魔戒III王者再臨四碟加長版(Lord of the Rings: Return of the King - Extended Edition)彩蛋
Disc 1--Go to the Scene Selections menus, and highlight the horizontal picture of the last chapter on Disc 1. Press down on your remote control’s direction pad to highlight a ring icon. Click on the ring icon to watch a gag interview with Elijah Wood conducted by Dominica Monaghan.

Disc 2--Go to the Scene Selections menus, and highlight the horizontal picture of the last chapter on Disc 2. Press down on your remote control’s direction pad to highlight a ring icon. Click on the ring icon to watch a skit that played during the 2004 MTV Movie Awards.

Discs 3 and 4--Go to the Main Menu, and move the menu cursor to the circle icon at the bottom of the page. Click on the icon to access the DVDs’ production credits. 摘自JSDVD

關於博客萊禮盒與四碟發售日的差距，
不禁懷疑是不是壓片作業進度的疏失，
貨源不足，
由於禮盒版的****早在各大通路都打好了，
打算先推禮盒版，
爭取時間再推四碟版。

畢竟目前禮盒版的發售日都很集中的指向12月下旬，
消息比較不明的是四碟版。

只能往好的方面這麼想了。 :stupefy:

太好了 十二月底就可以有禮盒版

我是這樣猜啦，別高興的太早。 :p

Here's how the new footage breaks down:新的加長片段


* New scene
** Extended scene

Disc 1:

1. The Finding of the Ring **
2. The Journey to the Cross-roads
3. The Road to Isengard **
4. The Voice of Saruman *
5. Return to Edoras **
6. Gollum's Villainy
7. Eowyn's Dream *
8. The Palantir **
9. Arwen's Vision
10. The Reforging of Narsil
11. Minas Tirith **
12. The Decline of Gondor *
13. The Cross-roads of the Fallen Kings *
14. "The Deep Breath Before the Plunge" **
15. Minas Morgul
16. The Warning of Sam *
17. "The Board is Set"
18. Osgiliath Invaded**
19. The Lighting of the Beacons
20. Theoden's Decision **
21. The Fall of Osgiliath **
22. The Wizard's Pupil *
23. The Stairs of Cirith Ungol
24. "Courage, it's the Best Defence" *
25. Peregrin, Soldier of the "Tower Guard" *
26. Allegiance to Denethor
27. The Parting of Sam and Frodo
28. The Sacrifice of Faramir **
29. Marshaling at Dunharrow **
30. Anduril - Flame of the West
31. Aragorn Takes the Paths of the Dead **
32. "No More Despair"
33. Dwimorberg - The Haunted Mountain **
34. The Muster of Rohan
35. The King of the Dead**
36. The Siege of Gondor **





Disc 2:

1. The Corsairs of Umbar *
2. Shelob's lair
3. Merry's Simple Courage*
4. Grond - The Hammer of the Underworld
5. The Tomb of the Stewards **
6. Breaking the Gate of Gondor
7. The Choices of Master Samwise
8. Denethor's Madness
9. The Lord of the Nazgul *
10. The Ride of the Rohirrim
11. The Pyre of Denethor **
12. The Battle of Pelennor Fields **
13. "A Far Green Country"
14. The Nazgul and His Prey
15. The Black Ships
16. Shieldmaiden of Rohan
17. Victory at Minas Tirith **
18. The Passing of Theoden
19. Oaths Fulfilled
20. The Houses of Healing *
21. Pippin Finds Merry *
22. The Tower of Cirith Ungol **
23. The Last Debate **
24. Aragorn and the Palantir *
25. Faramir and Eowyn *
26. In Orcs Company *
27. The Land of Shadow **
28. The Mouth of Sauron *
29. The Black Gate Opens
30. "I Can't Carry It for You ... But I Can Carry You"
31. The Last Move
32. Mount Doom **
33. "The Eagles are Coming!"
34. The Crack of Doom
35. Sauron Defeated
36. The End of All Things
37. The Fellowship Reunited
38. The Return of the King
39. Homeward Bound
40. The Grey Havens
41. End Credits
42. Fan Club Credits *

I will be going into detail on the major new scenes and the extended scenes on the following pages. If you don't wish to be spoiled, click here to skip past them.

