The plot of the movie develops with multiple storylines running simultaneously. It begins with three, but later, when the Pelennor Fields battle occurs, it narrows down to two, finally merging into one and bringing a perfect conclusion to the entire series.
After a continuous series of climaxes, the movie reaches its conclusion. Aragorn, crowned king, walks toward the four Hobbits with Arwen by his side. He bows to the four Hobbits, and on the square atop the White City, the Hobbits, who are only half the height of regular humans, suddenly appear unusually tall.
The music shifts from soft to dramatic, and Old Friends plays. The powerful music easily reminds one of the contributions the four Hobbits made during this incredible journey. They truly deserve the honor now bestowed upon them.
The camera slowly zooms in, turning into a close-up of Frodo Baggins' face, then zooms out again, and the magnificent White City becomes a symbol on the map.
"The story has finally come to an end. The Fourth Age of Middle-earth begins now. As for the Fellowship of the Ring, though their friendship will last forever, they must each go their separate ways…"
The camera pulls back, turning the parchment into a book. Back in the Shire, Frodo stands up from his chair and closes the book.
The king has returned, and the movie will soon end.
Yes, the theatrical version of The Return of the King ends here. While scenes of Frodo and the others returning to the Shire and sailing away were filmed and edited, Duke had no plans to include them in the theatrical version. The climax had already been fully released after Aragorn's return, and he was not a hardcore Tolkien fan like Peter Jackson, so the futures of the characters didn't need excessive explanation.
In past films, the most criticized part was often the lengthy 20-minute ending after the climax.
Duke had no hesitation in removing that section from the theatrical version, thus successfully keeping the film's length at 181 minutes.
The 20-plus minutes saved might seem insignificant, but it notably increased the number of screenings.
In a theater, saving 20 minutes per movie means one additional showing in a day!
Although some hardcore fans may criticize this, it's Duke's usual production style. He would never sacrifice substantial profits for the sake of supposed artistry.
Besides, that part had already been included in the DVD version, serving as a promotional gimmick, like the "true ending" of The Return of the King...
As the credits rolled, Billy Boyd's The Last Goodbye played. Across the United States, from southeast to northwest, and southwest to northeast, in all theaters showing The Return of the King, practically no one left. Everyone was listening attentively to the song, taking one last chance to say goodbye to the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Every fantastical journey must come to an end! Every joyous reunion must eventually lead to farewell!
The lights came on, and Brad Miller stayed in his seat, unmoving. The song The Last Goodbye continued to play softly, and the image of the parchment remained on screen. He felt as though he had been dreaming, a dream that had lasted for three years.
His emotions were complex. He couldn't describe how he felt but knew for sure that he wouldn't just watch it once this summer!
Jones and Kunitz remained silent. They were loyal fans of Duke and had followed his films for ten years. Though the ending was bittersweet, they knew there would be more masterpieces waiting for them.
Kunitz and Jones had long forgotten Roger Ebert. As the song played, they relished the scenes of the film, replaying those stunning, grand moments, those majestic, powerful scenes!
When the credits finished, applause erupted in the New York AMG theater, and all the audience stood up and applauded.
Almost simultaneously, in Philadelphia, Boston, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle… all theaters showing The Return of the King saw the audience stand and applaud, paying tribute to the film!
At the Chinese Theater in Hollywood, Jones and Kunitz quickly stood up, joining the rest of the audience in the most enthusiastic applause. They clapped, even shouting and releasing all their excitement, not thinking about leaving, clapping until their hands turned red and not caring at all.
The applause lasted for a full ten minutes!
Just like the premieres of the previous two films, Duke had to come out with the crew to bow repeatedly, until the applause finally subsided.
As another director aspiring to create epic films, Oliver Stone was different from regular moviegoers. When Frodo Baggins closed the parchment book, he left the theater first. However, he didn't immediately drive away from the parking lot. Instead, he sat quietly in the car and reflected on the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
In Hollywood, there's a widely known rule about novel adaptations to film: first-rate novels can only make third-rate films, while first-rate films often come from third-rate novels!
