10 Greatest Opening Lines In Movie History
4. “The World Has Changed. I Feel It In The Water. I Feel It In The Earth...”- Fellowship Of The Ring
"Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it".
Audiences didn't know it at the time, but the hauntingly ominous words of Cate Blanchett's Galadriel signaled the beginning of the greatest film trilogy of all time; "things are now in motion that cannot be undone", if you will. The initial air of captivating mystique is crafted to absolute perfection by Peter Jackson and Co. in The Fellowship of the Ring.
The whispering Elven voices in the background are superbly complemented by the fact that Blanchett is off-screen when she begins her introductory soliloquy. Galadriel's unseen presence, coupled with Blanchett's majestic tones, lends an almost god-like aura to the Lady of Lorien's mesmerizing delivery. The expertly crafted dialogue instantly immerses viewers in the mystical atmosphere of Middle Earth, while simultaneously foreshadowing the conflict to come. As Howard Shore's instantly recognizable score kicks in against the backdrop of the film's title screen, the opening seconds are as close to perfection as movie makers can strive to achieve.
It is also worth noting that Galadriel's commentary and the overall introductory sequence proved to be an inspired choice from producers, who chose to introduce uninitiated audiences to this vast new universe through a detailed prologue. Jumping into events of the story where the book does - at Bilbo's Eleventy First birthday - would have proved an intensely confusing experience for anyone not intimately familiar with Tolkien's universe.