Well, I noticed we didn't had a thread on this topic so far, so here I ask you: What is/are the best scene(s) in the movies and why?
I personally would say the scene with the beacons is really nice, because it somehow symbolises new hope, a new chance, and I think it was really well done. Close behind I'd choose the charge of the Rohirrim at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields and the charge at Helm's Deep as well. They are both emotional scenes because the situation in which they take place is quite desperate and you can really get to feel the tension and emotion the characters feel.
Anyway, waiting for your answers, and I'll add a few mor scenes I like in time.
The secne when Sauron comes and fights in the Last Alliance. The scene of Gandalf and the Balrog. And also the one with Gandalf and the Witchking in Minas Tirith. Not sure which is my favourite though...
__________________
Utúlie'n aurë! Aiya Eldalië ar Atanatári, utúlie'n aurë! Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva!
I personally really didn't like the scene of Gandalf and the WK. I personally considered it the most inaccurate scene in the movie. The Elves at Helm's Deep is also not true, but it makes more sense to me then the WK defeating Gandalf. The one with Sauron was nice though...too bad the battle was only shown a little, it would have been nice to see more of it...
I also liked the scene with Legolas defeating a lot of Southrons and the Mumakil alone.
The Sauron scene at the Last Alliance was definitely one of the best in the movies. Then there was the scene with Galadriel at the mirror. And my favorite scene was the exchange between Elrond and Gandalf.... 'Men are weak..."
__________________
Therefore I say that we will go on, and this doom I add: the deeds that we shall do shall be the matter of song until the last days of Arda
hmm...I personally consider the best scene in the book the Siege of Minas Tirith. I like it because of the tension and the action, especially when the WK comes through the gates. I still can't understandy why PJ chose to change it so much in the movies...
That's what I get for not posting for months...I replied to this thread again 8 months after my original reply. I like my new one better though. Mods can delete this, my apologies.
For me, the best scene that was adapted to the movie yet stayed faithful to Tolkien was the chapter Shadow of the Past, with Bilbo's discussion with Gandalf after his disappearance at the Party and then the thing with Frodo (though Tolkien wouldn't have liked the compression, i.e. Frodo setting out immediately after their little discussion rather than years later).
However, the scenes that I "liked" were (in FotR) mostly in Moria. However, I couldn't stand the scenes in TTT with Théoden's possession; indeed, most of my favorite book scenes were the ones that were essentially raped in the movies. I guess I like the movies while I'm actually seeing them, but when they're not actually in front of me I find it easier to be critical. Though some things I hated even when I saw them in theaters, like Théoden's possession, Treebeard's decision not to go to Isengard, Faramir's corruption, Denethor's reduction to petty insanity, etc. And two other things really bothered me; to quote CFH, "Aragorn's angstifying and Frodo's wimpifying". In the later movies Gimli's reduction to an inane bumbling, rude comic figure were unbearable, and nothing like the grim and steadfast Dwarves of the novel. Legolas' stunts were understandable in the sense that they needed eye-candy to draw in viewers, and that PJ certainly likes grandiose things, i.e. the wonderful camera angles, though he also has a taste for gross humor and mindless slashing/unnecessary battle scenes, and inserting too much 'angst'. He also anticipates things too much... after ten thousand times of seeing Frodo captivated by the Ring, it's hardly surprising when he does what he does at Mount Doom, unlike the novel, where it's built up gradually, and he doesn't start spasming and rolling his eyes into his head and acting like he's unable to resist the Ring that early on... in the books he was doing pretty well before he got near Mordor.
But this was supposed to be a "what did you LIKE about the movies" post...
Another Movie hater... Hey The Might - you can have lots of fireside discusions here with Tyrhael...
Mostly you refer to things which are seemingly done to hastily by PJ like Frodo's leaving from the Shire, too much battle action etc. But PJ knows that having lots of fair, slow pretty scene's with Elves and Hobbits in, is not nearly going to bring in as much attention as immediate action and battle scene's.
