Lord of the Rings discussion thread

[Murieleirum]

Something I forgot to say was - Lotr's soundtrack is one of the best soundtracks out there. It is simply outstanding. Gollum's theme for the end credits of the Two Towers is one of my favourites, but also the Hobbits' theme. One of my dreams has always been to play the musics in an orchestra. The epicness would move me to tears, I believe. 

 

[Fay]

Rather fittingly, I've just been to a translation conference sitting where we listened to a really interesting story of Tolkien's translations into Russian. So exciting to listen to the story of so many texts. In fact, we might be considered lucky in Russia - we've got around 15 different translation variants. So many versions of the same story.

[Fay]

I'll be boring. Beren and Luthien.

[Smultron]

2 hours ago, surimi said:

 

p.s. Oh and my favorite characters overall are probably the House of Feanor. They rule. Who are you guys' faves?

 

ooooh, it's hard to choose... 

Maedhros? 

And also Maeglin, I just love his dark story, how it all begins and the role he gets to play in the end. 

 

[yuzupon]

I'm appalled at myself for not noticing this thread. 

The first Tolkien book I read (when I was perhaps 12 or so, and in my language) was The Hobbit, actually. It was recommended to me by the bookstore employee after I bought all the Narnia series in the span of 2 weeks. 

I've watch all the movies, and read the trilogy. I hope to finish the Simarilion by this Summer. 

 

I'm also a big fan of Harry Potter and the Narnia series. 

[Dandelion]

OMG just found this thread! I've been LOTR fan like forever, the books and movies are my favorites. The best ever!

and I was so proud when someone quoted "From the ashes a fire shall be woken
a light from the shadows shall spring
renewed shall be blade that was broken
The crownless again shall be King." to describe Yuzuru 

[surimi]

On 16. 5. 2017 at 12:48, xeyra said:

 

Wait, wait, what, where, I need this!

 

Specs' Deviant Art username is Akoustam 5. Lovely stuff she has there, though some of it, we already know from our Planet. ^ ^

 

On 16. 5. 2017 at 15:03, sublimeskating said:

 

OMG fellow feanorian fan FTW!!! 

 

maedhros = all time fave

 

you?

 

Hard to choose! Maedhros and Maglor are awesome, plus I have a thing for Caranthir who cannot keep his big mouth shut (reminds me of myself, lol!). And for the Big Bad Daddy himself as well. As for the rest, I'd need to read a really really good fanfic to develop any attachment to them, there's a either a lot about them that I don't like (Celegorm and Curufin), or way too little (the twins). Though not even a great fic did that for me with a guy like Maeglin. :/

 

I've read HP too, and I am a fan a bit, but not in the way I feel for Middle-earth. Usually I drift away from the HP fandom for months, or even years, before I return, and that only shortly.

[surimi]

20 hours ago, Dandelion said:

OMG just found this thread! I've been LOTR fan like forever, the books and movies are my favorites. The best ever!

and I was so proud when someone quoted "From the ashes a fire shall be woken
a light from the shadows shall spring
renewed shall be blade that was broken
The crownless again shall be King." to describe Yuzuru 

 

I like it. I personally prefer the one about the 'glass full of light' (book quote, didn't make it into the movies) quote to describe what I feel when watching Yuzuru skate. When Hydro next opens the banner requests, I am already waiting in line, because I need that in a banner.

[dd2_edge]

Wow. What a wonderful planet!!

I came to know about the books through the movies. Yup, the historic (if you like) cinematic years when the audience had Harry Potter and LotR side by side. I was reading a magazine article featuring HP but it mentioned briefly that LotR, the iconic fantasy classics, was also coming to the cinema at about the same time. Out of curiosity I googled about the movie. Then I saw excerpts of the FotR trailer on TV. The rest is history.
I saw all three instalments in the theatre. When RotK was on, I was visiting my friend in New York City. We went to the movie together. And we both cried when the credit roller started.
In the book, I like Gandalf the best. Aragon is my second most fav. But in the movies, I like Aragon the best (mesmerising performance by Viggo Mortensen). I went to FotR twice only to see Viggo again...
I caught up with the novels before RotK was shown. I like Silmarillion even better as I love the Elves. But I haven't read Unfinished Tales. It will be quite a journey to go through the whole collection, novels and The History of Middle-Earth series.

