as intended since Legolas is thousands of years old himself
Battle of Helms deep is one of the best battles in movie history.
YES
Many also hoped for the Long Night. But u have right :)
Loved driving past the quarry when they still had the sets up. Truly awesome and close to SH2.
The battle on the planes of Minas Tirith is slightly more impressive imo.
@@nickreacts6394 remember Sauron has 9 KINGDOMS under his control through the ONE RING ...
I really like the 'valor without renown' line, since it has such a deep meaning. It means that there can be a time where you have to fight and resist evil (valor) as the very last line of defense, in which time there will be no one left to remember your valor and share the story after (renown). It just gives so much weight to how hopeless the reality of their situation is. They kept fighting while fully knowing an utter defeat is possible.
The forbidden pool basically marks the entrance to their secret hideout in what is now enemy territory. They don’t even let their allies know about it. (Hence the blindfolds when they bought them there) The strategic importance of its secrecy necessitated the death penalty for trespassers.
Frodo did literally save Gollum's life. None of them would get out alive if they tried running.
and that is Faramir’s rule, which he is free to waive.
He’s doing it to make Frodo tell him the truth. After all, Gollum doesn’t know the pool is anything besides a pool. He would only be a threat if he knew that the pool was an entrance to something.
@@sophiejones3554
Tell the guards at Fort Knox, that you didn't know crossing this gate was grounds for Federal charges.
The Numenoreans (Aragorn's heritage) really knew how to build strongholds and big things. They built Helm's Deep, Minas Tirith, Minas Ithil, Osgiliath, The Black Gates (to keep Mordor contained), The Argonath, The Great Watchtower of Amon Sûl and hewed the tower of Orthanc (Isengard).
Don't blame Theoden for not foreseeing Saruman's plan for the wall. He and Aragorn had no idea Saruman was going to use explosives The culvert by itself was too small to be a danger.
I mean think about gunpowder in actual history and its influence onto the battlefield when it became widely used. Suddenly the old tactics were causing massakers on your own side but it took time to adjust to the new rules of war.
Yes, it's no more a bad design than the exhaust port was on the Death Star...reactors need exhaust vents to keep from overheating, and if not for the culvert, eventually Helm's Deep would've become Helm's Lake.
Here's a fun fact for y'all: that was not the only bomb the orcs had at Helm's Deep. In the book, the orcs planted explosives at multiple points along the wall, and even had hand grenades, some of which they threw at Aragorn while he was trying to convince them to leave at dawn of the last day of the siege.
@@robertbryant8243 I can find no reference in the book to hand grenades. There was indeed an explosion under the gate Aragorn had stood upon, but that's all Tolkien says about it.
And other than the one in the previous paragraph, I couldn't find mention of other explosives. Can you point any out to me?
@@BobBlumenfeld "Taking his leave, he returned to the walls, and passed round all their circuit, enheartening the men. Legolas went with him. *Blasts of fire leaped up from below shaking the stones*. Grappling hooks were hurled, and ladders raised. Again and again the Orcs gained the summit of the outer wall, and again the defenders cast them down."
You're probably right about the hand grenades though; that may have just been a product of my fevered imagination.
I love that Faramir says that his coming into the opportunity to possess the Ring is a chance for him to prove his quality - and he does. By letting it go.
Saruman’s lines are so good you might have to join him… 🤣
His power is his voice. He speaks and the words weave into your mind, making you want to listen and believe the words he says. It is dangerous to have a conversation with him, most people would fall to the spell, and trust his words.
2:40 She's an expert horsewoman and warrior, making decent stew is just outside her skill set.
11:50 Viggo loved that horse, he actually bought two horses after filming finished and paid a vet in New Zealand to stable and take care of them and he visited them often.
Don’t you dare
Don’t you
FUCKING DARE besmirch Eowyn’s name like that
You know how many cookbooks they have in Edoras? How many culinary classes? They don’t, that’s how many. You learn to cook from your family and guess what, Éowyn doesn’t get to hang around her mom and dad, her duty is to take care of the king, who for god knows how long has been 60 going on 160, totally fucking useless and only takes advice from an escaped convict from Madame Tussaud’s, no one can even be bothered to fix the fucking flag and Éowyn’s job has been to pretend like all of this is a-oh-goddamn-kay all the while training with a sword, and on top of that she’s pretty damn light on good cooking influences - Éomer, the only family she’s got that doesn’t have fucking Saruman‘s hand up their ass is Éomer, who eats a goddamn brick of meat off a knife. You really expect her to learn to make a good vichyssoise from The Meat Marshal? No fuckin way, Éowyn is stressed af and she’ll be damned if you’re gonna give her shit for not being able to Gordon Ramsay on the road with nothing edible but lumps of whatever the hell that was in the soup. Tbh it’s a fucking miracle considering the circumstances that Éowyn managed to conjure soup out of nothing - you’re not gonna give her shit because she didn’t add enough flour to the base, you take it and are fucking grateful.
