This past Saturday, Frodo and his buddies returned to the big screen, as anxious event-goers came out to Harris in unexpected numbers to indulge themselves in everything Lord of the Rings.
Arriving at 10 a.m., attendees spent the next 11 hours watching movies, eating hobbit food and answering trivia for prizes. "The turnout was fantastic," said John Rassenfoss '10, who helped organize the event. "We were expecting half as many people."
The idea for event came out from a similar one thrown in Austin, Texas. "The Alamo Draft House are the ones who originally did this event; we based our menu off of theirs," said Rassenfoss. "Except that their menu called for rabbit stew." At the conclusion of the first film, a plethora of hobbit-style food choices awaited the followers of the ring: chicken, beans, bread and, of course, cheese blocks.
Once the food was devoured, a Jeopardyesque trivia contest followed. The winners won LOTR posters, while second place scored a Lord of the Rings trivia game.
As the second movie began, the Friday-night-hangover crowd joined the fray, and much of Harris was filled. To make sure that starvation did not ensue during the 223-minute long Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, there was an intermission at 4:45 for teatime. Tea, cookies, bagels, strawberries and salad all adorned the buffet table.
"John and I were shopping for three days in a row," said Films Chair Jeff Sinick '09, whose committee threw the event. "My room was packed with food, my office was packed with food, and we had to pack several fridges around campus with food." But the plat de resistance was still to come. Before the start of the 250-minute-long Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, a scrumptious stew with ten pounds of meat was served.
The trilogy was longer than usual because Films played the extended versions, adding about two hours of movie time. Unlike many other film series, the Lord of the Rings were filmed all at the same time, so watching all three movies was essentially like watching one movie, albeit a 11-hour and 21-minute-long one.
Even though the third film did not conclude until well past 10 p.m. on a Saturday night, many students stayed to watch the whole thing. "I love Lord of The Rings and hobbit meals," said Caroline Kory '10. "I've never been so excited to eat this many times in one day."
