BEST 'RIDE OF THE ROHIRRIM' Movie Reactions / The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

[@STNeish]

RIP Bernard Hill, King of Rohan. This was a legendary scene, and a fantastic performance.

[@seekexplorewander]

I don't know where I read/heard it - maybe in the DVD appendices, but he apparently was the one that came up with the idea of riding down the line and clinking swords. I do remember the interviews and footage in the appendices about how they used 250 or so real horsemen for the scene and the actors talked about how with just that number the ground shook like an earthquake. Imagine what an armada of 6,000 - 10,000 calvary would feel and sound like on the battlefield. Amazing!

[@fox_trot0214]

Hail the Victorious dead !!

[@aidanfarris8658]

A celebrity death that made me cry for real…❤❤❤

[@JasonJayC1]

A king who fights his own battles is a sight to behold. A king who’s ready to fight and die along side his soldiers is beyond epic.

[@gandalfthewhite2809]

Moreover, defending a city not within his territories and helping those who didn't help him in time of need

[@Lhunuial]

I remember watching this scene for the first time, at Trilogy Tuesday, the night The Return of the King premiered in 2003. I will never forget it. This was one of the scenes I was looking forward to ever since reading the books. I knew it was coming and it did not disappoint. I was crying. It is still one of my favourite scenes ever.

[@kylebrooks338]

I forever love eomers warface and that one bearded rider who was just full bloodlust charge

[@JWrenison]

That guy always gets me!

[@thegeneralmitch]

The riders were Tolkien fans, they knew what was being filmed in that scene. Purest distillation of "lets fucking GOOOOOOO!" ever put on the big screen.

[@user-blob]

Yes!

[@johndunn1625]

for those who didn't know, Theoden's act of riding along the front rank of the Rohirrim, striking his blade against the spear shafts of his men, is 100 percent a creation of Bernard Hill's. It isn't in the book, Peter Jackson didn't think of it, it was completely Bernard's idea. His thought was that that it'd be a ritual/tradition of Rohan kings/generals to salute their men in that way. it's a small detail, but one that completely elevates the scene due to his deep understanding of his role in the story

[@demoneIephant]

Pretty sure it does happen in the book

[@MalakianM2S]

I saw this the day that opened in the theater, decades later never, ever ceases to make me weep. I wonder how many people make the connection, Tolkien fought in the first world war, he was in the battle of the Somme, he knew what all this meant first hand.

[@CountryMusicMann]

There's something extra terrifying about an army that charges full-tilt into battle screaming not for victory, but for death. Like, "Yeah, we're probably all gonna die, and I've accepted that. The only question is how many of the enemy I take with me." You have an army like that, and there's NOTHING they'll balk at fighting.

[@Mugthraka]

Theoden and the Rohirims yell Death for a good reason. The God of Middle earth (forgot his name Ayu or something) offered the concept of mortality/death to Men as a way for them to rejoin with their loved ones and as a reward for their lives, so that they could rest and basicly Chill in Elven Afterlife. Morgoth, Sauron's Master and the 1st Lord of Darkness, used trickery and Deception to make death something to be scarred of, so that Mortals would seek Power and where more prone to be corrupted, since they would basicly do anything they could to avoid Death and prolong their lives. The Rohirims chant "Death" over and over as a way to say that they are Not afraid of Death, cause they know the truth and that the Darkness as no hold over their Hearts.

[@ChrisVillagomez]

So first please don't think I'm correcting you or anything, you are 100% correct in everything you said. The only "error" is that Humans and Hobbits don't go to the Elven afterlife technically, but to somewhere that only Eru Iluvitar himself knows about. It's described as, "travelling beyond the confines of this realm" or something similar I believe, so it's a place beyond Physical Existence. Tolkien stated that Eru Iluvitar is just the Elven name for the Yahweh/God of the Bible, so Humans and Hobbits probably just go to Heaven or Hell honestly, which I don't think is ever really 100% a physical or a spiritual place cause the Bible has conflicting info. The Elven afterlife, the Halls of Mandos, is an actual physical place you could go to, it's just filled with Elven souls until they decide to be reborn in a new body in the Undying Lands (where Frodo, Bilbo, and Gandalf sail to and where all Elves were called to by the Valar, the Archangels that Morgoth used to a part of). The Dwarves also have their own afterlife with their creator, Aüle the Smith, who was actually Sauron's original master before he turned evil and became Morgoth's lieutenant.

[@happyninja42]

This scene, and the similar scene in Two Towers did a fantastic job of showing just why cavalry were so devastating on the battlefield. Unless you were prepared for it, they could do SO much damage, even with a relatively small force.

