Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
By far the best tome of the three, 12 Feb 2004
Publishing production art from a major movie that demanded a lot of world-making can be a tricky thing - you're letting people get a glimpse of the meanderings of the creative process, and this can, some would say, dispel a bit of the mystique. People might even like some of your rejected concepts better. As for the first bit, I've long since discovered that knowing the inner workings of the cinematic medium actually enhances the enjoyment. And as for the second - well, everyone's idea of Middle-earth is a tad different from the next person's; I just drool every time I see a Daniel Falconer design, including his discarded ones...What's important is that this book is the best repository of the production art done for a LotR movie so far. It doesn't have the layout that hampered The Art of Fellowship; and it covers things like Gondorian Armor, Fell Beasts, and the Tower of Barad-dur, which should have been included in The Art of Two Towers, as that book had considerably less ground to cover. But none of those items feel short-shrifted, fortunately. And even though Alan Lee spent by far the most time designing the film yet again, this finally feels like a true collaboration between him and John Howe - who was mostly charged with designing the Mordor stuff in the trilogy, and was thus a rare visitor before. The previously-not-featured designs from Dan Hennah and his art department are a real bonus, so that by the end of it you feel that no stone has been left unturned in the design process. And even though any 'Art of' book has to exclude much by default, this one feels thorough; for every piece of production art you get a sizable blurb by the artist involved, and those are longer and more detailed than in the previous two. Furthermore, the book is over 30 pages longer than its predecessors, and wisely incorporates much material that is going to appear in the Extended Edition of the film. If you wish to get a single tie-in book to this film, or have to pick one Art of book among the three, this one packs the most punch and probably has the most lasting value.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Adds Depth and Appreciation to LOTR: ROTK, 11 Mar 2004
Impressed by astounding cinematography of LOTR? I am. "The Art of The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings)" by Gary Russell shows the amazing art behind the movie is more than pretty pictures.From "The Siege of Gondor" to "Shelob's Lair," Russell walks us through the stages of design that created a real and surreal world of Middle Earth. With Shelob, for different artist's reasons for the balance of spider- and crab-like characteristics. Part of the problem was in trying to stay as close to Tolkien's own version while bringing plausible life to Shelob that would work in a movie. Some of the pictures are pencils. Others are full-color, finely detailed views. Various angles are provided as in the many scenes of Mordor. There are photos of early models, both colored and plain, giving a 3D perspective of what the artists were thinking. The insight here will intrigue nonartists like myself who are amazed at how complex the making of LOTR was, and serve as a primer for character and building studies. There are elements of technical discussion, but I felt I learned about the relationships of style and message. I fully recommend "The Art of The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings). It is a beautiful book, with interesting text. Having recently watched the movie, I appreciated both Tolkien and the makers of the movie so much more. Anthony Trendl
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant book to finish the series, 29 Jan 2004
Point one - I adore these films. Point two - I love art.
An awesome achievement, painstakingly studied, re-studied, a fantastic job. This series of books is an utter must for fans of the film who want to see the whole design process. A perfectly designed companion to the great minds that worked on bringing tolkiens characters and places to life. Buy it, you will not be dissapointed. Glorious full colour pics and a real sense of achievement. Well done PJ and crew.
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by Gary Russell
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