I don't actually remember how the conversation came about but eventually it was decided between my mom and I that if I read the books than I could watch the movies. I was sixteenish at this point. As a general rule I have been raised not watching PG-13 films. These were going to be an exception. I have no idea why I was interested in watching movies based on books that I so 'hated' but it happened.
Therefore, I started reading the books. Surprisingly, I had avoided spoilers of just about any kind so I really was going into these books with some names but nothing of the storyline. It wasn't long before I, grudgingly (because I'm stubborn about these kinds of things), discovered that I was enjoying myself. But as I said, I was stubborn and I didn't say anything about my enjoyment to my sister. Haha. However my interest was tested when I came to the Two Towers and the time with the Ents. I kid you not, it was harder for me to read that small blip with the Ents than it was to endure all the Gollum parts.
 |
| I'm with you lads. |
Thankfully I did plow through until I reached Return of the King and I knew that I liked the books. I had already arranged to watch the movies in marathon style with my aunt and grandpa before I finished so I can't say that I had to much time to process before I was watching the movies. I think I had two days, which for me, isn't even close to sufficient processing time. As I didn't know what to expect and still processing the books I was really nervous about watching the movies. But I still remember the scene where I knew that I was going to love the Lord of the Rings and fortunately, I can show you with one gif.
The first few seconds with Strider I was like, "easy bro. Just chill." Then he took off the hood and it has nothing to do with looks. I'm totally serious! I would be honest with you it was. It was more Strider's bearing that struck me. His casting was spot on! In this one scene I saw the books come alive! I finished the marathon in sheer wonder. I was awestruck. The closest movies I had to judge from were the Chronicles of Narnia. No offence to those movie lovers, those movies are all fine and good, but they are nothing compared to the Lord of the Rings. I came home with the biggest grin on my face but completely speechless.
I don't think I went a year without reading the books through again and this time I didn't struggle with keeping my interest. I have read the books several times since my initial introduction and I usually only watch the movies in marathon style because...you can't just leave yourself hanging!! So I've probably only seen the movies three of four times through.
One last word here before I let you get on with your lives, one of my favorite movie memories is associated with the Lord of the Rings. I had finally convinced my sister to watch the movies. Having loved the story longer than I had she was worried the movies wouldn't live up to her expectations. (I'm still not sure if they did or not. She's generally passive about things like this.) So a little persuasion was necessary. What a role reversal, right? Anyway, this time we were watching at my uncle's and haha, you know the Mines of Moria, correct? Well, how would you feel if it was late and dark outside, sitting there in the mines when the drums started sounding directly behind you? I had forgotten my uncle had surround sound. Hahaha, that was a thrilling experience! I loved it!! :D
 |
| They have a cave troll. ;P |
How did you come to love the Lord of the Rings?
Yours truly,
Cordy
P.S. Here's how visual I really am. So reading through the books I came across these Oliphaunts that Sam was fixated by. It wasn't 'til watching the movies and an elephant came lumbering onto the screen that I actually realized that the oliphaunt was actually an elephant. Duh!! :D In doing a little more research I actually discovered that "Oliphant" is a German word meaning elephant. There's a tip of the day for you.
I really need to watch the movies again! Goodness that scene (Strider) is soooooooo swoon worthy!
ReplyDeleteAnd when you said 'Imrahil', did you mean 'Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth'?
Haha, I didn't swoon but I was very impressed. ;)
ReplyDeleteYes.
I loved reading your story of how you were introduced to The Lord of the Rings! And that is so funny how your sister tried to convince you to overcome your prejudice and read the books, and then how the roles were reversed and you were attempting to get her to overcome her prejudice and watch the movies! Haha!
ReplyDeleteHow did I come to love the Lord of the Rings? Well, I was first introduced to the books sometime before the movies came out. My dad read them aloud to me and my siblings and we really liked them. (We used to play that we were the characters, and all that.) Well, then the movies came out and suddenly everyone was talking about "our" book, and we didn't like that very much. Especially as they were only excited about it because someone had made a silly movie of it...which of course we were sure wouldn't be any good. In fact, the Lord of the Rings movies were those infamous films that we were NEVER going to watch. Haha. We finally did, however, and had to admit they weren't so bad. :P I do still prefer the books, though. :)
~Miss March
I really love all the play acting you did with your siblings!! Do you remember which character you portrayed? Aww, how dare anyone intrude on your book by making them movies!! :P Hehehe. Oh, I know! I will always prefer the books!!
Delete~Cordy
I didn't have a set character like some of my other siblings did, but I think I was sometimes Merry or Pippin. I can't quite remember which one, though. It probably depended on which one of my siblings I was playing with at the time. :)
DeleteI love it! :D :D That would have been so fun!!
DeleteI came to the books through the movies -- like you, I'd disliked The Hobbit when I first read it, and why would I read a thousand more pages by the same guy about the same world as a book I disliked? So I never read LOTR. Then, in 2001, the first movie came out. I was a senior in college, and my fiance and my roommates were all going bonkers waiting for the film to get released, and I wasn't interested at all, which made them nuts. Then one roommate casually mentioned that Sean Bean was in it, and I was like, "Oh! Oh, he is? Oh, I'll go, then." She spent several days cautioning me that he played "a bad guy," and I was like, "Um, so what's new? Have you watched a Sean Bean movie? He's always the bad guy!"