This is your last warning. Clicking on the next page link below will take you to detailed information on what's found in the new footage.

Disc One New/Extended Scenes


The Voice of Saruman

Saruman appears from the top of his tower and asks Theoden for peace. The king is in no mood and wants a piece of Saruman's hide. All of this conversation is done in a normal tone, even though it looks like Saruman's tower is 50 stories tall, mind you.

Saruman holds up the palantir and warns that not only will Aragorn never be King, Sauron will attack again. He also plants some doubt into Theoden's mind as well. Grima, a.k.a. Wormtongue, appears on the top of the spire with Saruman. Theoden tries to appeal to him, but Saruman abuses his former servant. Big mistake. A furious Grima knifes Saruman in the back. Legolas puts an arrow into Grima, but the damage is done. Saruman falls, falls, falls… and lands on the spike of a wheel.

Return to Edoras

Remembrance of the dead and celebration of victory. Legolas and Gimli have a drinking contest and the grumpy dorf gets pie-eyed, while Legolas looks unaffected. Howard Shore has a cameo, standing behind Legolas.

Eowyn's Dream

Eowyn tells Aragorn of a dream of a terrible vision of darkness and a wave of water over the land. This was originally Faramir's dream in the book. Aragorn consoles her, she shows growing affection for him.

The Decline of Gondor

After the disastrous first meeting with Denethor, Gandalf tells Pippin the history of the city. The two notice a storm on the horizon and it's not a natural storm. This scene is good for backstory but really hits the brakes, slowing the movie.

Osgiliath Invaded

This is a longer version of the orc invasion. Faramir sends troops to watch the south, but the orcs come via the river. When a soldier spots them and the orcs take him out with an arrow, Faramir quickly moves his troops into position to jump the orcs, which is where the scene opens in the theatrical cuts. Also, pay attention when Faramir takes the soldiers to the river. A young soldier giving out spears is Royd Tolkien, the great-grandson of the author.

Theoden's Decision

Theoden has assembled his troops, but in a brief scene of inner dialogue, he thinks they are toast. Merry offers his services to Theoden, which the King accepts. There's a comical scene with Merry on a small horse, frantically trying to spur it on, but the horse won't move.

The Wizard's Pupil

Denethor berates the recently-returned Faramir because he not only released Frodo with the Ring, he sent him into a dangerous area like Cirith Ungol. Once again, he puts down Faramir in favor of Boromir, even hallucinating and seeing Boromir standing behind Faramir. The hallucination is not a shining moment for the special effects wizards at WETA Workshop.

Peregrin, Soldier of the "Tower of Guard"

Faramir is amused to see Pippin dressed as a guardsman of the Tower and wearing the old uniform that he wore as a boy. A sweet scene with the two and it builds a connection between the two, which helps set up Pippin's willingness to save Faramir from his father later.








Marshalling at Dunharrow

A confrontation between Eomer and Eowyn, where Eomer warns his sister that she's a fool for thinking Merry will fight, and that he will run. Eomer also makes it clear he thinks his sister has no business being there. "War is the province of men," he growls.

Aragorn takes the paths of the Dead

Aragorn tells Eowyn "I cannot give you what you seek." Figure out the rest.

Dwimorberg - The Haunted Mountain

The silliest and most pointless scene in the film. The smoke of the dead swirls around Gimli and he frantically blows it away. Then he nervously tiptoes over a pile of skulls, which crumble with each step. Rather than having the drama of Gimli's embarrassment, it turns into slapstick, and Gimli was already enough of a joke.

The King of the Dead

The dead laugh at Aragorn's request for help and fade away. The walls of the cavern crumble and an avalanche of skulls pour out, forcing the trio to run. Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas find a back door and run out, where they see the Corsairs. Aragorn momentarily despairs, but then the King of the Dead shows up and agrees. This kills the suspense from the theatrical cut.

