Chapter 471: Hard for Other Epic Films to Compare

The film's plot developed along multiple simultaneous storylines. It began with three threads, merged into two when the Battle of Pelennor Fields erupted, and finally united into one, bringing a perfect conclusion to the entire series.

After a relentless sequence of climaxes, the movie's plot reached its end. Aragorn, now crowned king, led Arwen to the four hobbits. He and all of humanity bowed solemnly to them. In the plaza atop the White City, the hobbits—only half the height of ordinary humans—suddenly appeared exceptionally tall.

The score shifted from soothing to stirring. As the soaring notes of Old Friends suddenly rang out, the music effortlessly reminded the audience of the contributions the four hobbits had made during this miraculous journey. They truly deserved this honor.

The camera slowly zoomed in, culminating in a close-up of Frodo Baggins's face, before pulling back as the majestic Holy White City shrank into an icon on a map.

"The story has finally come to a close, and the Fourth Age of Middle-earth begins here. As for The Fellowship of the Ring, though their friendship will endure forever, they too must go their separate ways..."

The camera continued to pull back. The parchment transformed into a book; Frodo, having returned to The Shire, stood from his chair and closed it.

The king had returned, and the movie had to end.

Indeed, the theatrical release of Return of the King ended here. Although the scenes of Frodo and the others returning to Hobbiton and setting sail had been filmed and edited, Duke had no intention of using them in the theatrical cut. The film's climax had already been thoroughly unleashed with the king's return. Furthermore, he wasn't a hardcore book fan like Peter Jackson; there was simply no need to detail everyone's final destination so meticulously.

In the original timeline, the movie's most criticized element was the tedious, twenty-minute epilogue that dragged on after the climax.

Duke cut this segment from the theatrical version without hesitation, successfully holding the film's runtime to 181 minutes.

Freeing up twenty-plus minutes might not seem like much, but its impact on increasing the number of screenings was substantial.

In a single auditorium, saving over twenty minutes per showing meant they could easily squeeze in an entire extra screening each day!

Though this would draw complaints from some hardcore fans, it fit Duke's consistent production style. He would never sacrifice tangible profits for the sake of so-called art.

Besides, he had already edited those scenes into the DVD release. They would serve as a promotional gimmick later on—something like the True Ending Edition of Return of the King...

As the credits rolled, Billy Boyd's rendition of The Last Goodbye began to play. From the southeast to the northwest, from the southwest to the northeast—in virtually every theater screening Return of the King across North America, almost no one left their seats. They all listened intently to the song, embracing this chance to bid farewell to The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

No matter how fantastic the journey, it had to end! No matter how wonderful the gathering, they eventually had to part!

The lights came on, but Brad Miller sat motionless in his seat. The vocals of The Last Goodbye still flowed gently, and the image of parchment lingered on the silver screen. In a daze, he felt like he had just woken from a dream—a dream that had stretched on for three whole years.

His emotions were incredibly complicated. He didn't know how to describe them; he only knew he absolutely wouldn't watch it just once this summer!

Jones and Kunitz sat in silence. They were Duke's die-hard fans and had followed his films for ten years. Although the ending brought a bitter ache, they knew more masterpieces waited for them in the future.

Kirk and John had long since forgotten about Roger Ebert. Amidst the music, they relived the movie scene by scene—every breathtaking moment, every grand and magnificent spectacle!

As the credits finished rolling, applause erupted inside the New York AMG Cinema. Every single audience member rose to their feet, clapping.

At almost the exact same moment—in Philadelphia, Boston, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle... in every theater showing Return of the King, audiences stood up one after another, offering a standing ovation to pay tribute to the film!

Inside the Hollywood Chinese Theater, Jones and Kunitz eagerly jumped to their feet. Just like everyone else, they delivered the most enthusiastic applause. They clapped and even shouted, venting all their passion. Leaving never even crossed their minds; they didn't care if they clapped until their hands turned red.

This thunderous applause lasted for a full ten minutes!

Just as with the premieres of the first two installments, Duke had to lead the cast and crew out for curtain call after curtain call until the applause finally faded.

As a director who also wanted to expand into epic films, Oliver Stone was different from ordinary moviegoers. The moment Frodo Baggins closed the parchment book, he had slipped out of the theater ahead of the crowd. Yet, upon walking into the parking lot and getting into his car, he didn't drive off immediately. Instead, he took advantage of the quiet to sort through The Lord of the Rings Trilogy in his mind.

In Hollywood, there was a well-known rule of thumb for literary adaptations: first-rate novels only produced third-rate movies, while first-rate movies were often adapted from third-rate novels!

Over the past few decades of Hollywood's development, this saying had practically been forged into absolute truth.

