Friday, April 13, 2012

Lord of the Rings

As a writer, my A to Z challenge is going to be about books, characters, TV shows and movies that have impacted me somehow. Enjoy! Be sure to check out Lee’s blog to find more bloggers taking on this challenge!
Lord of the Rings

You knew I had to include this one! I read the books immediately after I finished The Hobbit in grade 5 or 6. I read them multiple times in the years that followed. The scope of Middle Earth is incredible and so beautifully realized. I can drop into that world again, and again and again. When the movies came out, I was terrified. I don’t usually like movie versions. But, wow! Jackson and company captured the essence of Middle Earth. The play of light and shadow in the movies is one of my favourite parts. It echoes the morality of the books and characters, and makes the movies beautiful to watch over and over again.

Which movies do you like to watch because they are so beautifully done?

35 comments:

Jeremy Bates said...

Believe it or not, I have never seen any of The Lord of the Rings. Sorry.

I enjoy movies for the total package. To me, that includes great cinematography, a fantastic script, and great dialogue performed by excellent actors.

Unfortunately, I may see 3-5 of those a year only.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I LOVED LotR!!
It's the only book I've read more than twice (read it four times I think).

However, I didn't like the movie. I had so many issues with it in terms of colour matching, continuity, lighting etc argh! Don't get me started It came out when I was working in 3D animation so I was particularly picky with CGI in movies at the time.

Anonymous said...

I haven't seen these movies. They sound lovely. I enjoy visually stunning films, as long as the script and acting matches too.

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

I am not a cinema goer so haven't seen Lord of the Rings.
It is a good L subject all the same and very enjoyable to read.

Yvonne.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Best book to movie adaptation EVER! And had to get the extended director's cut as well. Takes over eleven hours to watch all three.

Natalie Aguirre said...

I loved these books and the movies. It's the few movies I've wanted to watch multiple times. Great choice.

Jemi Fraser said...

Jeremy - I don't see too many movies either so I'm very choosy :) And LotR is not for everyone!

Lynda - that's so funny! Everyone definitely has their own taste which makes it all so much more fun! :)

Medeia - I don't watch too many movies - so I really hope it all comes together in the ones I do :)

Yvonne - I don't usually see more than a movie a year - but I made sure I saw this one!

Alex - I agree! It's a series of movies I can watch and rewatch! :)

Natalie - me too! I have a few sf and fantasy movies I can watch repeatedly - but not too many :)

Old Kitty said...

Love Lord of the Rings books and films!! Esp Golum in the films and I am wetting myself waiting for The Hobbit! LOL!

I could watch all of Toy Story films over and over again! Take care
x

DEZMOND said...

yep, loved LORD OF THE RINGS just as I love watching all epic, futuristic and historical films.
Visually beautiful film always come from Tarsem Singh (THE FALL, THE CELL, IMMORTALS, MIRROR MIRROR), Buz Luhrmann (MOULIN ROUGE, AUSTRALIA) and Shekhar Kaphur, whose ELIZABETH and especially ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE are visually the most striking films ever.

Nick Wilford said...

I saw each film in the cinema when it came out. I think it's the best way to experience these sorts of films with epic cinematography so I'm glad I did, as well as the original Star Wars trilogy which they re-released just before The Phantom Menace.

I've only read the books through once. I was totally immersed in it, but it took me a looong time! You've got to admire such a fully realised and played-out world.

T. Powell Coltrin said...

Love Lord of the Rings. Great choice.

Talli Roland said...

I must admit I'm not a massive fan. For some reason, the films always put me to sleep -- they have a hypnotic effect on me or something! No idea why.

Julie Dao said...

I could watch these movies over and over and over - and I have! Pretty sure if they ever did a remake (GOD FORBID, of course) I'd be able to step in and play any of the characters because I know all of the lines by heart. Yep. I'm an LOTR geek and I am PROUD.

Shelley Sly said...

I hear such amazing things about LOTR, but I haven't watched the movies because... and this is stupid... my attention span isn't long enough. I've been told the movies are long, and I have trouble sitting through a regular-length movie. Maybe I should rent one at a time and give myself plenty of breaks every so often. :P

S. L. Hennessy said...

Yes! LOTR is the BEST!!! And the movies were such a great adaptation...which is pretty rare. Peter Jackson is my hero.

Margo Berendsen said...

I agree, the movies did I really good job of capturing the setting of Middle Earth, and some of the characters, esp. Gandalf!!! But I don't think any movie could do justice to all the history in the books, the great men of the West, the otherworldliness of the elves, and all the songs!

cleemckenzie said...

