Vague Ponderings Of A Fangirl

Continued from Account Of A Fangirl and So Long, And Thanks For All The Carrots. Sort of. Not really. Don't think it really matters.

I didn't go to the Return Of The King premiere for the actors. I didn't even go just to meet up with my friends and to spend a day partaking in the truly obsessive activities that extreme fans do.

The reports I have encountered have stated that roughly 10000 people made it down to Leicester Square on Thursday, and I know for a fact that not all of them were hard-core fans. I spent far too long supplying names and information to people that didn't really know what they were talking about for that to be the case.

So why did all these people bother? Why did I bother?

I can't speak for the rest of the mob, but I went because I wanted to be a part of the whole phenomenon. Or rather, I wanted to have something concrete that I could say I did, as a part of it. Of course, being as obsessed as I am, I think it's fairly safe to say that I've been a part of it all for a while, no matter how many premieres I have or haven't been to. But this was one specific, single, overwhelmingly significant event that I can say I was there for.

My friends' children are going to think I'm so cool in 20 years time. Not my current friends' children, because, well, obviously most of my current friends were there too, so it wouldn't be that big a deal for their children. But future non-fandom related friends' children will think that I abso-lutely rock.

This is up there with the millennium we just had for culturally significant moments that are likely to occur in my lifetime. All the other events I can think of are either technological or political, and I am convinced that Lord Of The Ring will remain fairly high profile for at least one more generation. In fact, so far, I'd say it was the most significant cultural attendance of my life. I'm just so glad I got born early enough to be able to appreciate this. These movies will be, or already are, bigger than Star Wars.

And I was there recognizing that for the premiere.

Waving a carrot.

I threw my carrot away this morning. It had gone all wrinkly and shrivelled, and was leading to questionable hygiene consequences. It makes me a little sad, that I'm to have no memento of the day. I didn't bother trying to get autographs, and I didn't take a camera, and yet I'm still overwhelmingly glad I made the not inconsiderable effort to get there.

I don't think the movies are at all perfect. I think the music is perfect, and I think the costuming and design work is truly mind-blowing, but I like to think I do have the movies as a whole in perspective. The same goes for the book. I'm a little appalled at the Big Read results, and there is no way that Lord Of The Rings would make it into my favourite books list. Don't even get me started on Harry Potter's presence there.

The main effect the books had on me was to annoy the hell out of me due to all the subtle references in it. Which sent me scurrying off to scour the appendices and The Silmarillion. The latter of which does make my top books list. People always seem surprised by this revelation, but I'll write on that some other time. It's always been about the depth of the world for me. The language, the lore, and the little things that make it such a fantastical reality inside my mind.

The main effect the movies had on me was to re-awaken my need to be actively creative. I can categorically state that there is no way I would have been back to see The Two Towers quite so many times had it not been for the soundtrack and design aspects of the movie. I doubt I would have started sketching again, I know I wouldn't have started reading fanfic, and without reading fanfic I wouldn't have had the courage to start writing. Ok, so the musical part of my life is still dead, but I don't think there's ever going to be a way that I'll get that back. Too traumatic, but that's another thing that I'm not going to write anymore about here.

Lord Of The Rings, for me, isn't about being an incredible artistic achievement, although I know many would argue that it is. And I would have a difficult time producing a convincing counter-arguement. However, I prefer to think of it as simply a profoundly deep-reaching impact upon my life, as a result of countless personal responses to the truly monumental amount of content within the books and movies combined.

It's a part of me, and by adding to the screaming crush of a body count on Thursday I'm now a part of it in return. And nobody can take that away from me.

Is that enough sickening enthusiasm for the day?

Posted by Missiedith at December 15, 2003 7:42 PM