LOTR 30 Day Challenge - Question #30: How you got into LOTR?

When I was a teenager The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books were very popular with many of my fellow students. But I don't remember ever talking about Tolkien in English Lit class here in the US, or even being assigned either book in school. But Tolkien's ideas certainly resonated with the tone of the times. 

Also at the time there were several restaurants and coffee shops in my area that were named after characters in Tolkien's books. I remember they mostly served vegetarian meals or sandwiches with lots of alfalfa sprouts. Though I often frequented places like this with friends, and knew generally what the name "Bilbo Baggins" on the front of the menu referred to, I was still not inspired to read any of Tolkien's work.  I was more of a Bronte Sisters - Jane Austen type of reader. Fantasy was really not my genre. 

Fast forward quite a few years and this comes across my radar one day:

By this time I had been a fan of Sean Bean's for several years. Though I liked other actors, Bean's career was the only one I really followed in great detail. I was thrilled that Sean was cast in this film, especially since he seemed so happy to get the part of Boromir.  I knew about Tolkien from my teenage years, and now I really had an incentive to find out more. So I followed the progress of The Fellowship of the Ring, and Sean's work as Boromir, and what was happening in New Zealand as much as I could in the time before Twitter and Facebook. For me this was mainly through The Compleat Sean Bean website.

It was a thrilling time reading all of the LOTR press and all the interviews with Sean talking about working with Peter Jackson, and Viggo Mortensen, and the rest of the cast.  I well remember an excellent interview on Charlie Rose (a US Public Television program), maybe a two night interview I think, with many of the  LOTR cast.  Sadly Sean was not there, but Peter Jackson and Viggo Mortensen I remember very well.  

From The Charlie Rose Show

I started out being interested in the films because of my love for Sean Bean, but after watching the first film and all the interviews with the rest of the cast, and with Peter Jackson, I fell in love with the LOTR films and the entire cast. 

I remember going to see the first LOTR film, The Fellowship of the Ring, with a friend. To this day she has no idea who Sean Bean is, but I talked her into watching this new action/adventure fantasy film with me. 

We're in the darkened theater watching the movie and suddenly there on screen is Boromir.  He walks towards the Shards of Narsil, picks up part of the broken sword, pricks his finger and says 

"Still Sharp(e)" 

I must have made some strange, loud, strangling, noise at that moment, a gasp maybe, a shout, because my friend leans over to me and in a very worried tone says "Are you OK?" 

Even so, I was still not interested enough in the genre to read The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit.  

Premiere time for the Lord of the Rings cast

So what finally lead me to read one of Tolkien's books - The Hobbit?

This man:

Richard Armitage

It seems all my men are destined for 

Middle-earth 

So this concludes the LOTR 30 Day Challenge

Thank you to Sir Doctor of Tardis for the terrific challenge - it has been a fun 30 days

A special "Gracias" to my friend Cassia on FB for keeping the faith, following every day, and sharing my posts on her FB Timeline.

A small musical "Thank you" treat  for Cassia from The Tolkien Ensemble:  Song of Durin

For all who visited and read and commented along the way- Thank you for sharing this journey with me. 


Thanks to The Compleat Sean Bean, The Mighty Bean,  RichardArmitageNet.com, YouTube

LOTR 30 Day Challenge - Question #25: Favorite Quote

It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small 

a thing. 

Such a little thing. 

LOTR 30 Day Challenge - Question #23: Least Favorite Character

Lurtz

If explanation needed - see earlier posts

LOTR 30 Day Challenge - Question #20: Saddest Character Death

The Death of Boromir

caps from screencapped.net

LOTR 30 Day Challenge - Question #15: Favorite Armor

Boromir

Captain of the White Tower, Captain-General, 

High Warden of the White Tower, 

Steward-prince of Gondor

Thanks to Google Images and all LOTR and Boromir Fans

LOTR 30 Day Challenge - Day 4: Scene that Makes you Cry

I'm going to cheat a bit on today's challenge and post two scenes instead of one. There's the scene that brings tears to my eyes every time I see it, even after seeing it dozens or more times...and you might guess which one it is....