Disc Two New/Extended Scenes


The Corsairs of Umbar

Aragorn blocks the Corsairs at a dock and orders them to stop. The Corsairs laugh. Aragorn asks Legolas to shoot a warning arrow close to the Boatswain's ear, but Gimli bumps Legolas and the Boatswain takes it in the chest. (Look close. The Boatswain is Peter Jackson). The Corsairs demand to know with what army will the trio take their boats. "This one" says Aragorn, and the Army of the Dead attack. Probably the second-best scene on the Extended Edition, but again, it takes away the surprise of the undead army arriving later.

Merry's Simple Courage

On the way to Minas Tirith, Merry comforts a despairing Eowyn and talks of missing his friends. I think he had a crush on her. Plus, Eowyn is not wearing a helmet here. So much for going incognito.

The Lord of Nazguls

The one scene that should have been in the theatrical cut. First, there is more fighting in the streets of Minas Tirith and it's violent as hell, which might have gotten the movie an R rating. Pippin comes to get Gandalf to stop Denethor. On the way there the Nazgul stops them, and Gandalf gets smacked around like he did with Saruman in the first movie. The arrival of Rohan troops is the only thing that saves Gandalf. This will be the most debated scene for its omission, I predict.

The Battle of Pelennor Fields

Longer battle sequence with some gruesome shots, shows Eowyn fighting sans helmet, with Theoden momentarily stopping in disbelief at the sight of Eowyn kicking ass. We see the fate of Gothmog, the Toxic Avenger-like orc that was leading the army. Also shows Merry fighting and dispensing serious ownage to a number of orcs.

The Houses of Healing

Eomer finds an unconscious Eowyn and for the first time in the movie, his facial expression changes from his usual pissed-off look to one of despair. Eowyn is tended by Aragorn in the Houses of Healing while Eomer watches them both. Finally, Eowyn opens her eyes. Later, she wakes up and sees Faramir standing beside her, looking healthy.

Pippin Finds Merry

The little fella is out cold near an oliphaunt corpse.








Aragorn subdues the Palantir

Aragorn takes the Palantir into the throne room. He unwraps the Palantir and has a few words with Sauron, showing him the remade Sword of Elendir. Sauron fires back with a vision of Arwen.

Faramir and Eowyn

Eowyn and Faramir become a twosome. Overlooking the silent city, they talk softly as he comforts her. She puts her head on his shoulder while he takes her hand.

With the Orcs

Unintentionally hilarious. Or maybe he meant it. Sam and Frodo are disguised as Orcs and wearing helmets that look like bird beaks. They are spotted and thrown into a line of marching orcs. Sam and Frodo fake a fight to escape. Probably the least believable segment of the whole movie.

The Mouth of Sauron

The Black Gate opens and the Mouth of Sauron comes out to welcome them. It's literally a mouth, as it takes up half the face of the creature talking to them. The Mouth holds up Frodo's Mithril shirt as a taunt, saying Frodo died painfully. Aragorn snaps and beheads the bastard. His behavior here will also be the source of much debate.

My final thoughts on the extended edition: only one scene was truly worth inclusion in the theatrical cut, the confrontation between Gandalf and the Witch-King. The rest are all disposable. But again, the SEE is not for the masses, it's for the fans who will eat it all up and not complain about the pacing going wonky, inconsistencies (Eowyn without the helmet) or that some scenes spoil later ones (the Corsair confrontation).


The additional material in this extended edition of Return of the King is nice to have, but does nothing to advance the story. In some cases, they slow down the pacing, while others could be detrimental in ways. But with maybe one exception, it's hard to make the case that this film needed these scenes. They don't change the film the way Daredevil's director's cut did.

The most debated issue was the omission of the scouring of the Shire. As you saw in the list, it's not here. The ending is the same as the theatrical cut. We didn't get the Faramir/Eowyn wedding, either, but it was clear the two were a couple, particularly at Aragorn's coronation, and that was good enough.

The three wanted scenes were The Houses of Healing, The Mouth of Sauron and Saruman's fate. You get them all. The one sure to incite debate is The Mouth of Sauron. Should the heroic Aragorn have so coldly beheaded the smartass creature? At the same time, he distracted Sauron, which helped Frodo.






