The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (film)

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Template:Otheruses4 Template:Infobox Film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a New Line Cinema film directed by Peter Jackson released on December 17 2003. The theatrical cut's runtime is 200 minutes. It is the concluding part of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, following The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. It was adapted from parts of the last two volumes of J. R. R. Tolkien's epic literary fantasy, The Lord of the Rings, by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson.

Contents

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Cast

Role Actor
Frodo Baggins Elijah Wood
Gandalf the White Ian McKellen
Aragorn (Strider) Viggo Mortensen
Samwise Gamgee (Sam) Sean Astin
Galadriel Cate Blanchett
Théoden Bernard Hill
Éowyn Miranda Otto
Éomer Karl Urban
Gimli son of Glóin John Rhys-Davies
Treebeard John Rhys-Davies (voice)
Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry) Dominic Monaghan
Peregrin Took (Pippin) Billy Boyd
Legolas Orlando Bloom
Elrond Hugo Weaving
Arwen Evenstar Liv Tyler
Bilbo Baggins Ian Holm
Gollum Andy Serkis (voice and motion capture)
Denethor John Noble
Faramir David Wenham
Rose "Rosie" Cotton Sarah McLeod
The Witch-king of Angmar (Lord of the Nazgûl) Lawrence Makoare (voiced by Andy Serkis)
Gothmog Lawrence Makoare
Saruman the White (Extended version only) Christopher Lee
The Mouth of Sauron (Extended version only) Bruce Spence
Gríma Wormtongue (Extended version only) Brad Dourif


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Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Image:Route taken in return of the king middle earth.PNGWhile Frodo and Sam continue their journey to Mount Doom in order to destroy the One Ring, their companion, Gollum, secretly plans to take it for himself. Meanwhile, Sauron's dark forces mount an unprecedented attack, culminating in the massive Battle of the Pelennor Fields on the outskirts of Minas Tirith. The other surviving members of the Fellowship join forces with Rohan and Gondor to defeat them. However, Aragorn realises that their numbers are few by comparison with the might of Sauron, and he, Legolas and Gimli undertake a perilous expedition to enlist the aid of the King of the Dead and his spectral army.

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Background

Image:Roturn King-Minas Tirith.jpg The Lord of the Rings film trilogy is unusual in that it is, to date, the only one whose separate installments were written and then shot simultaneously (excluding pick up shots). Not only did this help cut production costs, but it also ensured that all three films were consistent in terms of story, acting, effects, cinematography, and direction.

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Closing the Trilogy

In his final, emaciated form, Gollum is "played" in the Lord of the Rings films by a CGI character whose movements are at times derived from a motion-capture suit worn by Andy Serkis, and otherwise from footage of him interacting with the other actors that was digitally replaced. But the final film in the trilogy afforded Andy the chance to appear in person in a flashback scene playing Sméagol before his degradation into Gollum. Andy also directed the scene, as Peter Jackson was unavailable.

The city of Minas Tirith, glimpsed briefly in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, is seen fully in this film. The filmmakers took great care to base its design closely upon Tolkien's original description. Close-ups of the city were represented by sets and long shots by the most detailed miniature built for the trilogy, often populated by CGI characters.

Other key events include the Siege of Gondor; the re-forging of the shards of Narsil into Aragorn's new sword, Andúril; Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas' journey through the Paths of the Dead; the epic Battle of the Pelennor Fields, and the charge of the mûmakil (everything being carefully choreographed in advance, a process Jackson describes as like planning a real battle); Merry and Éowyn's role in the defeat of the Lord of the Nazgûl; the destruction of the One Ring and the final fall of Sauron; Aragorn's assumption of the throne; and the departure of several of the heroes to the Undying Lands.

