The official thread for Lord Of The Rings - The Return Of The King [LOTR ROTK TROTK ROK] (NOW CONTAINS SPOILERS)

So obviously Ahmed Best would have to take over.

Only if he does the theme song.

Joe: there's a hypergeeky answer to that even I'm not going to get into, for once.

In one of the DVD commentaries for Fellowship for that scene where Bilbo first finds the ring, it is explained that Ian Holm was wearing something which literally was pulling his skin smooth so he could seem younger in the context of the storyline.

SHYAMALAN:"Stop complaining Ian, you only have to wear this 16 hours a day."[throws money at Ian Holm]

Problem solved.

I got those new money-soaking editions through a couple of Amazon deals so I only had to pay 6 bucks for each, and basically just for the behind the scenes documentary stuff, which is pretty cool (if you're me). Haven't actually seen the movie disc on each.

dvd's expressly disclaim that the bonus material is unrated

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7e/Gollum3.jpg

I had a dream once that Peter Gabriel's RAEL character looked like this Gollum, so I can't hear "Carpet Crawlers" w/out seeing this hissing cavedweller.

AND THE RIIIIIIIIING GOES DOOOOOOWWWWWWN TO MOR-OR-ORDOR

AND THE RIIIIIIIIING GOES DOOOOOOWWWWWWN TO MOR-OR-ORDOR

Nickalicious I love you.

I'd never heard of it before this story came up, anyone read it?

20 years!

We had thoughts on the podcast!

https://www.megaphonic.fm/bythebywater/57

(Settle it, it's about two hours long...)

Settle in rather, but you could settle it too.

im watching them again- some extended for the first time- an hour a week with neighbours

surprisingly they are now separate enough in my mind again from the books that the sharpness of my irritation with some of the decisions has eased-

Healthy approach, that.

my amazing idea: a sequel series featuring hobbits trying to escape from revived sauron's revived nazgul but this time they're after that giant ass key that unlocked mordor.

doing our yearly watch of these, and my kid has been consulting this excellent atlas by Karen Wynn Fonstad which he's found totally fascinating and helpful. anyway, going thru ROTK and some of the flaws are more evident, but they're hardly an issue for me since it's such a strong, epic finish. but the thing i perhaps newly noticed is some of the slight disconnect between settings within the final battle (maybe it's a result of this being the extended cut and some awkwardness remains?), Gandalf and Pippin running around and being waylaid by the Witch-King, who then flies off to see what's up just before the Rohirrim charge. And the absolutely game-changing epic charge is never acknowledged from within the walls, even as just a confidence boost to the troops in Minas Tirith. it might as well be happening in another battle entirely. there's a bit of editing awkwardness around Eowyn after she slays the Witch-King, her crawling around looking for Merry and chased by that Orc chieftain, then bidding adieu to Theoden, then being found unconscious by Eomer. It's certain things that just ever so slightly undercut the final stretch of the battle, plus the fearsomeness of the dead army being undercut by the comical way in which they're depicted effortlessly dispatching the remaining legions of Mordor. but it's not crippling, i think just as much as the Rohan aspect of The Two Towers made it a really rich film, the Rohan storyline concluding on this field of battle is what absolutely makes it succeed. The storylines for Theoden and Eowyn are so truly well done, even if i really do wish they had preserved Tolkien's absolutely heartstopping dialogue in the latter's moment of heroism, perhaps shifting around slightly for more maximum cinematic impact...

'Begone, foul dwimmerlaik, lord of carrion! Leave the dead in peace!'

A cold voice answered: 'Come not between the Nazgûl and his prey! Or he will not slay thee in thy turn. He will bear thee away to the houses of lamentation, beyond all darkness, where thy flesh shall be devoured, and thy shrivelled mind be left naked to the Lidless Eye.'

A sword rang as it was drawn. 'Do what you will; but I will hinder it, if I may.'

'Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me!'

Then Merry heard of all sounds in that hour the strangest. It seemed that Dernhelm laughed.... 'But no living man am I! You look upon a woman. Éowyn I am, Éomund's daughter. You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you, if you touch him.'

thou fool

whomst is the fool now foul dwimmerlaik

this is the dialogue in the film

EOWYN: I will kill you if you touch him.

WITCH-KING: Do not come between
the Nazgul and his prey.

(break for army of the dead showing up at the river w/Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli)

WITCH-KING: You fool.
No man can kill me.
Die now.

EOWYN: I am no man.

considering how well they preserved much of the excellent dialogue in other areas, it's disappointing they didn't do the same here. that's a moment that deserved a bit more buildup and genuine fear and would have resulted in a better payoff (again, it would have to be altered slightly bc one couldn't hide Eowyn's identity without creating some type of secondary character as a red herring, but that would take up a lot of time.)

That scene in the animated Return of the King (1980) is more faithful to the book, including using that dialogue. It seemed so heavy on top of the death of Theoden when I first saw it as a kid age 8 or 9.

i just watched that scene for the first time last night, it was a bit less fearful maybe due to the Witch-King sounding more like Cobra Commander crossed with the Knights Who Say "Ni", but Eowyn as depicted in that was thoroughly unshakable.

Yeah the Rankin-Bass films are…uneven but have moments.

The Fonstad atlas has been a standby for me for four decades now.

Yeah, I should have added that it was not as heavy watching it now at 51 but I was terrified of the witch-king as a kid. He had a crown without a head! Terryifying!

"I AM NO MAN" works as a more iconic moment than the wordy banter imo

thou fool!