Over twelve hours of the extended versions of the Lord of The Rings Trilogy. Is there a most moving moment?

 I’ve never done it before, sat on a sofa and watched three major films – in a row. We had two pizza breaks, and over twelve hours in front of a huge TV screen with a superb sound system.

 It’s no good dipping into Tolkien; sinking into his world of wizards and men, hobbits, and elves, and orcs and trolls is surely the best way. And so it was going to be all three extended versions – The Fellowship of The Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King – back to back.

 And after all those epic battles, vicious duels, tense diplomacy, grand deliberations, and slithering Gollum conversations - – is it possible to pin point the most moving moment?

 Yes.

 It is right at the end, at the great gathering outside the chapel at the top of Minas Tirith. The camera draws back and we see our four hobbits standing, and as the returned king Aragorn approaches they start to bow. But Aragorn says that they do not have to bow to anyone, and then the entire company kneels in honour of the hobbits. 

 The seemingly strong honouring the seemingly weak.

 The glamorous and the exotic, kneeling before the Mr Ordinaries.  Not because they are patronizing or even polite, but because after twelve hours we know that the hobbits absolutely deserve it.  They had the perfect rustic life, but they chose to go. And they kept on going.

 So, we are moved because the halflings who should have been easily defeated by the orcs and trolls and Nazgul birds and evil invisible powers - have won.

 We are moved because, though flawed, their loyalty and courage and perseverance, proved stronger than their weaknesses.

 And we are moved because if Frodo and Sam and Pippin and Merry can press on to deal with the evil that came unwanted into their ordinary lives, then we too can do the same in our ordinary lives.

 And, even better, perhaps one day, in a great gathering, we too will be honoured by the returned King.