July 28, 2007
The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King
With The Return of the King, the greatest fantasy epic in film history draws to a grand and glorious conclusion. Director Peter Jackson’s awe-inspiring adaptation of the Tolkien classic The Lord of the Rings could never fully satisfy those who remain exclusively loyal to Tolkien’s expansive literature, but as a showcase for physical and technical craftsmanship it is unsurpassed in pure scale and ambition, setting milestone after cinematic milestone as the brave yet charmingly innocent Hobbit Frodo (Elijah Wood) continues his mission to Mordor, where he is destined to destroy the soul-corrupting One Ring of Power in the molten lava of Mount Doom. While the heir to the kingdom of Men, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), endures the massive battle at Minas Tirith with the allegiance of the elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom), the dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) and the great wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Frodo and stalwart companion Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) must survive the schizoid deceptions of Gollum, who remains utterly convincing as a hybrid of performance (by Andy Serkis) and subtly nuanced computer animation.
Jackson and cowriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens have much ground to cover; that they do so with intense pacing and epic sweep is impressive enough, but by investing greater depth and consequence in the actions of fellow Hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), they ensure that The Return of the King maintains the trilogy’s emphasis on intimate fellowship. While several major characters appear only briefly, and one (Christopher Lee’s evil wizard, Saruman) was relegated entirely to the extended-version DVD, Jackson is to be commended for his editorial acumen; like Legolas the archer, his aim as a filmmaker is consistently true, and he remains faithful to Tolkien’s overall vision. If Return suffers from too many endings, as some critic suggested, it’s only because the epic’s conclusion is so loyally inclusive of the actors–most notably Astin–who gave it such strength to begin with. By ending the LOTR trilogy with noble integrity and faith in the power of imaginative storytelling, The Return of the King, like its predecessors, will stand as an adventure for the ages. –Jeff Shannon
VHS Tape: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
Company: New Line Home Video (2004-05-25)
ISBN:Â 0780646487
List Price:Â $6.93
Amazon Price:Â $2.50
Used Price:Â $1.39
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No wonder Franklin Delano Roosevelt has drawn scores of actors to portray him over the years: creator of the New Deal, national cheerleader during the Depression, statesman extraordinaire, cool-headed World War II commander-in-chief. But one of the most touching portrayals of him lies in Dore Schary’s play and film, Sunrise at Campobello, which deals just with the period during which FDR was stricken with polio at age 40 and his torturously slow recovery, up to his thunderous nominating speech for Democratic presidential candidate Al Smith in 1924. Ralph Bellamy, avuncular character actor, gets the role of a lifetime as Roosevelt, and inhabits the character with subtlety, verve and heart. The humility he learns while immobilized infuses his political outlook from that point on, as he touchingly confesses to wife Eleanor (played admirably by Greer Garson, who struggles only a bit with the great lady’s singular speech patterns). The film is based on Schary’s play (for which Bellamy won a Tony Award), and in the film the dialogue seems rather stagy, especially in the long scenes while Roosevelt, bedridden, is off camera. But when Bellamy, with Hume Cronyn as his coarse but knowing political adviser, is center stage, we are reminded of the very human–and frail–person behind the historical tower of strength. “I feel I’ve had to go through the fire for some reason,” he tells his wife. “Eleanor, it’s a hard way to learn humility, but I’ve had to learn it by crawling. I know what is meant, ‘You must learn to crawl, before you can walk.’” And after viewing this affecting film, so do we. –A.T. Hurley
Aside from being a warmly enjoyable movie, and the best screen adaptation of any John Irving novel, The World According to Garp features several young actors who went on to be among the best in the business. Oscar nominee John Lithgow is the sweetest transsexual ex-pro football player you’d ever hope to meet; Oscar nominee Glenn Close is a sensible, utterly sexless nurse and mother; Amanda Plummer is a mute crime victim; Mary Beth Hurt is a schoolgirl turned wife and mother, the love of T.S. Garp’s life and the personification of the idea of Home. And Robin Williams, in his first starring role, has never been better cast–in the role of a human being, that is. This most unusual life story–written by Steve Tesich (Breaking Away) and directed by George Roy Hill (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid)–perfectly captures the tragi-comic, absurdist/humanist worldview of Irving’s novel. The opening credits, with a wide-eyed baby floating about the screen to the tune of the Beatles’ “When I’m Sixty-Four,” sums up the movie’s scope and tone. After watching The World According to Garp, you may find yourself marveling anew at the world around you, a strange and wonderful place indeed. –Jim Emerson