[@BigBWolf90]

"Not alone. Rohirrim! *TO THE KING!"*

[@JohnDoe-tn6dk]

Every damn detail popped, right from the book. This is the most legendary war scene in all of Cinema. I only wish I could go back and watch this for the first time all over again

[@FozzaCovers]

I love watching this scene and especially when others react to it. But god damn, I can not hold back my tears of joy!

[@nattacka]

i saw it in movie theater the day it came out, it was epic everyone was cheering

[@raphaelperry8159]

What a lot of people who haven't read the books miss is that when the Rohirrim cry "death" it's not an intimidation tactic. It's their own death, which they are riding towards, that they celebrate to show they do not fear it and are going to fight anyway. It should also not be this early but it should be called out when they charge the Mumakil but we can forgive the film makers that decision.

[@lgkf1126]

The look in Éomer's eyes as he charges scares me more than the orcs

[@rysh0x982]

You need to do the signal fires and "Gondor calls for aid"............."and Rohan will answer" No chanel has done that yet

[@user-blob]

Second this.

[@ChrisVillagomez]

Did anyone else just watch the dog on the bed during EOMReacts' part? It was rolling around in the blankets to make a lil nest 😂😂 It can't be overstated how insane of a charge the Rohirrim gave. Sauron had roughly 60,000 or so at Minas Tirith, but 6-10 THOUSAND horsemen is no small number. There are very few battles that ever had that many horsemen charging towards one point as a mass. I can't think of really any irl army composition that would stand up to the charge of the Rohirrim, except for maybe a full line of elephants and of course, guns

[@CountryMusicMann]

I believe there were 6,000 Riders of Rohan in that group. There is simply no way you stop a full-gallop charge by 6,000 horsemen with anything short of a castle wall. CERTAINLY not with just infantry.

[@Robisme]

6,000 when they were gathering by the mountains. Those shots in the movie though looks more than 15,000. I think Peter Jackson didn’t know what 6,000 cavalry looked like. And he probably wanted the charge to look more impressive.

[@JamailvanWestering]

@@Robismeprobably because a lot more either arrived before they left and maybe some came during their rest

[@Muschelschubs3r]

@@Robisme The battle that inspired the Battle of the Pelennor is the Siege of Vienna 1688. The Polish Winged Hussars and other mounted units rode down the slopes of the Kahlenberg, 18,000 strong, and caught the Ottomans in the flank. It was and is the biggest cavalry charge in history.

[@jerzypoprawa7107]

The Rohirrim's charge is said to have been inspired by the charge near Vienna in 1638, when 20,000 horsemen commanded by John III Sobieski, king of Poland, who came to the aid of the Austrians, crushed a huge Turkish army besieging Vienna into dust. By the way, here the light cavalry was charging against the heavy infantry (not to mention that they had shields strapped to their saddles instead of protecting themselves with them during an attack), while there, at the head of 20,000, was 2,500 Polish heavy cavalry (winged hussars, hell yeah), for which light Turkish infantry was just an appetizer :)

[@ForceRecon112]

THEN THE WINGED HUSSARS ARRIVED!!!

[@jerzypoprawa7107]

@@ForceRecon112 Yep :)

[@BigBWolf90]

​@@ForceRecon112 COMING DOWN TGE MOUNTAINSIDE!

[@hoakys4466]

4:02 spit out my drink lmao 😂 Idk why but shit was funny

[@donaldfleming5049]

I still get chills watching this.

[@kjabber7245]

This scene is so great, one of my favorites of all of the movies I have ever seen. Of course it has a great passage from the book that it is based on: "And straightaway all the horns in the host were lifted up in music, and the blowing of the horns of Rohan in that hour was like a storm upon the plain and a thunder in the mountains." "Suddenly the king cried to Snowmane and the horse sprang away. Behind him his banner blew in the wind, white horse upon a field of green, but he outpaced it. After him thundered the knights of his house, but he was ever before them. Éomer rode there, the white horsetail on his helm floating in this speed, and the front of the first éored roared like a breaker foaming to the shore, but Théoden could not be overtaken." "..all the host of Rohan burst into song, and they sang as they slew, for the joy of battle was on them, and the sound of their singing that was fair and terrible came even to the City. And on and on. Great stuff, book and movie both.

[@ryanhampson673]

Just imagine 1500 pounds of muscle crashing into your lines at 40 miles per hour. Calvary charges were devastating, there’s a reason it wasn’t until the machine gun that they stopped using them.

[@robertlehnert4148]

Many historical cavalry forces also screamed "DEATH" or similar battle cries. The Finns, would scream "HAAKA PALLE!!!" which literally means "Hack them down!"

[@ryanhampson673]

Based

[@DIABLO258]

The riders of Rohan were not screaming death as in "We're going to bring it to you" They were screaming it as a way of welcoming it. They were excited for it. This is their chance to die in glory. So it's a win win, either they win the battle, or they die in battle. Nothing is more frightening than a foe who isn't afraid of death.

