From his castle keep, Saruman controls entire armies of bestial soldiers against the aims of the Hobbits.
Middle-earth. We note that Ralph Bakshi’s LORD OF THE RINGS (1978) ended at this point, its much-needed sequel never filmed. We recom- mend comparing Jackson’s version to Bakshi’s to get a better sense of each director’s vision; while not without its flaws, in some ways Bakshi’s version is arguably closer in spirit to Tolkien’s underlying themes than is Jackson’s. Setting aside the issue of the liberties taken with the source text, Jackson and his co-writers made a significant blunder by reserving the introduc- tion of the palantiri (Seeing-stones) until THE RETURN OF THE KING, the trilogy’s final chap- ter, rather than introducing them in THE TWO TOWERS where they properly should have been. Without going into great detail, it is because of Sauron’s belief that he controls all the palantiri that he chooses to focus on Aragorn, a blunder that allows Frodo and Sam to complete suc- cessfully the virtually impossible task of mak- ing it to Mount Doom. (Of course, an additional blunder made by Sauron is that he can’t con- ceive of the possibility that anyone would want to destroy the Ring.) Moreover, it is the palantir of the White Tower that allows Sauron to con- trol Denethor, a fact utterly lost in the film(s) as well. (For the full story, see Section iv of Ap- pendix A in the novel.)
Another weakness of Jackson’s version is that the Hobbits’ central role in the drama is often marginalized for the sake of spectacle. One tends to lose sight of the fact that the fate of Middle-earth is not in the hands of vast armies, but in the hands of the two little Hobbits inching
their way toward Mount Doom–accompanied by a crazed, homicidal companion. Try as one might, it is difficult to imagine Tolkien’s novel as anything but a profound anti-war statement, yet Jackson seems to revel in thunderous battle scenes during which he can indulge his florid, histrionic directorial style. Still, one can’t but help be captivated by the spectacle: the breach of the Deeping Wall during the Battle of Helm’s Deep is surely one of the most visually spec- tacular moments in all of THE LORD OF THE RINGS.
Hesitations aside, THE LORD OF THE RINGS is unquestionably a major contribution to the fan- tastic cinema, both in its ambitious scope as well as in its use of superlative special effects. As it did with its “Special Extended Edition” DVD Edi- tion of THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, New Line Home Entertainment have issued THE TWO TOW- ERS as a four-disc set, each platter secured within a portfolio that fits like a book in a heavy slipcase. The packaging itself is a work of art, adorned with conceptual sketches visible behind each of the clear trays holding the individual discs, including a reproduction of a new painting by Alan Lee de- picting the moment when Gandalf reappears in Fangorn Forest. The Extended version of THE TWO TOWERS is spread over two discs in two parts. Part One ends at the 106m 25s point, at which point all new characters have been intro- duced. Part Two, on Disc 2, runs 128m 40s. The Extended version of THE TWO TOWERS is thus 55m 56s longer than the theatrical cut, but 11m 29s of this additional time consists of a segment
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