Actors' Commentaries - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Birdland · 11-16-2002, 03:35 PM

One of the best things about having DVD is the good ol' commentary sequences. And I think the "LoTR" commentary version is one of the most interesting I've seen yet. (Though it will take a long time for me to watch the whole thing.)<P>To listen to Sir Ian, the "Hobbits", Christopher Lee and Orlando Bloom sit and give a running dialogue of all the scenes as you watch the film is just a joy. They are all so swept up in their craft and what Peter Jackson accomplished on the screen. They really make the film seem fresh to me. <P>You also get a deep appreciation of how disjointed a film production must be for the people participating in it. This struck home when Orlando Bloom mentioned in the first scene between Sam and Gandalf, that he seldom actually got to work in scenes with the principal hobbit actors. Most of the scenes he filmed involving the Hobbits were actually done with the stand-ins. So he talked about how amazed he was at the job Sean Astin did with the character of Sam. He had never actually seen Sean in the role until he saw the completed film! <P>There are very many other "insider" moments and surprises revealed by the commentaries. I hope you all take the time to catch these. It's worth the price of the extended version alone.

11-16-2002, 03:35 PM	#1
Birdland Ghastly Neekerbreeker Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: the banks of the mighty Scioto Posts: 1,751	Actors' Commentaries One of the best things about having DVD is the good ol' commentary sequences. And I think the "LoTR" commentary version is one of the most interesting I've seen yet. (Though it will take a long time for me to watch the whole thing.)<P>To listen to Sir Ian, the "Hobbits", Christopher Lee and Orlando Bloom sit and give a running dialogue of all the scenes as you watch the film is just a joy. They are all so swept up in their craft and what Peter Jackson accomplished on the screen. They really make the film seem fresh to me. <P>You also get a deep appreciation of how disjointed a film production must be for the people participating in it. This struck home when Orlando Bloom mentioned in the first scene between Sam and Gandalf, that he seldom actually got to work in scenes with the principal hobbit actors. Most of the scenes he filmed involving the Hobbits were actually done with the stand-ins. So he talked about how amazed he was at the job Sean Astin did with the character of Sam. He had never actually seen Sean in the role until he saw the completed film! <P>There are very many other "insider" moments and surprises revealed by the commentaries. I hope you all take the time to catch these. It's worth the price of the extended version alone.