LotR Challenge 02

[amruniel]

02 - Favourite Battle

Oh dear... another one of those really hard questions. Hm...

Quite frankly, I love them all :) Each of the battles have at least one moment that is simply amazing, so choosing one is really hard.

All right, I think I'll go with the Battle of Helm's Deep.

I love the setup of this battle. The despair. The too-old men and the too-young boys. Aragorn and Legolas quarrelling (and isn't it fucking hilarious that Aragorn switches back to Westron/English right at the very moment he confirms that they most likely WILL die? - "Then I shall die as one of them!"). The women and children in the glittering cave. The darkness. The hopelessness.

And then: Haldir and his elves showing up, delivering this wonderful and very welcome speech:


I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Haldir's face when Aragorn hugs him - he looks like he's thinking something along the lines of "What the fuck is this unwashed man doing? Why is he touching me? He STINKS!" :D
And Legolas' background-face? *snickers*

And then the rain starts and all hell breaks loose...

I'm a huge fan of the orcs simply standing in front of the wall, chanting, stomping. I think that's one of the most powerful ways of striking fear in the hearts of your enemies. (And to think that a lot of this shot came to pass by bored and cold actors passing the time between shots makes it even better for me ;) )

The battle itself is nicely done with a lot of comic relief thrown in (I can't stop giggling about the "back door" that Aragorn and Gimli use to sneak out ... a stroke of genius of the architect, right? *grins*).
And then Haldir dies. One of the worst moments for me. I hate it, I cry my eyes out every time. *sigh*

I adore Aragorn, Legolas and Theoden's last stand - for me it's one of the bravest moments of the "hunters" when they ride out to battle. And of course, Gandalf's timely rescue isn't bad either ;) I'm forever impressed that Gandalf can predict his re-appearance that precisely... or is he waiting on the other side of the mountaintop, twiddling his thumbs while waiting for sunrise?

Okay, and now the deciding factor why I chose this battle: Theoden's speech.

I love the whole scene - Gamling dressing his lord in armour is one of the best and most powerful scenes in TTT, maybe even in the whole trilogy.
And it's so wonderfully done cinematically. I love the shadows you see walking by in the background - this very simple detail adds momentum and urgency to an otherwise very still and secluded scene.

Helm's Deep is a great battle from start to finish - and every battle that makes me laugh, cry, and bite my nails despite knowing the outcome deserves an award!

Comments

[amruniel.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, every damn time!

Funnily enough, Himself doesn't like TTT that much (his least favourite part of the trilogy) but Theoden's scene is one of his most favourite of the whole trilogy. He can quote the whole passage by heart and I'm treated to a surprise recital every once in while - which ultimately nearly always leads to us putting the DVD into the player and watching the movie :D