Aragorn understood this. Did he complain like some shitty suburban parent at an Olive Garden? No he fucking didn’t, because that would be a grade A ~dick move~, and because Éowyn would’ve probably just fucking lost it and killed him on the spot and then we wouldn’t have gotten a third movie, and if Aragorn understands one thing it’s box office ka-ching. He’s not stupid, he wants his $$$ and to not die and to not be a piece of shit.
So you don’t. Talk. Smack. Bout. Baeowyn’s. Soup. 🙃
Registered name Uraeus. A warmblood Dressage stallion! He's on RUclips somewhere in his Dressage days.
48:12 "A Wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."
Great call back
I really appreciate both your takes on Gandalfs changes, because this is much more important than many people realize, even though its absolutely understandable that you can't grasp every aspect of the movies when there are so many of them.
Sarumans job was to basically be the main-opponent of Sauron, the one to rally the armies and unite the forces of good. Gandalf was supposed to be an advisor, someone wo wants to understand the people, while Radagasts job was to tend to the animals. What we see here is Gandalf taking another job. That of Saruman.
Hey Thor! Theodens speech when his armor is being put on him is partly from an old English poem called 'The Wanderer' Tolkien was a big fan of old English and Norse mythology. I think you should give it a look over think you would enjoy it. Thanks for another great video!
The Wanderer is such a good read
thanks I didn't know that. I will check it out!
Tolkien wasn't "a big fan of" Old English/Norse mythology. He was one of, if not the most, prominent scholar and academic authority on Anglo-Saxon language and Norse culture of his time at Oxford, whose academic insight is still studied and accepted to this day across the world. Credit where credit's due.
@@rollomaughfling380 I don't disagree but I doubt he would have chosen to do that with his time if he hadn't loved the subject which makes him also a fan. A well studied one of course.
23:23
“we are alone”
“No you’re not”
Book: “Yes! Yes, they really are”
Long story short: Mankind had to fend for themselves because the other races were also fighting Sauron’s armies, and were completely overwhelmed as is. That is how BIG Sauron’s army was.
The elf reinforcements were a pure movie thing added in (I’m not complaining though)
didn't Dwarves come from Erebor or some such place in the books?
@@Matt-ij7pe Not as far as I remember. The dwarves had their own issues to fight in the War of the Ring, there are no other races that came to reinforce those defending Helm's Deep. In the books Gandalf arrives at dawn with a thousand men and ents to help them.
In the books the elves helped Aragon on the way to Gondor with the Grey Company. But since it had to be cut this was the substitute.
@@Matt-ij7pe The Dwarves of Erebor were too busy fighting in their homeland, so they don't make an appearance in the main body of the book. The appendices do talk about the battle of Dale. And it is mentioned somewhere that they did come to Minas Tirith after the war to rebuild the main gate.
In was a good move by PJ though, making it a bit more exciting and bringing in a lil hope.
I literally just finished watching both of the Fellowship of the Ring reactions, this is such perfect timing!
The universe was smiling today :)
it took 4 months to film Helm's Deep. of 120 days it rained 90 of them. afterwards somebody printed up "I survived Helm's Deep" shirts for the whole crew.
Sam's speech is still one of my top favorite movie moments ever. So happy to see you keep going with the extended editions!
That flashback with Boromir, Faramir and Denethor is definitely one that should not have been cut from the theatrical release. So much story, so much character.
Elrond is blunt with Arwen because he loves her, but also because he knows something about losing someone to mortality. As half-elven, Elrond chose to be an immortal Elf, but his brother chose to be mortal. Elrond has lived thousands of years past his brother's death by this time. (Aragorn is descended from Elrond's brother.)
27:00 Theoden story arc is phenomenal. Here we have a true leader feeling all the responsibility and reflecting upon what he must do.
And he does not hide behind armies - he actively leads from the front.
How many military and political leaders do that in real life?
Gosh the love I feel for each of these characters...
Gimli who might be a small dwarf but has the heart and the courage of a giant.
Aragorn who is honestly the most humble and most valiant man to ever exist.
Eôwyn the shield maiden of Rohan, brave and beautiful and gentle.
Our sweet and smart little hobbits who grow so much throughout the story, proving that even the tiniest creatures in the world can make a huge difference.
Gandalf... my favourite wizard of all time, witty and powerful, always there to guide and help and protect.
...and so many more!
And each character has traits we can learn something from.
It's great to rewatch this glorious and timeless masterpiece with you guys ❤
"Water is such an ally in these films." This is mainly because Ulmo, the valar/"god" of the oceans, is one of the only divine being still doing his best to help free people.
