I was lucky enough to see the Extended Cut last night in Seattle, thanks to Moviefone. My experience is almost a carbon copy of Miami MOFO s, just on the opposite coast. I had to drive 3 and 1/2 hours from Portland to Seattle…but it was very worth it!
The theater was an amazing experience-no flicker, absolutely AMAZING sound. Everyone should get the joy of seeing it that way.
But it was the movie itself that I really, really loved.
I have loved the books for decades. And I was one of the crazy ones who saw a midnight showing of FOTR last December so that I could be one of the first. I think Peter Jackson has given us an incredible gift. As my brother said last night (he came with me) – It’s amazing to get a great technical director AND someone who loves the books. And he’s right. The original cut of FOTR was a great, great movie.
But this is so much better.
My main complaints with FOTR were fairly minor. They obviously emphasized the action over the depth of story telling in what they put on screen. It was all well done, but it made the first cut seem so breathless and intense. And, I didn t like Lorien-too short, and Galadriel in my mind should have been obviously good but offering a test to the Fellowship, not possibly bad who might be tempting the Fellowship.
Those two areas have been so vastly improved by the extended cut. It’s not just the extra stuff – it s how the extra stuff slows down the pace, gives room to breathe, and adds so much more meaning to the action stuff. You understand more deeply why they’re risking their lives to destroy this ring. You realize what’s at stake. You have time to laugh, and breathe, and know the characters.
And Lorien – it’s heaven. Galadriel now feels right. There’s now a reason for the Fellowship to be there.
I’m glad the first version my daughters will see (in a few more years) will be this extended edition. And if you haven’t seen it, make sure you get the new version and watch it as soon as possible. You will love it!
I was lucky enough to see this special screening in Los Angeles, Universal City to be exact. Arriving hours early-just in case, I was among the first 10 to enter and register in. While I was dismayed at the center portion of the theatre being roped off for New Line associates, press etc, we busted through and sat amongst those seats-much better. They showed the Two Towers trailer first, then the FOTR began. You no doubt have read all the reports and teasers/spoilers-the whatevers but I’ll just add the ones that stuck out in my mind the most. This may be too long to include as one of your reports, but what the heck. Here goes!
The beginning is almost identical with just a few additions. The opening scenes of the prophecy include Isuldur after he’s struck down Sauron and he himself puts the ring on and disappears as his company is being attacked. He jumps into the water to escape the attackers only to lose the ring and then the arrows find him-that made more sense. I liked this as I’d personally wanted to see someone other than Bilbo and Frodo disappear when wearing the Ring. Bilbo’s scenes at his writing table as he is writing his book are very enjoyable. He narrates over scenes of Hobbits and their ways with some humorous footage included here including one involving an intense pursuit of ear wax. There is knocking at Bilbo’s door and he calls out to Frodo never once turning to face us, to answer the door but Frodo is not about. Bilbo continues telling the intro story as you see the original footage plus some of Hobbiton and life there. Back at Bag-End, Bilbo’s door is knocked on again and he calls out to Frodo who again, is not about, but then we cut to Frodo sitting out in the woods reading and hearing Garndalf’s approach as in the first version. This part has some additions and a few subtractions as well but over all, is great and we get more of a sense of who the Hobbits are and what is going on with a wee bit of their history. The set-up for Bilbo’s party is a bit different too. Gandalf and Frodo’s interaction of Bilbo’s being up to something are more in depth here.
There is a neat scene with Merry, Pippin and Frodo singing and Frodo dancing around them I believe in the Green Dragon and also a new scene with Sam, the Gaffer and a few others sitting around discussing the outside world and the “cracked’ Bagginses to which Frodo admits to being, but enjoys. More interaction between Rosie and Sam and a bit of ‘jealousy’ on Sam’s part as a patron hits on Rosie on his way out. Frodo assures Sam that Rosie knows an idiot when she sees one to which Sam says you think so? He pauses considering what he just asked.
Bilbo’s party has some changes. An interesting scene I found was one where Bilbo and Frodo are trying to hide from the Sackville-Bagginses and he admits to Frodo he is selfish and his reasoning for adopting him was to prevent the very S-B’s from getting anything of his. Frodo asks if he’s been drinking the Gaffer’s brew to which Bilbo admits he has, but that had nothing to do with his telling him that. Interesting interplay between these two.