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Video releases

Image:LOTRROTK dvd.jpg Image:LOTRROTK platinum special dvd.jpg


The theatrical edition of the movie was released on VHS and DVD on May 25, 2004. The DVD was a 2-disc set with extras on the second disc. The theatrical DVD sets for the two prequels were released eight months after the films were released, but Return of the King's set was completed in five because it did not have to market a sequel. (The previous films had to wait for footage of their sequels to become available for a ten minute preview.)

The Return of the King did follow the precedent set by its prequels by releasing an Extended Edition (250 minutes) with new editing, and added special effects and music, along with four commentaries and hours of supplementary material. However, this set took longer to produce than the others because the cast and crew were spread all over the world working on other projects. The set was finally released on December 10 2004 in the UK and December 14 in the U.S.. The final ten minutes comprises a listing of the charter members of the official fan club who had paid for three-year charter membership. A collectors' box set was also released, which included the Extended Set plus a sculpture of Minas Tirith and a bonus 50-minute music documentary DVD, Howard Shore: Creating The Lord of the Rings Symphony: A Composer's Journey Through Middle-earth.

According to British newspaper reports appearing on November 13, 2003, Christopher Lee was unhappy to learn that a seven-minute scene featuring a confrontation at Isengard, in which Gandalf casts Saruman out of the order of Wizards, would not be appearing in the theatrical cut, and that he had decided to boycott the premiere as a result. However, this was later refuted by Lee, according to Maxim magazine, apparently stating:

"No, I didn't boycott it. That is totally untrue. I said, 'I don't suppose I'd be going to the film. What would be the point?' Boycotting originally comes from the name of an Englishman, Charles Boycott — it's like a condemnation. That's total nonsense, and I've got to set the record straight."

The scene appears in full in the Extended Edition, and Christopher Lee contributed to the behind-the-scenes documentaries and cast commentary contained on them.

Fans also hoped that the extended discs would feature deleted scenes and outtakes, but none are included except for a few in the behind-the-scenes documentaries. There are further rumours of an even more spectacular Lord of the Rings Trilogy box set in the future, and Jackson has half-seriously mentioned the possibility of re-editing the trilogy into a TV miniseries, along the lines of the Godfather movies.

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Deviations from the source material

