The Two Towers Special Edition, DVD, dir. Peter Jackson, 2003.
I have some SERIOUS problems with this release. Oh my god, let me count the ways. I was thinking - hoping - that this might revive my somewhat flagging fannishness, but apart from rohandove's screencaps and cruisedirector and ashinae's fic, nup, no go, man.
Okay, there were bits that I liked. The additional Faramir and Boromir footage was excellent. I found the ethereal nature of Faramir's vision of Borrie in the boat to be very moving. Denethor was an excellent addition and the sequence explained very clearly why Peter Jackson and co had done what they did to Farrie's character, so I feel much calmer about the whole thing. I'm glad the Ent draught was put in, because that really is quite important. And the Ents arriving at Helm's Deep, also very important.
On the extra's discs, I really enjoyed the Smeagol documentaries, Andy Serkis is really amazing, and I was really impressed with the way the animation team managed to combine three different kinds of animation to come up with Gollum - in two months, no less. Very impressive. I thought the NZ as Middle Earth doco was great, and the Warriors of Middle Earth and associated doco's were good fun.
Now, onto the whinge.
EDITING.
This is a horrible, thankless task. Yet, for someone who prides himself on making the 'definitive' interpretation of Tolkien's work, why in the name of all things holy and unholy can't Peter Jackson hire a competant editor???? MY GOD, some of those cuts were SO clumsy, a fucking first year film student with one arm and one eye could have done better. For example, the cut from Eowyn singing her funeral ditty to the next scene was like 'jolt-bang'. The cut at the end of disc one before the nice little writing says 'please insert disc 2' was so bloody badly timed and placed I was wincing. I thought maybe I had a dud copy, but minnie13 assured me that hers did the same thing, so obviously not. The Ents arriving at Helm's Deep and eating the orcs - the cut from that to the next scene was like being jolted about in a train wreck. There were other scenes that were equally jarring, but I can't remember them right at the moment. I think I'm repressing. IT IS NOT THAT HARD TO DO A SIMPLE FADE TO BLACK, CUT, NEXT SCENE! >:0
TIMING.
Um, hello? Mr. Director Man? You who have a degree and god knows how many films under your belt? Have you forgotten the meaning of narrative timing? Jumping hither and yon with no rhyme or reason makes for disjointed viewing. Kthx.
RELEVANCE.
Um...Eowyn singing. WTF was that about? To show that she has a very average voice and make every Australian wince? Okay, sure, we know you New Zealanders resent us, but please, taking it out on us via this international aural torture is going a bit far, don't you think? So we beat you in World Cup Rugby. Sheesh, Peter. Just come to terms with the fact that NZ is really part of Australia and deal with it. *snerk*
Erm...who the fuck is going to give a shit except some spotty Tolkien nerd that you gave some of Tom Bombadil's lines to Treebeard? And hello, while we're at it - Treebeard's voice has been distorted to the point that he needs subtitles.
I think I'm done. Basically, underawed. *shrug* Pretty screencaps of the boys from Gondor makes the pain go away. Apart from that - eh. I really did love the theatrical release of TTT, so I'm actually finding the SE a bit of a let down, but hey, what do I know, I am merely a third year film student WHO KNOWS HOW TO BLOODY EDIT PROPERLY AND WITHOUT BEING A CLUMSY IDIOT! Ahem.
Am done now.
Okay, there were bits that I liked. The additional Faramir and Boromir footage was excellent. I found the ethereal nature of Faramir's vision of Borrie in the boat to be very moving. Denethor was an excellent addition and the sequence explained very clearly why Peter Jackson and co had done what they did to Farrie's character, so I feel much calmer about the whole thing. I'm glad the Ent draught was put in, because that really is quite important. And the Ents arriving at Helm's Deep, also very important.
On the extra's discs, I really enjoyed the Smeagol documentaries, Andy Serkis is really amazing, and I was really impressed with the way the animation team managed to combine three different kinds of animation to come up with Gollum - in two months, no less. Very impressive. I thought the NZ as Middle Earth doco was great, and the Warriors of Middle Earth and associated doco's were good fun.
Now, onto the whinge.
EDITING.
This is a horrible, thankless task. Yet, for someone who prides himself on making the 'definitive' interpretation of Tolkien's work, why in the name of all things holy and unholy can't Peter Jackson hire a competant editor???? MY GOD, some of those cuts were SO clumsy, a fucking first year film student with one arm and one eye could have done better. For example, the cut from Eowyn singing her funeral ditty to the next scene was like 'jolt-bang'. The cut at the end of disc one before the nice little writing says 'please insert disc 2' was so bloody badly timed and placed I was wincing. I thought maybe I had a dud copy, but minnie13 assured me that hers did the same thing, so obviously not. The Ents arriving at Helm's Deep and eating the orcs - the cut from that to the next scene was like being jolted about in a train wreck. There were other scenes that were equally jarring, but I can't remember them right at the moment. I think I'm repressing. IT IS NOT THAT HARD TO DO A SIMPLE FADE TO BLACK, CUT, NEXT SCENE! >:0
TIMING.
Um, hello? Mr. Director Man? You who have a degree and god knows how many films under your belt? Have you forgotten the meaning of narrative timing? Jumping hither and yon with no rhyme or reason makes for disjointed viewing. Kthx.
RELEVANCE.
Um...Eowyn singing. WTF was that about? To show that she has a very average voice and make every Australian wince? Okay, sure, we know you New Zealanders resent us, but please, taking it out on us via this international aural torture is going a bit far, don't you think? So we beat you in World Cup Rugby. Sheesh, Peter. Just come to terms with the fact that NZ is really part of Australia and deal with it. *snerk*
Erm...who the fuck is going to give a shit except some spotty Tolkien nerd that you gave some of Tom Bombadil's lines to Treebeard? And hello, while we're at it - Treebeard's voice has been distorted to the point that he needs subtitles.
I think I'm done. Basically, underawed. *shrug* Pretty screencaps of the boys from Gondor makes the pain go away. Apart from that - eh. I really did love the theatrical release of TTT, so I'm actually finding the SE a bit of a let down, but hey, what do I know, I am merely a third year film student WHO KNOWS HOW TO BLOODY EDIT PROPERLY AND WITHOUT BEING A CLUMSY IDIOT! Ahem.
Am done now.