Beacon of Amon Dîn | Beacons of Minas Tirith | Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

#Lotr #TheReturnOfTheKing #TheLordOfTheRings

“…The Lord of the City had beacons built on the tops of outlying hills along both borders of the great range, and maintained posts on these points where fresh horses were always in readiness to bear his errand-riders to Rohan in the North, or to Belfalas in the South.” — Gandalf to Pippin

The beacons were two series of permanently manned stations maintained by the lord of Minas Tirith for raising the alarm in northern and southern Gondor respectively. The stations were on the summits of foothills in the White Mountains (Ered Nimrais). The stations kept signal fires in readiness and stabled fresh horses for couriers.

The northern posts, listed from nearest to Minas Tirith to nearest Rohan, were Amon Dîn, Eilenach, Nardol, Erelas, Min-Rimmon, Calenhad and Halifirien.

[carpma]

The unsung hero of this franchise is the dude that plays Theoden. He absolutely crushes every single moment he’s on screen.

[Tusharchitrakar]

The men being posted at these beacons having to wait once every 20 years for them to be lit deserve some recognition for their relentless perseverance and appreciation for eternal boredom

[ivangonzalez]

Almost 20 years, I'm 40 yo now, and this scene still makes a tear of emotion come to my eyes, every time the beacons are lit and Theoden holds his breath before commiting to war... Movie magic at its finest.

[macouto]

RIP Bernard Hill. King Theoden will always be among my favourite characters from TLOTR saga.

[briantaulbee]

I think this is so powerful, at least in part, because it glorifies something that we don't usually glorify: asking for help. That's not something we're usually taught to do; asking for help is often perceived as a sign of weakness. But everyone needs help at some point, and this makes that asking heroic. I think our lives would be better if we were more comfortable with that idea.

[OlOleander]

The scene is incredibly moving, no doubt. One thing that always grabs me is the quick shot of the mountain watchmen featured around 00:37. Almost entirely forgotten in the books, PJ does a wonderful job of telling a bit of their stories in a few seconds: they are stationed on a lonely mountaintop, in a beehive camp (a great nod to the premodern British societies that Tolkien drew from), on a long and monotonous mission: watch for a light that will never be lit, keep the beacon that will never be lit dry and oiled, and keep a constant watch for a barely visible speck of light on the horizon. When at last these lonely men, serving duty to their people on a lonely mountain peak days away from the nearest village, are called to action, they do not hesitate: they have kept the watch, and they light their beacon. Even after lighting the pyre, which should be their sole duty, one of their number stands next to the burning wood and waves his torch with both hands, just to make absolutely sure the message is transmitted. Often forgotten are these small parts in both the movies and in war. We should never forget that these watchful lightkeepers saved Middle Earth, and that their real-world counterparts stand lonely stations to preserve the lives of poor sods in forgotten corners of the world.
As for my part, I, ex-Navy, salute the Coast Guard, who voluntarily stand lonely, isolated, and hardbitten stations like this every day of the year. Semper fortis, you puddle pirates, and keep the lights lit. We'll be ready with a hot cup and a drink for you when you get back. We'd be lost without you.

[modicabanesasii]

0:03 Minas Tirith (0mi)
0:16 Amon-Din (35mi)
0:41 Eilenach (75mi)
1:02 Nardol (105mi)
1:12 Erelas (155mi)
1:18 Min-Rimmon (200mi)
1:23 Calenhad (245mi)
1:30 Amon-Anwar (275mi)
1:37 Edoras (315mi)

[imaboy]

I worked at our local movie theater when this movie was released and would walk in to do a theater check just to watch this scene every time. Takes my breath away without fail. I love it!

[warhammerguy]

Peter Jackson: Ok we are gonna have a scene where we light some fires, so compose some music that fits but you don't have to go too overboard.

Howard Shore: Alright Peter sounds good "Proceeds to go completely overboard and creates a timeless masterpiece".

[mcdonaldsapp]

Mind blowing that every shot of the mountains is real. All shot from Helicopter in New Zealand. The Best movie making of our time.

[jesusbermudez]

This is why I love Theoden, he didn't take more than 5 seconds to put his grievances and grudges aside. My 🐐 of the triology.

[shakkaphillips]

This scene is one of my fav scenes in all of cinema. The score the cinematography and the meaning behind is so impactful in my opinion.

[randomuserthatuploadsrando]

This movie has no right being this fucking good

[watiwo]

One of the greatest scenes in film history

[mestreinsolito]

loyalty, dignity, friendship, bravery, selflessness, sacrifice... this masterpiece has everything and more!

[guerrillascholar]

"And Rohan will answer!"

There are entire action-adventure movies that don't have as much testosterone as Theoden packs into that one single line.

[billthepony]

Everytime. EVERY time I watch this, I get goosebumps so intense. No movie or tv show has been able to produce such a reaction from my body.

[alejandroyava]

It must be said, this movies wouldn't have half of the magic without Howard Shore's absulute AWESOME music score! The music of this scene alone is full of rythm, movement, power. The guy is a genius, and no movie franchise can compare to this one until today.

[riverrist]

I like the fact that the most glorious part of the Gondor theme is played in the moment they seek for help. This moment of seeking help marks the beginning of restoring Gondor to its former glory.

[superslayerguy]

All the build up in the music to the main theme of Gondor at 1:05. If the music wasn’t so epic, the movies would have hit was less harder in my opinion. Thank you Howard Shore :)