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  • This film contains major scenes that occurred in the middle portion of the novel The Lord of the Rings but were not included in the film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. These include the moment when the monstrous Shelob attacks Frodo and is wounded by Sam. In the book, Sam accompanies Frodo through the tunnel to encounter the giant arachnid, but the film depicts a different version of events.
  • In the book, the fall of Saruman takes place near the end of the story, but in the film's theatrical release Saruman is left trapped in the tower of Orthanc by the Ents. In the extended edition Saruman appears on the roof of Orthanc bearing a Palantír and taunts Gandalf and his company with hints of a darkness in the heart of Middle-earth which will destroy them. (This is apparently a reference to Denethor's madness.) Saruman is finally stabbed to death by Gríma Wormtongue (which in the book occurs at the end of the Scouring of the Shire) and Gríma is shot by Legolas (in the book he is shot by hobbit archers). Saruman falls from the tower and is impaled on a wooden stake projecting from a mill-wheel. (This is an homage to Lee's Dracula movies: Peter Jackson wanted to be the last director to drive a stake through his heart.) The Palantír then falls into the water where it is found by Pippin. (In the theatrical version there is no explanation as to how it got there.) In the book Gríma simply throws the Palantír at the company, not realising its value.
  • Elrond travels to visit Aragorn in Rohan in the film, whereas this never happens in the book.
  • A subplot involving Arwen dying is introduced, more or less a complete invention of the film writers. She apparently becomes sick with grief, possibly over Aragorn's seemingly hopeless cause and his impending death — soon after she rides back from the road to the Grey Havens. Elrond tells Aragorn at Dunharrow that her fate has become "bound with the Ring", and that she is dying. However, no explanation is ever given for this, not even in the Extended Edition. Later, after the Ring is destroyed, Arwen shows up at Aragorn's coronation looking no worse for wear. In the book, she dies of grief after King Elessar's actual death.
  • The "blade that was broken" is reforged in this film (the third in the trilogy) whereas it happens in the first of the three books. Peter Jackson said he thought of this moment as the time Aragorn truly accepts the idea of being King. In the books this happens very quickly, but the films changed Aragorn's character to one of a "reluctant hero" because of a perceived need for an expanded character arc.
  • Denethor appears in the film as a one dimensional foil for Gandalf as opposed to the complex tragic character of the book. Peter Jackson explained that he could not introduce a more complex character this late in the trilogy.
  • In the book, Aragorn takes the Paths of the Dead with not only Gimli and Legolas, but his kinsmen and the sons of Elrond. In the film, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli go alone.
  • Sam and Frodo have a major rift in their friendship in the film. In the book, they're always the best of friends. Mark Ordesky said that he lived in fear that this would leak out before the film was released and people would judge the change before seeing how it worked in the film.
  • Gandalf's staff is broken in the Extended Edition of the film. No such occurrence happens in the book, where a wizard losing his staff is a much more important event.
  • The Army of the Dead does help Aragorn in the book, but it does not clear out Minas Tirith and the surrounding area for our heroes as in the film; he brings reinforcements from southern Gondor. The chief weapon of the Dead is fear, and not physical weapons like swords or spears. Also, they are grey, not green, and meet with Aragorn at the Stone of Erech, not in a Petra-like ghostly city. They even appear eager to fufill their oath, whereas in the film they attack the heroes.
  • Gollum's fall into the lava of Mount Doom was rewritten for the film, as the writers felt Tolkien's original idea (Gollum slips off) anticlimactic.
  • The hobbits' journey home is not included in the film.
  • A sequence that only appears in the film trilogy as a fantasy look into the future (via Galadriel's mirror) is the "Scouring of the Shire", in which the hobbits return home at the end of their quest to find their home overrun by evil forces. In the book this is the reality. According to Fran Walsh, "Scouring" doesn't appear in the film this way for two reasons: firstly, it was felt it would disrupt the pacing of the film, and secondly, the writers wanted the film to be about Sauron, the Lord of the Rings, and have his downfall be the climax.
  • After taking Osgiliath, Gothmog of Minas Morgul (here an Orc) says, "The Age of Men is over; the Age of the Orc has begun!" Actually, the "Age of Men" has not even started yet, since the term refers to the Fourth Age.
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Score

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The music was by Howard Shore, who had previously composed for the first two parts of the trilogy. He received an Academy Award for his work on this film, having won previously for his Fellowship of the Ring score. The end title song, "Into the West", was composed by Shore written by Fran Walsh. Annie Lennox (formerly of Eurythmics) performed it. The song was partially inspired by the premature death from cancer of a young New Zealand filmmaker named Cameron Duncan whose work had impressed Peter Jackson.

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Success

After two years of attention and acclaim since the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, audience anticipation for the final installment of the trilogy had reached fever pitch when the movie was complete. The world premiere was held in Wellington, New Zealand, on December 1 2003, and was attended by the director and many of the stars. It was estimated that over 100,000 people lined the streets<ref>BBC News: How hobbits took over NZ's capital</ref> (more than a quarter of the city's population).

As with its prequels, the film was released to the public the third Wednesday of December. New Line Cinema reported that the film's first day saw a domestic box office total of $34.5 million — an all-time single-day record for a motion picture released on a Wednesday (until Spider-Man 2 grossed $40.4 million). This was nearly twice the first-day total of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (which earned $18.2 million on its opening day in 2001), and a significant increase over The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers as well (which earned $26.1 million on its debut in 2002).

Image:Return of the King (Tokyo).jpg

The final North American box office stands at $377,027,325, and the worldwide take is $1,118,888,979 (about $741 million overseas). The worldwide revenue is slightly enhanced compared to the earlier movies when converted to US Dollars because of the decline in the dollar's exchange rate in 2003. It was the second film in history to earn over $1 billion in box office revenue in its initial release (the first being Titanic in 1997). This compares favourably to the first two films of the trilogy: in their first 35 weeks of theatrical release in North America, the gross income of the first two movies was $313,364,114 and $339,789,881.

