It even made me go back and re-read your RETURN OF THE KING article, just to hear what you’d said about “Where There’s a Whip, There’s a Way,” a song that stayed firmly lodged in my mind (after hearing it once) for THREE DECADES. I still hum it on long forced walks.

I’m glad you quoted Thórin’s final lines to Bilbo. That was part of what elevated this film to a classic for me. That, and the wonderful rendition of “Misty Mountains Cold.” I wish I had the soundtrack, which was a popular item for a few years afterwards.

I dearly loved this movie, and it was one of the first DVDs I bought to share with my three children.