28:08 What not many people realize is that that's the son of the guy who got killed by the warg scout, so him loosing hope after his father just got killed, its quiet understandable
The son of Hama
The look of sheer excitement and pure joy on this guys face even after 20+ viewings is all of us. Appreciate not backseating too. Also credit to her for being so observant and perceptive. Great reaction from both of you. Genius for cross channeling too. 👏
Gothmog - Hold my beer.
Oh boy…wait till they get a look at Gothmog.
2:45, legend has it the soup was so bad, they could have destroyed the ring by putting it inside it lol.
When Grima realizes what his betrayal caused, and one teardrop spills out from his eyes while he has shocked face. What an amazing acting... absolutely brilliant.
I think it's important to keep in mind when Théoden tells Eowen that she must not take part in the cavalry skirmish, that this has come just after the death of his only son and heir, and with his nephew all but gone, she is the only living family he has left. Of course he isn't going to let her fight, he is of course riding out for the sake of his people, but he is likely riding out with her personal safety in mind. I see way to many people react so flippantly to that moment and it's a shame, because it actually gives us a great insight into Théoden's mindset at that time period, that he his afraid of bringing more death to his family and Kingdom and will do whatever he thinks right to prevent it.
Kudos to you for not imploding when she says "I hope Gollum won't betray them".
From the book: "And then, sudden and terrible, from the tower above, the sound of the great horn of Helm rang out.
All that heard that sound trembled. Many of the Orcs cast themselves on their faces and covered their ears with their claws. Back from the Deep the echoes came, blast upon blast, as if on every cliff and hill a mighty herald stood. But on the walls men looked up, listening with wonder; for the echoes did not die. Ever the horn-blasts wound on among the hills; nearer now and louder they answered one to another, blowing fierce and free."
The 'involved in the war' part is so potent. Especially when looking at the backstory about when Tolkien designed this story. Deep in the trenches of WWI, he had a unique viewpoint of how horrible war was. The sacrifice, the selflessness, the horror. Tolkien experienced all that which is what gives his writing so much emotional weight. He understood how even ignoring the conflict was basically feeding into it.
The fact he was an incredible learned linguist and visionary doesn't hurt at all either, but being a combat infantryman myself, I've always respected his viewpoints on the effect of warfare on the individual. Even those who claimed world wide conflict 'wasn't their concern' (aka America, my homeland, for both of the world wars).
Tolkien would have been, and in fact was the first to refute any sense of allegory in his work. You're projecting.
@@rollomaughfling380
In his letters Tolkien has called his work both an allegory and not one. He even went on to explain the story WAS an allegory about power, but the theme was more about death and immortality than anything else.
“I had a real taste for fairy-stories,” Tolkien once explained, “which was wakened by philology on the threshold of manhood, and quickened to full life by war.”
So no one is projecting anything, simply acknowledging how his actual experience translates to his characters.
“This business,” he wrote in another letter, “began so far back that it might be said to have begun at birth…But the mythology (and associated languages) first began to take shape during the 1914-18 war…The kernel of the mythology, the matter of Lúthien Tinúviel and Beren, arose from a small woodland glade filled with 'hemlocks' (or other white umbellifers) near Roos on the Holderness peninsula-to which I occasionally went when free from regimental duties while in the Humber Garrison in 1918.”
Not really projecting anything when the author himself admits it. And my comment wasn’t to draw direct parallels to the nations or that specific conflict, just simply the fact that he existed thru that which gave him a unique view point on the emotions and struggles of individuals who would experience those same difficulties. Which is why it gives his characters more depth. The ‘America sitting out the war’ wasn’t supposed to directly call out their inaction during that time, but simply acknowledge that a natural human reaction to distant conflict is to look at that as ‘someone else’s issue’.
Mordor isn't Germany, Gondor isn’t England, but the book does capture the spirit and intensity that comes from conflict, the bonds created by those who suffer thru it, and (my favorite part) regardless on how conflicts ends, it fundamentally changes those involved. Even the ones that made it home physically in one piece.
@@RicoRaynn Seems a stretch coming from "the backstory about when Tolkien designed this story. Deep in the trenches of WWI . . ."
Obviously his experiences at the Somme would shape his perspective, but to suggest that they were the formative impulses driving the creation of his multiverse, written decades later, (like you did to begin with) is not definitive, especially when you're also quoting him contradicting this, saying "'This business,' he wrote in another letter, 'began so far back that it might be said to have begun at birth.'"
Authors (of popular books, poetry, rock music) are often not the most reliable narrators of even their own inspirations. In latching on to one or another of their accounts, in retrospect, one risks one singular hagiography or another.
Looking back, maybe I shouldn't have termed it 'projection," a charged word, but the idea was clearly at hand.
I appreciate your thoughtful rebuttal, but due to the preponderance of differing statements by Tolkien, I remain unconvinced by your original statement.