These figures do not include income from DVD sales, TV rights, etc. It has been estimatedTemplate:Fact that the gross income from non-box office sales and merchandise has been at least equal to the box office for all three films. If this is so, the total gross income for the trilogy would be in the region of $6 billion, a very respectable return for a $300 million ($426 million including marketing costs) investment.

Compared to the profits of other films, The Return of the King is probably the most lucrative movie investment of all time. Including marketing costs, it made a 1408% profit over the original outlay from New Line Studios. Comparatively, The Blair Witch Project (including marketing costs of $25 million) made a profit of 992% and Titanic, the highest grossing film of all time, made a profit of 768% over production and marketing costs.

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Awards

On January 27, 2004, the film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards: Best Picture, Director, Original Score, Adapted Screenplay, Art Direction, Costume Design, Film Editing, Make-up, Music (Song), Sound Mixing, and Visual Effects. However, none of the ensemble cast received any acting nominations. On February 29, the film won all the categories for which it was nominated. It tied with Ben-Hur and Titanic for the most Oscars ever won by a single film, and broke the previous record for a sweep set by Gigi and The Last Emperor (See Movies with eight or more Oscars). The film was the first of the fantasy genre to win the Best Picture award. It was also only the second time a sequel had won the Best Picture category (the first being The Godfather, Part II). (However, if one counts The Silence of the Lambs as the sequel to Manhunter, then it is the third.) It was also the first time that the third movie in a trilogy has won for Best Picture. In the opinion of some critics, however, this accolade was not just for the merits of the individual film, but more a reward for the trilogy as a whole, given that the first two films had not won the major awards of Best Picture or Best Director.<ref>BBC News: Rings scores Oscars clean sweep</ref> The film won also four Golden Globes, two MTV Movie Awards, two Grammy Awards, nine Saturn Awards and the Hugo Award. Template:Middle-earth portal

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References

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External links

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Template:Start box {{succession box | title=Academy Award for Best Picture | years=2003 | before=Chicago | after=Million Dollar Baby }} Template:End


The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
Books: The Fellowship of the Ring | The Two Towers | The Return of the King
Movie trilogy: The Fellowship of the Ring | The Two Towers | The Return of the King
Animation: The Hobbit (TV special) | The Lord of the Rings Part 1 | The Return of the King (TV special)
Miscellaneous: The History of The Lord of the Rings | Lord of the Rings radio series
Characters: Frodo | Sam | Merry | Pippin | Bilbo | Gandalf | Aragorn | Legolas | Gimli | Boromir | Sauron | Saruman | Arwen | Elrond | Galadriel | Théoden | Éowyn | Éomer | Wormtongue | Treebeard | Faramir | Denethor | Gollum | Witch-King

Template:AcademyAwardBestPicturebs:Gospodar prstenova: Povratak kralja (2003) de:Der Herr der Ringe: Die Rückkehr des Königs (Film) fa:ارباب حلقه‌ها: بازگشت پادشاه (فیلم) fr:Le Seigneur des Anneaux : Le Retour du Roi (film) es:El Señor de los Anillos: El Retorno del Rey eo:La Mastro de l' Ringoj: La Reveno de l' Reĝo (filmo) hr:Gospodar prstenova: Povratak kralja (2003) it:Il Signore degli Anelli (film)/Il Ritorno del Re lb:The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Film) nl:The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King pl:Władca Pierścieni: Powrót króla (film) pt:The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ja:ロード・オブ・ザ・リング/王の帰還 fi:Taru sormusten herrasta: Kuninkaan paluu (elokuva) sl:Gospodar prstanov: Kraljeva vrnitev sv:Sagan om konungens återkomst (film, 2003) zh:指环王:王者归来

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