The Ring Returns: Adaptation and the Trilogy

"One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them, One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them." Recited in movie trailer cadence, these poetic lines heralded the arrival of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring to throngs of eager cineastes, declaring the supremacy of this "One ring" above all others and initiating a quest that would, upon its successful completion, destroy the power of this singularity. The final cinematic installment, The Return of the King, delivers as promised, incinerating the "One ring" in the fires of Mount Doom. The scope of these films, however, extends beyond the journey of the ring to provide a stirring case for the power of adaptation. No one version of the "ring" trilogy does rule them all; instead, there are multiple "rings," each offering a different vision of the tale. The Lord of the Rings has thrived in printed form for decades, taking on new dimensions with each new edition, through new illustrative content and in the varying presentation of its textual matter. With the blockbuster success of the film trilogy, book sales have skyrocketed and numerous new editions, some quite ornate, have made an appearance. Along with these materials, there has been a swelling tide of audio books and CDs, movie tie-in books, web sites, television specials, games, collectibles, and other merchandise. The film trilogy itself embraces this variety, existing in distinct editions: most notably, the theatrical releases and the extended VHS/DVD versions. As a result of this representational bounty the majority of individuals experience the "ring" in multiple forms.

The unusual development pattern behind these films contributes to this surplus of signifying formats. The Lord of the Rings made one other screen appearance in an animated film, circa 1978, that blitzes through the major plot points in a little more than two hours. The challenging nature of the material explains this limited adaptation history. The epic consists of three novels, requiring filmmakers to excise large segments of the plot in order to create one film or to commit to the challenge of creating multiple films from the outset of production. Additionally, the story involves extensive world building, as it follows the members of the fellowship on a journey through disparate landscapes and records their encounters with distinct populations of men, elves, dwarves, and others. The recent film trilogy minimized these challenges by constructing the primary sets and completing the principle filming for all three films during one period of time, a process that ensures a consistent style across the various installments. In post-production the films took six different shapes: the three theatrical releases and the three extended VHS/DVD versions. Indeed, at the time of this review the final film is not yet available in home viewing formats; ring devotees can anticipate up to an hour of additional scenes in the extended version. Thus, the production of the films both unites and divides the saga.

The existence of the film in various formats inscribes and rewards a particular viewing pattern, one that seeks out representational variety. Scenes could be cut with the knowledge that they would appear in extended versions and allusions to these scenes could be left in later movies with an awareness that many viewers would have seen the extended versions and thus catch the references. For example, in The Return of the King Frodo recalls Galadriel's words pertaining to the powers of the star-glass, which she gave him in the extended version of the first film. Also, Faramir's complex relationship with his father, which leads him to agree to a suicide charge to retake Osgiliath, builds from scenes in the extended version of The Two Towers. Obviously, moviegoers can enjoy the theatrical releases of The Lord of the Rings trilogy without knowledge of the extended versions, but the films reward knowledgeable viewers...