Discussion about this post

User's avatar
David's avatar

I think a true testament to Bernard Hill as an actor and Theoden as a character is that he was 13-year-old David's favorite character. I spent hours as Aragorn or Legolas in the video games, but even at a young, impressionable age, I found Theoden the most compelling, flawed, and human character in the whole trilogy.

We meet him at his absolute lowest point. He's broken and so full of doom and gloom, but he always rises to the occasion and allows himself to dare to hope.

Better than any character, I think he personifies the theme of hope against all odds in this story.

Pre-battle inspirational speeches tend to be cheesy and come off as forced, they are very rarely earned. Theoden's speech, in a movie full of great speeches and emotional moments, is probably the highlight of the entire trilogy. This man has suffered loss and defeat, and arrives at Minas Tirith with a meager force that couldn't possibly content with the vast size of the forces of Mordor. When he gives his pre-battle speech, it isn't to motivate his men (and Eowyn) to victory, it's to pump them up to die. He is getting them excited to die. And it works! That speech gives me chills every single time.

Theoden and Bernard were absolute legends.

Expand full comment

No posts