One of my all
time favorite stories told in the magical world of film has to be “The Lord of
the Rings” Trilogy. I have watched this series in its extended versions so many
times I know all the acting lines, battle scenes, and almost all of Middle
Earth’s cities and villages. However with the joy of rewatching them so many
times because of the wonderful miracle of the DVD, I’ve noticed the editing
mistakes that make me upset because it takes away the magic of the film, at
least for me. One scene that is brought to my mind in particular, is the scene
where Merry and Pippin are kidnapped from the Orcs and Urukhai and are brought
to the front of Fangorn Forest to rest for the night. The scene is set at night
and it is dark with only the light of the moon shining over the actors’ faces
and it brings a chilling suspenseful moment for the hobbits as you are
wondering if their terrifying enemies will eat them or not. These beginning
sections of the scene are seamless as the camera moves from each speaker to the
other, so you’re all into the story and power of the plot. However, when the
Rohan warriors sweep into engage the Orcs and Urukhai into battle, something
happens to the hobbits: AN EDITING MISTAKE THAT WILL ALWAYS HAUNT ME. Because
their hands are bound with huge rope, the hobbits scurry away on their tummies
away from the battle field as the Rohan warriors on their horses are charging
through the crowds of Urukhai. YET, there is a moment in the scene where a
horse is about to trample onto Pippin and when the camera turns back to Pippin
who CONVENIENTLY has his hands MIRACULOUSLY untied until the horse stomps onto
the ground to finish that scene. This is one of the biggest movie blunders I’ve
ever noticed because I feel that its editing plays a big part of the scene. If
you haven’t seen the movie, you might not have noticed it the first couple of
times. After watching it like fifty times, you’ll notice editing and small
details that you never have. I think that the story and plot overwhelms the
editing mistakes made, but I strongly feel that editing plays a key role in the
quality of a film. I desperately wish they took greater care into editing their
movie because it’s one of the greatest movies ever(!!) but it isn’t a total
loss.