I loved this movie and was very pleased that it captured the beauty and mounting suspense of the book. I was so excited to visit the location most of the movie was filmed. Matamata, New Zealand is one spectacular Middle Earth.

Precy Larkins said...

Oh, yeah. LOTR rocks. And the movies, too. Did you know I sat through the whole 3 hours of the last movie in the trilogy because I didn't want to miss anything? And I was about to give birth, too. (I did give birth 2 days later)It was like, "what leg cramps? What potty urges?" I zoned out the physical aches because the movie kept me mesmerized. :)

Tiana Smith said...

I didn't read those books until after I watched and fell in love with the movies. It's actually one of the few cases where I like the movies more - probably because I was introduced to them first :)

Rosalind Adam said...

I saw the first of the trilogy of films because Mr A seriously wanted to see it but it's not really my thing. I have to admit that the scenery was impressive though. [Sorry if that makes me sound like a real pleb!]

Deniz Bevan said...

Yay for LOTR!! I still reread the books every year, though this year I'm working through a reread of the History of Middle Earth. I really liked the first movie but not the other two... though I hear I ought to watch the extended versions of all of them at once to get an idea of the full flavour. It's on my To Do list!

Unknown said...

I haven't seen this movie but I love watching the old classic being made into movies because of the great cinematography.

Jemi Fraser said...

Old Kitty - me too! :) The Toy Story movies are so heartwarming!!

Dezzy - those are some impressive choices!

Nick - exactly. The world isn't realistic - it's real. Tolkien did an amazing job. I wonder how he would feel about the films. :)

Teresa - thank you! one of my faves!

Talli - my hubby feels the same way - he was no interest in them at all!

Julie - woohoo! Maybe you could play ALL the parts - that would be fun :)

Shelley - my daughter feels the same way. She isn't into fantasy at all either - but it's the length that put her off!

SL - I agree. I'm not usually a fan of movie versions - don't watch very many of them at all. But I love these :)

Margo - Gandalf is so well played!! I would have like to have seen 'lighter' elves - with their silly songs and their sunny attitudes in the movie.

Lee - I would LOVE to see that area of the world - and not just because it's Middle Earth. It really is incredibly beautiful!

Cherie - I can believe it! To me the time slips away like nothing when I watch them :)

Tiana - I find that happens to me too. The first one I encounter is the one that becomes 'real' to me. That's why I rarely watch movie adaptations!

Rosalind - not at all! I'm the only one in my family who likes anything in the fantasy or sf realm. My parents thought I was crazy when I started reading the books! :)

Deniz - the only part I'm not a fan of is the ending of #3. I think they should stop it when Aragorn is crowned. The rest drags on.

Clarissa - the old classic movies did such a great job with lighting. The play of shadows is awesome! :)

Jackie Jordan said...

I attempted the J.R.Tolkien series when I was 14 years old and it proved to be a bit much for me. Only in my late 20's did I enjoy the series, and the movies were awesome ....

Jemi Fraser said...

Jackie - it's not for everyone for sure. no one else in my family has any interest in it whatsoever! I'm glad you gave it another shot though! :)

Emily R. King said...

Great books and movies. I was so enraptured by the first one, when it ended with Sam and Frodo walking across the rocky landscape then faded to black I was like, "What? NO!" I was first in line for the next two. :D

Jemi Fraser said...

Emily - no kidding! That was a killer ending. My sister hadn't realized it was a trilogy and she was SO ticked off at that ending! :)

Katy Upperman said...

Though I haven't read the books, I do love THE LORD OF THE RINGS movie trilogy. Such amazing characters and world-building!

Jemi Fraser said...

Katy - the movies are so well done! They're, of course, quite different from the books - but they're great! :)

Beth Zimmerman said...

I have never read the Lord of the Rings (or the Hobbit) and should probably be seriously ashamed of myself! I have seen the movies repeatedly though! And some day I shall go to New Zealand! As long as the Orcs are not in residence at the time of my trip!

Jemi Fraser said...

Beth - not at all! The books are not for everyone - they're quite heavy and they don't move quickly at all. I'd love to go to NZ too - as long as those Orcs are in control! :)

Misha Gerrick said...

I loved LOTR and Chronicles of Narnia. ^_^

Also, Memoirs of a Geisha.

Jemi Fraser said...

Misha - yay! Another fan :) I haven't got to Geisha yet. One of these days :)

Unknown said...

This is one of the few cases where I enjoyed the movies more than the book. That hardly EVER happens!

Jemi Fraser said...

Rachel - you're right - that hardly ever happens for me too! I don't reread the books much anymore :)