[@gpink5098]

Watching people react is awesome. I do kind of wonder about their ideas of Theoden’s hope of victory. He says straight up he knows they are going to die.

[@alghiz6738]

✝✝R.I.P. The actor and R. I. P. ✝✝character of King Theoden, the lord of horses, ruler of the lands of Rohan, ally of Gondor in the fields of Pelennor. 🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨🏇🏽🏇🏽💨

[@Elessar_Telcontar18]

Then suddenly Merry felt it at last, beyond doubt: a change. Wind was in his face! Light was glimmering. Far, far away, in the South the clouds could be dimly seen as remote grey shapes, rolling up, drifting: morning lay beyond them. But at that same moment there was a flash, as if lightning had sprung from the earth beneath the City. For a searing second it stood dazzling far off in black and white, its topmost tower like a glittering needle; and then as the darkness closed again there came rolling over the fields a great boom. At that sound the bent shape of the king sprang suddenly erect. Tall and proud he seemed again; and rising in his his stirrups he cried in a loud voice, more clear than any there had ever heard a mortal man achieve before: Arise, arise, Riders of Théoden! Fell deeds awake: fire and slaughter! Spear shall be shaken, shield be splintered, A sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises! Ride now, ride now! Ride to Gondor! With that he seized a great horn from Guthláf his banner-bearer, and he blew such a blast upon it that it burst asunder. And straightaway all the horns in the host were lifted up in music, and the blowing of the horns of Rohan in that hour was like a storm upon the plain and a thunder in the mountains. Ride now, ride now! Ride to Gondor!

[@teicreates]

Andalusian horses were used here. It's no surprise the orcs were terrified. Wiki: Andalusian stallions and geldings average (61.5 inches, 156 cm) at the withers and 512 kilograms (1,129 lb) in weight; mares average (60.5 inches, 154 cm) and 412 kilograms (908 lb).

[@user-blob]

I’m rather scared of horses and have zero desire to ever be atop one. Except when I watch this.

[@RolandSchlosser]

They don't make movies like this anymore... maybe Infinity War and Endgame but not so much.

[@LeeCarlson]

It requires extreme levels of discipline for an infantry force of any size to stand up to a massed assault of light cavalry.

[@rolddyauguste3951]

We see horses fallen down: Noooo 💔 We see humans fallen down: f$ck' em. Walk it off.

[@ChrisVillagomez]

Horses have no say in war. Humans usually do, even when forced into it

[@Araturyan]

RIP Ser Christopher Lee x RIP Bernard Hill

[@MrConna6]

Well I know what I hate that I never knew existed: people blurring or obscuring the movie as it plays because theyre talking

[@BigBWolf90]

At that sound the bent shape of the king sprang suddenly erect. Tall and proud he seemed again; and rising in his stirrups he cried in a loud voice, more clear than any there had ever heard a mortal man achieve before: *Arise, arise, Riders of Théoden! Fell deeds awake: fire and slaughter! spear shall be shaken, shield be splintered, a sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises! Ride now, ride now! Ride to Gondor!* With that he seized a great horn from Guthláf his banner-bearer, and he blew such a blast upon it that it burst asunder. And straightway all the horns in the host were lifted up in music, and the blowing of the horns of Rohan in that hour was like a storm upon the plain and a thunder in the mountains. *Ride now, ride now! Ride to Gondor!* Suddenly the king cried to Snowmane and the horse sprang away. Behind him his banner blew in the wind, white horse upon a field of green, but he outpaced it. After him thundered the knights of his house, but he was ever before them. Éomer rode there, the white horsetail on his helm floating in his speed, and the front of the first éored roared like a breaker foaming to the shore, but Théoden could not be overtaken. Fey he seemed, or the battle-fury of his fathers ran like new fire in his veins, and he was borne up on Snowmane like a god of old, even as Oromë the Great in the battle of the Valar when the world was young. His golden shield was uncovered, and lo! it shone like an image of the Sun, and the grass flamed into green about the white feet of his steed. For morning came, morning and a wind from the sea; and darkness was removed, and the hosts of Mordor wailed, and terror took them, and they fled, and died, and the hoofs of wrath rode over them. And then all the host of Rohan burst into song, and they sang as they slew, for the joy of battle was on them, and the sound of their singing that was fair and terrible came even to the City.

[@valeriocaruso364]

The nine dislike are from the Nazguls

[@drewahrens3141]

I just wish you included the horns sounding their arrival. Some of the best horns in the films.

[@michaelshaw7240]

Google - Charge of the Winged Hussars. A real version of this. Chills

[@steveclapper5424]

This is based in a real event at the battle of Vienna.

