an LOTR nation?
I meant to post this before election, but life interrupted. Now Ive found it again, so here goes. By mid 2004, the political left and their mainstream media cheerleaders were giddy with "FAHRENHEIT 911" fever. They believed that Michael Moore would lead the revolt against President Bush and his 'ilk'. Moore's film, they hoped, would congeal the anger against Bush the same way Cronkite's declaration post Tet turned the tide against the Vietnam War.
Every night, the media (including ET and Extra) scoured the multiplex nation seeking movie reviews. The Box Office receipts were noted with glee. But "911" was hardly a blockbuster in the vein of Spider-Man2 or Shrek 2. Moore's film did not capture the American zeitgeist.
What did capture the mood of America? It was a collection of 3 movies based on the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy. The first installment premiered in December 2001. The wounds of 9/11 were fresh. But the moment that best encapuslates the connection between the films and the public comes at the end of "THE TWO TOWERS". Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) talks of why the hobbits are in this mess. So with apologies to Messrs Tolkien and Jackson:
"IT'S ALL WRONG...BY RIGHTS WE SHOULDN'T EVEN BE HERE. BUT WE ARE. IT'S LIKE IN THE GREAT STORIES, MR. FRODO. THE ONES THAT REALLY MATTERED. FULL OF DARKNESS AND DANGER THEY WERE. AND SOMETIMES YOU DIDN'T WANT TO KNOW THE END. BECAUSE, HOW COULD THE END BE HAPPY? HOW COULD THE WORLD GO BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS WHEN SO MUCH BAD HAD HAPPENED?
BUT IN THE END, IT'S ONLY A PASSING THING. THIS SHADOW...EVEN DARKNESS MUST PASS...A NEW DAY WILL COME...AND WHEN THE SUN SHINES, IT WILL SHINE OUT THE CLEARER. THOSE ARE THE STORIES THAT STAYED WITH YOU...THAT MEANT SOMETHING. EVEN IF YOU WERE TOO SMALL TO UNDERSTAND WHY. BUT I THINK MR FRODO, I DO UNDERSTAND...I KNOW NOW...THE FOLK IN THOSE STORIES HAD LOTS OF CHANCES OF TURNING BACK ONLY THEY DIDN'T. THEY KEPT GOING. BECAUSE THEY WERE HOLDING ONTO SOMETHING.
FRODO: WHAT ARE WE HOLDING ONTO SAM?
SAM: THAT THERE'S SOME GOOD IN THIS WORLD, MR. FRODO. AND IT'S WORTH FIGHTING FOR.
Every night, the media (including ET and Extra) scoured the multiplex nation seeking movie reviews. The Box Office receipts were noted with glee. But "911" was hardly a blockbuster in the vein of Spider-Man2 or Shrek 2. Moore's film did not capture the American zeitgeist.
What did capture the mood of America? It was a collection of 3 movies based on the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy. The first installment premiered in December 2001. The wounds of 9/11 were fresh. But the moment that best encapuslates the connection between the films and the public comes at the end of "THE TWO TOWERS". Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) talks of why the hobbits are in this mess. So with apologies to Messrs Tolkien and Jackson:
"IT'S ALL WRONG...BY RIGHTS WE SHOULDN'T EVEN BE HERE. BUT WE ARE. IT'S LIKE IN THE GREAT STORIES, MR. FRODO. THE ONES THAT REALLY MATTERED. FULL OF DARKNESS AND DANGER THEY WERE. AND SOMETIMES YOU DIDN'T WANT TO KNOW THE END. BECAUSE, HOW COULD THE END BE HAPPY? HOW COULD THE WORLD GO BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS WHEN SO MUCH BAD HAD HAPPENED?
BUT IN THE END, IT'S ONLY A PASSING THING. THIS SHADOW...EVEN DARKNESS MUST PASS...A NEW DAY WILL COME...AND WHEN THE SUN SHINES, IT WILL SHINE OUT THE CLEARER. THOSE ARE THE STORIES THAT STAYED WITH YOU...THAT MEANT SOMETHING. EVEN IF YOU WERE TOO SMALL TO UNDERSTAND WHY. BUT I THINK MR FRODO, I DO UNDERSTAND...I KNOW NOW...THE FOLK IN THOSE STORIES HAD LOTS OF CHANCES OF TURNING BACK ONLY THEY DIDN'T. THEY KEPT GOING. BECAUSE THEY WERE HOLDING ONTO SOMETHING.
FRODO: WHAT ARE WE HOLDING ONTO SAM?
SAM: THAT THERE'S SOME GOOD IN THIS WORLD, MR. FRODO. AND IT'S WORTH FIGHTING FOR.
posted by ralph furley at 1:03 AM
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