I know what you mean by Gimli though. he was portraid as the comical run about, battle crazed barrel. He was much better in the First film.
Let us however stay on topic, especially now that there is another thread for the bad parts. What I liked as a change was the location of the beacons. Of course it makes less sense that Gondor would build them on the very tops of the White Mountains and not on the smaller hills near it, where they could be better maintained, however I liked it....it looked much more spectacular that way.
Not sure if its already been mentioned but I really like the scene where the Rohirrim arrive at Pellenor and Theoden gives them all a speech to remember. Very good.
So did I. The moment when Pippin and Eowyn also shout "Death!" always made me shiver. Great scene. Too bad some bits of the speech in the book have been removed. And, you will realise there is one remark that makes no sense. Theoden tells Gamling I think to turn right after he passes the wall or something like that. This makes no sense, because in the movie the Rohirrim were already past the wall, Rammas Echor. So it makes no sense for Theoden to say that since there was no wall ahead.
I have a few favourite scenes. Sailing away at the Grey Havens; Frodo reaching Mount Doom with the Ring; Council of Elrond, there are so many it is hard to choose.
__________________
So do all who live to see such times but that is not for them to decide. All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you.
The scene were Gollum is leading Frodo and Sam through Morgul Vale, and Minas Morgul is unleashed. I also love the scene were the Witch King comes down and owns Theoden.
__________________
"Thou living fool. No man may hinder me."-Witch King of Angmar
I love the movies. I will always love the books more, but I feel that the movies were excellent and I'm so glad they were made. I'm grateful to have seen LOTR filmed in my lifetime. I disagree with many of the changes, but I can enjoy them in their own right. Only a few of the changes really upset me.
But I digress - this thread is about our favorite scenes. ROTK has several great scenes. My two favorite scenes in the movie are when Sam carries Frodo up to the Cracks of Doom. "I can't carry the ring for you, but I can carry you!". It really portrays well the hero Sam has become and how strong his bond of friendship with Frodo is. And sailing away at the Grey Havens is another favorite. To me that final scene stayed true to what the ending of the books really meant, and what the books mean to myself personally. It had a tremendous effect on people who haven't even read the books and don't understand the meaning or significance of Gandalf, Bilbo, and Frodo sailing into the west.
I also enjoyed the entire sequence of the Moria events - changed or not, the theatrical rendition was excellent and captured the gravity of losing Gandalf.
-- Edited by The Secret Fire on Tuesday 28th of July 2009 12:07:26 AM
What would have been good is if you heard Aragorn's words "I will not let the White City fall, nor our people fail" in the background when Aragorn leads the Dead Army to the fields of Pellenor.
__________________
Utúlie'n aurë! Aiya Eldalië ar Atanatári, utúlie'n aurë! Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva!
Well, i like Aragorn's speech before The Black Gates and when he bows before the Hobbits at his coronation saying "My friends...you bow to no one!" the most... Also during the part when Aragorn kneels and it shows Frodo, his face looks like as if someone had just punched him hard.
__________________
...But it was so that from Nienna he learned pity and patience.
What I like is the way Pippin and Merry are the first to charge after Aragorn, and it seems that only then Gandalf wakes up from his day-dreaming and attacks as well.
I don't understand however how Aragorn could have charged into those ranks of Orc, alone for a short while until the others caught up. Surely he would have been skewered???
__________________
Utúlie'n aurë! Aiya Eldalië ar Atanatári, utúlie'n aurë! Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva!
Assuming that the spin he did was succesful, he would've managed to defend himself until Gandlf and co. come , distracting even more orc's, by which time Eomer and the others arrive. We must also remember that Legolas shot arrows as he ran.
__________________
...But it was so that from Nienna he learned pity and patience.
I liked the opening scene of the Shire, the reunion of M&P w/ A, L, & G at Isengard, of course Flotsam and Jetsam is one of my favorite Chaps in the book. The beacons were neat, the book version with the Red Arrow is better.
