[Knight of Gondor]

Since I did not exactly think about trilogy favorite movies (perhaps I should start a new thread about that? Then again, the title of this thread does not specifically mention RotK...), I suppose I should list mine.

By powerful and poignant, I mean moments in the movie(s) that just push a nameless wave of emotion on me. Sometimes, that wave tries to get me to cry. Once or twice, it has succeeded. But actually, the memory of these moments, along with the accompanying appreciation for the courage that is displayed, pushes those feelings on me even when doing mundane activities like mowing! Okay, well, enough analysis.

It was so cool to see the Elves and their deadly precision and accuracy, and I loved to see their battle scenes and action, but this did not effect me profoundly, for two reasons. First, because it was only the first of the movie, and second, the Elves were almost emotionless, or appearing thus, in battle.

Gandalf and Saruman’s battle. It’s like, the adrenaline in your body is surging like YOU want to deliver a blow to Saruman! Still, I didn’t exactly get chills there either.

Aragorn flying out of the shadows and attacking the Nazgûl viciously. That was probably where the first chills of FotR (and thus, the entire trilogy) came on. That’s a point where you can just marvel at the courage, even if it IS just an actor.

Somehow, Sam’s plea “What are you DOING?! Those wraiths are still out there!” coupled with Aragorn’s look was pretty cool.

Gandalf’s stand on the bridge, of course — and his fall, with accompanying reactions from the Fellowship. (Sam in particular...just his one sniff when Aragorn goes “on your feet, Sam” just kinda hits you right here)

Somehow the remembrance of the extended Farewell to Lórien scene strikes me that way, but not viewing itself. It’s more of the cerebral idea of nearly angelic beings ministering to the Fellowship, and easing their cares and worries as best they can.

The battle of Amon Hen is not only really cool, but also the underlying emotions make it amazing. Aragorn’s self-sacrificing smile at the Uruks as he accepts their challenge, as it were, almost as if saying “come and GET me, I have nothing to lose. Merry saying “Run Frodo — go!”, then distracting the Uruk-hai. Gimli and Legolas mowing through their enemies. Boromir’s valiant stand, with accompanying facial expressions from Boromir, Merry, and Pippin. Aragorn tackling Lurtz, following battle. Somehow, Boromir’s death scene failed to affect me profoundly until maybe my eighth viewing?

Frodo’s remembrance of Gandalf’s words (the words themselves did not hit me that way when he spoke them, interestingly enough) by the shores of Parth Galen, and his accompanying resolution. Sam trailing Frodo, and his wonderful determination to get to his Master, even if it killed him — and his explanation to Frodo. (“I made a promise Mr. Frodo — a PROMSIE: ‘Don’t you lose him, Samwise Gamgee.’ And I don’t mean to...*sniff* I don’t mean to.” Of course, this doesn’t make a whole lot of sense as Sam tries to make his way back down the Winding Stair...you wanna hop in front of him and say “DON’T YOU LOSE HIM, SAMWISE GAMGEE!” and shake your finger in his poor, weary face)

Moving on to The Two Towers, I still say that, second to the Horns of Rohan, the most amazing scene was Gandalf and his death-plunge fighting the balrog. AB-SOL-UTELY incredible. Major chills on that one.

Gandalf’s return just barely struck me as emotionally powerful. I thought Legolas’s words in the EE kind of spoiled it, a little. It’s basically a “sorry about that, Chief”, not very necessary.

Gandalf’s healing of Théoden, with the powerful spiritual struggle that was taking place at the time.

I still get chills when I see the banner of Rohan, the white horse on a green field, fluttering in the breeze as the Rohirrim dash off to confront the warg-riders.

The two young Rohan children from an outlying village having to part with their mother, and then their reuniting with their mother. That never fails, just that touching scene where they reunite in Helm’s Deep.

I know I’m skipping a chunk of the movie, but I don’t believe there were any really impressive moments therein until Helm’s Deep, when mere family members, non-experienced carpenters, farmers, and farriers, and young men are forced to part from their crying wives and children to try and defend the Hornburg.

The battle itself was very cool, but did not particularly hit me with waves of sadness, or bitter happiness, even the death of Haldir.

Gandalf’s arrival was THE moment of the movie. I like the way that Eorling put it: a shining avalanche. For moments like that, I like to quote Merry. “That was good.” (To which hopefully a LotR-fan nearby will reply “let’s get another one!”)

Return of the King took a little while to heat up, but I can’t list all the moments because there were like a dozen of moments that were previously defined only as the feeling you got when Gandalf led the Rohirrim down the ravine. That, and we’ve already listed most of them. I just thought to point out that a moment I hadn’t even remembered very well to list until I finally got to see it on DVD was the beginning of The End of All Things, when that choir is singing low in the background as Sam arrives with Frodo at the road, and says “Look, Mr. Frodo, a door.” And no, it wasn’t a duh line, because Frodo couldn’t see it! He told him that to inform him, and to give him hope. It was like, the end was suddenly in sight.

When Gamling tells the king they cannot defeat the forces of Mordor, and Théoden says “no, we cannot,” then thrusts his chin out and says with determination “but we will meet them in battle nonetheless” is a quiet moment that evokes one of those waves of emotion. My dad even remarked that Bernard Hill is a very wonderful and powerful actor, just the way he holds his jaw and speaks so firmly. Of course, he made this remark in the middle of the movie, ha ha...

The horns never cease to evoke the most powerful wave of emotion in me. I still want to know where you can buy horns like that. And somehow, PJ put that moment in so that while I’ve seen it three times, it’s still just the least bit unexpected. And then when they charged, and, like Kath said, “the orcs suddenly realize that they're not actually going to stop. The look on their faces is priceless!” Also, one Rohan soldier in particular really epitomizes the attitude of the entire army. He’s the guy that they show right before the two armies clash, and he’s riding his horse like the dickens, rage on his face, like he simply CAN NOT wait to plunge into the line of orcs to that he can avenge his people! It’s just a miscellaneous soldier, but it’s so symbolic of the entire people.

And of course, all of the very common moments from before that are mentioned. The Grey Havens never fails to hit me hard, especially when all three of the hobbits are crying. And yet, it’s rather symbolic itself. Frodo is not sad, and the hobbits are not sad for him, they’re sad for themselves at the realization that they won’t see him again. It really does give one a taste of what heaven can be like for those who believe.

All of these emotions and feelings actually leave an after-feeling, whether happy or sad. It’s the feeling that this is just a story, it’s just something on the screen, or on a page, even though it looks so REAL. One cannot actually participate in it, and yet most of the feelings that one experiences in the movie are ones of longing to participate, to do SOMETHING to intervene. And the very knowledge that you cannot, nor will you ever, be able to participate in anything remotely similar is in and of itself quite sad. As a fellow Barrow-Downer said once, it’s “painful beauty”.

All of this most likely gives Peter Jackson the good feeling that he did something right to make almost all of us feel that way. And it would seem that even the most stringent movie critic, or LotR hater might find it hard not to swallow hard while watching Sam struggle up the hill.