Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Special Extended DVD EditionAn extra 50 minutes has been added to the multiple Oscar winner—some of it good, some of it not. But the two extra discs, loaded with terrific bonus material, are worth the price of admission.By Mark Moring |
posted 12/14/2004
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The improvements
Now for the good stuff.
Perhaps the best new scene, "The Voice of Saruman," comes near the beginning. Christopher Lee's Saruman had been completely removed from the theatrical version of ROTK, much to Lee's—and many fans'—dismay. And though his appearance in the extended version is limited to this one scene, it's a powerful one. Isengard has been overtaken by the Ents, holding Saruman prisoner within the Tower of Orthanc. In this scene, Saruman stands stop the tower, taunting what's left of The Fellowship. Gandalf urges Saruman to give up, offering a shot at redemption. Saruman refuses: "Save your pity and your mercy. I have no use for it." Saruman sends down a ball of fire, but no one is harmed. Gandalf announces: "Your staff is broken!"—and Saruman's staff shatters in his hands. Then Grima Wormtongue appears just as Saruman insults him; Grima then stabs Saruman to death, which is only partly accurate. In the book, Grima indeed kills Saruman, but not till near the end of the story, in the Shire—long after the ring has been destroyed. Nonetheless, it's a valuable scene, showing that Saruman was given a second chance—and showing viewers his demise. No one will leave this version asking, "What ever happened to Saruman?"
Frodo and Sam draw ever closer to the end of the journey
Another new scene, "The Decline of Gondor," is very helpful in explaining the history of that realm, as Gandalf tells Pippin how Gondor came to its current state—kingless, ruled by stewards instead, with the White Tree withered.
The very next scene, "Cross-roads of the Fallen King," is also new—and also a winner. Sam and Frodo are crossing into Gondor, and Frodo fears he'll never return home. But Sam promises, "Of course you will. . . . We're going there and back again, just like Mr. Bilbo." And right on cue, a beam of sunlight bursts through the clouds, shining on the fallen head of a statue of one of the old kings of Gondor, illuminating a wreath of flowers on its brow—a floral crown, and a symbol of hope for the weary hobbits.
Another new scene shows the Army of the Dead hijacking the Black Ships—thus filling in some vital information that had been cut from the theatrical version: How did they get on those ships in the first place?
And another new scene, brief but intense, shows Gandalf confronting the Witch King, who is riding one of the horrid winged creatures. The Witch King has the wizard cowering on the ground at the end of his blade, and says, "You have failed. The world of men will fall." It looks like curtains for Gandalf, but then something happens to draw the Witch King away. You'll have to watch to see what it is.
Faramir recovering in the Houses of Healing
Another marvelous new scene is "The Houses of Healing," one of my favorite chapters from the books. Here we see Eowyn, almost mortally wounded, tended back to health, primarily by Aragorn. Unfortunately, the film only portrays him as showing a little TLC, and gives no hint of his gift of healing—indeed, Aragorn is the primary reason that Eowyn and Faramir, who was also badly wounded, survive. That oversight aside, the new scene is tender and poignant, and we learn why Eowyn and Faramir suddenly appear as husband and wife in the theatrical version. Additionally, there's a beautiful song in the background of this scene, sung by Liv Tyler—who plays the elf maiden Arwen.
There are too many extra scenes and extended segments to describe here, but suffice it to say, as noted above, that about half of the new material actually improves the film. The rest would've been better left on the cutting room floor.
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