Best Movie Ever

Filmfare awards are round the corner. As usual a host of mediocre and below average movies are lined up to recieve the awards. Not all are like that though. Black and Sarkar being the two glorious exceptions (Is it a surprise that Big B stars in both ? ). Anyway, that set me thinking about my most Favorite movie.

Hmm, thats a toughie ! Do i Choose "Angoor" with its terrific storyline and an absolutely hilarious performance by Sanjeev Kumar and Deven Verma. Do i choose "Jaane Bhi do Yaaron" with its amazingly poignant and humurous take on politics and corruption . Or should it be "Sholay" with a great story, great performances and dialogues to die for. What about "Lagaan" with its David-versus-Goliath story and the courage and spirit it embodied.

Hollywood also comes calling. What about "Saving private Ryan" with its wonderful depiction of an epic journey to save the last Ryan. Should it be "The Matrix" for coming up with a terrificly convoluted but brilliant story and the mind-blowing special effects. What about "Forrest Gump" for its moving portrayal of a specially challanged but kind-hearted simpleton. For that matter, "Day after tomorrow" with its depiction of Apocalypse also stakes its claim.

But the winner is the movie which managed to encompass an amazing epic into celluloid and that too without losing out on the soul of the movie. I had my reservations before watching this movie, because i was sure that like all novel adaptions this would lose out on the spirit of the novel. Another reason was the very length and epynomous proportions of the Novel. There was no way a movie could capture it. The sheer breadth of the characters should have made it impossible to capture the same in 3 movies. The rambling and the magnificent landscapes and the epic battle sequences would surely have been too much for Celluloid. And most of all, the enduring spirit throghout the novel should have been impossible to depict.

But Lo and Behold , Peter Jackson and His "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy brought alive such a spectacle that all my fears were dumbfounded. I started watching the DVD'd on my laptop and i did not stop until all 3 had finished ( all 10.5 hours of it ) . I was mind-bogglingly amazing. The movies brought alive an age, the brought alive the characters, the battles. The magnificent landscapes of New Zealand provided a breathtaking backdrop in which the greates story ever told unfolded. I sat spell-bounded as Frodo ran from the corpses that were chasing him. I watched in Fascination as Aragorn and Legoulas fought the epic battles. I watched as armies of Saaron converged on all sides of Aragorn's army as Frodo dropped the ring in the Mountain of Doom. The Tree-men walked, The ghosts swayed, the immortal elves showed their courage and love, the evil armies of Saruman prepared for the ultimate battle. Men without any super-powers fought like lions. Above all, the love and Friendship of Sam ensured that Frodo did not lose sight of his goal even when tempted by the Ring.

To call Lord of the Rings series as movies would be an insult. They were an experience, a vista to tame all vistas. Take a bow , Peter Jackson, you have achieved the impossible. J.R.R. Tolkien would be proud of you !