The One Cut: Review of The Two Towers: Extended Edition
By Susan Thea Posnock
The movie versions of The Lord of the Rings could never match the book. And that isn’t a bad thing. They are visionary filmic achievements that I believe honor the book, without being a strict paint-by-numbers retelling. The Extended Edition of The Two Towers is a great example of why some scenes—that perhaps make fans giddy with delight—really should be left to the cutting room floor.
That’s not to say it isn’t a wonderful, rich, textually deep version of the film. When it comes out on November 18 I’ll buy it and I’ll hold it in equal esteem to the theatrical version. But watching a preview screening of it Saturday morning, I was struck by just how successful (and necessary) the cuts in the earlier incarnation were. It is truly a gift to fans to be able to get these scenes back, but for the most part, I agree with Peter Jackson’s decision to keep them out in the first place.
Taken as individual scenes, most of the new material is excellent. Perhaps more importantly, it sheds light on Middle-earth and its history. Things like Ents, Aragorn’s lineage and Faramir’s motivation are seen more clearly.
Watching all these moments, there are a few that I wish had made it to the final cut. Without going into any specific spoilers, these include a more detailed establishing scene before Frodo and Sam encounter Gollum, a Frodo/Gollum moment that reinforces their connection through the ring, and a scene in Helm’s Deep between Eowyn and Aragorn that I believe takes dialogue from Return of the King and demonstrates the pain of her unrequited love for him.
The one scene that stands above the rest among the new elements is the flashback involving Boromir, Faramir and their father, Denethor. It features some of the finest acting of all the films, with John Noble’s performance as Denethor adding depth not only to Faramir in this film, but Boromir in Fellowship of the Ring. Sean Bean reminds us what a driving, powerful force he was in that film. Bust most importantly, the scene sets up the changes in Faramir’s character. While I still ultimately disagree with these, at least the inclusion of the flashback gives the “new” Faramir substance, versus his just being an obstacle in Frodo’s way.
Of the scenes that I’m glad didn’t make it into the theatrical version the one that sticks out the most is a pure nod to the fans. It is one with Merry and Pippin after the fall of Isengard. My problem with it isn’t so much the scene itself, but its placement after the climax of the film, when the emotions are the highest. It cuts into that feeling in the last 10 minutes. The theatrical version, from Gandalf’s return to Sam’s speech to Gollum’s final inner struggle is, in my opinion, flawless.
Oh, and I haven’t even gotten into the extras…Without going into details, all I can say is the obsession that went into making these films is at least equal (and perhaps surpasses) the obsession of the fans watching. I seriously doubt that geeks can ever expect a better, more beautiful, more faithful (at least in spirit) adaptation. These are cinematic masterpieces, every stroke made with love.
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Bud writes:
Click for more images
Wanted to send you some photos of our Halloween party held at the Sunnyvale Community Center in Sunnyvale California
Attached are some photos of the sets my wife, some friends and I made for the party which include, a flaming Mount Doom complete with lava, a Baggend with Bilbo peeking out the window, A 14 foot Orthanc Tower, A glow in the dark door of Durin and a Lothlorien
All these were made form cardboard and packaging materials and took three weekends to produce. Many photo’s were especially taken at Baggend.
I personally thought that the Door of Durin with the glow in the dark engraving was the most impressive but most turned their attention to Baggend. A group shot was also taken of those dressed in LOTR Characters.
More pictures will be put up on our web page www.swdance.com in a couple of days.
My wife Deborah was dressed up as Arwyn (in the dream sequence dress with red sleeves)and I as Aragorn with Orthanc. My wife is a die hard Tolkien Fan and eventually got me to enjoy the LOTR Trilogy.
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Curious about the music for the LOTR musical that is being planned for London’s West End? Ringer spy Kalki was kind enough to send us not just this link to composer A R Rahman’s website, which includes a biography, [More] but he has also written a knowledgeable and very interesting summary of who A R Rahman is and how his work is admired by those who know it, and why we should be excited about his involvement in the LOTR Musical. Kalki writes:
Who is A.R. Rahman? Too put it in a few words, he is probably the biggest thing that has happened this generation, in the Indian world of music. The Indian music scene is almost entirely dominated by film music. Just about every commercial film made is a musical, with characters breaking into syrupy songs and gaudy dances every few minutes. Just for your information, the songs are actually sung by play-back singers‚ in studios and are dubbed into the film with lip sync!!! The success of films depends largely on the songs, which play a larger role in marketing than anything else. Cheesy, no? But this tried and tested formula has been producing some brilliant music since the 40s, and continues to do so. Each major language has its own film industry and the Tamil film industry is one of India’s most thriving entertainment industries. Not only does it have world class directors and actors, its musical talents are second to none. Sadly, this music rarely left the borders of the Tamil Diaspora, who form a small part of the Indian race. Despite a fine feel for music and lyrics, the Tamil music scene simply lacked sophistication. Especially, in choice of musical instruments. Westernised tunes, especially, sounded extremely lame, when played unimaginatively on electronic keyboards. That was during the pre-Rahman era.