I've heard the "multiple endings" arguments, but if they didn't tie up all these loose ends people would complain about being left hanging. It would make sense that after a 13-month adventure the fab four fuzzyfeet couldn't just go back to the Shire and be content sitting around eating and drinking.

"You've never done a hard day's work," Merry had pointed out to Pippin early in the film. No, but they had a great adventure and they are having a hard time sitting around. In Mayor Sam's case (would have been nice if they put that into the ending, beyond the cufflinks), he acts on his promise at Mount Doom and pursues Rosie, leading to the ending people liked.

In Frodo's case, his ordeal made it impossible for him to sit around at home and enjoy a normal life. The strain of carrying the ring, not to mention his shoulder not healing properly, drove him to leave for The Undying Lands. I would have preferred a little explanation here, for casual fans, so they understand just where he is going and why.

If you aren't familiar with the official ending, here's how it ended, according to The Thain's Book (http://www.tuckborough.net/index.htm), a very fine site dedicated to all things Middle-earth:


"The Undying Lands were across the Sea to the west of Middle-earth. The spirits called the Valar dwelled there, as did many Elves. Mortals were not normally allowed to go to the Undying Lands, but because of the great burden they had borne, Frodo and Bilbo were given special permission. Galadriel had made a special prayer to the Valar that Frodo be allowed to pass into the West, and Arwen also asked Gandalf, as an emissary of the Valar, to intercede on Frodo's behalf.

Although Frodo's ultimate fate is not recorded, it is believed that he lived out the rest of his days on Tol Eressea - an island off the coast of the main continent of Aman where Valinor was located. There Frodo may have finally found the peace and healing he sought.

Frodo was mortal and he remained so. He eventually died, though the year of his death is not recorded. Sam Gamgee, the last of the Ring-bearers, was allowed to sail to the Undying Lands in the year 61 of the Fourth Age, and it is hoped that these two great friends were reunited one last time before they died."


Still, I'm reluctant to second-guess anything Jackson did, because it's hard to argue with 11 Oscars.

At 250 minutes, this cut of the film is not meant for casual viewing. I was almost tempted to knock it down a point simply for dragging too much, but my better judgment won out. I don't know if I'll be rewatching it any time soon, if only for work-related reasons. But again, this is for the hardcores, and I'm sure you'll all be happy campers.

On a closing note, did anyone notice that you can see lawnmower tracks on the grassy areas that surround the White Tree in Minas Tirith? It's like seeing the extras in Braveheart who forgot to remove their wristwatch. Always cracks me up.

Score: 10 out of 10

The Video


Like the five previous Rings releases, Return of the King Special Extended Edition is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. With my new DVD deck, and on review of all of the previous sets, I have to say we've been rather generous to the DVD sets. They are not perfect, as the 10s would lead you to believe.

Grain and background noise is visible on both of the previous EE sets. The theatrical cut of Return of the King was a miracle of compression that squeezed a three-hour film onto one disc, but when compared to the EE, it just doesn't hold up.

The theatrical cut of RotK has a bleached, washed out look to it. Blacks aren't as solid as they could and should be. This extended edition, spread over two discs, corrects that. Colors are darker and more solid. Blacks are darker and richer, although one or two scenes got a bit murky.

Edge enhancement has been tossed into Mount Doom. The prints are flawless, as always, with zero print errors. So what's the problem?

Jackson really likes his long shots. There are many throughout the movie. And with those long shots comes a noticeable loss of detail. It first struck me when Gandalf and company returned to Isengard and confronted Saruman, and shots from Saruman's perspective really revealed the problem. Gandalf and company turned to fuzz.

Mind you, close-up shots were gorgeous. Close shots of faces reveals wonderful detail and excellent skin tones and textures. CG shots look more organic than ever before. Watching Fellowship…, it struck me how much the CG shots stuck out. With Return…, the effects look much more natural.






Other than the long shots, this is an excellent print, and definitely the best of Rings sets. Before you scream about this score, in retrospect I find myself in disagreement with our previous scores and I think we were too generous.

