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Used
but in great condition - Region 1 so only plays on multi-region DVD players
The greatest trilogy
in film history, presented in the most ambitious sets in DVD history,
comes to a grand conclusion with the extended edition of The Lord of the
Rings: The Return of the King. Not only is the third and final installment
of Peter Jackson's adaptation of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien the longest
of the three, but a full 50 minutes of new material pushes the running
time to a whopping 4 hours and 10 minutes. The new scenes are welcome,
and the bonus features maintain the high bar set by the first two films,
The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers.
What's New?
One of the scenes cut from the theatrical release but included here, the
resolution of the Saruman storyline, generated a lot of publicity when
the movie opened, as actor Christopher Lee complained in the press about
losing his only appearance. It's an excellent scene, one Jackson calls
"pure Tolkien," and provides better context for Pippin to find
the wizard's palantir in the water, but it's not critical to the film.
In fact, "valuable but not critical" might sum up the ROTK extended
edition. It's evident that Jackson made the right cuts for the theatrical
run, but the extra material provides depth and ties up a number of loose
ends, and for those sorry to see the trilogy end (and who isn't?) it's
a welcome chance to spend another hour in Middle-earth. Some choice moments
are Gandalf's (Ian McKellen) confrontation with the Witch King (we find
out what happened to the wizard's staff), the chilling Mouth of Sauron
at the gates of Mordor, and Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) being
mistaken for Orc soldiers. We get to see more of Éowyn (Miranda
Otto), both with Aragorn and on the battlefield, even fighting the hideously
deformed Orc lieutenant, Gothmog. We also see her in one of the most anticipated
new scenes, the Houses of Healing after the battle of the Pelennor Fields.
It doesn't present Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) as a savior as the book did,
but it shows the initial meeting between Éowyn and Faramir (David
Wenham), a relationship that received only a meaningful glance in the
theatrical cut.
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If
you want to completely immerse yourself in Peter Jackson's marvelous and
massive achievement, only the extended edition will do.
And for those who complained, no, there are no new endings, not even the
scouring of the Shire, which many fans were hoping to see. Nor is there
a scene of Denethor (John Noble) with the palantir, which would have better
explained both his foresight and his madness. As Jackson notes, when cuts
are made, the secondary characters are the first to go, so there is a
new scene of Aragorn finding the palantir in Denethor's robes. Another
big difference is Aragorn's confrontation with the King of the Dead. In
the theatrical version, we didn't know whether the King had accepted Aragorn's
offer when the pirate ships pulled into the harbor; here Jackson assumes
that viewers have already experienced that tension, and instead has the
army of the dead join the battle in an earlier scene (an extended cameo
for Jackson). One can debate which is more effective, but that's why the
film is available in both versions. If you feel like watching the relatively
shorter version you saw in the theaters, you can. If you want to completely
immerse yourself in Peter Jackson's marvelous and massive achievement,
only the extended edition will do.
How Are the
Bonus Features?
To complete the experience, The Return of the King provides the same sprawling
set of features as the previous extended editions: four commentary tracks,
sharp picture and thrilling sound, and two discs of excellent documentary
material far superior to the recycled material in the theatrical edition.
Those who have listened to the seven hours of commentary for the first
two extended editions may wonder if they need to hear more, but there
was no commentary for the earlier ROTK DVD, so it's still entertaining
to hear Jackson break down the film (he says the beacon scene is one of
his favorites), discuss differences from the book, point out cameos, and
poke fun at himself and the extended-edition concept ("So this is
the complete full strangulation, never seen before, here exclusively on
DVD!"). The documentaries (some lasting 30 minutes or longer) are
of their usual outstanding quality, and there's a riveting storyboard/animatic
sequence of the climactic scene, which includes a one-on-one battle between
Aragorn and Sauron.
One DVD Set
to Rule Them All
Peter Jackson's trilogy has set the standard for fantasy films by adapting
the Holy Grail of fantasy stories with a combination of fidelity to the
original source and his own vision, supplemented by outstanding writing,
near-perfect casting, glorious special effects, and evocative New Zealand
locales. The extended editions without exception have set the standard
for the DVD medium by providing a richer film experience that pulls the
three films together and further embraces Tolkien's world, a reference-quality
home theater experience, and generous, intelligent, and engrossing bonus
features.
Product Description
The WINNER of 11 Academy Awards* including BEST PICTURE is now 50 minutes
longer! This extended version of the epic conclusion of The Lord of the
Rings trilogy includes new score by Howard Shore and over 350 new digital
effects shots.
DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
DVD ROM Features
Documentaries
2nd Class Postage
2nd Class Recorded - £1 extra
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