I still think the death of Saruman is one of the more interesting ones; I especially noted Theoden's compassion to Grima, particularly in comparison to his attempt to slay Grima in TTT - another instance of Theoden's nobility and kingly quality being shown. The Houses of Healing scene is pretty but soooooo short! I was sure it was longer...I thought we had gotten at least a brief glimpse of Faramir being healed, but no. Not sure how I misremembered that so badly.
At least the short scene between Faramir and Pippin about the Guard uniform is still sweet.
(Though Faramir's comment about his younger self spending more time slaying dragons than studying stands a bit at odds with the idea of Faramir loving learning, unless what he loves is not the act of studying itself but the stories he learns. Which would make sense. ...I need a reread.
)
It's interesting that they took Gandalf's comments about Denethor not knowing Boromir when he came back if Boromir had taken the Ring and gave them to Faramir. This backs up Varna's thoughts earlier and, more so, my mom's thoughts about Faramir's change of heart in TTT being due at least partially to seeing the effect the Ring had on Frodo in person. And Faramir's strength of character still shows up in his yearning to please his father but ultimately setting Frodo free because it was what was right. And he still gets sent out on a suicide attack and he goes because he's told to and he's grieving and it's his last chance to defend Gondor from the encroaching attack.
I still love the choreography of Pippin's song, Denethor's meal, and Faramir's charge. So well done! I also loved once again Theoden's speech at the fields of Pelennor, Aragorn's speech in front of the Black Gates, and Sam's attack on the Orcs in Cirith Ungol. Such good parts!
I was a bit surprised I didn't cry while watching the movie (with the way the week had been going, I thought for sure I would
), but I guess I don't usually, so...
I also have been thinking a little lately about Eowyn's interactions with Aragorn vs. Faramir or, rather, Aragorn's interactions with Eowyn vs. Faramir's. I mean, one of them obviously has more interactions on-screen than the other
, but this time around I was thinking about Aragorn's comment that Eowyn only loved a shadow of a thing and he could not give her what she desired/needed, and trying to figure out how that was shown. I ended up coming up with a contrast with how her despair is handled. When Eowyn tells Aragorn about her horrible dream (which is another oddity, since isn't it really Faramir's and it depicts the fall of Numenor, something she has no reason to see? anywho), he tells her that night turns dreams strange and essentially that it was only a dream. When Aragorn leaves for the Paths of the Dead, she tells him he gives the people (her) hope and that leaving will take that way; this is when he tells her she loves only a shadow of a thing, etc. and leaves after wishing her joy. Obviously, then, the hope she thought she had was gone; it was a false hope and she's left with despair.
In the single scene we see when she and Faramir talk, Eowyn tells Faramir that the sun is cold and has lost its warmth. Faramir doesn't dispute that, but he tells her it's only the final frost before the spring and that he doesn't "believe this darkness will endure". In short, he doesn't deny the coldness/darkness, or say it's only a dream; he agrees it's there, but he also believes it will end, that it is real but not permanent (which is in agreement too with Sam's speech in TTT, so maybe it stuck with him
). But that's when Eowyn turns to him, which seems to imply that here was the real thing she was looking for, a hope that's a true one, one that won't leave.
I'm not really sure what all these thoughts mean, and I'd be very curious to hear other's ideas (refutations? supports? counter-arguments?
). The idea of real but not permanent is something that's been on my mind lately, so I may be reading too much in.