The Lord Of The Rings Extended Edition Stream
Tosha Dickason
The EE is definitely longer than the theatrical releases (which themselves were quite long for the time period they were released). Although I do think the EE is essential watching, I understand the impulse to shorten the films as much as possible for wide release, given the short attention spans of most American audiences.
the lord of the rings extended edition stream
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Jackson and crew did a good job in the theatrical release to cut down as much as they could without making the story incoherent, but the extra material in the EE is much appreciated by this lifelong Tolkien fan.
That being said I love the detail in the movies and the cinematography was amazing. Gollum was my favorite and well played by the CGI team. The extended cuts of the films are very much a must see for any fan of fantasy and The Lord of the Rings.
I've loved Tolkien ever since I read The Hobbit in my sixth-grade English class. And I'm enough of a Tolkien nerd that I have in fact attempted to read Tolkien in other languages besides English, as well. Reading The Silmarillion in French is an adventure. ;D
I definitely concur that you should try the Extended editions of the other two movies, if you can. Two Towers in particular brings in good backstory with Boromir and his brother Faramir, that makes Jackson's versions of those characters make a lot more sense overall.
Two Towers: extended. Middle installments in trilogies are hard, and the theatrical version to me ended up feeling a little incomplete, beyond the obvious reason that there was another film coming. The extended cut adds a lot near the end that I felt gave it more immediate closure.
Lord of The Rings was an important part of my highschool/college age childhood. And the visuals of the various movies are lovely. But the idea of reading/watching any part of the story again is just Too Much Like Work.
My advice? If you ended up liking the first that much, go ahead and see the extended edition of all 3. Ultimately, they are all superior to the theatrical versions- but again, that is just my personal opinion as a long time fan of these films.
I own all the extended versions on DVD, and have watched them many times over. Both just the movies, and the alternative audio tracks and all the other specials (those parts are why I enjoy discs more than streaming, I adore those details, and the extra documentation on the specials makes you appreciate all the more just how much care and detail work went into the production, and how different a feeling filming with miniatures vs. CGI did create).
Smartly, the additions to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring start with a longer introduction to the various routines and personalities in Hobbiton, which Bilbo (Sir Ian Holm) narrates not on account of exposition but because he's writing a book titled Concerning Hobbits. Just a few extra moments with the leads of The Lord of the Rings lays the groundwork for Sam's (Sean Astin) budding relationship with his future wife, Rosie (Sarah McLeod), and new shenanigans at Bilbo's birthday party followed by drinking songs at the pub sell the effortless comradery both of the community and between the four Hobbits. Their warm friendship makes it easier than ever to care for them, plus it's a happiness the plot will soon crush. Other touches like Bilbo almost telling Frodo (Elijah Wood) about his plans to leave Bag End drive home the tender relationship between the two as well as Bilbo's flaws, Ring-influenced or not.
Nothing in the extended Fellowship radically alters the storyline, so greater character depth remains its best quality. The interludes are short but effective, like Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) singing to himself about the forbidden love between Lthien and Beren, an immortal elf who loved a mortal man. It's a reflection of his own romance with Arwen (Liv Tyler) and clarifies her later appearance. Aragorn also visits his mother's grave before departing Rivendell with the Fellowship. As he touches her tombstone with reverence, he once again refuses to become king of Gondor. Underscoring Aragorn's intense unease about his heritage while highlighting his gentler nature with women provides more bite to his hero's journey throughout The Lord of the Rings, not to mention further depth to his love story.
The Fellowship's stay in Lothlrien, home of the radiant Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), leaves room for two emotionally impactful moments. The heroes, resting, finally have time to mourn Gandalf's loss as a group, and a montage shows the individual gifts Galadriel bestowed, of which Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) is the star. The theatrical cut shows how the dwarf who entered Lothlrien calling her a witch exits enraptured with the Lady, but the extended includes how Gimli asked for only one lock of her hair to remember her by. Rhys-Davies' line delivery of "she gave me three" alone deserved to make the original cut, but by telling his story to Legolas (Orlando Bloom), its inclusion also lends fresh authenticity to Gimli and Legolas's growing friendship.
