The Greatest

Rating: 10/10 (20 February 2004)

epic film, in any case. This is the equivalent of Doctor Zhivago or Lawrence of Arabia. That is, this is true if we only consider LotR:RK by itself. Naturally, that is the usual practice, even in series like Star Wars. However, LotR has simply changed the rules. Now, if you need to make a huge film, don't want to scrimp all that much, and still want to have people not faint in the theatres, you break it up and produce it in bits.

Clearly, PJ saved the best bit for last. RK is simply the finest most deeply-felt epic of all time. It beats Intolerance. It's more sweeping that Gone With the Wind (and I mean that in all seriousness: where GWTW narrowed as it continued, RK continues to open up, proceeding from a small, intimate and highly ominous opening to the incredible sight of tens of thousands of fighters trying to hold out (a la Zulu, another film PJ openly admits inspired him and which he tops, almost casually).
I guess The Godfather remains the best, sort of. I have come to dislike that film as I have aged. It's message does not deepen, which one would have expected. I think that to really make the full comparison, I'll have to wait that many years on LotR too, just to be fair.
Still, that makes LotR #2 all time. If you haven't seen it, please do. Then buy the Extended Edition. Can't fix the Scouring, but we can fix Faramir/Eowyn, yes?