@@rollomaughfling380 the ‘trenches’ comment wasn’t meant to imply that Tolkien chose to design and create the story while serving there. His entire front line service was less than six months (if I remember right) due to him catching trench fever which prevented him from ever serving on the frontline again.
Which turned out to be a blessing due his Battalion being effectively wiped out a few weeks after he was sent back to hospital.
His writings were constantly in flux. The Silmarillion is probably the best example of the constant shifts Tolkien made over the years.
I’ve heard a few others claim that LOTR should be classified as a ‘war story’ which I also understand due to the emotions and subject matter it delves into, but I think it sells the literature short.
In my mind it’s a dive into the human thought process when thrown into the worst imaginable situation. And you get glimpses into multiple ideas on how people, and nations, deal with that.
But I think that time Tolkien spent in combat, dealing with the horror and loss, really gave his work something more. Which is an oddity, even when compared to other writers. I love CS Lewis’ work as well, but the emotions of his characters are nowhere as deep as Tolkien. Robert Jordan and Martin fall into that category as well.
But I also think that’s why Tolkien’s work is so well accepted and loved. Simply because it deals with the emotional content of being human, much less than simply pushing a specific ideal.
I worded my initial comment poorly in that regard. Was not my intent to claim he first came up with idea in WWI.
@@RicoRaynnRight. "Informed," "inspired," and "designed" are terms with vastly different meanings I would think Tolkien would have liked to point out himself 😀.
But I appreciate your candor, and your enthusiasm toward the body of work here, and your point of view as a fellow veteran. Take care.
Faramir's speech over the body of the young Southron immediately makes me think of Tolkien's time in WW1, how he probably viewed his enemies, both living and dead.
Poor Theodan was valid to be confident his walls would hold. Never before were there explosives so the thought that the walls could be breached was unheard of.
Sam's speech at the end is one of the best speeches of all time, in anything. I'll actually play it when I'm feeling hopeless about the world. So... I've watched it a lot over the past few years.
Something to remark is the fact that rock launching is the hobbits way to fight, instead of using arrows they are so good at throwing them. Literally those rocks are mortal weapons.
When Elrond is speaking to Arwen there is a rather important tapestry in the background. It has the Trees of Valinor, Laurilen and Telperion, on it. The Trees were the source of light in the world for many years. After they were killed the Valar fashioned the sun and moon from their remains. The boat and the star above it are references to Elrond's father, Eärendil. Eärendil sailed to Valinor with one of the Silmarils, a sacred gem containing the light of the Trees, and it was set as a star in the heavens.
“Weed” was slang for tobacco when Tolkien was writing. The books make it very clear that they’re referring to tobacco. Hobbits are not smoking marijuana, regardless of what many stoners try to claim.
I was going to mention this, I am glad you already did.
It is a fantasy world, though. Perhaps their toby is stronger than ours.
Well Tolkien doesn't exactly say what it is. The hobbits smoke many herbs and longbottom leaf is one of the rare plants, believed coming from Valinor or Numinor.
@@colinstubblefield4670 Tolkein explained it in the appendix; it's a form of tobacco.
People didn't start using "weed" as slang for marijuana until years after these books were written.
Let us have our illusions! 🤣
Pipe weed is not the marijuana. It is a LOTR version of tobacco first grown in Numenor and brought to middle earth in the second age. J.R.R. Tolkien was born in 1892, where he grew up in England where at the time, recreational cannabis consumption was, almost entirely unheard of. Even its traditional medical uses were becoming “unfashionable,” replaced by newer forms of pain relief like aspirin. New media portraying it as cannabis and making people think it is "weed", is down right wrong.
Hear Hear
Agreed, Hey hows it goin.
@@corvuscoraxtheravenlord5661 Oh man, its been a while since Ive seen you. lol
But perfectly acceptable in today's culture so not a big deal.
@@gailseatonhumbert But it is wrong, and not lore accurate, and lore accuracy is #1 priority.
One of my favorite moments in this whole series is when King Theoden looks up and sees his nephew and Eomer bellows "to the king!" As they charge. Like that's not just his uncle, that's his KING and he could very well be riding into death to save his king. I love that. Full body shivers every time.
Helm's Deep was absolutely amazing in the theaters. The entire room shook with the Uruk-hai's marching and slamming of the spears on the ground. Just phenomenal. There are some things I'm holding back on saying, since you're going to be diving into the books. I did note before it cut to a different part of the scene, Domi reacting to the one-eyed man who yells "Fire!" He was on set, I don't think he was one of the actors, but I'm not sure. Peter asked if he could see what was under his eyepatch and then asked if he could film him. The gentleman was very self-conscious but decided to do it. I remember my reaction in the theater was a moment of shock and then a brief thought of "How did they make that look so real?"--well it was real.
