I've heard a lot of people voice their opinion about
the theatrical release of Fellowship of the Ring,
Two Towers, and Return of the
King. They mainly say, “Why would I want to watch a longer
version of the same movie? The extended versions are, like, forty-five
minutes longer than the other versions! I can't last that
long.”
To which I say, “Why on EARTH would you NOT want
forty-five more minutes of the AWESOMENESS that is the Extended
Editions?!”
Ahem. Sorry about that. You've heard my
opinion. I'll turn my caps-lock off now.
In preparing to write this post, I've decided that it
would be best to not say things like, “Oh, well, there's three new shots in this
one scene in Fellowship, and then the next scene has, uhhh...
two more shots....”
Instead, I'm going to pick two or three of my
favorite completely new scenes from each movie. Hopefully, by the end, I
will have converted you into an Extended Release junkie. :
)
Enjoy the ride.
The Fellowship of the Ring has six
new scenes. The first one, probably my favorite in the Extended Release,
is called 'Concerning Hobbits.' The hard-core Tolkiendils will be pleased
to know that a lot of the dialogue from this scene is taken from the book – from
the introduction, appendices, or the chapter in the book entitled 'A
Long-Expected Party.' This scene gives you a deeper look into Hobbits and
their lifestyle. I think it should have been kept in because it shows you
a further explanation of why Frodo wants to stay in the Shire.
The second of my favorite new scenes is called 'The
Departure of the Fellowship,' which is pretty self-explanatory. Basically,
the newly-formed Fellowship is leaving Rivendell and Frodo is leading the
way. He's completely clueless and scared and whispers to Gandalf, who is
walking right behind him, “Which way do I go?” Gandalf points him in the right
direction and they embark on their quest.
The Two Towers has an incredible
fifteen new scenes. I've narrowed it down to three of
my favorites. The first I'd like to mention is called 'Sons of the
Steward.' It's a flashback of Faramir and Boromir, after Boromir has
swooped in and saved the day (once again) after Faramir, Captain of Gondor, was
losing a battle. Boromir came to his rescue and conquered the bad guys –
for now, at least. This scene depicts the aftermath – when Faramir and
Boromir are celebrating. YESTERDAY, I told you a little of why this scene
is so great, but I really like it because it gives Boromir and Faramir a deeper
relationship. In the theatrical releases, it's mentioned a few times that
they're brothers. In the extended release – this scene particularly – it
shows how close they were, even though they weren't very much
alike.
The second of my favorite scenes is a
muchly-appreciated lighthearted scene after all of the fighting – the flooding
of Isengard and Helm's Deep, to be exact. Merry and Pippin have just seen
the Ents flood Isengard. Pippin is lamenting the fact that they don't have
any food, meanwhile, Merry spies an apple floating in the water. They turn and
see more food, all leading into Saruman's storeroom. They enjoy a well-earned
meal. (This, by the way, is the “The salted pork is particularly good”
scene from the very beginning of Return of the
King.)
The third scene I'll mention is called 'Farewell to
Faramir.' (Yes, there's a reason that I'm picking all these FARAMIR
scenes. Hush.) It contains one of my favorite lines from The Two
Towers. The entire movie, Sam has been a little wary of Faramir,
mainly because he's trying to protect Frodo and is already on edge because of
creepy old Smeagol. In this scene, Sam apologizes to Faramir and says,
“Captain Faramir, you have shown your quality, sir – the very highest.” To
which Faramir replies, “The Shire must truly be a great realm, Master Gamgee,
where gardeners are held in high honor.” (I basically melted at that
point!)
The Return of the King has fifteen
new scenes, too. I've picked four favorite scenes from this
movie.
The first of my favorite is called 'The Corsairs of
Umbar.' I love this scene because it's in the book and it has a hint
towards Gimli and Legolas' growing friendship. Also, Peter Jackson has a
cameo role in this scene. And it also makes more sense when put with the
'The Paths of the Dead' scene.
'Merry's Simple Courage' is my next favorite scene,
due to this amazing line by Merry, “My lady. You are fair and brave and
have much to live for and many who love you. I know it is too late to turn
aside. I know there is not much point now in hoping. If I were a
knight of Rohan capable of great deeds... but I'm not. I'm a Hobbit.
And I know I can't save Middle Earth. I just want to help my friends;
Frodo, Sam... Pippin. More than anything, I wish I could see them
again.”
I also love 'The Houses of Healing,' which is also in
the book. This scene was cut out of the movie and I have no idea
why. It's short, but shows yet another reason why Aragorn is
awesome. And the look between Faramir and Eowyn at the end is just...
sighhhhh.
The last of my favorite scenes from The
Return of the King is 'The Captain and the White Lady.' Eowyn +
Faramir = Happiness for all lovers of Faramir. It's not nearly as long as
the scene(s) from the book, but it'll do. : )
And that's the Extended Edition. Awesomeness
sauce and highly, highly better than the theatrical
release. The. End.
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