ReplyDeleteAnd so I went on opening night with a pack of friends (several in costume), and I discovered to my great joy that Sean Bean DID NOT play "a bad guy" (and I've never let that friend forget how she misled me), but instead played a magnificently heroic, flawed, tragic character. I promptly bought the books, whole trilogy in single volume with movie tie-in cover, and read... only the first one. I made myself wait to read TTT until I'd seen the movie, then wait to read ROTK until I'd seen that movie. Which meant waiting a whole year between them because I had to wait for them to get released to the theater. Happily, I had school, a wedding, a new job, moving to another state, and another new job to fill my time between them.
So...that's how I came to the LOTR fandom, since you asked :-)
Were you disinterested to make them (your roommates) nuts? (I mean, you know we all do those kinds of things sometimes.) The bad guy?! Rude!! Haha. I remember you mentioning this part in your Boromir defense post. (A post I agree with, by the way.)
DeleteMy gosh, you were patient in your reading!! But then again, you did have all those things on your mind! :D
I might have played up my lack of interest a bit to annoy them, hee. But I really just wasn't into them.
DeleteI'm patient, and I like to savor things I enjoy and make them last as long as possible, so it wasn't all that tough.
I've read the Hobbit but not the other two books . . . I am seriously planning on doing that this summer. Also I haven't watched the movies all the way through, but have seen about every single clip there is of them on Youtube, so that definitely counts for something, eh what? :P I LOVE the casting for Aragorn! He is SPOT ON, just like you said. So regal and Dunedain-ish.
ReplyDeleteNo, no, no. There is no "seriously planning", there is seriously committing! Haha. ;)
DeleteYes, that is something...but reading them would make you so happy!! I know it!! :D :D
YES! I loved reading about your reaction to watching the movies! Spot-on:)
ReplyDeleteIt was a rule that we had to be twelve to watch the movies. I was intimately familiar with the story because - OLDER SIBLINGS! I begged hard to be allowed to watch when the older sibling closest to my age was allowed but to no avail. I CRIED.
To spite my parents, I decided to read the books. I was only nine. IT WAS AGONY. I had no idea what I was getting into. It took me SIX MONTHS. But I did do it.
Since that time I have read the books maybe ten times and the movies - though I ended up having to wait until I was thirteen and my little brother got to skirt the rule and watch at like eight - MORE TIMES THAN I CAN COUNT.
The Aragorn gif is THE BEST! Ha:)
Our house rules were usually if you read the books you could watch the movies. Haha, but that rule bends sometimes with younger siblings too. *sigh* You're not alone. Hehe.
DeleteNine? I was a little younger than that when I took on the Hobbit for the first time and I was bored to tears! That's awesome that you actually finished them!! Yahoo!!
It's a niiice scene. :D
I know, right? My little brother is the baby of the family and such a spoiled little brat (mostly my doing, of course...) and I never let him forget it, either:)
DeleteI'm rather proud of it, yes:)
It is, isn't it???
This was such a great post! I'm so glad you were able to become a fan. :) And I'm so glad I'm finally a fan, too! It was quite fun reading the LOTR books for the first time after hearing all about them for sooo many years. I'm not sure when I initially fell in love with the story, though. :/ Oh! I think it was when the hobbits were running from the Ringwraiths in the Shire. That part was deliciously exciting!
ReplyDeleteI totally sign up for watching the movies in the dark with surround sound. That would be amazing. I would love it if the films came to theater again! :D
I did really like that part too. I feel like that's the part where you really feel engaged in the story!
DeleteI know! Maybe they will do something like that for anniversaries as they come and go.
I'm not really sure how/why my family was introduced to LOTR. I know (years ago :) ) when LOTR, TTT, and ROTK were in the theaters, we attempted to read the books at the same time. And then, I think it was after the first Hobbit movie came out, I was unwell and my mother started reading the Hobbit aloud. Some of the writing/humor amused me, but I horribly prejudged it by comparing it to Austen's writing (which is apples to oranges, of course). I should go back and read the LOTR trilogy. The movies are splendid. Well, the LOTR ones are anyway. The Hobbit ones are good, but they can't quite compete with the originals. Even with Richard Armitage/Thorin and his puppy dog eyes. :)
ReplyDeleteI thought the Hobbit movies were fine. I prefer the book but I like the trilogy books more than the Hobbit. Haha. Did that all make sense? Basically, I was agreeing with you and putting a plug in for the trilogy books. Hehehe. (But, when Thorin dies in the movie ;'( )
DeleteOh, and did you ever get to the point where you were enjoying the Scarlet Pimpernel? ;/
I actually didn't see the last Hobbit movie in the theater. I wouldn't want to drown all of the other moviegoers with my tears. :D I was hoping that Peter Jackson would change it up so that Thorin wouldn't die, but of course, he didn't. :(
ReplyDeleteTSP. Ooops. :) I slowly got to Chapter 7, and the library wanted its book back. I do have a digital copy of it that I really should get busy reading, but as of now, it's at a standstill. :)
When I saw BoFA in theatres I went with my brother and uncle so there was NO WAY I was going to cry. They would have teased me for the rest of my life! Haha. :D
DeleteNo problem. I was only asking to see if you were still suffering through. Haha, sorry it was slow for you. I think farther into chapter 8ish or 9ish is where the story really starts to get going. But I don't blame you. Have tried and failed several times myself, I can relate. ;D