The film continues much as it does originally: dare I use that term. As Sam and Frodo set out on their journey, there is additional footage of them that I really enjoyed and the music that accompanied it was fabulous as well. The two Hobbits see Elves on their way to the Gray Havens and it’s got a misty wonderful feel to it with some very lovely layered vocal work.. As the two are camping out, Sam is seen cooking while Frodo is up in the tree branches smoking his pipe seeming blissfully unaware of what the next part of his life is about to undergo. As night falls, Sam cannot sleep so Frodo tells him to imagine he’s back at home in his nice comfy bed and feather pillow to which Sam tries, but fails and grabs a leftover to console him while Frodo sleeps. The film continues much as we’ve already seen.
The next set of changes occur at Bree-seems to be a different greeting with Butterbur and his welcoming them in. The additional scenes of the joining up of Hobbits and Strider is welcome as well. Pippin gets quite a few one-liners here that brought a lot of laughs. His delivery of the multi meal habits of Hobbits gets the usual laughs. You just gotta love Pippin-his lovable innocent personality really comes through in this version. At the night scene we get to see and hear Aragorn singing in Elvish. Frodo wakes up and inquires as to the lady he is singing about. Aragorn tells her story briefly.
The scenes at Rivendell are quite different and the film really reveals a lot more to the Fellowship’s personalities. When Boromir wanders the chamber where the shards of Narsil are displayed, he meets and talks briefly with Aragorn-nice scene. Then to the Council scene. Elrond gives much more dialogue here which is both informative and welcome. Then we come to Boromir’s part. We’ve read before about more Boromir and his purpose of wanting the Ring and his telling more of a back-up reason, but as he approaches the Ring, Gandalf puts on a spell display that knocked my socks off, and I wasn’t even wearing socks! Wow, this was a great scene indeed. Boromir went back to his seat like a puppy with his tail tucked. Wow! The theatre was rumbling and it was awesome. Just when you wonder if Gandalf really has magical wizard powers, well, the scene reveals all the proof you could ask for.
As the Fellowship is about to part, there is a new scene of Aragorn at his mother’s grave. Elrond and Aragorn engage in dialogue here that explains a little bit more of Aragorn’s fate or what have you. Also a sad scene of Aragorn and Arwen having a quiet but difficult parting as he nods to her and she bows her head and teary eyes.
The next real departure scene was a bit odd I felt, but welcome as well. The Fellowship is awaiting Frodo to lead them on their journey out of Rivendell and Frodo whispers to Gandalf, which way, left or right and Gandalf tells him which direction to go once out of the gates. (Left by the way). It was a kind of an awkward humor scene at this point, but I guess thinking it over now, it was necessary because you really see that Frodo has absolutely no idea where Mordor is and he is so dependant on Gandalf’s direction and guidance that the story as it continues on and the events we’re all familiar with become so much more emotionally-impacting.
The Mines of Moria had a lot more footage and helped further tell the tale. Gandalf describes Mithril to the Fellowship and its value. Now Frodo is wearing a shield of the stuff unbeknownst to his companions, he seems to have a new respect for it. A new scene of Gandalf asking Frodo to help an old man out and pausing to tell him in murmured voices about the forces at work against the Quest would be internal as well as external and already, Frodo is being warned to be especially on his guard. There are reinforcing scenes between Legolas and Gimli that displayed the friction between the two races that were rather funny as well.
Lothlorien had some very interesting changes. When Gimli claims his superior senses and Haldir and company come upon them, the scene where the Elf says Come, the Lady of the Wood is waiting… is now missing, but there are now loads of new dialogue scenes between Haldir and Legolas and Haldir and Aragorn all in Elvish. There is much more interaction between the Lothlorien Elves and the Fellowship and when Celeborn and Galadriel approach them, Celeborn has loads more dialogue. Galadriel has more to her scenes, but I found her character was somewhat distilled from the 2001 version to which I had become so accustomed to seeing her as a very strong, dominant figure, as probably most of us had. The new scenes show Celeborn being just as involved if not more in the greeting. He also speaks a lot more with Aragorn and Legolas. Interestingly enough, the possibility of Gandalf not completely passing into shadow comes up here as Galadriel states that no one really knew the complete powers or abilities of Gandalf and she hints that he may not be completely gone from them. Hmmmm, ok, if this had been in the 2001 release, I think unfamiliar audience members would be biting their nails in anticipation when seeing TTT trailers while the “old timer” Tolkien fanatics and avid readers would be speculating how this issue would be dealt with.