Great respect for your restraint and subtlety while watching a movie you obviously love with a first-timer. Great reaction overall
I love that you can see how well-respected Aragorn is by both Theoden and the elves. When Haldir shows up he looks at Aragorn for the line "We come to honor that allegiance" as if it's him they feel they owe their allegiance. And even tho Theoden is the king of Rohan, Aragorn takes command of the elves for the battle
58:39 I *LOVE* the duality of Smeagol/ Gollum, especially in this particular film 🎭💍👍🏾
1:00:58 We ALL miss the Grey Pilgrim but his rebirth as the White Rider was *cool AF* 🐎🧙🏻♂️✨
That little dig at Rings of Power, love it :D
I just had to haha... who knows, maybe the show will be great, I just won't bet on it
@@nickreacts6394 I can understand giving it a chance. But for a lore nerd like me, when they in the trailer had Elendil (the father of Isildur - the guy that cut the ring of sauron in the first movie) say "the past is dead", that is so antithetical to the book Elendil that I am just off.
There is devianting from the lore, and then there is outright doing the opposite.
The book character of Elendil is essentially a super conservative guy who does not fall to evil, because he is like "we should act like we did 1000 years ago".
So Amazon lost me.
But I do hope for some pretty still images and music.
@@And-ur6ol I feel too many people get too hung up on "the lore" when they talk about RoP. Especially if one sentence from a character in a trailer is enough to lose you - a character, mind you, that appears on like what? 30 or so pages during his 322 years of living. Saying that one sentence is "so antithetical" to a character feels like grasping to me.
If such a small deviation is enough to lose you, then I don't get how you can enjoy the Peter Jackson movies either, with all their deviations from the lore?
In the end, all Tolkien's works are supposed to be taken from copies of copies of copies of a book that Bilbo and Frodo wrote, meaning that everything we read about in the Hobbit, LotR or Silmarillion may have happened in a completely different manner than what we consider 'lore'.
Which is why I'm completely fine with the addition of Tauriel (lore-wise, at least, the character was kinda cringe) in the Hobbit, and whatever characters and storylines they invent for RoP; because I'll see this as just a different adaptation of the Red Book - or maybe even an adaptation from stories that are not in the Red Book at all.
I'm not saying that RoP will 100% be amazing, and that everyone should think so, I just think it's weird how obsessed some people (I'm not saying you're one of them) seem to be about lore specifics for this show, while completely disregarding the same thing for the PJ movies.
@@Frelzor It is not just one line. I just think that line is the most telling about the whole show in the shortest amount of time.
I don't like that they made the elves have short hair.
I don't like how they made dwarf women have no (or almost no) beard.
I don't like how they made a dwarf woman black, when dwarves are suppose to live underground.
I don't like how they have a black elf when Tolkien have described them as fair skinned.
I don't like the inclusion of hobbits (or Harfoot), when they weren't even there in the second age.
I don't like how they have turned Sauron into a human male, when we know Sauron would never portray himself as "mortal". He would portray himself as good, as a emissary of Valinor, but never as a human or elf.
I don't like how they have Elrond tell off Galadriel when she was not only his mother in law, but also much older, and of higher birth than him. It is just silly.
I don't like how they have black hobbits
I don't like how they have black numenorians
Which by the way makes me wonder. With black elves, black dwarves, black hobbits and black numenorians... Just when was the giant genocide of the black people suppose to happen between the second and third age?
I don't like how they turned Galadriel from a powerful and very feminine woman, into some sort of warrior queen. As if women can only be "strong" if they act like men. What make Galadriel so amazing, is that she is the embodiment of feminine virtues, and yet still the most powerful elf in the 3rd age.
I don't like how Galadriel acts like a 18 something teenager, when she was thousands of years old at the time.
I don't like the elves costumes.
I don't like the numenorians armor.
I don't like Elendils character.
I don't like how they removed Celeborn (just so they can have Galadriel be single at the start)
I could go on, but I think you catch my drift... I have A LOT OF PROBLEMS with RoP.
And I would say the main problem boils down to this. I felt like Peter Jackson respected Tolkiens work, when he made the LOTR trilogy. I don't feel like the RoP writers respect Tolkien. Not when they say things like "Can we come up with the novel Tolkien never wrote and do it as the mega-event series that could only happen now?". That tells me that they don't view Tolkien as their superior. And that is peak arrogance from someone that has no credit to their resume yet. The disrespect I get for Tolkien, from RoP is the buttom line issue here. And it is a serious one. ALL the other stuff just confirms this issue.
And when Amazon makes a trailer where they talk about "the past is dead", that isn't an accident. That is deliberate, and it is sending a clear message to the real fans, that the Tolkien fans are not welcome.
Also, not how they have changed their marketing from "Tolkien adaption" to "based on the works of Tolkien".
There is so many issues here. It is not just about breaking lore.
@@Frelzor If RoP was a fantasy show on it's own merits. I would probably applaud it, and definetely watch it. But using Tolkiens name and works as a starting point, changes everything.
