First of all, the score is enough to almost make me cry (but not quite). Composed by Howard Shore and featuring performances by Annie Lennox, Enya, and Renee Flemming, as well as members of the cast, among others, there is not one scene where the music fails to capture the mood. My favorite might be a piece called “The Return of the King” from the third installment of the same name. It is 10:14 and is featured close to the emotional end of the third movie. It is a greatest hits piece of all the iconic themes throughout the three movies, and the emotions of the scene are mirrored perfectly in this composition.
When I was younger, my favorite character was naturally Frodo, the hero who must take the One Ring to be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom lest it fall into the hands of the Dark Lord Sauron. When I watched again over the weekend, the Frodo-Sam-Smeagol plotline was my least favorite. Three and a half hours of angst is a little much. I much preferred the more understated plotline of Merry and Pippin, the two best friends separated from their ring-bearing companions and made to fight in two different armies. I found Dominic Monaghan’s Merry to be very convincing; he brought an element of realism to this fantasia. Billy Boyd’s characterization of Pippin really pulled on the heartstrings and kept me involved in the story.
The cinematography was beautiful. There is one shot in The Return of the King where there is a large enemy army attacking a city. Just as all hope is lost, the reinforcements arrive. It’s as if angels descended from the heavens, all to the tune of Handel’s “Messiah”. The shot is stunning. At first, only the front line of soldiers are visible, but as the sun rises, the camera pulls back to reveal thousands of riders on horseback. It continually takes my breath away. And it is only one of many.
Even though I will be playing catch up for the rest of my life because of my constant weekend shirking, I’m glad that I made time to revisit these films. There’s a reason that they won so many Academy Awards. I was lucky enough to be able to watch through different eyes, and I think it really improved the experience. If you’ve never seen these movies, or haven’t in a long time, I suggest carving out a good chunk of time, grabbing a blanket and some hot chocolate, and letting yourself get wrapped up in the story. “Suspension of disbelief” is what these movies work on, so let yourself go, relax and enjoy. You will not be disappointed.
"Ride now!...Ride now!...Ride! Ride to ruin and the world's ending!"
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi787874073/
Click here to watch the trailer
