The Lord of the Rings: Extended version: A Great Series! :)

Me prestaron hace unas semanas la versión extendida de El Señor de los Anillos, dirigida y co-escrita por Peter Jackson, basada en la novela de JRR Tolkien.

Son doce discos, seis de ellos rellenos con extras, y otros seis con la película en sí. Bueno, la serie. Dos discos de metraje para cada una de las tres películas, cada disco con una duración aproximada de hora y media o dos horas.

Es casi como una serie de TV, ¿no?. Tiene suficientes entregas o partes (¡son seis discos, como si se tratase de seis malditas películas!) como para que veamos crecer psicológicamente a los personajes, por muchos que haya, y como para que la trama tenga un desarrollo lo suficientemente complejo.

En total, unas once horas, y pico. Es más larga que series como Evangelion o Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, que casi no llegan a unas tristes nueve horas.

Vamos a suponer que The Lord of the Rings: Entended version es una serie de televisión, con capítulos de 20 minutos cada una. Para los títulos de crédito iniciales, tendríamos que dividir los actores en “Stars” o “Guest-stars” dependiendo de la cantidad de capítulos en los que aparezcan. Yo diría que la selección sería así:

Starring Elijah Wood as Frodo, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Viggo Mortensen as Strider, Sean Astin as Samwise, John Rhys-Davies as Gimli, Billy Boyd as Pippin, Dominic Monaghan as Merry, Orlando Bloom as Legolas and Andy Serkis as Gollum.

Y, en los capítulos que correspondiera,

Guest-Starring Liv Tyler asArwen, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Christopher Lee as Saruman, Hugo Weaving as Elrond, Sean Bean as Boromir, Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins, Bernard Hill as King Théoden, Brad Dourif as Grima Wormtongue Jhon Noble as Denetor, Miranda Otto as Éowin y/o los que me haya olvidado.

Le he puesto título a cada uno de los seis CD (Cogiendo prestado títulos posibles que tenía Tolkien en mente para las seis partes –dos por libro- en las que está dividida la meganovela, títulos que finalmente no usó), y a su vez los he subdividido en capítulos de 20 minutos cada uno, tomando directamente algunos nombres de los capítulos de los libros originales a los que corresponde aproximadamente la acción.

Todos los capítulos serían, como he dicho, de 20 minutos excepto algunos que durarían entre 15 y 18, aunque el resto del capítulo estaría relleno con un breve resumen de los capítulos anteriores. :P

Ya sé que es una tontería, pero me gusta hacer estos desgloses o hipotéticas reestructuraciones de vez en cuando, por puro vicio. Y en inglés, que es su versión original. Bueno, en mi spanglish.

And that’s the TV Guide for the next 32 Weeks, with the Six mini-Seasons of The Lord of the Rings! :P

I- The Return of the Shadow (100’)

01-A Long-Expected Party

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. The Ring has gone through many hands, and now it has been found by Bilbo Baggins who may be tempted by its evil power.

02-The Shadow of the Past

Bilbo’s 111^th aniversary continues until the hobbit makes an annuncement followed by a revelation. Gandalf persuades him that he must not keep the Ring, and now this burden will be carried by the hands of his nephew Frodo.

03-A Conspiracy Unmasked

Frodo begins his journey aided by his hobbit friends Sam, Merry and Pippin. They are looking forward to meet up with Gandalf at the Inn of the Prancing Pony. But the wizard has his own troubles when he finds up a mayor treason of an old friend.

04-A Knife in the Dark

The little group is helped by a misterious Ranger that calls himself Strider. They will try to reach the elven city of Rivendel while being chased by the nine tetric Black Riders.

05-The Council of Elrond

Having taken the Ring to Rivendel and being reunited with Gandaf and Bilbo and a lot of new characters, Frodo thinks he can return home now. But the real journey begins just now, when there takes place a Council where it is debated how the Ring is going to be taken to Mount Doom.

II- The Fellowship of the Ring (90’)

06-The Fellowship of the Ring

The elf Legolas, the dwarf Gimli, the Wizard Gandalf, the humans Boromir and Strider, who now we have discovered is a descendant of kings and may be called Aragorn, and the four hobbits, Merry, Pippin, Sam and Frodo, begin their journey for Mount Doom as the Company of the Ring.

07-A Journey in the Dark

Now trapped in Minas Moria, the Fellowship of the Ring try to end a four-days walk without being unnoticed. But it won’t be long until they are in great danger...

08-The Bridge of Kazhad-dûm

A Balrog, a creature more ancient than time, chases them till the very back doors of Moria. It is no match for any of the members of the group, safe maybe Gandalf. The others can only run.

09-The Mirror of Galadriel

Now the remaining members of the company are resting and crying for their old friend in the elven city of Lórien. The beautiful, misterious and magical beauty that is Galadriel offers advice to all them, and her mirror shows things that are, were, and may be.

10-The Departure of Boromir

Boromir finally gives up to the Ring’s diabolical power and try to steal it from Frodo, while the group is attacked by a group of orcs and creatures called the Uruk-hai, artifficially made by Saruman.

