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January 14, 2005
Peter Jackson talks of Lord of the Rings Ultimate Box Set
I make no secret of the fact that I love Home Cinema, and with the current state of the local Cinema offerings, I often prefer it to the Cinema itself - although nothing can beat that big screen experience, yet - but there is one thing that really gets my goat about the whole marketplace of DVD movies, and that's the Special Edition.
It's now totally accepted that the first version of a movie released on DVD will be the bog standard movie, with trailers and a few small extras, perhaps a commentary of some description, and that's your lot if you're lucky.
Wait six months and along comes the Special Edition with surprising new footage, deleted scenes, extra commentaries, all those interesting additions to a DVD (not such paltry things as photo galleries, TV special "making of" documentaries, etc.
It's so much an ingrained part of the common release culture it's insane. Nowhere can you see it more than with the Lord of the Rings DVD's. When the first set of released were announced you could even find the release dates and further extras for the Special Editions due out some months later. So naturally, those were the ones I ordered and waited for, avoiding the first DVD's like the plague.
So now what happens? Coming Soon, that bastion of front line reporting, comes out with snippets from a USA Today interview with Peter Jackson that there is more additional footage to be shown and an ultimate box set is due.
The set will included the three extended versions (not combined into one film) and likely won't arrive in stores for another two or three years."I don't want to add more footage," Jackson says. "There's as much in there as we want. Eventually you are just going to go backward and weaken the films." Instead, he would prefer to simply show the unused deleted scenes and explain why they were cut.
Jackson would also like to include feature-lenght documentaries, made by longtime associate Costa Botes, on the making of the movies. "There are no commentary or interviews. It's like a reality TV show," Jackson says.
He adds that the bloopers, or "bleepers" as Jackson calls them, would also be a new feature. They were previously only shown to the major cast members as a farewell tribute after they finished filming.
No real surprise on that release, I think we could have all seen that one coming, but with more footage still available? It is good though that he can stick firm to his beliefs and not have them added into the movie, that the movies are now complete.
Now I can, at a stretch, understand the distinction between the Special Editions and the Box Set. The Director's complete work is on the Special Edition and the...actually, stop. The more I think about it the more I can't see why. All the material was available at the time, and yes it's obvious to say that they are a business and they need money. That argument can also be used of the ticket touts dealing with tickets for the Tsunami gig, or ridiculous prices at the Cinema.
All the footage has been there already, everything to make the complete DVD. Let's face it, the first release was to capture the people who are desperate to buy it, and perhaps want the original movie. That being said, I have a load of DVD's that have both options, and on X-Men it even intercuts the deleted scenes straight into the movie if you require.
The second release was to get all those who wanted the extras and the Directors Edition, and re-sell to the first group. With the final release aimed at all the previous purchasers once again.
It's a big money making scheme against the purchasers. I hate it. Although there is an easy way round it, wait for the Special Edition if you know there's one due.
Posted by Richard Brunton at January 14, 2005 04:05 AM
Comments
Posted by: Simone at January 14, 2005 05:19 AM
One thing's for sure: Unless there's a movieless version or a hefty rebate for purchasers of the first sets, he'll have hell to pay from the fans.
Posted by: Manda at January 14, 2005 08:10 AM
Hey Manda
Unfortunetly... no he won't. A whole bunch of people will line up like sheep and buy a new version.
But seriously, it's not like we have to buy it
Posted by: John Campea at January 14, 2005 08:45 AM
If it comes out in 2 or 3 years, it will probably be high-definition, so fans will probably buy it anyway. If I'm buying a new, high-def LOTR set, extras (like bloopers or whatever) are just gravy. I don't see anything to complain about, unless they're going to repackage the current DVDs.
Posted by: subgenius at January 14, 2005 04:03 PM
Unless this new "high-def" set is sooooooo like totally awesome and different because you can see the different threads in Eowyn's dress I don't see the point.
I won't be buying it. I have my extended editions (and only those) and I am satisfied.
Posted by: Arethusa at January 14, 2005 04:49 PM
The thing I didn't like about the theatrical release of RotK was that Jackson either cut out or changed all my favourite bits of the book. He put some of them into the extended version but still left a lot out which annoyed me even more when I watched the extra features and saw that he actually filmed the parts I wanted but then he opted not to use them.
So while I don't necessarily plan to buy a deluxe set I will want to see it if it has the footage of The Scouring of the Shire and the endings of the Gimli and Legolas storylines.
