Sit now there; and look out upon the lands where evil and despair shall come upon those whom thou lovest. Thou hast dared to mock me, and to question the power of Melkor, Master of the fates of Arda.
Absolute tears, here. I thought of how - though they all were so close - they were all "fractured" at the end. Frodo - and eventually Sam - off to the Grey Havens. Legolas and Gimli to the Undying Lands. Merry and Pippin buried next to Aragorn in Rath Dinnen. Arwen completely alone in Loth Lorien. I hope their spirits are all together once more, though . . .
The House of Hador shall know claim retribution against the Fell Enemy if unto the end of all things must their spirits await the call to one final duty and mission, and Hurin and Turin shall stand at the fore of their valiant host.
Hearing the voice of Sir Christopher Lee narrate one of the one most memorable parts of the Silmarillion really does bring the story to life. Of all the actors who could’ve played Saruman I’m glad it was someone who loved the Tolkien Legendarium as much as he did
To me he reads it almost like he didn’t write it. Reminds me of when my dad would read stories to my sisters and myself: when the tone of the story was humorous or silly he’d add in his own pauses, goofy voices, be very rubato with his tempo. But when the story was serious, he would just speak in his normal voice. No added animation, just himself. Tolkien reads like the story was written well before his time, like he’s citing it now once again to a younger counterpart to emphasize a point about having courage or having hope in bleak times. I always read this story that way, like it’s more about the lessons than the actual story itself. It doesn’t need to be slowed for effect, it doesn’t need to be animated, it just needs to be him telling me to have fierce courage in my own life.
Worth noting that two people in the Legendarium were compared to Orome. Fingolfin, mightiest of the High Kings of the Noldor riding in wrath to Angband after the Battle of Sudden Flame in such might and terror that even Morgoth feared to take his challenge and then Theoden, a mortal man.
I just can't get enough of this. I keep coming back to it. Such an epic scene and a wonderful picture of willfully choosing to maintain hope despite a hopeless situation.
"At that sound the bent shape of the king sprang suddenly erect. Tall and proud he seemed again; and rising in his stirrups he cried in a loud voice, more clear than any there had ever heard a mortal man achieve before: Arise, arise, Riders of Théoden! Fell deeds awake: fire and slaughter! spear shall be shaken, shield be splintered, a sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises! Ride now, ride now! Ride to Gondor! With that he seized a great horn from Guthláf his banner-bearer, and he blew such a blast upon it that it burst asunder. And straightway all the horns in the host were lifted up in music, and the blowing of the horns of Rohan in that hour was like a storm upon the plain and a thunder in the mountains. Ride now, ride now! Ride to Gondor! Suddenly the king cried to Snowmane and the horse sprang away. Behind him his banner blew in the wind, white horse upon a field of green, but he outpaced it. After him thundered the knights of his house, but he was ever before them. Éomer rode there, the white horsetail on his helm floating in his speed, and the front of the first éored roared like a breaker foaming to the shore, but Théoden could not be overtaken. Fey he seemed, or the battle-fury of his fathers ran like new tire in his veins, and he was borne up on Snowmane like a god of old, even as Oromë the Great in the battle of the Valar when the world was young. His golden shield was uncovered, and lo! it shone like an image of the Sun, and the grass flamed into green about the white feet of his steed. For morning came, morning and a wind from the sea; and the darkness was removed, and the hosts of Mordor wailed, and terror took them, and they fled, and died, and the hoofs of wrath rode over them. And then all the host of Rohan burst into song, and they sang as they slew, for the joy of battle was on them, and the sound of their singing that was fair and terrible came even to the City."
Pure magic to hear the read by Tolkien himself. The music was muted beautifully as well, it was indeed just enough to support the narration without being distracting… well done.
It is almost by accident that we have this reading. Tolkien was retrieving a copy of the manuscript from a friend in 1952, and the friend had this new-fangled toy, a tape recorder. JRRT was curious about how it worked, and after a brief demonstration (Tolkien jocularly spoke an invocation in Gothic to dispel evil spirits) he recorded some passages from LotR and also the newly-revised 'Riddles in the Dark' chapter of 'The Hobbit; he had never heard his voice recorded before. A chance-meeting, as we say in Middle-earth.
To think that those sorry dogs hired by Amazon had all these tales at their fingertips... And those evil curs chose to make their hateful abomination, rather than give life to the sad but beautiful epics of a man greater than they... So sickening. So sad. The glory and wealth they could have obtained... yet they proved their hate, and their desire to destroy. But alas, that is all that evil can do, imitate, and destroy. It makes me weep.
I'm glad that they didn't try to adapt The Silmarillion. I'd go so far as to say that it is unfilmable, frankly. Any portrayal of the gods would be a disappointment, a portrayal which diminishes them. And there's no budget which could properly capture the War of Wrath onscreen. The story of Turin Turambar would have been a good idea, but then imagine how angry you'd be if they failed to adapt it successfully.
@@JimmySteller Agreed. Literally the only way one could even try to adapt the Silmarillion is in animated form, akin to Prince of Egypt. And even then it would be incredibly difficult.
