Well, I’ve finally seen it all. The LOTR: FOTR extended edition. It’s not precisely a director’s cut, although that would be the norm for a cut of this kind. I’ve read Peter Jackson in interview talking about this new and improved cut of the film and it’s actually a pretty interesting concept. This extended edition really isn’t a director’s cut. Technically speaking a director’s cut is the first cut of a film. Usually it happens before the film is shown to the studio and or test audiences. Then the film gets cut up all again, for time, or to get the rating down, or for a host of other reasons. In this case though Jackson had both of these cuts planned from the beginning. And I can see why.
This extended edition comes in at just shy of 4 hours long. That’s right, 4 hours!!! Obviously Jackson couldn’t run this in the theatres, most peole would be falling asleep by the end, no matter how exciting the film is. Instead he cut out scenes that, while good, really weren’t necessary for the narrative of the story. There’s a general rule of thumb when editing. Absolutely everything that you use should push the narrative forwards. Everything is there to serve the story. If it doesn’t, then it gets cut. Simple as that. The original cut of the film, is brilliant, and on a whole this cut is really excellent too. So the question remains, why make a longer version?
Jackson spent almost half a year working on the editing for this version of the film. He completed over 50 new effects shots, and even got Howard Shore to come in and RESCORE the entire film! It’s pretty amazing stuff. All the new scenes are all interesting, and help shed new light on certain scenes, adding insight into the characters. I really enjoyed them thoroughly. So the real question is, how do these new scenes affect the pacing of the film.
Well, to be honest, at first I was a bit miffed at the whole prospect. I mean, new scenes are great, but honestly, it now takes the gang an hour and a half just to get to Rivendell. The pacing was languid. But then I somehow just sort of relaxed into it. Once I accepted the fact that I was in this thing for the long haul, I somehow just stopped worrying about everything. The pacing is really quite different. The film is slower, more detailed, a very different feel overall. But it is still really very good. This cut is different, very interesting, but definitely not for everyone. I for one, am glad Jackson made this second version of the film. It feels more complete somehow. And although I don’t think this is for everyone, I’d definitely say it’s great for the fans just to know that the director cares that much.
-Overall-It’s still a fantastic movie. If you’re a casual fan, and everyday movie goer this might not be right for you, but if you think you’re hardcore enough, check this out. It’s worth the time.
