[peony_foxburr]

(In order, roughly):<BR>1.The "montage" accompanying Bilbo's voiceover "Concerning Hobbits" from the FOTR EE--we see not only the scenes of that "simple country life" but the rendering of vivid colors (greens, sunlight) that evoke nostalgia for a rural sort of Eden, with Howard Shore's music working on the "other half" of our brains.<BR>2.Gandalf saying to Frodo, as he prepares to leave Bag End on short notice, "after all these years, I never cease to be amazed" by Hobbits--and Frodo, in the midst of his anxiety and panic, suddenly stops and smiles back up at him.<BR>3. Black Riders looming out of the mist.<BR>4. Hobbits out of their element, in the Prancing Pony--suggested by the lighting, the colors, the camera angles, the sound editing...<BR>5. Pullback and long shots of the Halls of Moria (when Gandalf "risks more light")<BR>6. First full view of the Balrog<BR>7. First full view of the Argonath--and birds flying out of nests built in one statue's eye.<BR>8. In TTT: death of Haldir, as he looks back at his fallen fellow Elves--for me it evoked another kind of "the Elves are departing Middle Earth" moment, in contrast to the scene in FOTR where Sam and Frodo see a group going to the Havens.<BR>Confession: I have to try SO hard to envision what's being described in literature, that I LOVE (good) film versions being in my head as I return to the beloved books...What a great thread!<BR>