What did the movie help you "recover"

[Evisse the Blue]

Originally Posted by AbercrombieOfRohan

It is now a piece of literary work that I can understand as a piece of greatness but I can't grasp the same high that I experienced when I first read the books. I'm not saying that I'm tired of the books or the movies, I'm saying that it's like looking at hours and hours of Monet and appreciating their beauty but not being able to completely grasp it. Has anyone else shared a similiar experience?

In a way, yes, I think I have. The first time is always special. It's a bit weird actually that I try, with each reading to grasp the same emotional high, as you put it. Actually this is one of the main reasons why I re-read, and why I watch the movies as well.

Ok back to the scenes that helped me recover some parts of the book that I had not payed enough attention:

The final scene: I never really cared for the ending in the book, I had always found it simplistic and somewhat dissapointing. When I saw it in the movie, though, I got tears in my eyes (perhaps you should make a poll how many of us cried at the movies, Fordim, since I can see you're in the mood for it lately ). The movie version revealed to me the true beauty of that scene, its meaning - the simple pleasures of a hobbit's life: that's what it's all about. That's what Frodo was fighting for, that's what kept Sam going throughout all the horror. It's sort of Tolkien's way of saying to you to value food and cheer and flowers in the garden over 'hoarded gold' or bombastic endings, if you will.

The Ride of the Rohirrim would have been my choice as well, but that I found pretty impressive in the book too. Still, it's one of the best scenes in movie history, ever. (though I don't claim to know that much about movie history)

Boromir was for me too a revelation (due mostly to the great role by Sean Bean) - he made me like Boromir and see things from his point of view, which never happened during the book. Even though Tolkien tried sometimes to make Boromir more likeable, he 'made it up' by adding stuff which made him even more dislikeable than before, culminating with his famous trespassing. The end redeemed him somehow, but still (*gasp*) I think I prefer the end in the movies.

Originally Posted by Lalwende

But, the films have recovered something pretty important, and that's not to do with my images of anything. It's that all the Tolkien fans have finally emerged, blinking, into the daylight!

I did emerge into the daylight blinking to see the movies, but then went straight back to my hole in the ground!