The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Theatrical and Extended Limited Edition)
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Christopher Lee, Ian Holm, John Rhys-Davies, Sean Astin, Sean BeanCinematographer: Andrew Lesnie
Composer: Howard Shore
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Limited Edition, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 386 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-08-29
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: New Line Home Video
Movie Reviews of The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Theatrical and Extended Limited Edition)
Movie Review: The Ring Goes South . . .
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm an avid reader. I've read a variety of books, from epic fantasy to non-fiction, from contemporary fiction to classic literature. Don't flame me because of this, but I haven't read the first two books of "The Lord of the Rings". I've read SOME parts of "Fellowship" and "Towers," and I DID read "The Return of the King," but I'm mildly disappointed at myself for not reading the books before the movies came out. But anyway, I can see the differences betwen this film and the book: Tom Bombadil is absent in the film, the Moria sequence is much longer in the book, all of the events in Isengard are told during the council of Elrond in the book, etc.
I haven't seen this film for a very long time (probably back in 2005 was the last time I saw "Fellowship"). After that, I read "The Wheel of Time," "The Farsser Trilogy," "Don Quixote," "The Kalevala," "The Ramayana," and other books that contained lots of fantasy. I've also read contemporary works like "House of Sand and Fog," "The Feast of Love," "The Ha-Ha," etc. Anyway, after reading all these books, I had a bit less admiration for "The Lord of the Rings," mainly because it was starting to become cliqued (I know Tolkien put some originality in his own elves and dwarves, but I've seen too many elves and dwarves elsewhere). And plus, I got into Wagner's "Ring Cycle," and being the avid "Ring" listener that I am, the 15-hour opera replaced "Lord of the Rings" as my new favorite epic. But then, just last night, I watched the movie again. And now, I can see it as a classic again. It has given me even more inspiration to become a novelist in the fantasy genre.
* * * *
I saw the Extended Version after the original Theatrical Version. Many of the new scenes felt like they were "just inserted in." But later on, I can no longer see the weird cuts because the last time I saw the Theatrical Version was back in 2003. Until then, the Extended Version was the one I saw from now on. I got to understand Tolkien's universe much more.
Peter Jackson has done an extraordinary job with Tolkien's "Fellowship". He's brought so much famous material into this 200-minute film. The way he moved from the Fleeing from the Ringwraiths to the Journey to Mordor is just outstanding. And he chose the right actors and crew for this grand-scale epic.
Peter Jackson may not have been completely been faithful to the book, but you have to understand that in order to put it in "movie" format, some things had to be changed. Some sequences have been omitted for the sake of time, and it may or may not be a good thing to other people. Personally, it works well as a movie, but if I'm in the modd for the complete epic, I'll read the books anytime.
For the actors, I was a bit skeptical about Elijah Wood playing Frodo Baggins, and I stil find him to be a bit annoying. But he still makes a believeable Frodo, and I don't know anyone ese who can play the part. Ian McKellen is the perfect Gandalf: he has the voice and the appearance down flawlessly (kudos to the makeup and costume department). Christopher Lee is a brilliant Saruman, a character everyone loves to hate. Sean Austin, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan are excellent hobbits (although I find Austin's mediocre accent a bit distracting). Kate Blanchett will always be the definitive Galadriel. Gimli is right: she's absolutely gorgeous. Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn gives one hell of a kick-@$$ performance: his swordfighting is amazing. And so does Orlando Bloom (as Legolas) with his bow and arrows. Fangirls have absolutely glomped the elf, and I don't really mind. I never expected John Rhys-Davies to play Gimli, but he is great for the role. Too many closeups of Liv Tyler's face (in all three movies) brings down one grade for Arwen: it's a B. Hugo Weaving, Ian Holm, and Sean Bean as Elrond, Bilbo Baggins, and Boromir absolutely steal the show sometimes; great actors, all of them are.
The script is at times melodramatic, but that's what to be expected in epic fantasy (kudos to Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson). The camerawork, costume/set designs, and CGI effects are incredible. The beautiful scenery makes me want to go out and visit not just New Zealand, but the many national parks here in the United States.
Finally, we come to the music. To me, it's almost similar to that of Wagner's "Ring Cycle," but not completely. I'm not sure if Howard Shore got most of his inspiration from Wagner, but he sure did a damn good job with the score. The musical themes range from objects ("The One Ring") to characters ("Arwen"), to locations ("Lothlorien"), to motives ("Orc Industry"). I like him better than John Williams at the moment.
Overall, reading books both inside and outside the fantasy genre has affected my overall perception of LOTR. I can see the formulaic plot that's found in other fantasy novels (some authors put something new and others don't). I can see the two-dimensional characters ("The Wheel of Time" has plenty of that). I can see the basic plot of good versus evil (I should read "A Song of Ice and Fire" soon). But I still like LOTR, because it's the first popular epic fantasy that every one has grown up on ("The Odyssey" and "The Kalevala" don't seemto count just yet). And I'll still keep watching it.