Then there's this scene in the video just below that never made me cry before last year, but now makes me cry just like Gimli.

(SPOILERS for those that have only seen the first Hobbit film and have not seen the LOTR films, or read Tolkien's work)

Yes, that Balin, is our Balin:

and the skeleton next to him with the big book in his hands is:

The second scene that always makes me cry - Aragorn and Boromir

LOTR 30 Day Challenge - Day 3: Favorite Character

My favorite character is Boromir

I don't think I would have followed the LOTR films as closely if it had not been for Sean Bean. The fact he was cast as Boromir led to my initial interest, but after watching the first film in the trilogy, I was hooked on the rest. 

Through Rohan over fen and field where the long grass grows 

The West Wind comes walking, and about the walls it goes. 

'What news from the West, O wandering wind, do you bring me tonight? 

Have you seen Boromir the Tall by moon or by starlight?' 

'I saw him ride over seven streams, over waters wide and grey; 

I saw him walk in empty lands, until he passed away 

Into the shadows of the North. I saw him then no more. 

The North Wind may have heard the horn of the son of Denethor.'

'O Boromir! From the high walls westward I looked afar, 

But you came not from the empty lands where no men are.

From the mouths of the Sea the South Wind flies, from the sand hills and the stones; 

The wailing of the gulls it bears, and at the gate it moans.

'What news from the South, O sighing wind, do you bring me at eve? 

Where now is Boromir the Fair? He tarries and I grieve.'

'Ask not of me where he doth dwell – so many bones there lie 

On the white shores and the dark shores under the stormy sky; 

So many have passed down Anduin to find the flowing Sea. 

Ask of the North Wind news of them the North Wind sends to me!' 

'O Boromir! Beyond the gate the seaward road runs south, 

But you came not with the wailing gulls from the grey sea’s mouth.'

From the Gate of Kings the North Wind rides, and past the roaring falls; 

And clear and cold about the tower its loud horn calls. 

'What news from the North, O mighty wind, do you bring me today? 

What news of Boromir the Bold? For he is long away.'

'Beneath Amon Hen I heard his cry, there many foes he fought. 

His cloven shield, his broken sword, they to the water brought. 

His head so proud, his face so fair, his limbs they laid to rest; 

And Rauros, golden Rauros-falls, bore him upon its breast.'

'O Boromir! The Tower of Guard shall ever northward gaze 

To Raurors, golden Rauros-falls, until the end of days.'

http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Boromir

Memory Lane: Back to the Beginning of Lord of the Rings Media Coverage

Martin Freman, Richard Armitage, Andy Serkis at SDCC 2012

From Warner Bros Pictures Website

In interviews during the just ended San Diego Comic-Con 2012, Richard Armitage said (I'm paraphrasing a lot now) how envious he was of the relative obscurity and seeming innocence of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy cast when they were filming in New Zealand over a decade ago.

So I thought it would be fun to go back to some of my favorite interviews of the LOTR cast from those days back in 2001 when a large part of the world had yet to encounter Hobbits, Dwarves, Wizards, and Orcs.

I should also mention, in case you're new at visiting this blog, that I'm a long time fan of Sean Bean and so I followed LOTR news as soon as he was cast. (Sean was in his 20's when I first became a fan, but amazingly I was just a toddler in those days). 

Two interviews from Cannes 2001 when the movie industry insiders and the press got to see 20 minutes I believe of the Lord of the Rings:The Fellowship of the Ring and marked the start of PR for the film and the trilogy, much like SDCC just marked the start of major PR for The Hobbit:

Sean Bean (Boromir), John Rhys-Davies (Gimli), Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) Cannes 2001

Sean Bean on the Frank Skinner Show (Part 1) trying, not entirely successfully, to explain some of LOTR's special effects without giving away any secrets...and can we say "action figure":