There are some works you don't disrespect. LOTR is one of them. At least to me and many other fans.
More reactors need to share these like you 2 are. It's so much more enjoyable to have 2 parts uploaded to 2 channels at once... instead of waiting a week to see each part! 🤣
Plus it's more fun to watch multiple people watch. If one has seen it they can help fill in the blanks, but neither have it's fun to see them work together to put things together too.
It's interesting that you said that 'water is such an ally in this movie' because Ulmo, the spirit responsible for all the waters in Arda/the Poseidon equivalent in Tolkien's world, is actually the Dark Lord and his minions' greatest enemy. And Ulmo has always been one of the few, aside from Yavanna and maybe Oromë, who is concerned about and directly/indirectly involved in the events occurring in Middle-earth.
The fact that Vigo purchased the horse he set free and saved him in a theatrical sense is amazing
The perception of time is inherently different for the Elves and Men; Elves are immortal, so all their grieves, losses etc are also profound on the level the Men cannot ever reach, as their lives are just a fleeting thing in the eyes of the Elves. Just imagine yourself being immortal and see your loved one wither and being gone in the blink of an eye, while you yourself just linger on and feeling that loss forever? Not a very tempting fate. Thats why the romantic relationships between the Elves and Men are extremely rare in the Middle Earth, and only in very special circumstances. Even most of them didnt end up well, or at least somewhat bittersweet.
I didn't learn this until recently, but Elrond and his brother was able to choose their race (because of things that occurred with his parents). Elrond chose to be an elf, while his brother chose to be mortal. Of anyone in Middle Earth, Elrond knows the pain of what Arwen (and by extension Aragorn) will go through, and he tries to prevent that fate. He does it out of love and compassion. I've always believed that Elrond knew the weight of what he was asking.
And that is why the Doom of Men (i.e.: their mortality) is a mystery and gift unto them in the eyes of the Elves.
@@curtiswfranks true, but because of lies and deceptions of Melkor (and later Sauron) many Men became to see rather a curse than a gift. It also created much of resentment towards the Elves from Men, and how couldnt it have? Elves, even the most primitive clans, seemed almost otherwordly in the eyes of Men and reminded Men of their own seeming feeblesness compared to the "Elven superiority".
1:01:30 Gandalf is a "Maia". One of five Maiar that the Valar sent to Middle Earth long, long ago.
The Valar (the "Gods") sent the Maiar (think of them as Archangels or Demigods) to Middle-earth to help contest the evil of the fallen Maiar, Sauron and Balrogs. (Yes, in a sense, Gandalf and the Balrog are brothers.) They had great skills of hand and mind and assumed the guise of Men, seemingly old but of great vigor. Their mission was to guide Elves and Men by gaining trust, giving advice, and spreading knowledge, not by ruling them with fear and force. They were known as the "Istari" or Wizards.
These Istari were:
*_Gandalf the Grey_* (later Gandalf the White)
*_Saruman the White_* (Curumo or Curunír; later "Saruman of Many Colors")
*_Radagast the Brown_* (Aiwendil)
Two "Blue Wizards" (for their sea-blue robes, they went East and disappeared)
Gandalf was known by the following names:
*_Olórin_* (his "true name" as a Maiar)
*_Gandalf_* (Men, Hobbits, in the North)
*_Mithrandir_* (Elves : "Grey Pilgrim" or "Grey Wanderer")
*_Incánus_* (Gondor / in the South, possibly "Mind Ruler" or "Mind Master")
*_Tharkûn_* (Dwarves : "Staff Man")
*_Greyhame_* (Rohan : "Grey Cloak")
*_The Grey Pilgrim_* (Elves & friends of elves)
*_Stormcrow_* (by King Théoden of Rohan, due to Gandalf chasing trouble)
*_White Rider_* (by some of Edoras)
*_Láthspell_* (derogatory name by Grima Wormtongue : "Bad News")
*_Old Greybeard_*
*_Gandalf the Wandering Wizard_*
I always loved the throw back line to the first film when Gimli tells Aragon to throw him but don't tell the elf
In the scene where Aragorn talk to Haleth, you can see another boy next to him before Aragorn asks to see his sword, that's Viggo Mortensen's son Henry (who pushed his dad into accepting the role as Aragorn) making a cameo. He also appears as an orc that Aragorn kills in The Return of the King, that scene was done in pick ups in 2003 so he is older there and even taller than his dad.
Haleth himself is played by Callum Griffith who is writer Philipa Boyens' son, though his voice broke, so he had to be overdubbed by another boy who was at the right age.
Light is incredibly important in Tolkien's works. It is treated as precious and not to be taken for granted.
Sam is the heart of this movie. He defines the theme of the entire trilogy with that line, "That there's some good in this world and it's worth fighting for." I'm team Sam. Completely.