I also like Alan Lee's illustrations. 

[surimi]

^ Both HoME and Unfinished Tales are rather fragmented and with lots of footnotes; I shamelessly admit to sifting through them to read the parts that I find interesting. *cough*ShibbolethofFeanor*cough* 'Of Tuor', the first unfinished tale, is one of my all-time faves though.

The Silmarillion would make an epic movie franchise in this digital age, but I'm not sure I want a real cast playing Elves and Valar...

[dd2_edge]

 

 

[Fay]

Yay, nice to see so many LOTR and Tolkien fans and nerds!

I just remember the day I lost my heart and my life to Middle Earth - gosh, it was 25 years ago now, I was a student and I couldn't really afford many things, but I bought this cheap book - The Fellowship of the Ring in a Russian translation - because my favourite lecturer had been speaking in glowing terms about this professor. I started reading it, but for some reason first I couldn't get the hang of it, but still persevered. And then one day, on my way to my parents' place, all alone in a train locomotive cabin, I reached the song Frodo sings at the Prancing Pony Inn in Bree - and that was the moment, since I realised it was the story of the Cow that Jumped Over the Moon. I went back to the beginning of the book and started anew. That was the moment - that moment on a train locomotive.

I had a very exciting summer trying to hypothise what's going to happen next, then I went back to university and... was only able to find The Two Towers but not the Return of the King. I sorta went through what the first readers of the LOTR must have experienced - that dreadful suspense of what's going to happen next which thankfully didn't go on for a year, but just for two months when the Return of the King was finally published.

I think no other book has ever changed me as much as this one.

 

[Fay]

OK, there's going to be a new book on Beren and Luthien

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-40109396

And this fascinating video - he was quite a talented artist too, wasn't he? He sure had a beautiful handwriting - those Elvish inscriptions!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/entertainment-arts-40113274/tolkien-through-the-years

[wildstrawberry]

LOTR is one of the very rare cases when I prefer the movies over the books.

I think I've watched the trilogy like two dozen times,I was obsessed at one point.

[Moria Polonius]

2 hours ago, wildstrawberry said:

LOTR is one of the very rare cases when I prefer the movies over the books.

I think I've watched the trilogy like two dozen times,I was obsessed at one point.

 

Me too. The books dragged like whoa in certain places, skipped over some really interesting stuff (e.g. Aragorn making the deal with the undead) and there was a sad lack of women. I definitely preferred the movies, although the battles were still way too long for my taste.

 

From the hobbit movies I only really enjoyed the middle one, although I'd cut out Beorn and most of the "lets run atound the dragon cave" too.

 

80% of the first movie was unnenecessary. I remember sitting at the cinema, thinking: "Is this in any shape or form connected to the ring or the dragon? No? Why is it in the movie then? The hobbits encounter with trolls, them being chased by those wolflike things, the whole hoopla with goblins, and the biggest wtf: the attack by the rock monsters. Like, what was the point? 

 

The Thranduil kingdom and Laketown were really intersting, though. Basically, they should have left the 20% of the relevant stuff in the first movie and attached it to the 2nd movie. And they should have left the relevant 30% of the third movie and attached it to the second movie. .... That would have made a really long 2nd movie though. But seriously, I watched the Battle of Five Armies with my Tolkien-nerd of a friend, and when half an hour into the movie they started gearing up for the battle, I asked her: "Wait, already? Is the rest of the movie going to be one long-ass battle?" And she just cringed and said " Yeah, it appears so." But I agree that it could and should have been one movie.

 

I still rewatch LotR though, especially the Fellowship. 

 

I remember two years ago being at a rock concert and there was a long guitar solo in the middle. After a few minutes the solo started to quiet down, but then it picked up again. And again. And Again. And again. I found myself thinking, "This is like Return of the King, just when you think this is the end, there's more!"