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arithmancer
Grey Havens
Sep 30 2013, 1:09pm
Views: 2419
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It was obviously envisioned to become the next "get away from her, you ****!" and failed epically. Nobody ever quotes it and few who remember it often cringe because it was too Buffy for Middle Earth.
In every showing of this film I attended in theatres, this line got a cheer from the audience. So my own experience is that the above statement is simply false.
What Went Wrong in the movie
In the book, Eowyn reveals herself to WK as soon as he assumes she is a male. This works on 2 levels:
a) it evokes Beauty and the Beast, which is one of the most powerful images in fiction, successfully re-played in iconic monster movies such as original King Kong, Creature from Black Lagoon, and Dracula also heavily borrowed the undertones. We have Eowyn's beautiful face pit against the hideous WK and his beast. The contrast is so powerful it inspires Merry to spring into action.
In the book, we have no idea who Dernhelm is unless we have made a shrewd guess. In the movie, there is no Dernhelm. There is Eowyn, who rides to Gondor with the others against Theoden's order, and takes Merry along. We see her fight in the various phases of the battle, taking on for example an Oliphaunt with the help of Merry (when he holds the reins, e. g So we do indeed see her face the WK.
b) it shows Eowyn's chivalry. She masked herself to go into battle but she honorably shows her true face to the enemy. Since he revealed to her how he could be defeated, she shows him that she could fulfill it unless he backs off.
She is not aware of the prophecy, and in the common thinking of her age her gender is not an advantage in a fight (or, she would be riding openly...  . The helmet is a standard piece of armor; her adversary (and everyone in the army she rides in) is wearing one. She does warn her enemy of her intent to kill him if he persists in attacking her king. Which, actually, reveals her gender and/or her extreme youth to her enemy. (I wonder, is a boy whose voice has not yet broken, "no man"?)
When the WK states no living man can kill him (the first moment at which it may reasonably occur to Eowyn that her gender could be relevant to her opponent), she does reveal it.
In the movie, Eowyn keeps her really unflattering
helmet, that made her look about as hideous as WK, for way too long.
Personally, I did not find her helmet hideous. I would not wear it to a party (unless it was a themed costume party!) but it is a perfectly serviceable Rohirrim helmet, nothing like his. And to me, the "Beauty and the Beast" things was going. It was she in the fight, one's senses revealed this fact in a number of ways. Her slight. short figure, the movement of her body, her voice, my/the audience's knowledge of her identity, and having already seen her fight in this battle, in these clothes, made it so.
The beauty of the book reveal is that nobody - readers, Merry and WK - knows Dernhelm's true identity and then we all find out at the same time. It's powerful because nobody could see it coming and because of the strong archetype mentioned above. In the movie, none is present.
To be clear, I am not arguing that it is just as in the book. Quite right that the element of surprise as to her identity is not there for the audience. But for a non-viewer, there would be an element of surprise that she is killing the WK.(About whom even Gandalf expresses reservations). And the archetype is there.
I also find that the book version sort of stretches credulity. That this is a surprise to Merry is a bit much. He spends days in her company.
HGH cries (as in battle cry), HBH growls some more (including a crash course on How I Can Be Defeated)
Your recollection of the scene is inaccurate. At this point HBH says only "Do not come between the Nazgul and his prey!", in answer to her "I will kill you if you touch him!"
Ceremonially taking off her helmet (while leaving herself defenseless in those moment when helmet passes over her eyes and one of her hands is busy with the helmet)
Before, you found this same action chivalrous...
I would also just add, that you reference a Beauty and the Beast archetype, but I think the scene with Eowyn (in both book and film) also captures another, that of David vs. Goliath.
Anyway, it always was, and remains, a favorite scene of mine in the film.
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Subject
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User
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Time
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Eowyn VS The Witch-King
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Barrow-Wight
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Sep 29 2013, 5:25pm
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the line didn't work at all
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Semper Fi
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Sep 29 2013, 8:24pm
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"I am no man"
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Fredeghar Wayfarer
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Sep 30 2013, 5:50am
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Legolas totally 100% stole the show
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Semper Fi
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Sep 30 2013, 12:49pm
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Not exactly...
