The Ring comes full circle

Rating: 10/10 (22 December 2003)

Peter Jackson has wrought the impossible. I have read J.R.R. Tolkien's great work more than two-score times. After the blasphemy of Ralph Bakshi's aborted "The Lord of the Rings" a quarter of a century ago, I was somewhat apprehensive two years ago when "The Fellowship of the Ring" appeared. I had nightmares of Bakshi's Hanna-Barbera cartoon cutouts crossing the screen on a cardboard Middle Earth. Well, the "Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring" was a tremendously moving triumph. And Jackson built upon his initial success with "The Lord of the Rings: The Towers," which was an even grander triumph than "Fellowship" was. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," however, is greater than the first two--by far. This is a magnificent achievement of cinematic storytelling that perhaps has been matched by a handful of films..."Ben Hur," "The Ten Commandments," and the first two "Godfather" titles would be on my list of over-the-top cinematic epics. Sir Ian McKellen, perhaps, received the star's billing for this tremendous ensemble cast, and no single character receives more less] than his/her proper due. It isn't enough to list all the names and roles here; the acting is great from first to last. Jackson has found the heroic and human element in all three films; as in any great work, there are no false notes. Any serious Tolkien student [as opposed to "fan," which merely implies a cursory acquaintance with the great professor and his works]could take issue with Jackson's inclusions, additions, and omissions in any of the three films--the missing Tom Bombadil in the first film, or the absence of the chapter "The Voice of Saruman" in the second film. There are many changes from Tolkien's story here in "The Return of the King," but the story simply could not be told in a credible, entertaining, and profitable manner without cuts. There are films where there is always too much of war and battle, savagery and splendor. "The Return of the King" will endure for many reasons, one of them being the eerie, frightening, apocalyptic vision of what the end of the world must be like as Jackson presents his Ragnarok of the Icelandic sagas, the Gotterdammerung of Wagner. The forces of Saruman, crawling [and flying] inexorably towards the last bastion of hope and human decency unleash a violence and blood lust so utterly and inhumanly appalling that it must be seen to be believed. The sequence at the Sammath Naur, as Frodo comes to his great decision is, of course, the film's highlight, Elijah Wood absolutely nailed it. Andy Serkis will perhaps never be appreciated for his work as Gollum, a manifestly difficult role portraying all that character's complexities. Sean Astin's Sam will become one of the most beloved screen characters in history. McKellen never overdid it as Gandalf, as Viggo Mortensen's Aragorn provided the correct heroic, distant, emphasis on his shifting character. Gimli, Legolas, Merry and Pippin all have their moments and are admirably played; however, a special mention must be given to Bernard Hill. As King Theoden of Rohan, he is superb. The wreck and fire, the slaughter of the Fields of the Pelennor were very real, the the images of the mumakil and the frightening fell-beasts, as they have come to be known, seemed to have an organic life of their own. I never once thought, "well, these are only special efects." There have been complaints about the film's length. Well, I never got the impression of time passing as I watched the movie. All I can say of Jackson's magnum opus is what Tolkien said of his own: that people wrote to him and lamented that "the book is too short." This film's [and the preceding two's] greatness will consist of having gotten to the core of the Tolkien book's essential moral truth: the nobility of the purest human endeavors and how they can either succeed or fail because, as culpable beings, we are ignorant of the "divine" intention. A final note: the music of Howard Shore gives all three films emotional and psychological reference points of the highest moral stature, lifting "The Lord of the Rings" far, far above what anyone could wish in terms of film scoring. Shore's Wagnerian musical architecture is the perfect underpinning to Jackson's great work. We may see finer films in our lifetimes, but they will not be many.