"Galadriel's Test"

"Galadriel's Test"

2021

She stood before Frodo seeming now tall beyond measurement, and beautiful beyond enduring, terrible and worshipful.

-"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring", by J.R.R. Tolkien

A small (albeit very memorable) moment in LotR, yet perhaps the single, most important, defining moment in the whole of Galadriel's storyline; where everything she has ever dreamed off comes within her grasp, and she resists the temptation and accepts her own diminishment.

"Flight to the Ford"

2021

At once the white horse sprang away and sped like the wind along the last gap of the Road. At the same moment the black horses leaped down the hill in pursuit and from the Riders came a terrible cry...

-"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring", by J.R.R. Tolkien

Following up with my countdown of favorite Fellowship of the Ring scenes is the Chase Scene to Rule All Chase Scenes. Seriously, this scene puts all cheesy car chases in generic action movies to shame. It has high stakes, tension, emotion, beautiful scenery and camera work, very epic soundtrack, and just a touch of magic.

Flight to the Ford is such an epic, exhilarating, iconic sequence. Probably my favorite one out of the whole movie (together with another one, which should be fairly obvious). It's the first time that we've seen the Nine assemble all together since they've left Minas Morgul, which just adds to the sense of peril and urgency. I distinctly remember being completely nailed to my seat the first time I watched it, and flinching so hard at the part where one of the Nazgûl reaches out and almost snatches Frodo from Arwen. I remember also feeling disappointed when the Nazgûl where washed away by the flood, because I thought they had been destroyed, and already at my first watch I loved them so much. Fortunately for me there was a lot more Nazgûl to see in the next two films.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think one of the many strokes of genius in these films was to have Arwen do the rescuing. Glorfindel is a popular character, but the truth is that except for this scene his role in Lord of the Rings is fairly inconsequential. It makes sense to introduce Arwen this way. She is Elrond's daughter and Aragorn's betrothed... why shouldn't she go look for them? It also compensates a little for the lack of female representation these stories are known to suffer from.

"Frodo's Decision"

2021

A great dread fell on him, as if he was awaiting the pronouncement of some doom that he had long foreseen and vainly hoped might after all never be spoken.

-"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring", by J.R.R. Tolkien

An underrated moment of great courage: Frodo, who up to this point thought that the worst had passed, that he had done his bit, that he'd return home soon, and after already having felt a taste of the burden of the Ring and been pursued (and wounded) by the servants of Sauron, volunteers to take the Ring to Mordor.

"Watch"

2021

"The Mexican Nazgûl"

2021

Self-portrait as a Nazgûl.

This was surprisingly difficult to make. It was a struggle to draw the face haggard and wraith-like and still make it recognizable as me. I am very happy with the result though.

"Guardian of the Alps"

2021

Alpine Ibex (Capra ibex)