(ROTK, Spoiler Caution) The Battle of Gondor: Can Peter Jackson capture it?

[Edena_of_Neith]

Can we please leave unkindly references to my posting style ( - usual overly dramatic tones - counts as such a reference) out of these threads?

Thank you.

 

[Mistwell]

Can we please leave unkindly references to my posting style ( - usual overly dramatic tones - counts as such a reference) out of these threads?

Thank you.

Sorry, just poking fun, didn't mean to offend you.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

My pardons too, Mistwell.
I'm under great stress here at home.
Divorce, alcoholism, and fighting (none of it personal to me, but rather to those I hold dear) are no joke.

- - -

You know, I really think that Peter Jackson has a once in a lifetime opportunity here.
I think this really COULD be the greatest fantasy battle of all time in a film. In both quantity, and in quality.
I hope it works out. I hope Peter Jackson can succeed. I hope New Line gives him all the necessary slack (I know they have already given him a lot of slack, but this is a special case.)

Hollywood has had this tendency to poo-poo fantasy films.
Fellowship lost the Oscar. Two Towers just lost the Golden Globes.
Yet clearly, these films stand up in their own right in the company of the Great Classics of the past. At least, that is my view, and it is the view of those at IMDb, and the view of others.

So yeah, I'm cheering Peter Jackson on.
If he needs more than 3 hours to succeed in ROTK, and he can get the extra time, kudos to him.
Admittedly, this may lose New Line money at the box office. Maybe.
Maybe not. Gone With The Wind was a 4 hour film, and it is the top grossing film, adjusted for inflation, of all time in the United States of America (over $1.1 billion in adjusted dollars.)

By the way, Imagineering is a cool word. If you thought that one up, cheers and kudos to you, Mistwell.

 

[jdavis]

What I fear will happen is that Aragorn will ride south with Theoden and they will skip the paths of the dead and the black fleet entirely. The Riders of Rohan showing up will turn the battle and win it instead of the Black Fleet showing up, and somewhere in the battle Aragorn will announce himself. I hope that the scene with Aragorn confronting Sauron with the Palantir doesn't get cut but the scene with Frodo and the Witch King changes alot of the need for that scene.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

I agree with you, JDavis.
The Paths of the Dead is a crucial part of the Battle of Gondor (I use that as a name of convenience for all the events that happened involving the Siege of Minas Tirith.)
If Peter Jackson cuts it, he cuts out a part of the heart of Tolkien's story.

In the book, the Riders of Rohan in no way could overthrow the Siege, and their arrival only provided a brief respite for Minas Tirith. A respite which the Black Captain ended soon enough, killing Theoden.

Since Elladan and Elrohir, and Halbarad and the Rangers, are not present, one must wonder what Peter Jackson is going to do.
If Arwen had been shown at the Battle of the Hornburg, I would have said he meant to have her replace them, on Aragorn's journey.
Now, without Arwen, I can only wonder how (if he tries at all) Peter Jackson will handle the affair. Perhaps Elrond himself will show up to go with Aragorn?

I think the showdown between Aragorn and Sauron with the Palantir is CRUCIAL to the beginning of the Paths of the Dead, assuming Aragorn takes them in the film.
For that matter, it is crucial period. And it would be great, to see Peter Jackson's Sauron and Aragorn do the battle of wills (after all, we get to SEE Sauron in the film, whereas he is a distant Something still in the book.)

 

[Scribe Ineti]

By the way, Imagineering is a cool word. If you thought that one up, cheers and kudos to you, Mistwell.

Actually, Imagineering is a Disney-ism.

As for ROTK, I suspect the theatrical release will be truncated and simply won't be able to cover everything to a degree of satisfaction. PJ will hit the major points, and the major emotional points.

The rest of the goodies will be on the extended DVD, which will hopefully run 4+ hours.

 

[Dark Jezter]

I've read on some site (can't recall) that RotK could clock in at 3.5 hours.

According to a report on AICN from a couple of weeks back, Peter Jackson has created three cuts of RotK: A 3-hour cut, a 3.5-hour cut, and a 4.5-hour cut. Either the 3-hour or 3.5-hour cut will probably be the version that appears in theaters, but can you imagine how cool it would be to have a DVD Extended Version that lasts 4 hours or more?

I also saw an article at theonering.net a few weeks ago that had comments from Elijah Wood and Peter Jackson. Wood said that he thought the movie would have to be 3.5 hours long to have everything important included, and Jackson said that the movie will be as long as it needs to be. Both men said that RotK was their favorite film of the trilogy.

Damn, it's gonna be hell waiting 11 more months.

 

[danbala]

(Yes, if he had 5 or 6 hours for his film, I wouldn't ask this question, for I think that given that much time, Peter Jackson could accomplish what amounts to an epic task. However, he does not have 6, 5, or even 4 hours in which to do so. Only the allotted time in a 3 hour film. An epic challenge to an epic director, to capture an epic battle. How will he do it?)

You may pleased to hear that the current rumor is that RotK has at least one cut that is over 4 hours long. (There are also appearantly two shorter cuts). It seems, the success of the 3 1/2 hour TTT has encouraged the powers that be that an even longer movie could make excellent money at the theaters.

In any case, regardless of which version that lands in the theaters, I would expect to see an "extended" (4 plus hour) version on DVD based on the amazing success of the current extended addition of the FotR.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

There is a 3 hour cut, a 3 1/3 hour cut, and a 4 1/2 hour cut?

Even I would hesitate on the matter of whether a 4.5 hour film would succeed in theaters.

However, a 4 hour film could succeed (after all, Gone With The Wind was 4 hours, and it most certainly succeeded. The biggest grossing film of all time.)

So, why not a 4 hour theatrical release, and a 4.5 (or longer, if Peter Jackson wants it!) DVD?

 

[KenM]

Re: Re: (ROTK, Spoiler Caution) The Battle of Gondor: Can Peter Jackson capture it?

It seems, the success of the 3 1/2 hour TTT has encouraged the powers that be that an even longer movie could make excellent money at the theaters.

The theactical Two Towers is just UNDER 3 hours, not 3.5. Rumor is the extended Two Towers DVD will have an extra hour.