The Lamentation of Gandalf scene now features Sam standing up and reciting his own tribute to Gandalf by way of a spontaneous poem which he almost apologizes for its being so ‘lame’. Aragorn is shown sitting next to a slumbering Gimli who is snoring so loud that Aragorn reaches across and what looks to be either him whacking Gimli to wake him up or stop his snoring or? More humor is intermixed with the somber so it’s an interesting dichotomy of emotion in this new footage: slightly disjointed, but did I like it.
The much anticipated gift-giving scene came up and I was not disappointed. I felt a wee hint of the Wizard of Oz where Galadriel gives Merry and Pippin swords/knives and she tells Pippin he will find his courage-very touching as we know what will come to him later on. The scene with Sam brought much laughter when she gives Sam his rope and he quips about the others getting the weapons, but he gladly accepts them not wanting to be rude. Gimli’s scene was very touching. He was so humbled and so embarrassed by his request that he turns away probably blushing beneath all that flaming beard and hair yet he gets what he asked for and more-not one strand of her hair, but three.
As the Fellowship is leaving and getting into their boats, Legolas picks up a piece of Lembas and nibbles just a small corner and says just one bite can fill up the belly of a grown man to which Merry and Pippin turn to each other and Merry asks Pippin how many he ate and Pippin admits to having 4 and lets out a belch to wake the dead! The audience ate this scene up.
There are a few additional new scenes and some that had been deleted, and new music, but overall, I think this is truly THE version New Line should have released last year and I truly hope they have the intelligence and enough compassion for the true fans to release this version theatrically for at least a few weeks before TTT breaks out to help stay off the hunger and thirst that we’re all experiencing right now. Not only will they prove they care for the fans and followers, but hey, they can make a couple million more $$$ to boot. Hey New Line CFO’s are you reading this?
As the credits began to roll a few exuberant fans off on the sidelines voiced some appreciative comments and clapping. There was some slight audience participation/reaction i.e. cheering at PJ’s carrot-eating appearance, Boromir and Aragorn’s fighting scenes etc. If this is released back into theatres, I’m sure there would be additional cheering, clapping and audience gobbling-up. Let’s face it. LOTR has created some extreme junkies and we just gotta have our fix, again and again and again.
The scene where the Fellowship is setting up camp and cooking features a bit more as well. Boromir teaching Merry and Pippin to fight also sneaks in a part where Aragorn gets up and tells them to break it up and the other three end up tossing him into almost a back flip landing smack dab on his back. Again, Pippin is getting a one-liner in here and there.
Well, I drove 3.5 hours each way to see it (to Washington DC from Johnstown, PA) and it was worth every mile and rain drop I had to weather on the way back. The movie, digitally projected, looked AMAZING.
It was like watching it on a big screen TV in High Definition it was that good. This is clearly the future of movie watching. I got there early thinking the lines would be bad and seeing as they warned us about FIRST COME seating, I wasn’t taking any chances.
I was disappointed the turnout was so low. About 100 people total. They checked us in and only asked for the printout of the email, no ID was required. We got free popcorn and soda and after the movie, they had posters out at the exit for everyone, although some took more than one (shame on them).
I guess this isn’t hard to believe, but the movie is much better now with the added footage, if only to explain a lot of what happens in future scenes or in TTT, and to really *flesh* out the story. Someone who is not versed in the books, will really get it now.
I especially like the new beginning with Bilbo and his voice over. Great history on Hobbits. However, the film benefits the most from the added Lorien scenes, beginning with the Fellowship entering the woods til they depart with the gift giving. This sequence has the most footage added, I’d say 7-10 min it seemed like.
The second big thing I like about it is, it gives you a much better understanding why Aragorn is the way he is. When I saw the original, the thing that upset me the most was the portrail of Aragorn and the fact that the movie didn’t explain it well enough (seeing as it deviated from the book).
Well, its in there now. The last thing I’ll mention is the fleshing out of Boromir’s character and his motives, which was well done and much needed.
Overall, the new scenes blended perfectly, There may be one or two *rough* transitions. I also noticed that they changed some camera angles on existing scenes. The new music was great and even some of the original music was changed if the scene was extended or something was added after it. Man, they really worked on getting it right.
So, there you go. Great flick. I’m grateful to see it again on the big screen. Can’t wait til next Tuesday. Bravo PJ and company.
DPM.
P.S. I think the font on the credits was also made bigger. Thank god. I think we may actually be able to read them now, and the fan club roll (at least I could in the theater). They did not roll the fan club names at this showing though.
