DVD Review HTF REVIEW: "Lord Of The Rings Extended Edition" (with screenshots) (1 Viewer)

[Mattias Stridsman]

Does anyone know if there's any difference between region 1 and region 2 regarding audio/video quality? I haven't decided which version to get...

 

[Coressel]

I got this amazing set yesterday and just skimmed thru bits of all 4 discs. I'll have time tomorrow night to watch the whole 3 1/2 hour epic. Can't wait!

Earlier I think someone said that they couldn't change audio tracks on the fly during the movie (i.e. switching from commentary to film, etc.)... I however found that I CAN do this. I simply hit the audio button at any point during the movie and it switched to whichever track I wanted. I did not have to go back to the main menu to select commentary, DTS, or whatever. I'm still using an old Toshiba 2107 that I bought in '98.

 

[Jon Mercer]

Just wondering if I'm the only Canadian who didn't get the movie ticket in the boxed set?
Did we as Canadians get screwed again?
Jon

 

[Vickie_M]

DEEPLY SHALLOW Girly Thing ON:

I've developed a huge crush on editor Andrew Lesnie. Not only is he cute as hell, what he did with all that footage is mind-boggling!

DEEPLY SHALLOW Girly Thing OFF.


I just had to get that off my chest. Honey, if you're reading, I promise I won't run off to New Zealand to find him.

I've been watching the Editorial Demonstration and it's fascinating. I know these things have been on other DVDs, but this is the first where I knew the material backwards and forwards, and so the used and unused footage is very prominent to me.

I find I'm getting greedier and greedier. The more I go through this stuff, the more I want. The Editorial Demo only uses one short scene at the end of the Council of Elrond. After watching it several times, I now want more scenes, more alternate footage, more of everything! I wanted more documentarys after watching the documentarys (more Ngila!). I wanted more commentarys after listening to the commentarys (more cast!). I want all the things that were left off (most important, Elijah Wood's audition tape, the demo tape shown to New Line and the Cannes preview). I also wanted much more from the people involved about where they saw the finished film and how they felt about it. Now I want several more Editorial Demonstrations.


More of EVERYTHING, I tell you! I'm so greedy! It's a sickness.

 

[Wayne McRae]

No ticket for me either Jon

 

[TheLongshot]

After watching the first disc, I'm really high on this version. The extra scenes fix one of my major problems with the film, that going from the Shire to Rivendell happens far too quickly and the sense of the passage of time is much better. I also have to say that the Council Of Elrond scene is much better in this form, showing what exactly is Boromir's motivation for the Ring, why it is attractive to him. I still think that Gandalf's journey to Minas Tirith needed a voiceover to at least tell the audience where he was going and what he was looking for, but you can't have everything.

I'm going out of town today, so I won't be able to watch the rest until I get back.

Jason

 

[Vickie_M]

I had said:

Peter says he never saw car, but editor says he took it out of the DVD.

HA, I just found out that if Peter Jackson wants to see the car, all he has to do is put in the Extended Edition DVD!

On the 4th disc, The Appendices Part II, in the "Sound and Music: Music for Middle-Earth" documentary, almost exactly 10 minutes in, the scene with the car is there, complete with said car!

Funny! Now I won't have to hunt down my Academy screener if someone's over and wants to see the car.

 

[Gabe Oppenheim]

This first part pertains to the theatrical cut of the film, and, I assume, in large part to the extended version as well. But, you know what they say about assuming...

I've developed a huge crush on editor Andrew Lesnie. Not only is he cute as hell, what he did with all that footage is mind-boggling!

Um, Andrew Lesnie is the DP, not the editor. John Gilbert is the editor. So, for sake of curiosity, who do you have a crush on: Lesnie or Gilbert (or both)? They're both certainly extremely talented folks, though I really can't speak to their cuteness.

 

[Vickie_M]

So, for sake of curiosity, who do you have a crush on: Lesnie or Gilbert (or both)?

Lesnie. I love the way his mouth moves. Really, at this point, I'm such a goner that I have a massive crush on every single person who ever had anything whatsoever to do with the entire production. Ok, maybe not Lurtz in costume.

Creativity, dedication and innovation turn me on. Oooh baby!


I am not a teenybopper. I am a mature adult. I am not a teenybopper. I am not a teenybopper. I am not a teenybopper. I am not a teenybopper. I am not a teenybopper. I am not a teenybopper. I am not a teenybopper. I am not a teenybopper. I am not a teenybopper. I am not a teenybopper.

I have to keep telling myself that. I am not a teenybopper. I am a mature adult. I am not a teenybopper. I am not a teenybopper...

 

[Iain Lambert]

I'm only guessing that I'm posting in the correct thread, but can someone (there seem to be a few here in a position to do so) confirm if I'm going to end up with ugly dual-language packaging if I order the Canadian Atlantis version, and so need to import the more expensive US release? I'm probably just going to get the 4-discer now, rather than the giant (and heavy to ship) collectors box, though it would be handy to know about both...

 

[Brent Hutto]

Well, I'll take Vickie_M's word that Andrew Lesnie is a fine, attractive fellow. I'm not qualified to judge. But what's the name of that WETA guy with the incredibly irritating voice? I'm not near the DVD right now so I can't look it up but he's the guy who has some of the coolest things to explain in the documentaries but his voice makes you want to reach for the MUTE button.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

Richard Taylor. I agree, it's like he's screaming at you constantly while doing a Robin Leach impersonation.