Score: 9 out of 10

Languages and Audio

Now here is where the discs once again excel. You get a choice between a Dolby Digital 5.1 EX mix or (the one everyone wants) a DTS-ES 6.1, plus a stereo surround sound mix, with English and Spanish subtitles.

The DTS mix is a leap and bound above the Dolby Digital mix of the theatrical release, with better balancing and improved separation across the channels. The surround channels, particularly the rears, are extremely active. When Gandalf and company confront Saruman, Saruman's voice echoes from all speakers.







The same thing happens when Pippin messes with the Palantir. Sauron's voice filled the room. Faramir's ill-fated attack on Osgiliath is amazing, with arrows whooshing from the left and middle channel to the right.

At the same time, they have mixed Howard Shore's Oscar-winning score so it's better balanced with the film without being overpowering, as it was in previous releases. The film has a rich, bassy sound without being as bottom-heavy as the theatrical cut.

All year long, I have waited for a movie to stand up to Master and Commander as the best sounding DVD. This is it.

Score: 10 out of 10

Packaging and Extras


The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Special Extended Edition) comes in the same leather case as the previous extended editions, this time painted blue. Inside is an advertisement for a slipcase to hold all three extended editions and a replica of Frodo's Sting short sword, which can glow blue. Only $59. A booklet maps out all of the extras on the discs, plus includes a chapter listing.

This extended edition comes with four, count 'em, four commentary tracks. This is certainly overkill and not necessary. Some commentaries have up to a dozen people, which can get confusing. Fortunately, when they talk, their name appears on the top center of the screen. This qualifies as a subtitle, so you can't use subtitles while listening to the commentaries.

The first, with Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh (writer/producer) and Philippa Boyens (writer) is the best of this set, not surprisingly, and definitely one of the best I've heard all year. A nice touch is separating the participants into channels. Jackson comes from the center channel, Walsh comes from the left speaker and Boyens comes from the right.

Jackson is his usual funny self, with all kinds of stories, like eating the Lembas bread when he couldn't find anything to eat on set and getting scolded by the women for it, since he was eating a prop. He talks about some pickup shots being done as late as this year, four years after some scenes were originally shot.

Jackson also says the shots in the new scene, The Decline of Gondor, were his favorite of the deleted scenes, since the camera goes up one side of Minas Tirith and down the other. He points out Royd Tolkien's cameo and admits that the Sword of Elendir was too long to wear in its scabbard, so Viggo had to carry it unsheathed through the rest of the movie. If you listen to one commentary, this is it.

The Cast Commentary is enormous: Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, John Rhys-Davies, Bernard Hill, Christopher Lee, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, David Wenham, Karl Urban, John Noble, Lawrence Mahoare, Andy Serkis as himself, Smeagol and Gollum. Once again, Mumbles Mortensen didn't show up, but he's all over the extras discs.

This clearly was recorded in pieces and stitched together. Their insight and comments range from good (Lee, McKellen, Weaving) to inane banter (the Hobbits, as usual). Serkis talks in his own voice and as his two alter egos. I was hoping for something split between the speakers, the way Stephen Soderbergh did with Schizopolis, but there wasn't much, although it did make for comedy.

The Design Team Commentary consists of Grant Major (Production Designer), Ngila Dickson (Costume Designer), Richard Taylor (WETA Workshop Creative Supervisor), Alan Lee (Conceptual Designer/Set Decorator), John Howe (Conceptual Designer), Dan Hennah (Supervising Art Director/Set Decorator), Chris Hennah (Art Department Manager), and Tanis Rodger (WETA Workshop Manager). This one really goes into production detail, often in very specific detail on how uniforms were made, where they used miniatures or matte paintings, and so on.