Posted by: Ben at January 14, 2005 06:58 PM
To the best of my knowledge no "Scouring of the Shire" footage was ever filmed as they knew from the outset it wasn't going to be included (even in Extendeds). Is it on the extended somewhere? I only saw the post-coronation Gimli & Legolas footage.
Posted by: Arethusa at January 18, 2005 12:30 AM
Peter Jackson this is for you,considering you even read this site.My mother & I thought the re-telling you did of lord of the rings was utterly magnificent!that is why we want to ask a favour.
If you ever come across the book Blue Moon Rising,written by Simon R.Green would you make a movie of it for us?We thought only you could bring a great book like this to justice if it were a movie,would you please consider it?
From two desperate fans,Amy & kerry.
Posted by: Amy at February 1, 2005 01:56 AM
One thing you should all take into account: in 2-3 years, DVD technology will be obsolete, replaced by BlueRay or something similar, supporting 1920x1200 resolution instead of the paltry 480 lines of today. So there is a truly excellent reason for a new release of LoTR in 2-3 years: a high-resolution release of the same material. The film is already perfect -- there is no need for additions or changes; but the medium is crummy, made for old TV standards. Peter Jackson shot the movie in much higher digital resolution -- imagine having the same movie, but with 16 times the number of resolved pixels! It will take at least another year for the companies to sort out their new high-resolution standards and then another year to supply consumer-priced hardware for it, but then!! I have both the theatrical and extended releases, but I am impatiently waiting for a new, high-resolution release.
Posted by: Bernard at February 1, 2005 09:28 PM
Depends on how much money I have by then, but I'll probably just wait until I can borrow someone else's version of the Ultimate Box set. I already have spent my share of money on LotR stuff, including the normal and extended editions of all the films, a Badali Jewelry version of the One Ring, countless books written by professor Tokien and/or about his world, at least 5 posters, and magazines that contain Tolkienesque articles. Oh, and I've got an elven gown, a Lothlórien tunic, a cloak, etc. So I've already invested my share of time and money into my geeky obsession, and I don't know if my wallet can take any more.
Posted by: Narloth at February 19, 2005 05:44 AM
this is a comment for Amy and Kerry, who would like for Peter Jackson to make Blue Moon Rising into a movie:
Dear Amy and Kerry.... Here are a couple of things you
might do in a more likely attempt to reach Mr.
Jackson:
a site for his current film, King Kong, is currently
up and running. This site is a sister site to The One
Ring (theonering.net), which is a site that Peter has
reason to favor. On this site,
you will not only find much information about the
current project, but they also feature a "production
diary" feature, where fans write in and ask questions.
Granted, they probably want questions about the
current production, but, who knows, if you make your
question interesting enough, he might actually see it
and respond.
Here is the site address:
http://www.kongisking.net/index.shtml
and here is the address for posing a question:
Peter also has an official fan club.
here is the site address (also run by the TORN folks)
http://tbhl.theonering.net/
good luck on your Quest.
Posted by: jan at April 30, 2005 10:06 AM
I totally agree with you there Rich, it a moneymaking scheme, that's what it is. They already had 3 Theatrical versions of the films, then 3 extended DVD's, and now, an ultimate box set? What's next? Oh dont get me wrong, I like Lord of the Rings, I even have all the extended DVD's but why do I sound bitter?
I was one of those who didnt have the chance to read the books first and if werent for the films, I wouldnt have even bothered to read 'em. So I saw the Fellowship DVD (theatrical version) and was blown away by it, Cate Blanchett's (Galadriel) narrating the background of the story just got me hooked I can not believed I passed this one up in the cinema.
What followed was me having decided to read all the books including The Hobbit and even Silmarillion. I had very high expectations for The Two Towers, and of course, Return of the King, but what did they do with it in the film? They've totally altered it, I dont mind not adding bits they thought was irrelevant but actually changing the storyline, I didnt quite like that. IMO, Fellowship didnt deviate too much from the book, but all went downhill from TT and RoTK.
Now with the release of the RoTK Extended Version, it was even worse (I wont say what was in there for the benefit of those who dont have the DVD yet) but this was just way too much. I didnt like what they did to it at all, they should have probably said in the end credits, "loosely based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novel Lord of the Rings". I am happy it almost sweeped the Oscars in 2003 because despite the huge additions they made if it werent for Jackson's vision, Lord of the Rings would probably not have been made.
I must say I have to pass up on this ultimate box set if the only new thing they will add in there would be the bloopers and some more footage, footage they couldnt add to either one or all of the other extended versions? I'll save up for the Star Wars Prequels trilogy instead.