'Return Of The King' extended edition specs

[Jack Aubrey]

From Digital Bits

 

New Line has just finally, officially announced the DVD release of the 4-disc The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Special Extended DVD Edition. As we predicted weeks ago, the DVD will street on 12/14, featuring a 250 minute version of the film with over 50 minutes of new footage and scenes. The film will be presented in anamorphic widescreen video (2.35:1) with audio in both Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and DTS 6.1 ES surround sound. The film will be presented on Discs One & Two, complete with four newly-recorded audio commentaries by the director and writers, the design team, the production team and the cast. These will feature more than 30 participants (including Peter Jackson, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom, Richard Taylor, Howard Shore and many more). The cast commentary will also feature a dialogue between split-personality characters Gollum and Smeagol (Andy Serkis).

 

Discs Three & Four (The Appendices) will include the usual in-depth documentaries and other features. Disc Three (The War of the Ring) will include a video introduction by Peter Jackson, the final part of the J.R.R. Tolkien: The Legacy of Middle-earth documentary, the From Book to Script: Forging the Final Chapter documentary, an abandoned concept featurette: Aragorn Battles Sauron, the final parts of the Designing Middle-earth, Big-atures, Weta Workshop and Costume Design documentaries, design galleries with more than 2,100 images (divided into The Peoples of Middle-earth, The Realms of Middle-earth and Miniatures), the Home of the Horse Lords documentary, and more interactive Middle-earth Atlas: Tracing the Journeys of the Fellowship and New Zealand as Middle-earth interactive maps (with production footage).

 

Disc Four (The Passing of an Age) will include a video introduction by Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan, the final part of the Cameras in Middle-earth documentary on the making of the film, a production photo gallery with more than 60 images, the last part of the Weta Digital visual effects documentary, a multi-angle The Mumakil Battle interactive demonstration, the Editorial: Completing the Trilogy, Music for Middle-earth, The Soundscapes of Middle-earth and The End of All Things documentaries, The Passing of an Age documentary, the Cameron Duncan: The Inspiration for Into the West documentary, the DFK6498 and Strike Zone short films and finally the usual DVD-ROM content on all discs.

Edited September 26, 2004 by Jack Aubrey

[Moonraker]

50 extra minutes of footage, cool beans. Maybe they have the alternate ending from the book. Oh well, Its just too bad it wont be out till December.

[madra sneachta]

QUOTE (Moonraker @ Sep 26 2004, 04:17 PM)

50 extra minutes of footage, cool beans. Maybe they have the alternate ending from the book. Oh well, Its just too bad it wont be out till December.

I agree fully Moonraker, but I'm afraid we won't see the scouring of the Shire. IN the extended "Fellowship of the Ring", Peter Jackson made it clear that the scene in Lothlorien where Frodo looked into Gladriel's mirror and saw the Shire in turmoil was his "homage" to the scouring.

 

He clearly had no intention of ever using it as an ending. I suppose he thought from the point of view of audience members who aren't afficianados of the books, the destruction of the ring is the climax, and throwing in another battle would confuse them.

 

I would disagree, but there you go!!.

[Moonraker]

QUOTE (madra sneachta @ Sep 26 2004, 07:25 AM)

QUOTE (Moonraker @ Sep 26 2004, 04:17 PM) 50 extra minutes of footage, cool beans.  Maybe they have the alternate ending from the book.  Oh well, Its just too bad it wont be out till December. I agree fully Moonraker, but I'm afraid we won't see the scouring of the Shire. IN the extended "Fellowship of the Ring", Peter Jackson made it clear that the scene in Lothlorien where Frodo looked into Gladriel's mirror and saw the Shire in turmoil was his "homage" to the scouring.   He clearly had no intention of ever using it as an ending. I suppose he thought from the point of view of audience members who aren't afficianados of the books, the destruction of the ring is the climax, and throwing in another battle would confuse them.   I would disagree, but there you go!!. Thats probably true, it would add on an additional half hour or more to the movie after the destroying of the ring. I have to admit though, when I saw that part in the mirror on the first one, I was hoping they would do that ending