In 1992, a film by legendary director Mani Ratnam was released. It was called “Roja.” Generally speaking, a film by Mani Ratnam, is considered to be a film not to miss. But, despite the expected high quality of the film itself, the biggest news on everyone’s lips was the music. The songs pandered to every taste, ranging from village folk, to stirringly patriotic. Modern, but very cultured. The music director was a simple Tamil Muslim by the name of A.R. Rahman. “Roja” raked in virtually every music award to be won, including the National Award [India‚s most unglamorous but most coveted film award].
From then on, there was no looking back, for Rahman, or for Tamil music. He said that he had received 25,000 Rupees for Roja [that’s US $650, BTW], but you can be rest assured that his asking price shot up pretty soon. Entire films would become mega hits if his name appeared in the credits. Award upon award came to him. The younger generation was entirely at his feet, but that is not to say that he couldn’t bring a tear or two to an old gaffer’s eyes.
Fusing tunes and instruments from different cultures is Rahman’s forte. India being one of the most diverse countries in the world [in every way imaginable], he really should have had an easy time mixing melodies from the hundreds of different languages and lands, not to mention the different religions. He, however, was also adept at bringing in Western music from every genre into his work. Another special touch possessed by Rahman was his ability to bring out the best in the play-back singers. He not only has an uncanny ability to “discover” unknown singers, but also adds new dimensions to the voice of anyone who sings for him.
Quite often, Tamil films get dubbed in different Indian languages, to be released in different states. It was through this method, that Rahman initially achieved national fame. Before long, he was being roped in to do work in Hindi, India’s national language. His first Hindi movie was “Rangeela,” and needless to say, its soundtrack won over all audiences. Within no time, Rahman became a household name throughout India – and any place in the world where Indians lived.
And his rise to international fame? Probably, it started off when he created an album called Vande Mataram, which was a patriotic album to celebrate India’s 50th Independence Day. The album was a great success, but what was equally important was that it was produced by international giants Sony Music. This probably helped accelerate the inevitable.
He sung a bit in Michael Jackson’s Invincible album. Last year, Andrew Lloyd Webber staged a play called “A. R. Rahman’s Bombay Dreams.” As I understand it, the play received luke-warm response. Also, Rahman’s songs were largely recycled [on Webber‚s request] and, in my opinion, came across as rather dilute [for lack of a better word]. Rahman himself seemed a little unhappy with having to adapt his old work with English lyrics. But finally, India’s music whiz kid was firmly on his way to international stardom. Very recently, he got his first break in the international movie scene. Not in the most expected of ways though. It was in the Chinese [!] movie Warriors of Heaven and Earth. Its producers, Sony, figured out that Rahman would be perfect for the job, since the film is about the Silk route‚ which involves China and South Asia [India, Pakistan, etc.].
I shall not risk naming his best efforts in the Tamil film industry, as I cannot speak for the entire Tamil community [BTW, I’m not even Tamil in the first place]. Everyone has their own favourites. My favourite film with Rahman’s music is “Bombay.” Again, it was directed by Mani Ratnam. I’ll not even start about the film, but Rahman’s music – both the background score and the songs – were simply breathtaking. Somehow, it seems that Rahman always saves his most potent magic for Mani Ratnam, and it is a partnership that never fails.
And so what is Rahman, the person, like? I’ve seen a few of his interviews and he appears to be simple and rather reserved. But it is clear, that he is a very spiritual person, a deep believer in Sufi Islam. He is undoubtedly hard working and sincere. And despite his work taking him further and further away from his home, he still stays true to his mother tongue – Tamil, and the Tamil film industry, which made him a star. Even this year’s National Award for Best Music went to Rahman for the Tamil movie Kannathil Muttamithal. And no prizes for guessing who the director is. Yerp, Mani Ratnam.
Some Indians out there might accuse me – and every other 18 year old – of being too fanatical about Rahman, and I know that I might have made it look like he is the only music director in the whole of India. I must say that there are several other Indian musicians who deserve to be called geniuses. But I don’t think that anyone can argue that the consistency, sophistication, and variety of Rahman’s music, began a new era in Indian cinema history. In fact, in Indian music history. So, pardon me if I have described his music as something sacred. And anyway, looking at the way these TORNers write about Tolkien – well, you get the idea :).
And coming to Tolkien, and The Lord Of The Rings. I’ll not waste anyone’s bandwidth by talking about his works. I’ll just say this: he wrote The One Book, the greatest book ever. ‘Nuff said. And as for Peter Jackson’s movies, W-O-W!!! I fall at the feet of the great, hairy man. Now, they‚re trying to make a stage play out of the story. It should be obvious by now how much I love Rahman’s music and Tolkien‚s literature.