But in the face of Duke Rosenberg and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, this truth had been reduced to an excuse for the losers of literary adaptations to absolve themselves.

Oliver Stone had read the original books more than once. In his view, while Duke Rosenberg maintained a reverent stance, he did not lack a bold, adventurous spirit. He hadn't gotten lost in the vast, sweeping lore of Tolkien's original work. Instead, he had taken a poised and decisive approach, chopping away the less critical branches of the source material to keep only the most vital people and events. Then, he had used nearly nine hours to calmly recount the legend he clearly knew by heart.

In the end, Duke Rosenberg was no ordinary Hollywood director.

Sighing softly, Oliver Stone found his thoughts regarding Return of the King and its director only multiplying.

In Hollywood, after achieving commercial success, the vast majority of directors—regardless of whether they were suited for it—couldn't wait to march into art-house cinema. Craving professional and authoritative recognition, they would swarm to produce movies featuring schizophrenia and blurred lines between good and evil. They did this to showcase so-called complex human nature and profound themes, flaunting their artistic caliber.

But Duke Rosenberg was noticeably different. He always stayed at the absolute forefront of commercial cinema. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy wasn't a series that won on deep subtext at all. Claims that the Ring reflected absolute power, or that Gollum represented latent greed, were pure nonsense. Instead, black and white, beauty and ugliness, evil attempting to crush justice, and justice ultimately triumphing—these were the true themes. The story was just that simple.

However, most Hollywood directors didn't understand that simple stories were often the hardest to shoot. Beneath the simple thematic framework of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, aside from the special effects and technology, Duke Rosenberg had infused the films with friendship, romance, familial affection, unity, courage, kindness, loyalty, responsibility, commitment, and sacrifice...

Under the pen of a run-of-the-mill director, these words would feel unbearably cliché just written down. Yet here, they intertwined to form the films' most soul-stirring emotional power, taking turns from beginning to end to strike at the human soul, allowing people to experience those simple emotions they had no time to feel—or had completely forgotten—in their busy lives.

Then there was the spectacle. There might never be a second movie as grand and magnificent as Duke Rosenberg's Return of the King. Despite utilizing massive amounts of special effects and action sequences, the young director displayed profound fundamental skills, maintaining an iron grip on the entire production. His greatest achievement was the balance between all parts of the film.

He knew exactly when to let the audience reflect in quiet thought, and when to deliver the most purely visceral, sensory-stimulating scenes.

Thinking of this, Oliver Stone suddenly came to a conclusion: from now on, it would be hard for any epic film to compare. What other director could so flawlessly unite reality and fantasy, theme and legend?

Spielberg couldn't, George Lucas couldn't, Steven Soderbergh couldn't, and neither could he, Oliver Stone!

Oliver Stone couldn't help but think of the project he was about to produce, Alexander the Great. Although the two were different, warfare was undoubtedly a vital element in both. Now, with Return of the King preceding it, even if Alexander the Great delivered massive war scenes, it likely wouldn't elicit the intense reaction fans were showing today...

'Perhaps I should focus more on exploring the inner mind and emotions of Alexander the Great?'

Even if he intended to lean toward the commercial side, Oliver Stone's consistent directorial style dictated his thoughts at critical moments. He gradually made up his mind, started his car, and drove out of the parking lot, pushing the names Duke Rosenberg and Return of the King to the back of his mind. He was going to make an epic war film brimming with an art-house vibe.

Inside another theater in Beverly Hills, Michael Ovitz also walked out of the cinema. To strike at an opponent, one had to understand them. It was just that this particular opponent was simply too formidable. Even walking to the theater doors, he could still hear faint, exhilarated cheers echoing from the hall screening Return of the King.

As he saw it, this was a triumph of cinematic special effects. It was precisely because of the CGI that the film was able to shake people's hearts so deeply. Although he could spot its flaws and shortcomings, the majestic epic scale, the spectacular war visuals, and the eerie fantasy landscapes guaranteed that any complaints would amount to no more than a few sighs of utter satisfaction.

Had it been the work of any other director, Michael Ovitz absolutely would have watched it several times with an appreciative eye. But this film's director...

He sighed. Facing such an overpowering movie and director was truly a blow to one's confidence and morale.

'I can only do my best...'

Returning to his car, Michael Ovitz dialed Martin Bob's number and told him to contact professional film critics. Although the critics' influence waned during the Summer Season, when facing a fierce enemy, it was imperative to unite every force that could be united.

'Otherwise, how could we possibly affect such a grand and sweeping film?'

Michael Ovitz knew very well that with the full backing of Warner Brothers and the North American Theater Alliance, it was completely impossible to halt this fantasy behemoth. They could only hope to drag its momentum down just a little.