Sometimes, words are not enough. They are feeble things.

NEGI RK Monday, January 04, 2021

Sometimes, words are not enough. They are feeble things.

They cannot hope to bear the colossal weight of emotion I feel for The Lord of The Rings.

What words do I wield to illustrate the fervour I feel when the Fellowship bands together for the very first time at the Council of Elrond?

I have none.

What combination of letters can express my bewildering jubilation at the sight of the Rohirrim, about to charge into battle at the Pelennor Fields?

I have none.

What words could describe the feeling that registers deep in my bones when Aragorn, my Captain, my King, utters “My friends, you bow to no one”?

I have none.

What adjectives can do justice to Howard Shore’s score?

I have none.

There are myriad such moments sprinkled across a genuinely monumental 11 hours. I am in love with this trilogy. I am in awe of this trilogy.

I need not wax lyrical about the merits of The Lord of The Rings, because, like all outstanding works of art, they speak for themselves.

These three movies; these magnificent monuments to passion, creativity and ambition; these labours of love; these marvels of filmmaking, they are a miracle. And they will endure.

Thousands of people spent thousands of hours pouring everything they had into this one impossible dream. And together, through the strength of their fellowship, they realised that dream.

The hours upon hours of behind the scenes content present a glimpse into the love, commitment and affection with which the cast and crew worked. It is, in every sense of the word, awe-worthy.

I am eternally grateful to every single person who worked to bring this trilogy to life. It has been a gift to me, and countless others.

And above all, I retain my deepest gratitude for Sir Peter Jackson, for daring to film the unfilmable, for striving for the better part of a decade to bring this miracle to life.

To me, they aren’t mere movies. They are something far more. They mean more to me than I could ever articulate.

Collectively, they represent one of the greatest cinematic achievements in the history of the art form. As far as I’m concerned, this is one of the greatest stories committed to screen.

Songs will be sung, tales will be told, and in time, The Lord of The Rings trilogy will pass into legend.

So you can marvel at your caped crusaders, celebrate your island of sentient toys, bask in the wonder of a galaxy far far away, revel in the adventures of your raiders and crusaders, but there is one trilogy to rule them all.

I hold much love and adoration for the trilogies alluded to above, and I suggest this with the greatest respect – it isn’t even a contest. It never was.

A day may come when the sheen of this trilogy fades, when we forsake its glory in favour of a newer, more lustrous trilogy. But it is not this day!

An hour of wolves and shattered childhood memories when the age of this trilogy comes crashing down. But it is not this day!

And until that day, The Lord of the Rings will remain the one trilogy to rule them all.