December 04, 2023

57. There’s No Rule That Says a Girl Can’t Kill the Witch-king!

1 hour 50 minutes

Jared, Oriana and Ned discuss their collective choice of topic: Peter

Jackson’s version of The Return of the King. It’s been twenty years since

the conclusion of Jackson’s three-film effort to adapt the entire Lord of the

Rings was released, and it was easily the biggest profile release of the

series, coming in with massive interest and attention, setting a variety of

box office records in the process along with gaining widespread critical

acclaim. It all resulted in a series of worldwide film awards and honors

culminating with a famed clean sweep of Oscar wins including best picture,

resulting in a tie with Titanic and Ben-Hur with eleven Oscars total but also

the only one of those three films to literally win every category it was

nominated for, a combined record that still stands. The film’s general impact

and that of the series as a whole is at this point undeniable, but how it

holds up in a look back, caught somewhat between Fellowship’s own

unquestionable triumph and Two Towers’s more stop-and-go successes, warrants

its own discussion. What are the many changes made to the tangled relationship

between Frodo, Sam and Gollum, and how does that play out as a result for both

the film and the wider themes? How does the use of practical models and actual

landscapes feed into the feeling of how the film both landed in the moment and

held up upon later rewatching, even while it was also the biggest

demonstration yet of the possibilities for CGI with massive military clashes

and the like? Is it possible to actually lose count of just how many

remarkable moments on a grand scale exist throughout the film, even as there

are various “well, but…” caveats and questions to raise along the way? How has

the whole series of film changed both the perceptions of Tolkien and the film

industry in general? And how many endings are there, after all? (Surprise! It

never ended, it’s running somewhere in a theater right now, maybe.)

Show Notes.

Jared’s

doodle.

And that’s another epic trilogy down. (The earlier entries

here and

here.)

Hurrah for the SAG-AFTRA strike

ending and better (not

perfect!) terms won.

Our episode on evil. Evil!

TheOneRing.net

report on the return of

the Eagle & Child pub.

Jason Horowitz’s New York Times

story about that Italian Tolkien exhibition encouraged by

Italy’s favorite fascists. Sorry, did we say the quiet part out loud? (In the

Guardian, Jamie Mackey with more context.)

Our episodes on Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the

Ring and The Two

Towers, with lots of notes about

the series as a whole so we won’t repeat everything here…

The sole trailer for The Return

of the King. But that’s all they needed.

Trilogy

Tuesday!

It was a crazy time and it was great. Here’s a photo of the all-day

pass given out, and

here’s an example of that film frame

memento

given out as well.

The opening

scene

is really something, no lie. Friendly little worm there.

The screenwriting guru Ned mentions is Robert

McKee – per Brian Sibley’s Peter

Jackson biography, McKee had come to Wellington, New Zealand to give one

of his lectures in 1988, and the New Zealand Film Commission invited Peter

Jackson, Fran Walsh and future contributing screenwriter for The Two Towers

Stephen Sinclair to it and they all apparently took it very much to heart. So

a long term impact but even so.

The opening exchange between

Sam, Frodo and Gollum. Really are some beautifully shot moments in this

sequence.

Oh did Christopher Lee have things to say in the run-up to the

theatrical release.

Our episode on the Rankin-Bass Return of the

King. It is NOT very good.

Yeah yeah the Arwen

vision

and Arwen

dying

and…well whatever.

But boy that introduction to Minas

Tirith.

THAT’S how to make an entrance.

And the beacons

sequence,

wow, still. Time zone issues aside.

For examples of the Gondor theme earlier on in the series, skip ahead to

about a minute into this

clip.

Ride the Empire Builder! If you

like.

Hurrah for John Noble (and hurrah

for Fringe). Skip ahead

three

minutes

for “The rule of Gondor is MINE!” moment, and the parting between Denethor

and

Faramir,

phew.

Minas Morgul, a triumph of John

Howe design, glowing and clamped. (The skybeam is the skybeam but the sonic

buildup rules.)

The Holdo

maneuver

(it really was great, like the film itself)

When Theoden and Eowyn part at

Dunharrow,

boy that’ll ruin ya. That’s two good actors very much in the moment.

When Aragorn and Eowyn part at

Dunharrow,

it is very…shippy.

“...and Rohan will

answer!”

Perfect.

“The stars are veiled.” Are

they, Legolas?

Oh you know the Shelob scene.

You know.

“The Edge of Night” sequence is

unnerving, beautiful and horribly sad.

The Nazgul as the angels of

death,

in essence. However petty.

Grond! It is great design for sure,

plus armored trolls.

Gothmog isn’t bothered with your petty

trebuchets.

The Ride of the

Rohirrim.

No notes. But here come the

mumakil…

“I am no man!” Yeah, it

rules.

Air

Bud,

the lingua franca of us all.

That crazy Witch-king

mace.

Gotta love it.

And indeed skip ahead to the end of the

clip

for that mumak takedown by the scrubbing bubbles. Plus Tracy Jordan with the

wisdom.

It still only counts as one, we guess.

Sam finds Frodo in Cirith

Ungol

– it’s a good moment!

“On this good

earth!”

(Well, maybe not GREAT earth.)

“I can carry

you!”

A beautiful sequence, no doubt.

The Crack of

Doom.

Great acting moments, wonderful moment for Gollum, but not over the cliff

again…

And yeah when Mount Doom completely

explodes…

Will they? Won’t

they?

A great way to do individual

bows

via a movie.

“You bow to NO

one.”

(Cue big emotions.)

A wordless toast indeed. And a

pumpkin. (And a case of the not gays.)

The Grey

Havens

sends us off. It really is a great Turner-inspired scene.

“Into the West” and the end credit

portraits.

Great job Annie. (The young filmmaker who passed was Cameron

Duncan, to correct Ned there.)

The Triplets of

Belleville is a

real treat, see it when you can.

Enjoy all the Oscar

wins!

Ah yes the Eragon movie.

Welp.

And the Chronicles of Narnia

tried.

But. (Good luck Greta!)

This ran after the episode was recorded but the LA Times had a

piece on the movie anniversary and its impact, especially

in New Zealand itself.

Our Rings of Power and Hobbit

films episodes have more about our

general qualms there.

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By Jared Pechaček, Oriana Scwindt, and Ned Raggett

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