And if you thought that bunch was dry and tedious, wait till you hear the Production/Post-Production Team Commentary, with Barrie M. Osborne (Producer), Mark Ordesky (Executive Producer), Jamie Selkirk (Co-Producer and Editor), Annie Collins (Additional Editor), Rick Porras (Co-Producer), Howard Shore (Composer), Jim Rygiel (Visual Effects Supervisor), Ethan Van der Ryn (Supervising Sound Editor/Co-Designer), Mike Hopkins (Supervising Sound Editor), Christian Rivers (Visual Effects Concept Designer), Alex Funke (Visual Effects D.P.), Joe Letteri (WETA Visual Effects Supervisor), Randy Cook (Animation Designer and Supervisor) and Brian Van't Hul (WETA Visual Effects D.P.). Or maybe you won't. I found this the hardest to follow, for a number of reasons, and spent the least amount of time on it.

Disc Three opens with an Introduction from Peter Jackson, who mostly talks like he's addressed a DVD newbie. He also jokes about being back for the 25th anniversary.

Best part of all of this material: anamorphic, 1.85:1 widescreen video. The audio is two-channel, which is fine, but the video for these interviews is just beautiful. Subtitles are available in English and Spanish.

J.R.R. Tolkien: The Legacy Of Middle-earth is a 28-minute piece involving Tolkien experts, from professors to some serious geeks, discussing how Tolkien's experiences studying Finnish and Welsh languages influenced his Elvish languages. He had created two languages by the time he was 20. World War I also had a major influence on him, since he rode in a cavalry group.

From Book To Script is a two-parter. Forging The Final Chapter is 24 minutes long, and I love the opening. John Rhys-Davies tells us Tolkien let the film rights go for next to nothing because he felt the book was "unfilmable." Jackson and others discuss how they took the timelines from all three books, since it was not told chronologically, and made it run in a linear form.

Abandoned Concept: "Aragorn Battles Sauron" is a five-minute animatic storyboard sequence. While Frodo was about to toss the ring into Mount Doom, Aragorn was going to have a mano-a-mano with Sauron at the Black Gate. This was replaced with the troll in the movie.

Designing And Building Middle-earth is a four-part series. First is Designing Middle-earth, a 38-minute segment on the development of conceptual designs from Alan Lee and John Howe, and how they built the sets and miniatures. They cover Shelob's Lair and the flammable spider threads, the remains of Bridge of Minas Morgul, all of Minas Tirith, the stairs of Cirith Ungol and more.







Big-atures covers the heavy use of large scale miniatures. I realize that's a contradiction in terms, but that's what it was. The "miniature" of Minas Tirith was 1:72 scale, but considering Minas Tirith is 1,700 feet tall in Tolkien's books, that puts it in perspective. The "miniature" was seven meters tall and six-and-a-half meters in diameter. It had over 1,000 houses. The result was realism you just don't get with CG. They also cover the Necropolis with the Army of the Dead, the trebuchets in Minas Tirith and the Grond, the wolf's head battering ram.

WETA Workshop is a 47-minute look at the folks at WETA, who did everything: CG, props, armor, weapons, special effects and make-up. The crew realized they had nowhere near the experience they would need, but they learned as they went and became experts very quickly, out of necessity if nothing else. They had to create unique looks for every culture, from Gondor to Hobbiton to the orcs to the Horadrim.

Costume Design is a three-parter, looking at the people and realms of Middle-earth plus the miniatures. Costume Designer Ngila Dickson discusses the different costumes, some of which were really detailed and then never made it onto the screen. Finally, there's a Design Gallery with drawings and photos of the whole design process.

Home Of The Horse Lords is a 30-minute piece on the heavy use of horses on screen. In the Tolkien bio, they talked about the author's love and knowledge of horses since he was in the cavalry. This segment expands on it, with everything from the troubles with using the animals to funny stories on who was a bad rider. Ian McKellen calls one of his horses that played Shadowfax "a diva" and we see examples of his bratty behavior.

Middle-earth Atlas is an interactive map of Middle-earth, covering the length of the trilogy. You can follow the path of Frodo and Sam; Merry; Aragorn, Legalos and Gimli or Gandalf and Pippin from the events in Fellowship through the end. It shows video footage from all three movies at the different locations.

New Zealand As Middle-earth is an interactive map that takes you around the different locales that became East Ithilien, Dunharrow, Paths Of The Dead, Pelennor Fields, The Black Gate and Mordor.

On to Disc Four