 

[Troy_M]

I have a quick question, this has probably been answered 50 times already, but here it is: Is this extended footage, material that was deleted out of the theatrical cut and added for the EE dvd, or is it footage that was created especially for the EE dvd? If so, when was it created? Or is it a combination of deleted scenes and added footage? I purchased the set Tuesday but I haven't had the time to view any of it yet....I set aside the whole weekend to immerse myself. The more I listen to the soundtrack of this movie and think about the movie, it is obvious that this(inlcuding the sequels, that will no doubt be ridiculously awesome) will go down in history as one of the greatest epics ever made, I think people are going to appreciate this movie more and more as time goes on...it's a classic. I think this and Gladiator are 2 epics of our time that will stand the test of time....mainly because they don't try and build a story off of special effects..but instead they lay down great stories and use special effects to add to the story.

 

[William DAnnucci]

CANADIANS:

I live here in NYC and I wound up getting the Canadian edition from a local store because it beat the street date and it was (so I thought) a good price. The booklet inside has both English and French text. There is NO FREE TWO TOWERS PASS!!! When you play the film, you get the Alliance logo. Other than that, I believe it is the same.


Am I the only one who noticed that Gandalf's new dialogue during the Council of Elrond sounds suspiciously like John Ryes-Davies dubbing for McKellen?

 

[Jimmy Gonzalez]

Can someone tell me where is the easter egg Two Towers Preview? I am about halfway through the 4th disc atm.

Jimmy.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

TTT Egg is on the last page of the scene selections list on the second disc. Move to the bottom, then to the right and there is a hidden menu item below that looks like, well, two towers. It is slightly different than the first disc egg where you moved to the bottom and then down one more.

I was typing this from memory, so it may be slightly off, but it should be close enough to get you there.

Regards,

 

[ChadM]

I think it is chapter 48(?) for the TTT egg

 

[Brent Hutto]

Of all the footage shot originally, a certain portion was selected for the theatrical release, edited, scored, looped and sent through post-production.

For the extended edition, some of those same parts plus some different takes of the same shots, plus some additional shots, plus some whole other scenes were selected, edited, scored, looped and sent through post-production.

In other words, it's a different movie made from the same original pool of source material. No additional shooting was done but there was some additional ADR and effects as well as new music added. Pretty cool, eh?

 

[Craig S]

HA, I just found out that if Peter Jackson wants to see the car, all he has to do is put in the Extended Edition DVD!

The National Geographic disc (both the original and the one that came in the gift set) also has the "Sam & Frodo in the field" scene with the car in it.

 

[Anthony Thorne]

Vickie should know that a friend of mine met Andrew Lesnie at a special cinematographer's seminar here in Melbourne a couple of months ago and spoke to him for about 15 minutes. He said Lesnie was very nice, open and friendly and happy to chat about anything - my friend also said you could tell Lesnie was buzzed about the movie and his involvement with it. (The seminar had just rescreened the 'Mines of Moria' sequence and Lesnie looked proud as punch - what a scene to put on your resume...). Some comments Lesnie made to my friend, some of which may have appeared elsewhere on the web...

THE TWO TOWERS is much, much bigger in scale than FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING. Lesnie really had a 'wait till you see it!' vibe about it.

THE TWO TOWERS will look a lot better in theaters than FELLOWSHIP did. The entire Super-35 to digital grading to final print process entailed some generation loss with the final theatrical print of FELLOWSHIP, giving the film a slightly grainy look that many HTF folk would probably recognise from other Super-35 theatrical releases. Lesnie said they were now using a new procedure for the release of THE TWO TOWERS that enabled them to make a direct transfer to the final print (?) at a particular stage of post, rather than utilising an intermediate transfer as they did with FELLOWSHIP. Essentially, THE TWO TOWERS will appear a generation or more sharper than FELLOWSHIP did in theaters, giving it a cleaner look and one that more accurately represents what they originally shot. Lesnie seemed confident that they had the problem 'licked' and that you'll notice the difference when THE TWO TOWERS finally comes out.

Lesnie's first meeting with Jackson was a funny one. Jackson asked Lesnie if he'd seen any of his previous movies, and Lesnie mentioned that he'd seen BRAINDEAD (known as DEAD/ALIVE in the States). Jackson asked Lesnie what he thought of it, and Lesnie (who doesn't like films that are too gory) was somewhat embarassed to admit that he thought it was disgusting and that he wasn't able to get through it. Jackson didn't mind and was happy that Lesnie was honest about it. Lesnie also seemed pleased that they'd developed such a good working relationship since.

Finally, my friend asked Lesnie a little about the circumstances following Lesnie's 'sacking' from the shoot of John Woo's MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 2 in Sydney, a professional set-back that luckily allowed Lesnie to work on Jackson's trilogy. (Lesnie shot BABE here in Australia and was hired for Woo's movie with a lot of publicity - he was later taken off the project amid lots of rumours and speculation as to the reason why). My friend asked if Lesnie had ever seen the final movie, given the evident 'bad blood' at the time (which Lesnie dismissed a little, saying that his removal from the project was one of those things and Cruise and Woo were both good guys). Jackson apparently flew an early print of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 2 over to the NZ site and he and Lesnie had a bit of a giggle watching it in a private theater whilst in the middle of their own shoot.

I'm looking forward to the FELLOWSHIP 4-DVD set (in the mail as I speak) and also THE TWO TOWERS, which should make for a great expanded edition next year.