Love watching the reactions of a true fan and one who is becoming a true fan! With all the credit given to some of the actors, I don't think Bernard Hill (Theoden) and Miranda Otto (Eowyn) get enough credit. But then all the acting is superb, like the little girl being put on the horse... amazing!
24:50 Eowyn: My Lord! Aragorn! I am to be sent with the women into the caves.
Aragorn: That is an honorable charge.
Eowyn: To mind the children, to find food and bedding when the men return. What renown is there in that?
Aragorn: My Lady, there may come a time for valor without renown.
Eowyn: They also want me to cook more...
Aragorn: (yells) Someone get her a sword and shield! We need her in battle!!
Viggo Mortensen actually bonded with the horse Brego real name Uraeus so much that he bought it and kept it after the film wrapped it passed in 2015 viggo wrote "Aged 28, but a timeless presence in the minds of those who had the honour of knowing this proud, handsome, and supremely intelligent being, mighty Uraeus has finally come to rest on the physical plane. Thank you, Jane and Ray, for helping him do so with dignity. Dearest friend and teacher, I hold you and keep you."
Araogrn is not immortal, but Arwen is and that is what she is giving up if she marries him. In the first movie, Strider sings the Lay of Luthien, who was an elvish princess who gave up her immortality for her love of Beren, a man. On the gravestones of JRR Tolkien and his wife Edith are the names are Beren and Luthien.
In the books, Faramir shows his quality way before it’s mentioned in the movie. From the start he never had any intention to give the Ring to his father. He resisted its charms when his brother succumbed to it. Faramir is a very honorable man
I read these books 50 years ago (I know) it fascinates me how Gollum seems to have jumped right off the pages... exactly how I pictured him to be. The books are amazing, I know you'll love them!
While the ent-moot takes several days in the book, they don't need to be tricked into attacking Isengard, and the movie missed the perfect to have the ents sing their war chant as they march.
"We come, we come with roll of drum: ta-runda runda runda rom!
We come, we come with horn and drum: ta-rūna rūna rūna rom!
To Isengard! Though Isengard be ringed and barred with doors of stone;
Though Isengard be strong and hard, as cold as stone and bare as bone,
We go, we go, we go to war, to hew the stone and break the door;
For bole and bough are burning now, the furnace roars - we go to war!
To land of gloom with tramp of doom, with roll of drum, we come, we come;
To Isengard with doom we come!
With doom we come, with doom we come!"
If I'm not mistaken, Faramir has been mentored by Gandalf in the past. It is not shown in the movies, but Boromir was always the fighter, and the one interested in war and leadership, while Faramir loved to read and learn. So I think here when Faramir lets Frodo and Sam go, it shows the wisdom imparted to him by Gandalf.
But most importantly, it shows that if it were not for Gandalf planting all of these small seeds of hope and wisdom in the people of middle earth for literally millennia, then things would have arguably not gone as "well" as they did.
God I love the non reactions of Thor when Gollum's goodness and innocence are mentioned
Very much so! That poker face is incredible. I seriously need to learn from this, as I'm nowhere near that able to keep my real emotions and reactions hidden! Especially in regards to Gollum's character.
Not sure if Domi is going to enjoy watching Smeagol's little fall inside Mount Doom.
Fun fact, but Viggo Mortensen actually LOVES horses and buys just about every horse he works with, if he can manage. During the filming of LOTR, he would get up hours before the rest of the cast to go brush his horse partner, go riding, and he'd be in the stables practically any chance that he could get. I saw a picture once of them sharing a bowl of oatmeal, because he'd genuinely bring the horse to the kitchen table with him sometimes 😂 I just find it so incredibly wholesome that he has such a connection to the horses that he works with in his films. I'll try to link the video that talks about all this if I can find it! I think it was mentioned in a behind the scenes bit on one of the movies.
Don't feel too bad for the dead elves. Their spirits will spend some time in the Halls of Mandos before they are reincarnated in exact replicas of their old bodies in Valinor. Elves are Immortal, capital I :D And it's that immortality that Arwen is giving up for Aragorn, she will still live for thousands of years before... well before eventually dying of depression tbh... kinda dark but there we are. Anyway her spirit will visit the Hall of Mandos before passing on to... well wherever the spirits of mortal creatures (Men, Hobbits & the other half-elves of Elrond's bloodline that chose mortality) go when they die, Tolkien never revealed their exact fate.
I totally agree that Smeagol/Gollum is one of the greatest characters in these movies. Andy Serkis did such an amazing job bringing this character to life. I would imagine that even Tolkien might have liked that part but it is hard to determine as he was very critical about every adaption of his work. This movie has some very controversal changes compared to the book and i still remember after watching it at the cinema for the first time i was really bothered by especially one of these changes while i totally loved another of them. I won't go into detail not to spoil your reading of the books right now. But the Smeagol/Gollum arc in this movie is definitely one of my favourites about it and it immediately was.
