Lord of the Rings – Return of the King Extended Version
A chapter closes today that started several decades ago when an English professor came up with a story to satisfy his yearning to create an English mythology. The story of Middle-Earth has evolved from the written pages of Tolkien to the visual palate of Peter Jackson. At last, one can own the two types of trilogies, each is monumental in scope and epic in proportion. On the one hand, the novels are a tale that sustains a reader’s interest over a long journey through five sub-books. On the other hand, the films show us visions in ways books never do. They put an indelible image into the viewer’s mind that takes over the gaps of imagery left from reading a novel. Together, the films and books tell one story, each set in three volumes tells one long tale that weaves in characters and cultures that have defined fantasy and set the bar for all the authors of that genre to follow.
In 1967, a friend came up to me and started me reading a worn paperback that was being passed around our reading group in high school. Almost forty years later, I am watching with rapt fascination the visual interpretation of those words played out with such detail that amazement seems a tame comparison.
The facts are plain. (Discounting the “Star Wars” mess) No story on film is as long or detailed in size or scope. No single production was more expensive, and no return on a picture as great, both emotionally and financially. In reality, LOTR is a single film separated in two places with titles. No other film was as rewarded with as many prizes as well.
There are more numbers: The most extras ever appearing on screen at one time. The largest number of weapons ever made for a production. The most motion picture film footage ever used on a production. The most special-effects shots on a single project. The first time a CGI character played a dramatic lead (and should have been nominated!). The longest score ever written for a film. The only time a film and its sequels was ever nominated for simultaneous “Best Pix” Oscars three years in a row. No other contemporary director took three Oscars the same night. Only three films have ever “swept” each category nominated. Only three “Best Pix” films have ever won 11 Academy Awards (Ben Hur, Titanic, and Return of the King).
Then there are the extended versions. Today’s release of ROTK in extended form marks an end to a gargantuan undertaking. Told in detailed documentaries on the supplemental discs, with no sugar coating by the men and women who made the movie, this DVD (along with the other two) represents the epitome of what the DVD process can do to historically preserve a major work of art. I can’t even begin to start on everything that is packed inside… after about the fourth or fifth documentary ending on a sad note, I had to run out for more tissue.
There will never be enough praise from this writer toward Peter Jackson and everyone else who worked so hard on this film project that would ever satisfy me. If you liked the film, then this DVD is a must. In fact, owning all three extended versions is a must, like having a classic book on the shelf of a great library. True you don’t read it every day. But when you do, it’s worth the time and effort. If you didn’t like this film, then I would question why you’ve been reading this far into the review.
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