I didn't have too bad opinion of the movie UNTIL my recent reread of the series. It will be a LONG time before I pull the DVDs out to watch. The more thing I did like about movie was during the reread I had faces for the names, it just made it a bit easier and moved the story along that there was a fixed image of the characters.
Yeah, tell me about it. If before I had a bit of an own idea of how a Hobbit, a Dwarf or an Elf would look like after the movies I only had the actors. I don't say it's necessarily positive, imagination is a good thing after all, but it did make reading easier. And yeah, the reunion scene always manages to make me hungry... MUST FIND SALTED PORK!
Well I suppose although the stunts Legolas pulls are indeed far-fetched, they do not require any supernatural abilities to accomplish. I guess the reason it was done was to show how Elves have advanced control of their bodies. They just went a bit overboard...
__________________
Utúlie'n aurë! Aiya Eldalië ar Atanatári, utúlie'n aurë! Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva!
I have to disagree on your 'stunts' theory Glofindel1235. I think PJ was just pandering to the kids. I think it was pure Hollywood trying to spice up the action for the Non-Tolkien fans.
I have been able to shake those movie images by re-reading the books and constantly and firmly reminding myself that the movies are just that - movies. They are not written, filmed, directed, produced, or cast by Tolkien. I think that Jackson did a remarkable job. I enjoyed the movies.(have been given the DVD's for Christmas presents) but from the scenes of Bilbo's B-Day party, the missing Tom and Goldberry, and the "Prancing Pony" I was convinced it was not a video of the book but rather a movie based on Tolkien. This let me go back to the picture in my mind of Bilbo sitting outside his door smoking his pipe as I imagine it not as Peter Jackson does. There is a scene from the movie that I don't remember from the book...It is towards the end of the "Two Towers" film, where Frodo and Sam are still held by Faramir in Osgiliath, when Sam makes a small speech talking about the good things in the earth and what is worth giving your life for...for me it was an inspiring and transcendental moment...and I thought a good re-framing of the heroic myth (Jung and Campbell would have been so proud) ...and brought tears to my eyes. PS. Sweeper I just bought "Tolkien Compass" off Amazon - thanks for the tip Bear an Elf-Friend
__________________
Vocatus atque non vocatus, Deus aderit Called or uncalled, God is present
That's because that scene wasn't in the books. If you watch the making of stuff on the EE, you'll see a bit from Philipa who wrote that part for the film. Good scene, none the less.
__________________
I am Anduril, who was Narsil. Let the thralls of Mordor fear me.
My best scene is when Gandalf fights the Balrog on the bridge of Khazad dum I think the addition of scenes that are not in the book made quite a difference to the movie if you have read the books but i think the movie stayed true to the books.
When Elrond tries to make Eowyn understand that there is no future for her with Aragorn. The dream with the child, and the time when she walks with the other elves to the grey havens, and when she returns and realizes that she doesn't want to leave Aragorn for an eternal life.
Nilfirith, I really like that scene too. Especially when the scene shifts and she recognizes her future son. The ladys name however is Arwen, daughter of Elrond. She meets Aragorn when both are visiting Galadriel (not in the movie, but briefly mentioned when Aragorn talks to Galadriel about her knowing "where his heart lies.") I think Eowyn is the niece of the King of Rohan, Theoden, and is the destroyer of the King of the Nazgul (with a little help from Merry,the hobbit) Anyway great choice for the scene. Bear an Elf-Friend
__________________
Vocatus atque non vocatus, Deus aderit Called or uncalled, God is present
Yeah, that definitely is a great rule. Well the mistake Elrond makes there is that he cannot understand why an Elf would be willing to give away eternal life for ephemeral love. But, he eventually gets it. ;)
I really like the scene just before Frodo destroys the ring and Samwise makes that tearjerking speech about The Shire and all. Greatest scene in film history :}
I agree Estel that really drove it home for me in the films
Another great one is the ents destroying Isengard. Saruman planned for everything, he thought, and the look on his face when his world litteraly came crashing down was priceless.
__________________
But no wizardry nor spell, neither fang nor venom,nor devil's art nor beast-strength, could overthrow Huan of Valinor;