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arithmancer
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Sep 30 2013, 1:09pm
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*claps* Well said!!!
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FaramirAndEowynMorningStar
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Sep 30 2013, 1:33pm
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And 10 years later nobody remembers it
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Semper Fi
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Sep 30 2013, 4:57pm
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Kick-a** heroines
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arithmancer
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Sep 30 2013, 7:08pm
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Hey, Boba Fett was a silent glorified cameo in ESB
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Semper Fi
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Sep 30 2013, 10:12pm
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Boba Fett...
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arithmancer
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Oct 1 2013, 12:54pm
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adding one
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Maciliel
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Oct 2 2013, 3:16am
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I thought that her overacting was ridiculous
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Semper Fi
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Oct 2 2013, 3:35pm
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There
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Faleel
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Oct 2 2013, 6:35pm
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ha!
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Barrow-Wight
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Oct 3 2013, 2:30am
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I'd say "sand" and "man" were about equally bad
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Semper Fi
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Oct 3 2013, 12:28pm
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That's always a comfort!
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Werde Spinner
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Oct 3 2013, 3:24am
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Really? Just shows how people can have dramatically different interpretations...
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MatthewJer18
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Oct 3 2013, 3:11pm
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As you said people have dramatically different interpretations
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Semper Fi
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Oct 3 2013, 3:21pm
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eowyn and eomer are about the same age
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Maciliel
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Oct 3 2013, 7:23pm
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Urban looked younger
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Semper Fi
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Oct 3 2013, 7:29pm
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Plain?!
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Meneldor
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Oct 3 2013, 8:20pm
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Miranda Otto
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Elessar
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Oct 3 2013, 5:18pm
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Again, each to its own
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Semper Fi
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Oct 3 2013, 5:48pm
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Wow
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Starling
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Oct 3 2013, 6:53pm
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I say she's obviously in her 30s
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Semper Fi
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Oct 3 2013, 7:28pm
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echoing starling's "wow"
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Maciliel
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Oct 3 2013, 8:06pm
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I didn't say teen behavior but teen soap opera behavior
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Semper Fi
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Oct 3 2013, 8:26pm
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"it does astonish me that someone could have such a pronounced, negative reaction to otto's performance."
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Magpie
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Oct 4 2013, 12:20am
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people think alike
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Semper Fi
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Oct 4 2013, 1:28am
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The
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Faleel
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Oct 4 2013, 2:21am
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Oddly enough
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Darkstone
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Oct 4 2013, 5:52pm
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just to say....
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Maciliel
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Oct 4 2013, 3:59am
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Thanks!
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Semper Fi
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Oct 4 2013, 10:25am
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Let's be honest?
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Starling
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Oct 4 2013, 4:10am
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From a book-firster perspective
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CuriousG
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Oct 22 2013, 12:14am
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Maybe the difference is in Eowyn's presentation
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Elciryamo
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Oct 22 2013, 6:32am
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I agree to each their own.
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Elessar
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Oct 3 2013, 7:49pm
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Definitely agree
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Old Pilgrim
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Oct 9 2013, 8:03am
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Speaking of Star Wars characters...
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Lieutenant of Dol Guldur
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Oct 7 2013, 7:29pm
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I would definitely say it does the same for me...
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Misty Mountain Hop
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Oct 8 2013, 6:07pm
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Like much of ROTK, the focus was on 'coolness'
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sycorax82
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Sep 30 2013, 12:30am
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But neither turned cool
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Semper Fi
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Sep 30 2013, 12:45pm
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I admit to not being a fan of this scene
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demnation
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Sep 30 2013, 10:07am
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many cheesy lines get saved by delivery
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Semper Fi
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Sep 30 2013, 12:51pm
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Honestly, I don't understand what the fuss is about either
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Ziggy Stardust
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Oct 2 2013, 12:50am
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The Line
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Elessar
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Oct 3 2013, 1:05pm
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i loved the witch king
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flameofudun
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Oct 4 2013, 1:43am
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I thought the scene worked brilliantly in the film,
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sauget.diblosio
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Nov 7 2013, 3:10am
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Another one
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simplyaven
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Dec 28 2013, 1:20am
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