III- The Two Towers (100’)

11-The Taming of Smeagol

Frodo and Sam, now on their own to make the quest for the drestruction of the Ring, are lost in the mountains, observed by the creepy creature Gollum. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, meanwhile, chase the orcs that have captured Merry and Pippin. And Sauruman and Sauron continue making their own dark plans.

12-The Riders of Rohan

Saruman tries to drive the king Théoden of Rohan to his side by making his conseulor Grima Wormtongue fool him. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli find what is left of the Uruk-hai that captured Merry and Pippin, and begin to fear they may be dead.

13-The White Rider

Sam and Frodo pass through the Dead Marshes, where Gollum advise them not to follow “the lights”. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli meet an old man that at first they presume to be Saruman, but...

14- The Black Gate is closed

Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, with their remet friend Gandalf, once the Grey, now the White, get into Edoras and try to release King Théoden from the spell Saruman has given him through Grima Wormtongue.

15-Of Herbes and Stewed Rabbit

Théoden decide that all the city of Edoras flee to the Helm’s Deep in order to avoid war, but this is suspected by Grima and Saruman. Smeagol tries to fight his alter ego. Frodo and Sam witness a battle between a Sauron army and men of Gondor.

IV- The Treason of Isengard (100’)

16-The King of the Golden Hall

On their way to Helm’s Deep, the people of Théoden, along with Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, have to resist a violent attack of Saruman’s Warg-Riders.

17-The Forbidden Pool

The elves must face the decission of leaving the Middle Eart or help the humans to fight. Frodo and Sam are held captive by Rohan’s heir Faramir, whom we learn is the brother of Boromir.

18-The Two Towers

Aragorn returns alive to Helm’s Deep after witnessing the massive army of ten thousand Uruk-hai that is coming to it. In great disadvantage, they prepare for the battle, fearing this is the beggining of the end of the human race.

19- Helm’s Deep

The epic battle at Helm’s Deep takes place, and so many heroes are made. The ents, meanwhile, are deciding about going to war against Isengard or not.

20-Journey to the Cross-roads

Helm’s Deep is falling, the Uruk-hai has broken in. There is another battle at the ruins of Osgiliath, in wich Faramir, along with Frodo, Sam and the most-self-questioning-as-ever Gollum are present. And also, Ents, encouraged by Merry and Pippin, are attacking the tower of Saruman.

V- The Return of the King (120’)

21-The Voice of Saruman

We at last know the origins of Gollum. Gandalf and the rest of the crew, meanwhile, after the victory at Helm’s Deep, go to the Isengard Tower, and have a few words with Saruman and Grima Wormtongue.

22-The Palantir

Pippin is fascinated by the obscure palantir that fell off from Saruman’s corpse, and wants to see it again, even if he has to steal it from Gandalf. The elves deal with reforging the sword of Isildur.

23-Minas Tirith

Gandalf and Pippin arrive in the great but decaying city of Minas Tirith, where they talk with Denethor, Steward of Gondor, and father of Boromir and Faramir. Gollum show the ringbearers the stairs of Cirith Ungol, wich are in front of Minas Morgul, home of part of the great army that is going to attack Minas Tirith.

24-The Siege of Gondor

Gandalf and Pippin call Théoden and his kingdom for help using fire beacons. Faramir and his men can’t stand the sudden attack of the orcs in the ruins of Osgiliath and return to Minas Tirith, for much of the shame of his father Denethor, whom Pippin swear loyalty.

25-The Passing of the Grey Company

Gollum finally drives Frodo against Sam, and he is said to return home. The field where Rohan riders have camped is visited by a misterious cloaked figure that is seeking for Aragorn.

26-The Muster of Rohan

The bloody battle of Minas Tirith begins, but Rohan hasn’t appear yet. Aragon, Isildur’s heir, along with Legolas and Gimli, are trying to call an army of undead, that will help to dissuade backup from Mordor.

VI- The End of the Third Age (110’)

27- Shelob's Lair

Gollum and Frodo reach the end of Cirith Ungol stairs at last. And there is the tunnel that Gollum wanted Frodo to enter. There, “she” would take care of him.

28- The Ride of the Rohirrim

After passing out the traitor Gollum, Frodo continues to Mount Doom alone, yet is unknown to him that the spider Shelob is still looking for him. During the battle at Minas Tirith, wich is going to be lost if no one comes to help, Denethor attempts to burn him and his son alive.

29- The Battle of the Pelennor Fields

The massive olyphaunts make their entrance, for the despair of Rohan’s riders; and the lord of the Nazgul, the greatest of the Nine, the one that no living man can kill, aim for king Théoden.

30- The Land of Shadow

Frodo and Sam are in Mordor, but in order to get to Mount Doom they must go through a valley full of 10,000 orcs! Aragorn, Gandalf and the others, plan a way to help them from the outside.

31-Mount Doom

This is the climax! They are about to destroy the Ring! But in the last moment, will be Frodo capable of putting an end to this big task?

32-The Grey Havens

Peace is restored in the Middle Earth. Aragorn is crowned king and Frodo returns to the Shire to write his memories of the journey. And a few years later, another journey, the last one, is about to be taken.

Nota:

¡Y cuando salgan las dos películas de The Hobbit dirigidas por Guillermo del Toro (allá por 2010 ó 2011), no me quiero ni imaginar cuánto de larga será la serie!