A-
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Summary of The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Theatrical and Extended Limited Edition)
The Award-winning $1 billion dollar franchise is revisited with three new 2-disc limited editions. Each DVD features the theatrical and extended versions of the film and a new documentary. Filmmaker Costa Botes, who was personally selected by Peter Jackson, created three ground-breaking documentaries using rare behind-the-scenes footage.DVD Features:
Documentaries:Never-before-seen behind-the-scenes documentary by Costa Botes, the filmmaker director Peter Jackson personally hired (85 minutes)
Other:Part I - 106 minutes (Extended); 93 minutes (Theatrical) Part II - 122 minutes (Extended); 86 minutes (Theatrical)
In every aspect, the extended-edition DVD of Peter Jackson's epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring blows away the theatrical-version DVD. No one who cares at all about the film should ever need to watch the original version again. Well, maybe the impatient and the squeamish will still prefer the theatrical version, because the extended edition makes a long film 30 minutes longer and there's a bit more violence (though both versions are rated PG-13). But the changes--sometimes whole scenes, sometimes merely a few seconds--make for a richer film. There's more of the spirit of J.R.R. Tolkien, embodied in more songs and a longer opening focusing on Hobbiton. There's more character development, and more background into what is to come in the two subsequent films, such as Galadriel's gifts to the Fellowship and Aragorn's burden of lineage. And some additions make more sense to the plot, or are merely worth seeing, such as the wood elves leaving Middle-earth or the view of Caras Galadhon (but sorry, there's still no Tom Bombadil). Extremely useful are the chapter menus that indicate which scenes are new or extended.
Of the four commentary tracks, the ones with the greatest general appeal are the one by Jackson and cowriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, and the one by 10 cast members, but the more technically oriented commentaries by the creative and production staff are also worth hearing. The bonus features (encompassing two complete DVDs) are far superior to the largely promotional materials included on the theatrical release, delving into such matters as script development, casting, and visual effects. The only drawback is that the film is now spread over two discs, with a somewhat abrupt break following the council at Rivendell, due to the storage capacity required for the longer running time, the added DTS ES 6.1 audio, and the commentary tracks. But that's a minor inconvenience. Whether in this collector's gift set (which adds Argonath bookends and a DVD of National Geographic Beyond the Movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring) or the unadorned four-disc set, the extended-edition DVD is the Fellowship DVD to rule them all. --David Horiuchi
Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films gave "double-dipping"--releasing a DVD then releasing an improved version shortly afterward--a good name by offering both a better film and stupendous extras in the Extended Editions. This "triple-dip" 2006 Limited Edition falls far short of that standard but is still of interest to devoted and casual fans.
What do you get?
Both the theatrical and extended versions of The Fellowship of the Ring are on one double-sided disc. The versions use seamless branching, meaning that the scenes that are common to both versions are stored on the disc only once. If you choose to watch the extended version, the disc "branches" out to the added or extended scenes. What does this mean to the viewer? Not much. The viewing experience is the same because the branching is imperceptible. But because both versions of the film don't have to be stored on the disc in their entirety (which would be six and half hours total), both versions together fit on two sides of one disc. The downside is that whichever version you watch, you have to flip over the disc halfway through; the film breaks at the same spot it did on the Extended Edition, right after the council at Rivendell. Also lost are the meager features included on the theatrical edition, plus the four commentary tracks, two discs of bonus features, and DTS 6.1 ES sound from the four-disc Extended Edition.
What's new?
The second disc has an 85-minute documentary directed by Costa Botes, who was personally selected by Peter Jackson. Rather than the formal documentary structure of other editions, it consists of off-the-cuff interviews with Peter Jackson, Alan Lee, and others, and random bits of behind-the-scenes action and special-effects work. Those who have worked their way through the many hours of bonus content on the other editions might recognize some of this footage, such as the Hobbit actors mocking whichever of them is not around, then greeting him warmly when he shows up. Other things--Liv Tyler riding a fake horse, a snowfall during shooting, interviewing the rank-and-file cast members, touring Peter Jackson's trailer--seem new. And some bits seem geared to those who've watched the other material--for example, some of the visual tricks explained there are only glimpsed without explanation here. It's entertaining, but because there's no structure (there are chapters, but no menu or chapter listing), it's not as convenient to watch, and go back to, as a documentary broken up into bite-size pieces. Oddly, the documentary is in widescreen, but not anamorphically enhanced for widescreen TVs. Note: New Line Home Entertainment couldn't release this material on its own a l? the King Kong Production Diaries due to contractual restrictions.
Bottom line: Do you need this edition?
This Limited Edition combination of theatrical and extended versions plus new documentary seems likely to appeal to two camps. One is the devoted fan, who already owns both editions but has to have everything LOTR. The other is the casual fan who liked the movie in theaters, heard good things about the Extended Edition, and doesn't need a ton of bonus material. This edition is attractively priced for that buyer, and the packaging is quite handsome. In between is the devoted fan who already owns both editions but doesn't feel the need to watch more bonus material. When watching the whole movie, that fan will always choose the Extended Edition, but keeps the theatrical edition for (1) watching with guests, (2) the music video, or (3) the convenience of skimming through favorite scenes without having to change discs. That fan can safely skip this edition, as can home-theater fans who love DTS. --David Horiuchi
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