altariel | Seeing films

While Mr. A was away this week, I decided to watch all three LotR films on consecutive days. (Watched the EE versions of the first two.)

I've found it works best to think of the EEs as containing two films each - it helps me make more sense particularly of the construction of the narrative and the pacing. Although they are obviously constructed to work as single films - the bookending in TTT of the shot of Frodo with his knife to Gollum's throat at the start, and to Sam's throat at the end being an obvious example.

The Fellowship of the Ring: Superb. That's all I have to say about that. A brilliant adaptation, pacing is great, visuals are stunning, and I still cry buckets for the last heart-breaking half hour.

The Two Towers: I stand by my belief that the cinema cut is a better standalone film. However, I will say that I enjoyed the first half of TTT enormously this time round - everything had a lot more time to move, the pacing seemed graceful and thoughtful this time round. I think my repeated mistake is in trying to watch this film all the way through on a single night, because I finish the first disc and think, "Christ, there's still Helm's Bloody Deep to get through yet..." I also think that there are a couple of quite dodgy bits in this half. The Fell Soup Scene should have hit the cutting room floor - it only detracts from the visual comparisons being made between Arwen and Eowyn, and it sucks. I think some of the dialogue in the Denethor-Boromir-Faramir scene sucks ("Elrond of Rivendell has called a meeting...") and wish I had had just a minute with the script. I'm not going to try watching it in one night again, I think.

The Return of the King: For a change, I went to see this in the local arts cinema rather than in the benighted hell that is the Warners cinema. I was hoping for a better behaved audience, and certainly some quiet (given I was there for an afternoon showing), but was sadly mistaken. Two blokes in front of me talked (not whispered) throughout, and there was much muttering elsewhere. It could just be me, however. Despite the woman behind me saying loudly at one point, "There's going to be a great big spider in a minute, isn't there?", the man next to me still convulsed wildly with surprise when Shelob appeared on screen. But I still wish people would just belt up and watch the fucking film. This ain't your goddam living room.

I really need to get out more.

Anyway. It's difficult to compare RotK as yet with the other two, given that it's not yet the EE. But I rate this film enormously. I did quail a little at one point thinking of the multiple endings that were yet to come, but once I got past that, and just watched them, they did the trick perfectly. Part of the frustration is, of course, that in fact I want more (*coughs* faramir-and-eowyn *cough*), and so they don't entirely satisfy as they stand. Never mind, there's still a DVD to come. Two more films to come, as far as I'm concerned. For which, hurrah!

I turn thirty-two this week, and will spend at least part of my birthday in the cinema. I don't know what to see. You decide!

[Poll #231948]