I saw the same showing that Switz did, at McClurg in Chicago. Very, very cool. The additions were seamless, and really should have been in the original release. There is nothing which is superflouous to this version at all.
My favorite addition is probably the “gift” sequence in Lothlorien, followed by the extended opening in the Shire. Lots of great humor added throughout, which really helped flesh out the characters, especially Merry and Pippin.
Thanks go out to all the people at New Line who decided to do this, it was much appreciated. I was hoping they’d have some “Two Towers” promo items to hand out, but no such luck. This showing was good enough of a gift, though.
I had gotten a VIP pass to the extended cut of FOTR at Chicago’s McClurg Court Theatre – needless to say, an opportunity to see the DVD a week early was too good to pass up! I hadn’t heard anything about digital presentation, so I had assumed that was all it would be – video projection of the DVD on one of their smaller screens.
Imagine my surpise when I was directed to Theatre 1! As any Chicago-area fan knows, McClurg Court’s theatre 1 is the place to be for an event movie – it has probably the biggest screen in town, and the sound system is amazing. Even more, though, I knew it has been digital since AOTC was released in May. So I had my fingers crossed…
They had actually taped off a large section of the middle of the theatre for people with the VIP passes, so I was amazed to be able to get a terriffic seat, even if I didn’t arrive early.
The only catch was that I had to surrender my invitation, which was a lovely piece of parchment stationery with elven script in gold leaf. I was sad to let go of it. But, the seat was sweet. The crowd was small – barely a third of the room’s capacity, I’d say – but very enthusiastic, including many in varying forms of elvish costume. It’s always a pleasure to see something like this with the right kind of crowd.
Eventually, the lights went down, and they kicked right into a full digital trailer for TTT – it was just unbelievably exciting to see something I’d only seen on my desktop, now on a gigantic screen with booming, perfect sound.
When the wargs bound across the screen, it seems like they’re about to leap out into the crowd. Treebeard’s legs were so massive and detailed. The shot that starts on the tower of Orthanc and pulls back through Saruman’s army had to be seen to be believed. Just incredible. When TTT is released, I urge everyone to move heaven and earth to get to a digital theatre to see it.
Then the movie started – I first saw FOTR in pretty much the same seat at McClurg, but that was from film, and this was a whole new ball game. The Last Alliance seemed more grand and awe-inspiring than ever – when they showed the line of elves whirling their blades agaist the Orcish line, every elf was in focus.
There was so much detail in the image, it was almost scary. All through the film, I kept seeing scene after scene, full of details I had never noticed. It was just glorious. My only reservation is sadness for the fans who couldn’t attend these screenings. I really hope they organize some kind of large-scale rerelease down the line so everyone can experience a digital FOTR. It’s that much better than the film version.
As for the extra material, I loved it. I really think it’s a better film, and will probably never watch the short version again! I just wanted to tell all the fans who are still waiting to see it, your faith will be rewarded. Wow. Is it just me, or is it a great time to be a geek right now?
Last night I had the privilege and LUCK to see the Extended Version of Fellowship. I haven’t had such an adrenaline rush since I saw it all those months ago for the first time!
While the cut we all saw for six months in the theatres (I saw it at a theatre in Cleveland in late JUNE) was great and can stand by itself, the scenes that Peter and New Line have put back in only make it better. Often you can understand why scenes were taken out, but here I don’t know why any of these were cut.
The movie is funnier, first off. There are times when we missed lines because we were laughing so hard! From “Concerning Hobbits” (the new introduction right after Galadriel’s narration) to scenes outside of Moira to scenes in Lothlorien, even when things are sad you get a glimmer of the humor that gives you hope Middle Earth will be saved. Some of the jokes are at Pippin’s expense, but a fair number come at Aragorn and Gimli’s.
The characters are also much more rounded and fuller. The hobbits are much more mischievous, the elves more elegant (Elrond is still the holier-than-all-thou-mortals-and-you-can’t-have-my-daughter-until-you-claim-your-throne-you-greasy-ranger” that we have all come to love) especially Galadriel and Celeborn, and even Boromir is more understandable. There is one part that makes his death scene later even MORE poignant.
As for more violence, I think it is offset by the peace and fun you also get added back in. Yes, the Mines have more killing, and, yes, the final battle has more death, but then there are the scenes in the Shire, especially at the Green Dragon. There is also the gift giving scene, that was sweet without making you sick.
I would highly recommend this to any fan of LOTR. It may not be on the big screen, but it will not matter.
