"A sore day... a red day... ere the sun rises."

The Ride of the Rohirrim - The Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King
Peter Jackson


Picture this:


In his quest for the One Ring, Sauron sends his army of orcs to give a final death blow to the ailing kingdom of Gondor, and finally annihilate the human race.
Minas Tirith, the capital city of Gondor, is under siege by the orc army, and will soon face oblivion.

The orcs enter the first inner circle of the city, the army of men incapable of stopping the brute force of the dark army.


All hope seems lost. Gandalf, the White, commands the retreat: “Fight! Fight to the last man! Fight for your lives!”

And then, from afar, you hear the distant sound of a horn.
The Rohirrim have come to help.


Facing the full extension of the dark army, King Theoden of Rohan calls to his countrymen:

"Arise. Arise, Riders of Théoden. Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered. A sore day... a red day... ere the sun rises."

“Ride now! Ride now! Ride! Ride to ruin, and the world's ending!”
[The riders yell for battle]


[Also a full quote and exact adaptation from the novel The Return of the King, by J.R.R Tolkien.]


And the rest is just one of the best scenes ever filmed: the Ride of the Rohirrim over the orc army at the fields of Pelennor – courtesy of Peter Jackson, from The Return of the King, the third part of The Lord of the Rings.

The Return of The King won an Academy Award for Best Picture in 2003 (something unusual for a fantasy film), and is ranked #14 in IMDB’s Top 250 Movies.

i hope you enjoy it.

About:

The Lord of The Rings: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings
The Return of The King: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Return_of_the_King
J.R.R. Tolkien: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien
Peter Jackson: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Jackson

Alternative, all right

Firestarter
The Prodigy

About the Prodigy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prodigy

A nice week to you all.

Air on the G String

Suite no. 3, BWV 1068 (“Air on the G String”)
Johann Sebastian Bach
(conducted by Herbert von Karajan)

About:

• Bach: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._S._Bach


• Herbert von Karajan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Von_Karajan

Have a nice weekend.

I ain't no fortunate one

Fortunate Son
by Creedence Clearwater Revival

A Mexican Standoff

Final Showdown – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Sergio Leone


The best westerns were created by an Italian.

Unlike the traditional American ("good-against-evil", "cowboys-against-Indians") westerns, Sergio Leone was able the capture the true essence of the American “Far West”: a land of opportunity, yes, but usually one of lawlessness, where even the good guy is not that recommendable and will shoot you without warning if he has the chance - not the traditional "boy-scout" cowboy, as usually portrayed by John Wayne.

Sergio Leone and his spaghetti westerns marked the genre and had an everlasting effect in the movie industry:

- A young, unknown, actor called Clint Eastwood was introduced back then. Clint Eastwood jumped to stardom, after playing a convincing role as the "Man with No Name" - tough, sarcastic and skilled with a gun. (The rest, as we know, is history...)

- The original scores by Enio Morricone are among the greatest musical creations of the 20th century.

After a good response to the first two movies (“For a Fistful of Dollars”, “For a Few Dollars More”), Sergio Leone directed the third part of the trilogy: “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”.

This video shows the final scene of “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” - with some of the best directed (and coolest) movie scenes ever filmed (and this is why the movie is ranked #5 in IMDB’s Top 250 movies of all time):

• As the three main characters prepare themselves to face each other for a final showdown in a graveyard (announcing the coming of death), Enio Morricone’s magnificent score plays in the background

• It takes 3 long and suspenseful minutes, from the moment they set themselves in the arena to moment they draw their guns

• And the usual wit and sarcasm with which the scene ends: “You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: those with loaded guns, and those who dig. You dig.”
  

I hope you enjoy it.

About:
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good_the_Bad_and_the_Ugly

Clint Eastwood: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clint_Eastwood
Sergio Leone: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_Leone
Spaghetti Westerns: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaghetti_Westerns

Have a nice day.

A Murder Ballad

Where the Wild Roses Grow
By Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds & Kylie Minogue

They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day

[Nick Cave]
From the first day I saw her I knew she was the one
She stared in my eyes and smiled
For her lips were the colour of the roses
That grew down the river, all bloody and wild

[Kylie Minogue]
When he knocked on my door and entered the room
My trembling subsided in his sure embrace
He would be my first man, and with a careful hand
He wiped at the tears that ran down my face

They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day

[Nick Cave]
On the second day I brought her a flower
She was more beautiful than any woman I'd seen
I said, "Do you know where the wild roses grow
So sweet and scarlet and free?"

[Kylie Minogue]
On the second day he came with a single red rose
Said: "Will you give me your loss and your sorrow"
I nodded my head, as I lay on the bed
He said, "If I show you the roses, will you follow?"

They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day

[Kylie Minogue]
On the third day he took me to the river
He showed me the roses and we kissed
And the last thing I heard was a muttered word
As he knelt above me with a rock in his fist

[Nick Cave]
On the last day I took her where the wild roses grow
And she lay on the bank, the wind light as a thief
And I kissed her goodbye, said, "All beauty must die"
And lent down and planted a rose between her teeth

They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day

About:

- The song: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_the_Wild_Roses_Grow

- Kylie Minogue: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kylie_Minogue

- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Cave_and_the_Bad_Seeds

A good day to you all.

This is Sparta

"Come and get them" - 300

Zack Snyder

In 480 BC, 300 Spartans commanded by King Leonidas stood at the Strait of Thermopylae (the “Hot Gates”) to defend Greece against the invading Persian army of Xerxes I .

Xerxes’ army numbered more than 5 million men (Herodotus, Histories).

Taking advantage of superior Spartan warrior skills and organization (the phalanx), and the topography of the battlefield (a narrow track where only one chariot could pass through at a time), Leonidas and his 300 inflicted serious damage to the Persian during 3 days - in one of history’s most dramatic last stands.

When asked to lay down the weapons, Leonidas was reported to say “Come and get them” (in Greek: molon labe, which could also mean something like “over my dead body”).

The videos below are the reenactment of such episode, from the movie 300, directed by Zack Snyder.


Persian General: “Spartans! Lay down your weapons!”

Leonidas: “Persians! Come and get them!”

Brief version, for the faint of heart:

Uncut version (warning: abundant mutilations and blood)

They all died in the end - but will be immortal in the memory of men.

About:
- "Come and get them": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molon_labe

- The Battle of Thermopylae: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Thermopylae

- The phalanx: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalanx_formation

- The movie 300: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_is_Sparta

A nice day to you all... Spartans.

The Haka

Many if you have already seen this.

Still - great to watch: boldness in face of challenge.

Leader:
Ringa pakia!
Uma tiraha!
Turi whatia!
Hope whai ake!
Waewae takahia kia kino!

Leader:
Ka mate, ka mate

Team:
Ka ora' Ka ora'

Leader:
Ka mate, ka mate

Team:
Ka ora Ka ora "

All:
Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru
Nāna i tiki mai whakawhiti te rā
Upane... Upane
Upane Kaupane"
Whiti te rā,!
He!

About the Haka:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haka

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ka_Mate

Have a nice week - and welcome to the Yellow Planet.