Saturday of this week, March 25th, is Tolkien Reading Day, and what better way to celebrate than with Tolkien himself reading one of his favorite passages from The Lord of the Rings?
Before The Lord of the Rings had a publisher, Tolkien was visiting a friend who had a tape recorder and encouraged him to record himself reading a selection from his work. Tolkien chose to read one of the most powerful moments from the novel, the charge of the Rohirrim against the Orcs of Mordor at Minas Tirith. Here that recording plays over the same scene from Peter Jackson’s movie version of The Return of the King, for extra powerful effect.
Tolkien narrates the Ride of the Rohirrim by Sîdh Aníron on YouTube
This moment is one of my favorite pieces from both the novel and the film. What a rare treat to hear it in Tolkien’s own voice!
Story Time is all about story-telling and how stories work, and what makes us love our favorites.
Co-Geeking 