76th Academy Awards · 2004
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Directed by Peter Jackson
“The journey ends.”
The story
As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.
What critics & audiences say
Tomatometer94%Fresh#30 of 98 winnersFamous lines
Come on, Mr. Frodo. I can't carry it for you...BUT I CAN CARRY YOU!
A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day. … This day we fight!
Witch-King: You fool! No Man can kill me. Die now!
Éowyn: I am no Man.
My friends...You bow to no one.
Gandalf the White: End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path. One that we all must take. …
Pippin: What? Gandalf? See what?
Gandalf the White: White shores...and beyond. A far green country, under a swift sunrise.
I'm glad to be with you, Samwise Gamgee, here at the end of all things.
That still only counts as one!
Ride now! Ride now! Ride! Ride to ruin and the world's ending! DEATH!
How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on, when in your heart you begin to understand...there is no going back?
Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are we waiting for?
Quotes via Wikiquote
Fun facts
- The Return of the King won all 11 Oscars it was nominated for, tying Ben-Hur and Titanic for the most wins ever and setting the record for the biggest clean sweep. It was also the first fantasy film to win Best Picture.Wikipedia · Accolades
- In March 2004 Peter Jackson shot a few extra shots of skulls rolling for the Extended Edition's avalanche scene, the last footage filmed for the trilogy. Jackson noted it must be the first time a director shot scenes for a film after it had already won the Oscar.Wikipedia · Pick-ups
- Shelob's shriek was made with a Tasmanian devil, the mûmakil's roar is the start and end of a lion's roar, and for the siege of Minas Tirith construction workers dropped real two-ton stone blocks from a crane.Wikipedia · Sound effects
- The Battle of the Black Gate was filmed in New Zealand's Rangipo Desert, a former minefield, with New Zealand soldiers hired as extras while guides kept a lookout for unexploded mines.Wikipedia · Principal photography
- Peter Jackson, himself an arachnophobe, took great joy in planning the Shelob sequence. The giant spider's body was based on a tunnelweb spider, and the head's many growths were chosen by Jackson's children from a range of sculpts.Wikipedia · Design
- Saruman's final scene was cut, sparking a fan petition and leaving Christopher Lee saying he would never understand the decision. His relationship with Peter Jackson was chilly until they reconciled when Lee was cast in the Hobbit films.Wikipedia · Editing
- Because of the hectic schedule, Peter Jackson never saw the finished film from start to finish until the Wellington premiere. According to Elijah Wood, his verdict was "yup, it's good, pretty good."Wikipedia · Editing
- In February 2004 The Return of the King crossed $1 billion worldwide, only the second film in history to do so after Titanic.Wikipedia · Box office
- When the plans for the Battle of the Pelennor Fields reached Weta Digital, 60 planned shots had grown to 250 and 50,000 digital characters to 200,000; the film has 1,489 effects shots, nearly three times as many as the first film.Wikipedia · Visual effects
- As the cast wrapped and took home props from their characters, John Rhys-Davies burned his final Gimli prosthetic, and Viggo Mortensen said goodbye to the stunt team by headbutting them.Wikipedia · Pick-ups