[@Erishadlar]

Thanks for this cool video 😁, all that’s left to do is advertise it

[@RZONE2000]

when the movies act where made for the ages. these new tlotr stuf is so sub par to most things coming out now but this movie francise those big 3 and u can even count the 3 hobits wil last til the ages

[@bisse23]

The Real Roheirrem that saved Europe was the polish winged hussars coming to the aid of Austria and it did a turning point of Islam coming further into Europe the Ottoman empire slowly got hit back to what is now Turkey over long time

[@robertlehnert4148]

Tolkien explicitly based the Ride of the Rohirrim on an actual, greatest cavalry charge in history, September 11, 1683, lead by the Polish "Winged Hussars" against the Ottoman Turks who had almost broken into the Austrian city of Vienna.

[@ryanhampson673]

“Then the winged Hussars arrived!”

[@BigBWolf90]

​@@ryanhampson673"COMING DOWN THE MOUNTAINSIDE!"

[@crlewis6360]

Rohan arrived near the Wall of Pelinor (surrounding the Pelinor Fields, not shown in the movie, neither was thew wall) with 7,000 riders, a 1,000 were sent off the deal with the Orcs dug in around the northern entrance to the Fields by Gan Buri Gan (Chieftain of the Dunklemen), led Theoden and the host around the edge of the wall, and they deployed on the NW edge of the Fields of Pelinor (An area of farms, villages, estates, and small holdings. After all, how else do you feed a large city of people, it for sure isn't them trying to glean food from an empty area of desolation like was in the movie). The 6,000 remaining horsemen charged against the right wing of the host of Mordor, and pretty much wiped it out (only 6,000 men but they were mounted, good cavalry, well armed and armored, motivated, and in motion fully up to speed when they made contact, all of these are force multiplying factors that helped their charge against something like a quarter million orcs). Note that these orcs are not the bloody ogres, 8 feet tall and built like a gorilla like those from games workshop or world of warcraft. In Tolkien mythology these orcs are about 4-5 feet tall (Depending on exactly which race, they come in multiple races that are bigger, smaller, different colored, etc. Don't think about human races, think breeds of dog, and that is much more accurate unlike those idiots from Hasbro) like 80-180 pounds and about as good in a fight as a normal man, faster, and sneakier maybe and make up for their other shortcomings by fighting in mass [BIG masses]. The enemy left wing were men, 100,000s of men. These were the Haradrim, the Easterlings m and the Southron, all the races and kingdoms that served Sauron under his dominion. The total fielded by Sauron (Orc, Men, Trolls etc.) may well have been over half a million beings. The Orcs shattered like glass and the Rohirrim plowed into the armies of men. They hit the enemy Shield wall and dropped into a long slugging match where neither side could gain headway. The Rohirrim would have been crushed by sheer numbers if not for the sudden arrival of Aragorn, Gimli Legolas, and a corsair fleet bearing troops from all along the Southron coast of Gondor. (Not the army of the dead that had already been released from servitude and sent on). Actual men from the armies of Gondor destroyed the servant of Sauron in pitched battle. Much of the movie is REALLY accurate to the book(s), but this one battle is edited all too hell for brevity and clarity. Elrond never gave Anduril (The Sword; "Flame of the West") to Aragorn, it was delivered to Aragorn by Elodan and Elrohir, sons of Elrond, brothers of Arwen, and friends of Aragorn, as well as about 20ish rangers from the north, Friends, allies, and kin of Aragorn. (Another thing edited all to hell, rather than add another 3-5 new characters). All of these people; 25 or so; road the Road of the Dead with the fellowship (such as they were) and braved that horror and then followed Aragorn on to war from there. They gave Arwen 1000 times more movie time than she had in the book. She had 2 paragraphs early in the book "welcome to my father's house". I believe that was the only line she had in 1400 pages of books, and there was a little blurb about her wedding at the end of the story (another 2 paragraphs). She DID NOT rescue Frodo (a Totally different Elf, male). She DID NOT have tons of little points necking with Aragorn (completely phony). She did not lead an entire army to Helm's Deep (The ONLY elf there was Legolas). Virtually everything she did in the movie was 100% fictious. This is not the first time Rohan and Gondor fought together. Centuries ago. Eorl the Young brought the Eorlingas down the west bank of the Anduin to help defeat the Wain

[@allenjohnstone9945]

One of the few parts of the books that Peter Jackson didn't F'up. Otherwise he ruined the books.

[@kingdomofediting8816]

If you want it to be like Lord of the rings then read the book again you tosspot, just accept that all modern adaptations are never 100% to the books

[@markothemagnificent]

How about Gandalf/pippin " V" the Witchking. thanks in advance...

[@drdre2641]

Should include the moment the Rohirrim aknowns their arrival with blowing the horn.

[@UltraSuperDuperFreak]

wtf ? the "ride" is not over in that scene at all . Missing the big fight vs Olifants. The horns they blow there always gives me chills.