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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
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Peter Jackson deservedly won the best director Oscar for this powerful and enchanting concluding episode to his massively ambitious adaptation of JRR Tolkien's trilogy. It also became the first fantasy film to receive the best picture Oscar and won awards in all the categories it was nominated for, equalling the record haul of 11 set by Ben-Hur and Titanic. One staggeringly beautiful sight follows another as the brilliant ensemble cast brings Tolkien's fantasy masterpiece to life, and Jackson mixes man, myth and magic together with astonishing scope and intoxicating invention. The action picks up from The Two Towers with Frodo crawling to Mount Doom to finally destroy the ring, while Aragorn enlists an army of the dead to help Gandalf defend the besieged city of Minas Tirith from the Witch-king and his armies. Jackson's loyalty to Tolkien's over-stuffed text means certain characters get little screen time and the ending does drag on with its series of teary farewells. But these are minor gripes considering his towering achievement in creating a timeless, literate and passionate masterpiece that will live for ever. The Minas Tirith battle sequence in particular will surely go down as one of the greatest in cinema history. AJ
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Tell us what you think
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Running time
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192min
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Country of origin
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NZ / US / Ger
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Genre
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Fantasy Adventure
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Original language
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English
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Screenplay
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Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, from the novel The Return of the Kingby J R R Tolkien
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Theatrical distributor
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Entertainment
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UK cinema certificate
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12A
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UK cinema release date
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December 2003
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| awards information |
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Award |
Category |
Name |
Nominee/Winner |
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| Academy 2003 |
Best Picture |
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Winner |
| Academy 2003 |
Directing |
Peter Jackson |
Winner |
| Academy 2003 |
Writing (Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published) |
Peter Jackson |
Winner |
| Academy 2003 |
Writing (Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published) |
Fran Walsh |
Winner |
| Academy 2003 |
Writing (Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published) |
Philippa Boyens |
Winner |
| British Academy Film Awards 2003 |
Best Film |
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Winner |
| British Academy Film Awards 2003 |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role |
Ian McKellen |
Nominee |
| British Academy Film Awards 2003 |
Best Screenplay (Adapted) |
Peter Jackson |
Winner |
| British Academy Film Awards 2003 |
Best Screenplay (Adapted) |
Fran Walsh |
Winner |
| British Academy Film Awards 2003 |
Best Screenplay (Adapted) |
Philippa Boyens |
Winner |
| British Academy Film Awards 2003 |
The David Lean Award for the Best Achievement in Direction |
Peter Jackson |
Nominee |
| Golden Globe 2003 |
Best Director Motion Picture |
Peter Jackson |
Winner |
| Golden Globe 2003 |
Best Motion Picture Drama |
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Winner |
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