They also did a great job making the Ents fight in Isengard. That was really fun to watch.
Great vids. Her curiosity and reactions along with your nice personality and editing is a fun combo
The thing is, Elrond is a half-elf, and those people get to choose whether to live as mortals or to embrace immortality. Elrond’s brother, Elros, chose to be mortal, and went on to be the first King of Númenor (the fall of these people is one of the stories the Amazon show is going to cover).
This is why Elrond couldn’t turn on Isildur when he kept The Ring; they’re family.
Incidentally, the Ents couldn’t destroy Saruman’s Tower of Orthanc- it was built by the Men of Númenor when they first returned to middle earth, using methods long since lost. When their Kingdoms declined, Saruman ended up being handed the keys.
Nice to see some focus on Theodens speech , long overlooked on other reactions
The expressions of Domi during the Last March of the Ents are priceless. 😊😂 I love it. This is the reason why I watch it like this.
4:40 I really want to say this - Aragorn wasn't just living with Arwen! Elrond wouldn't give her to Aragorn unless he could prove himself King of Gondor - so he HAS to go to get his paradise! I really love that.
The shot where Frodo and the wraith face off on the battlements of osgiliath is fantastic. The wraith is on the dark side of the sky and Frodo is right at the part where the light meets the dark. Sam comes and forcefully pulls Frodo back squarely to the light. Such good symbolism
Galadriel is Arwen's grandmother.
Elrond's discussion with Arwen comes not just from his concern for her - he watched his own brother, who also chose mortality, age and die several thousand years ago. He's witnessed the story of an elf choosing mortality for love of another before.
" If any Hobbit stooped for a stone, it was well to get quickly under cover, as all trespassing beasts knew very well."
They expanded more on Eowyn's not being brought to fight in the books.
1) They were riding out from Rohan to meet the enemy rather than being ambushed on the way to Helm's Deep, only retreating there after realising just how mighty the enemy force was. Eowyn was tasked with leading the non-combatants to the safety in the White Mountains.
2) They needed someone to stay behind, both for the reason mentioned above and in case this fight led to their deaths. Eowyn was strong, capable and beloved by the people, so if Theoden and Eomer died in the battle against Saruman's forces and the Wildmen (present at Helm's Deep in the books), there would still be someone to lead Rohan. It was more 'her strength was needed elsewhere'.
The reason why Legolas can swing onto the horse and defy gravity and walk on top of the snow while the others couldn’t is because he is an elf and is very light on his feet and extremely agile. Living for 2,000 years at this point as well also allows him to have had a lot of practice.
I remember watching this movie in the theater, it is the one that confirmed me as a Peter Jackson fan. I was still holding myself apart after the first film because of my deep respect for Tolkien. The Helm’s Deep filming and screenplay utterly swept away my reservations. This is Tolkien at his most perfect in the English tragic tradition. The balance in the king’s speeches is beautiful and poetic in the Anglosaxon idiom. Notice that all of the words are native, Germanic ones: ‘Where is the rider,…’ etc. It could have been part of a Shakespearean drama.
Regarding Peter Jackson's children: I think you're right, and I think they also appeared in a medium-distance shot in the caves when the young boys were being conscripted.
I've watched so many reactions to this trilogy this is def one of my favs now. Yalls dynamic for this is great getting the reaction of someone seeing it for the 1st time and someone who's seen it just appreciating all the little things that made it the best trilogy ever made.
Honestly, I think Legolas does the battle victim counting thing with Gimli solely to give him additional incentive to fight and stay alive. It's more of a friendship caring thing than a competitive thing.
He doesn't have an "immortality thingy." Arwen didn't give him immortality; she just forsook her own immortality.
I’m sure someone said this but a lot of the structures were done in model big-atures. The blend of CG and practical effects is what made this film so realistic and believable.
"Mr Frodo" Shire society was modeled on English rural culture with gentry & servants. Frodo, Merry & Pippin were gentry, Sam & his Gaffer were servants. so for Sam Frodo was always Mr Frodo as was proper.
These movies and this story has been with me since I was 9. No one can create a world as intricate, detailed and beautiful as JRR Tolkien did. I read LOTR religiously each year and I've watched these movies over 50 times, and they still bring me to tears. Absolute masterpieces, and Tolkien is in a class of his own. Absolute mastermind.
Brego is an unsung MVP of this series. For the record, Éomer gives Brego to the Fellowship; this is different of course between book and movie, but the motif of Rohan valuing a fine horse and also being free-handed with them is perfect. As is the idea of Brego being worthy of Aragon, and vice versa.
Eomer gave aragorn Hasufel and gimli & legolas Arod
fun fact Aragorn's actor really got into the role in this one when he kicked the helmet he broke his foot but his scream was so fitting they left it in.