This was almost a proven truth, forged through decades of Hollywood development.
But this truth became an excuse for the losers of literary adaptations when faced with Duke Rosenberg and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Oliver Stone had read the original work many times, and in his view, Duke Rosenberg, while respectful, also displayed a daring adventurous spirit. He didn't get lost in the vastness of Tolkien's original work; instead, he boldly cut away the non-essential branches, leaving only the most crucial people and events, and then took nearly nine hours to calmly tell a legendary story he already knew intimately.
Duke Rosenberg was not your typical Hollywood director.
Sighing lightly, Oliver Stone's thoughts on The Return of the King and the director continued to grow.
In Hollywood, most directors, after achieving commercial success, would rush into making art films, seeking professional and authoritative recognition, thereby creating a swarm of films about complex human nature and ambiguous good and evil. These filmmakers would highlight their artistic skills by showcasing supposed complexity and deep meaning.
But Duke Rosenberg was clearly different. He had always been at the forefront of commercial filmmaking, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy wasn't a movie driven by depth and meaning. Themes of the One Ring's reflection of greed, Gollum's subtlety—these were all nonsense. The story was simple: good vs. evil, the forces of darkness trying to suppress justice, but in the end, justice prevails.
Yet, many Hollywood directors didn't understand that the simpler the story, the harder it is to tell. Beneath the straightforward framework of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Duke Rosenberg, aside from the special effects and technical prowess, imbued the film with friendship, love, family, unity, bravery, kindness, loyalty, responsibility, promises, and sacrifice…
These are words that might seem clichéd when written by ordinary directors. However, they became the driving emotional force in the film, continuously striking the soul and allowing the audience to experience those pure emotions that are often forgotten in the busyness of life.
Then, there were the scenes. Perhaps no other film could compare to Duke Rosenberg's The Return of the King in terms of grandiosity, but even when using heavy special effects and action scenes, the young director showed solid craftsmanship, maintaining perfect balance throughout the film.
He knew exactly when to let the audience reflect in silence and when to bring them the purest sensory stimulation.
Realizing this, Oliver Stone reached a conclusion: it would be difficult to find another epic film that could compare to this one. Who else could perfectly combine reality and fantasy, meaning and legend, as Rosenberg did?
Not Spielberg, not George Lucas, not Steven Soderbergh, and not even Oliver Stone himself!
Oliver Stone couldn't help but think about the Alexander the Great film he was about to make. Although the two films were different, war would undoubtedly be a crucial part of both. With The Return of the King already setting the bar, even if Alexander the Great included large-scale battle scenes, it was unlikely to receive the same intense reaction from fans…
Maybe I should focus more on Alexander the Great's inner world and emotions?
Even though he was leaning toward commercial filmmaking, Stone's usual directing style led him to make a decision. He slowly made up his mind, started the car, and left the parking lot, leaving Rosenberg and The Return of the King behind to work on an epic war film full of artistic flair.
At another theater in Beverly Hills, Michael Ovitz also left the cinema. To defeat an opponent, one must first understand them. However, this opponent seemed far too formidable. Even as he walked to the theater door, he could still hear the exultant cheers from the theater showing The Return of the King.
In his mind, this victory belonged to movie special effects. It was the use of computer-generated effects that made the film so breathtaking. While he could identify its flaws, the grandeur, epic battle scenes, and strange fantasy sequences ensured that the audience would only sigh in satisfaction afterward.
Had it been a different director's work, Ovitz would have watched it several more times with an appreciative eye. But with this director…
He sighed. Facing such an incredible film and director, it was hard not to feel disheartened.
All he could do was try his best...
Back in his car, Michael Ovitz called Martin Bob, asking him to contact professional film critics. Though they had lost momentum during the summer blockbusters, in the face of such a formidable adversary, they had no choice but to unite all their forces.
Otherwise, how could they slow down such a monumental film?
Ovitz knew full well that with the full backing of Warner Brothers and the North American Theater Alliance, they could never hope to stop this magical behemoth—only slow its progress.
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