The Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King

[hoichi_the_earless]

I enjoyed Return of the King the most out of the three films.  Even though it was not as Tolkein wrote it...  But, then I'd just start ranting about how Shelob was supposed to be in the end of The Two Towers.
However, I found the movie, the most touching (if somewhat homoerotic)and emotional theatre experiences of last year.  And wasn't it a surprise to anyone else that is managed to win best picture?

[Find Your Magali]

am i the only who's surprised that it'll be released in may?

Well, they'll want to capitalize on the Oscars as quickly as possible, so May isn't a surprise for ths version.

The surprise was that the original rumor was that the 4-disc version was coming out in September. But now, apparently, they've come to their senses and pushed that back to November or December. I'll be getting both, anyway. I don't feel I've given enough money to Lord PJ yet.

[Just Withnail]

New Line Home Entertainment have sent exclusive first details for the Oscar winning Return of the King which stars Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen. This two disc set will be available to own from the 25th May in both widescreen and full screen editions. Each should set you back somewhere in the region of $29.95. The full disc specs:

2.40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer
English Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Track
English Dolby Surround 2.0 Track
A Journey Completed: A Director's Vision
A Filmmaker's Journey: Making The Return of the King
The National Geographic Special Feature
Multiple Lordoftherings.net Featurettes
  - Aragorn's Destiny Feature
  - Minas Tirith Feature
  - Battle of Pelennor Fields Feature
  - Samwise the Brave Feature
  - Eowyn White Lady of Rohan Feature
  - Digital Horses Feature
Original Theatrical Trailers and TV Spots
Lord of the Rings Trilogy Super Trailer
Closer Look at Electronic Arts Video Games
DVD-ROM: Lord of the Rings Weblink
English, Spanish Subtitles

No Extended Edition Preview?

[Redlum]

I guess no showcaseable shots are done for the EE, yet. I read in a post Oscar article that PJ had only just handed the final cut over to WETA.

[MacGuffin]

New Line Home Entertainment have kindly sent over artwork for the Lord of the Rings Trilogy boxset which will be arriving in shops from the 25th May alongside Return of the King. It will retail at around $89.98. I should point out that this isn't the all singing, all dancing boxset that is rumoured for a release next year and/or beyond. It is instead a simple repackaging of the existing two disc theatrical editions. No new extra material will be included. It may however, work out a little cheaper than buying the discs seperately, if of course, you don't already own them. The official package artwork is attached below:

[Just Withnail]

New Line Home Entertainment have kindly sent over artwork...

Heh, you make it sound like New Line has started sending Xixax stuff.

[rustinglass]

they are. "hit the dvd-addicts where they are vulnerable."

[MacGuffin]

Exclusive Interview with Matt Lasorsa, New Line Home Entertainment’s Senior Vice President of Marketing Source: TheOneRing.net

Since the announcement of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’s May 25 DVD release date, fans have been speculating about details of the content, the packaging and when the Special Extended Edition will hit shelves. Matt Lasorsa, New Line Home Entertainment’s senior vice president of marketing, offers some insight into the much anticipated home video release in an informative Q&A.

Q: Why May?

A: There is no reason to wait this year. The DVD release dates of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers were dependent on completing the 10-minute look at the next film, which made it impossible to release before August. Without another film to preview, we can release it much earlier.

Q: We’ve heard rumors of a slipcase that will hold all 3 DVDs. How can we get it?

A: We have created a “3-pack” with the theatrical version DVDs of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King – packaged in a slipcase – but the slipcase itself is not sold separately. The “3-pack” does not have any new or exclusive content and will be available at retail stores nationwide.

Q: What extras are on the DVD?

A: Like the last two The Lord of the Rings DVDs, The Return of the King film will be presented on one disc with the highest picture and sound quality possible. In addition to the movie disc, a second disc will include many behind-the-scenes specials, featurettes from lordoftherings.net, TV spots and trailers that debuted during the theatrical release of the film. Also, there will be a preview of the next Electronic Arts video game.

Q: Why isn’t there a preview for the Special Extended Edition?

A: There simply wasn’t enough time to complete it for the May release, and we didn’t believe it would be beneficial to postpone the release date.

