What were your feelings when you first saw the
teaser trailer for the Trilogy?
The release of the teaser-posters for ROTK has had me remembering the
first time I ever saw footage of the trilogy. It was when I was
visiting the theatre with a friend (who hates LOTR and all fantasy). I
had (of course) heard about the filming of my fav book, but decided it
would never be able to compete with the world I had created in my mind,
so I wanted nothing to do with it.
Yet there I was right before watching some
lame teen movie. The screen went dark, and I heard a voice-over
reciting the ring-verse, and saw the Ring falling into screen. I
considered covering my eyes (yes, I know, overdone), but then the scene
of the Last Alliance came into view, and I was captured by the Ring. I
even heard my friend gasp beside me. I especially remember a wide shot
that lasted about a second of Merry kneeling before Théoden in
Edoras,
that nearly had me in tears.
Then the Fellowship appeared, you know, that
great shot when they come over the mountain one by one. I saw Gandalf,
and knew he was perfect. Legolas, on the other hand, I really hated on
first sight (sorry girls). Gimli looked great! Then came the Hobbits,
and I had no idea who was who, only about Sam, because Sean was Sam to
me from the first time I saw him. On first sight I have thought that
Dom was Frodo (I don't know why, but the expression on his face in that
shot just made me think that), Elijah was Pippin (he is the youngest
after all and looks it) and Billy was Merry.
And then that last shot. Galadriel. She was
so perfect, and the look in her eyes and... wow! "Even the smallest
person can change the course of the future." Great quote.
Fade on Elijah's face. Those eyes! Need I
say more? I leaned over to my friend and whispered: "I would go and see
that movie just to look at him."
I didn't, though. I am a very stubborn
person, so I refused to go and see it, while even my LOTR-hating friend
went to see it (and came out hating it even more). I could not believe
PJ being able to do honour to 'my' story. And I thought Elijah was too
pretty to be Frodo.
A year later I unwittingly picked up a certain VHS and put it in the
video. I think you can guess the rest of the story.