So you can imagine what a delightful shock I got, when I read that A. R. Rahman is going to score music for a West End adaptation of The Lord Of The Rings. Now I know what Eomer must have felt, on the Pelennor Fields, when he realised that the ships from the sea carried not new enemies, but heralded the return of the King. The very same astonishment and victorious joy. It was so unexpected to see Rahman‚ and LOTR‚ in the same sentence. Too bad that LOTR is almost unheard of in India, so very few are going to share my euphoria. Anyhoo, fellow Tolkien worshippers know a thing or two about healthy obsessions :), so they’ll probably understand my feelings. On the bright side, Rahman’s fame might expose more Indians to Tolkien. Well, I think I’ve raved enough about Rahman, so joining all of you in anticipation of December 17th, namarie malor.
Regards, Kalki
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From Entertainment Weekly: Less than two months before The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’s Dec. 17 opening, even the most wary and sequel-burned of moviegoers assumes the third Tolkien installment will be a masterpiece. And why shouldn’t they? It was shot concurrently with the other two near-flawless installments, which were mostly faithful to the same written epic that King will be concluding. But let’s consider this heresy: What if something goes horribly awry? Don’t forget wrong turns by other fanboy-fave series in round three: What if cutesy animals or tykes rush in to save our Middle-earth heroes, like Return of the Jedi’s Ewoks or Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome’s lost children? Or Frodo shaves his head before luring Shelob into a molten-metal jacuzzi and committing suicide, ¨¤ la Alien3? And if Gandalf somehow ends up in the Old West like Back to the Future Part III, we¡¯ll tar and feather Peter Jackson. Sure, this is all unlikely, and King will probably rule, but it never hurts to lower your expectations. Nobody wants a relapse of The Matrix Reloaded heartbreak.
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Return of the King Bk 6, Ch VI – Many Partings
The time has come for the Hobbits to travel home to the Shire. They leave Minas Tirith in the company of the nobility of Rohan and Gondor, and their comrades of the Fellowship of the Ring. With them ride Celeborn and Galadriel with their folk, and Elrond and his sons. A great company following Theoden Thengel’s son home from the field of Gondor.
Theoden is burried with his ancestors and the greatest feast in the
History of the Golden Hall is held in Edoras, and there Eowyn of Rohan and Faramir of Gondor are trothplighted before all.
The company leaves Rohan and continues North. On the way, old and new
allies and friends part from eachother, and at Isengard they find Saruman gone. In the end the Hobbits reach Rivendell and are re-united with Bilbo.
Why do you think that Treebeard let Saruman free? How does Tolkien show how the world is changing into a new Age? What does Saruman mean by the Wise having ‘pulled down their own house’? We shall debate the many partings in this chapter, and take a closer look at that strange and wonderful place; Rivendell. Join us in #thehalloffire as we explore Chapter VI of The Return of the King; ‘Many Partings’.
Times:
Saturday Chat:
5:30pm ET (17:30)
[also 11:30pm (23:30) CET and 7:30am Sunday (07:30) AET]
Sunday Chat:
7:00 pm (19:00) CET
[also 1:00pm (13:00) ET and 3:00am (03:00) Monday morning AET]
ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
AET = Australian East Coast
Do you have a possible topic for Hall of Fire? Drop us a line at
halloffire@theonering.net.
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KB writes: A friend of mine who works for KCET (L.A.’s public television station) sent on this information about an advance screening of ROTK, December 5, in Palm Springs (about 90 minutes’ drive from L.A.). Andrew Lesnie will also be there. This is a fundraiser for KCET. I’ve included the details below. I didn’t see this up on KCET’s website yet but I imagine it will be there soon.
NEW LINE CINEMA
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
With special guest Academy Award winning cinematographer Andrew Lesnie
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5
at the
Camelot Theatres
2300 Baristo Road, Palm Springs
6:00 PM – reception 7:00 PM – screening
Includes a discussion with Andrew Lesnie, and KCET’s Cinema Series
Host, Pete Hammond
$50 per person
To purchase tickets by credit card, call (323) 953-5800
Email reservations accepted at KCETspecialevents@kcet.org
Make it a Weekend Getaway Special KCET hotel rate available at the luxurious Le Parker Meridien Hotel in Palms Springs, for reservations call, (760) 770-5000. Unwind and enjoy the hotel’s exquisite Givenchy Spa, rated one of the top five spas in 2003 by Conde Nast Traveler Magazine.
SPONSORS
Generously hosted by Ric and Rozene Supple * Camelot Theatres * Le Parker Merdien Acqua Panna & S. Pellegrino
All proceeds from the event benefit KCET Public Television for Southern and Central California
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