Q: When is the Special Extended Edition coming out?

A: It is scheduled to release just before Christmas 2004.

Q: Why isn’t the Special Extended Edition hitting stores earlier, since the theatrical DVD is releasing sooner?

A: Logically, it would seem that it could be done sooner, especially without another Lord of the Rings film to finish; however, that hasn’t been the case. Peter Jackson was quite busy with many commitments during the awards season. Since he was away from New Zealand, he could not cut an extended version of the film. Traditionally, after he cuts the film, there are months and months of work to do to complete the cut – including Howard Shore’s additional score and Weta Digital’s new special effects.

For the special features, many of the interviews with the cast and crew were completed during pickups for the next film, as everyone was in the same place (New Zealand). Now that all filming is complete, everyone is scattered across the world – making it more difficult to get the interviews to create bonus materials.

It would have been ideal to release it sooner, but we didn’t want to compromise the quality of the DVD to get the product in stores earlier.

Q: How long is the Extended version of The Return of the King?

A: It looks like the running time will be over four hours long.

Q: What additional scenes were added?

A: Like The Two Towers extended version, the story of Faramir is shown in greater detail. There are returning characters and new characters, such as Saruman after the flooding of Isengard and the Mouth of Sauron at the Black Gate. Much of the new footage contains extra dialogue and action to further elaborate on each character’s personal journey.

Q: Will there be a Gift Set this year, and what will be included?

A: Yes, a gift set is in the works, and the content of it is still taking shape. We do believe that the fans will be pleased with the Sideshow Weta sculpture – the artists at Weta have really outdone themselves. Look for us to reveal it in July.

Q: Will there be a money-back offer – similar to years past – if you buy both DVDs?

A: Yes. We will be extending the same mail-in rebate offer as we have for The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers – fans who choose to buy both the Theatrical DVD in May and the Extended DVD later this year can receive $5 back by mail (or $10 if they buy the Gift Set). We aren’t requiring cash register receipts for the theatrical DVD, but proofs-of-purchase and receipts for the Special Extended Edition will be required.

Q: Finally, there are many rumors about a mega-special edition “Trilogy Box.” Is there any truth to the rumor?

A: It is certainly something that we talk about creating in the future, but right now we are just concentrating on releasing The Return of the King Theatrical DVD and Extended DVD versions this year. If we do release a “Trilogy Box,” it is at least 2 years away – 2006 or beyond. We would want to have Peter Jackson’s participation, and he will be busy with other projects for at least a year or more. We also would want to make it really special, with never-before-seen content, and, until The Return of the King extended DVD is finished, we won’t be in a position to evaluate what materials are still available.

[Just Withnail]

Q: Finally, there are many rumors about a mega-special edition "Trilogy Box." Is there any truth to the rumor?

A: It is certainly something that we talk about creating in the future, but right now we are just concentrating on releasing The Return of the King Theatrical DVD and Extended DVD versions this year. If we do release a "Trilogy Box," it is at least 2 years away – 2006 or beyond. We would want to have Peter Jackson's participation, and he will be busy with other projects for at least a year or more. We also would want to make it really special, with never-before-seen content, and, until The Return of the King extended DVD is finished, we won't be in a position to evaluate what materials are still available.

Hopefully that means new scenes, rather than even more documentaries.

[sciphex]

Wow, long ass thread... great movie though

Glad someone knows how to wrap up a trilogy unlike the Wachoski brothers...

[cine]

Wow, long ass thread... great movie though

Guess you haven't been to Quentin Tarantino's thread yet..

Welcome, though..

[MacGuffin]

Glad someone knows how to wrap up a trilogy unlike the Wachoski brothers...

You mean J.R.R. Tolkien, right?

[sciphex]

Glad someone knows how to wrap up a trilogy unlike the Wachoski brothers...

You mean J.R.R. Tolkien, right?

Yeah, he wrapped it up wonderfully

[The Silver Bullet]

You mean J.R.R. Tolkien, right?

'Cause Jackson can't end nothin'.

[Ravi]

http://www.dvdfile.com/news/special_report/in_the_round/lordoftherings/returnoftheking/index.html