After 20 Years, ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Extended Editions Still Remain The Best Fan Experience
Image Source: HBO
If you’re like me, you’ve lost count of the number of times you’ve sat back and let the harmony of the tin whistle flow over you to the sight of verdant rolling hills dotted with the comings and goings of Shire-folk, indifferent to the world of the big folk. You can hear and see it, can’t you? Just the description alone is enough to trigger the nostalgia. What’s more, is it hard to believe it has been 20 years since the world was treated to the talent of Howard Shore and his work on the Peter Jackson adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring?
Then, they released The Lord of the Rings Extended Editions.
The Lord of the Rings Extended Editions are a dream for any Tolkien fan. More Hobbits, more orcs, more Middle-earth. Sarah Shachat of Yahoo! dives into the decision to release more footage and behind-the-scenes content a year after Fellowship came out and just before The Two Towers was to release. In a discussion with IndieWire, editor John Gilbert talked about how Jackson did not want to cut anything. When the decision was made to release an extended edition, Gilbert was able to take a scalpel to make sure the theatrical cut was the best version of a Frodo-centric story it could be. As the editor, he cared more for the narrative told in the theaters than the lore, letting Jackson use the extended edition to go deeper into Tolkien’s world.
Sean Bean reportedly had to film this scene numerous times.
Image Source: Polygon
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Releasing an extended edition allowed the team to deliver an adaptation that reflected more of the vision that Tolkien had set up in his works. It was slower, longer, and delved deeper into the world of Middle-earth. Gilbert specifically wanted to focus on Frodo in the theatrical release, but the early decision to release an extended edition meant they had extensive footage with which for him to tell the broader story beyond Frodo and explore the production side of making such an epic movie with a plethora of behind-the-scenes footage of the renowned Wētā Workshop.
Behind the scenes at Wētā Workshop.
Image Source: Wētā Workshop
The extended edition is still not an exact adaptation of Tolkien’s story, which is a natural effect of translating a story from one medium to another. Tolkien’s works are grand and epic in scope, told over hundreds of pages and stories that stretch for months and years. Movies rarely stretch beyond two to three hours. Some things are inevitably going to end up on the cutting room floor. Fan-favorite characters like Tom Bombadil and Glorfindel were left out, and their roles were replaced with other characters or ignored outright.
Still, 20 years later, the influence of Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings continues to this day, for good or bad. It is the definitive reference point for any current or future adaptation of Tolkien’s works. The Rings of Power can’t ignore the influence of Jackson’s adaptations, with the showrunners striving to emulate Jackson’s work and even attempting to work with him on the series. The Rings of Power’s depiction of the people of Middle-earth has also influenced how people envision Middle-earth, leading to a lot of internet drama about representation.
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Source(s): Yahoo!
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