Arguably, the best deleted scene involves Aragorn and Boromir (Sean Bean) squabbling the night before the latter's death. The poor, doomed son of Gondor summarizes his people specifically and mankind in general with "yes, there is weakness, there is frailty, but there is courage also, and honor to be found in men." In essence, Boromir describes his arc and accuses Aragorn of refusing to see the good in their people. Aragorn doesn't disagree. The grace and understanding they grant each other as Boromir dies hurts all the more after such a personal divide between the two, and Sean Bean's performance is for the ages.
This leads to the biggest gain of the extended The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: a flashback mapping out the complicated, thorny relationship between Boromir, his brother Faramir (David Wenham), and their father Denethor (John Noble), the Steward of Gondor. Boromir was a successful war commander who reclaimed Gondor's capital city (which parallels Faramir's near-fatal ride to Osgiliath in The Return of the King). He's revered by Denethor and guilted by his father into a plan to steal the Ring to protect Gondor. Faramir, meanwhile, is worthless in Denethor's eyes.
Other deleted, powerful character beats include Eomer (Karl Urban) finding King Theoden's (Bernard Hill) mortally wounded son after a battle with the Uruk-hai. Once Theoden wakes from Saruman's (Christopher Lee) control, an emotional Eowyn (Miranda Otto) sings a Rohirrim lament at her cousin's funeral. Spending time with these newly introduced characters as they grieve cements their familial tragedy and why the audience should care about the end of Theoden's direct line. In contrast, the result of Gimli and Legolas' kill count contest incorporates much-needed levity ("He was already dead!"), as does learning how great Aragorn's Dnedain genes are.
Now, for the big one. Although The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King's "multiple endings" drew ire at the time, this extended is the most important in The Lord of the Rings trilogy because it wraps up plot threads left entirely on the cutting room floor. Such decisions probably kept Jackson up at night, but without the unused footage: what happened to Saruman? The dark wizard's downfall isn't as mighty or meaty when compared to the novels, but at least the book metaphorically closes at the beginning of Return when Wormtongue (Brad Dourif) stabs Saruman to death. Christopher Lee was frustrated that this scene was cut; understandable, given Saruman was the most visible antagonist up to this point in The Lord of the Rings and Lee read the trilogy every year.
Another excellent face-off features the Witch-king of Angmar during the Battle of Pelennor Fields. And it enhances the potency of Eowyn defeating him, because the Witch-king nearly kills Gandalf. The Nazgul ringleader gets the jump on him and Pippin, and his power is enough to leave Gandalf prone and frightened; Pippin then races to defend Gandalf. It shows just how far the fool of a Took's relationship with the White Wizard has evolved, not to mention Pippin finding his courage as Galadriel predicted.
Similarly, a "negotiations" at the gates of Mordor between the Fellowship sans Frodo and Sam (who are in their final push to Mount Doom) and a grotesque creature known as the Mouth of Sauron leaves the heroes devastated. The Mouth presents Frodo's lost mithril armor as proof of his death and failure to destroy the Ring. In appropriately epic fashion, without a word but with a scream of rage, Aragorn lops the Mouth's head off and refuses to believe their friend is gone. Despite his heart-wrenching defiance, the chance that their march on Mordor is in vain lends Aragorn's pre-battle "for Frodo" a sobering, haunting quality.
Lastly, Eowyn's story receives a worthy denouement. Destroying the Witch-king also claimed Eowyn's life, and a sobbing Eomer discovers his sister's body on the Pelennor battlefield before Aragorn restores her. While Eowyn recovers, she and Faramir bond in a delicate scene all the more romantic for its brevity. Standing together at Aragorn's coronation now makes sense, and no wonder, as each smile their way into a much-deserved happy ending.
Depending on one's patience, parts of the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings might drag. But each one of those accumulated moments brings just that more depth, exposition, and color to a once-in-a-lifetime cinematic achievement. Every effort of the people involved deserves to be seen onscreen and is worthy of every The Lord of the Rings fan's time.
Update November 18, 2023: The Lord of the Rings films have become classic films to watch over the Thanksgiving holiday, given the autumnal color palette, so with that in mind this article has been updated by Valerie Parker with more material about the Extended Cuts and some major highlights regarding each version.
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