It is Not This Day
by Elvellon Ringsbane
Seeing
the Extended Fellowship of the Ring in the theater was an experience I
still have not fully recovered from – perhaps I never will, unless it
be when I view the EE Two Towers and The Return of the King (if my
frame of mind after that experience can be called ‘recovering’. :-/)
These films are a stunning achievement of the cinema, but more than
that; they are the visual realization of an epic story that will endure
forever.
New Line Cinema’s decision to show the Extended Editions in the
theater, right before the Return of the King, was the best they ever
made (next to supporting these films). To be able to return to the
beginning, to the very first step in the great Quest, and see the
completion of the journey, each film one after another in the theater,
is the best possible way to celebrate the release of the final film.
Viewing the EE on the big screen was for me the chance of a lifetime,
not to be missed. And how right I was. Even having seen the DVD, I was
not prepared for this experience…
It was as if I had never seen this film before. Every scene, from
Gandalf’s meeting with Frodo to the death of Boromir, was new, and I
noticed so much I had never seen before. For three and a half hours I
truly lived in Middle Earth, journeyed with the Fellowship, joined in
their laughter and tears. I cracked up (along with every one else) at
the antics of Merry and Pippin, shuddered at the deafening screams of
the Nazgûl, relived the horror of the darkness on Weathertop,
raced beside Arwen as she fled to the Ford bearing the wounded
Ring-bearer, smiled through tears of joy at Frodo’s reunion with Sam,
Merry, and Pippin in Rivendell.
With the Elves I stopped my ears as the Black Speech thundered through
the theater; stood silently with Aragorn in the mist about his mother’s
grave; dove for cover as the Crebain swept screaming overhead;
struggled through the blizzard on the brink of Caradhras. Before the
Doors of Durin I waited as Gandalf sought the opening words; marveled
at the vast pillared Halls of Moria; stood with the Fellowship by
Balin’s tomb; fled with the Company across the smooth floors, washed in
the flickering glow of fire. With pounding heart I stood with Aragorn
and Frodo upon the crumbling stairs; shouted my defiance silently with
Gandalf as he stood fast against the Balrog; watched in horror as the
whip curled about his ankle, he clawed futilely at the broken stone,
hung for a breath above the void, uttered his last command, and was
gone.
In grief I traveled the road from Moria to Lothlórien; marveled
at the beauty of the Elven kingdom; with joy stood by as Galadriel
bestowed gifts upon the Company; hearkened to the words of Celeborn’s
warning. I felt the swell of the Anduin beneath the prow of the grey
Elven boat; wandered with Frodo upon the slopes of Amon Hen; faced the
Uruk-hai with Aragorn; and wept at the passing of Boromir.
I remembered the way I felt nearly two years before, as I watched the
Three Hunters set off, and gazed with Sam and Frodo at the dark ridges
of the Mountains of Shadow, when this was all the Lord of the Rings I
knew, and the Two Towers still unseen and longed for.
Many of the Extended scenes I actually forgot were coming, including
two of my favorites - The Green Dragon and the departure from
Rivendell. Every extra minute added to the theatrical release so
greatly enriched and completed the Fellowship of the Ring – it was a
new film, the Fellowship as it should have been, as it is.
The experience was enhanced a thousand fold by viewing it on the big
screen. Not only was the size a tremendous improvement (I could hardly
believe how large it was; I had forgotten what it was like to see FOTR
on the big screen!) but the sound was incomparable. The lush green and
untroubled spirit of the Shire, the ethereal beauty of Rivendell and
Lórien, the terror of the Nazgûl, the darkness of
Moria…all were brought to life by the glorious score. Always the music
has had the power to transport me, from the merry strains of the Shire
to the pounding drums and Dwarven choruses of Kazad Dûm.
Not only was the soundtrack enhanced, the dialogue was much more
powerful. During the extended Council scene, when Gandalf utters the
Ring spell, the theater nearly shook – the voices seemed all around me,
terrible and commanding, echoing… I was astonished by how much greater
is the effect of this terrific scene with the proper sound!
Once again the love and effort put into these films astounded me. As
Orlando Bloom said, ‘the detail is fantastic’. As Gandalf leaps from
the pinnacle of Orthanc to the back of the Wind Lord, one can see a
small bowl and cup lying beside the horn of the tower visible on the
far right – Gandalf’s rations while imprisoned by Saruman. Who would
ever notice such a little thing? I have viewed this film countless
times, and I did not see them until now. Yet they are there, as they
truly would have been, for those who would to discover.
No translation from book to film is or can be perfect. The tremendous
accomplishment of Peter Jackson and all the devoted cast and crew have
come as close to perfection as is ever possible. My own vision of the
world that Tolkien created has been brought to life – no longer need my
mind alone see the characters and the journey that I have loved so
long, but before my eyes I have seen the forms of Aragorn, Frodo, Sam,
Boromir… There are flaws in these films, to be sure, and some are more
obvious than others, and more regretted. But whatever the mistakes, we
are extremely blessed. Things could have been much, much worse. In a
letter published in issue 10 of the Fan Club magazine, a fan wrote;
‘The actors were born for their parts.’ A truer word was never spoken.
How often have I thought the very same thing, from the first time I saw
the Fellowship of the Ring! Think what it would have been like if Viggo
had refused the part of Aragorn, if they had never found Elijah Wood…
In two days I will be sitting in a theater once more, reliving the Two
Towers. Two days after that the journey will end at last, with the
Return of the King. When first I saw the Fellowship of the Ring, I
could not bear the thought of waiting two years for the final film. And
here we are, two years later, and I cannot bear that it should end.
We come to it at last, through darkness, fear, and suffering, to hope
and light, and sorrow at the parting. But perhaps it is not the end,
for ‘even the very wise cannot see all ends’. Others who see us and
laugh at our love cannot understand, for they have watched but not
seen, heard but not understood. Beneath the violence and death there is
hope and beauty, truth and bonds of friendship stronger than the
Shadow. Boromir spoke to Aragorn in Lothlórien; ‘Have you ever
seen it Aragorn? The White Tower of Ecthelion, glimmering like a spike
of pearl and silver, its banners caught high in the morning breeze…
Have you ever been called home by the clear ringing of silver
trumpets?’ Boromir loved his city more than his life. He lived for it,
and died for it. All throughout the long journey from Minas Tirith to
Rivendell, and from thence to Amon Hen, he thought of his city, longed
to return, prayed it would not fall. That is how I love The Lord of the
Rings. No matter what the real world brings, I will never forget it,
and always I return there in heart and mind, praying that it will not
end; for I too have wept at the though of it being over, as Boromir
wept for his city. The White City did not fall, Aragorn kept his vow to
Boromir; neither will the Return of the King bring the end.
My love will live on, long after the last credits have vanished from
the screen, when posters no longer herald the coming of a new film,
when all save those who have stayed and seen have forgotten the Lord of
the Rings. I will never forget it, or you with whom I have had the
great privilege of making this journey. Two years ago I knew nothing of
poetry, writing, or the many wonderful fans that dwelled in secret
scattered over the earth. Drawn by one love, a common purpose, we have
gathered to this board and found that we were not alone. I have gained
so much through this fan club! Thank you for welcoming me into this,
our Fellowship of the Ring. May our Fellowship never be broken!
‘A day may come...when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of
Fellowship...but it is not this day.’
ER
