Top 10 Film Industry Stories of 2004: #9: Return of the King Wins Big at Oscars
By Tony Kollath
December 27, 2004
Peter Jackson finally had his big night, and it came on February 29, 2004.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won 11 Academy Awards, including prizes for Best Picture and Best Director. This triumph came after the third film in The Lord of the Rings trilogy won all four Golden Globes for which it was nominated, including Director and Picture (Drama).
Aside from Picture and Director, Return of the King won for Art Direction-Set Decoration, Costume design, Editing, Makeup, Original Song, Original Score, Sound, Visual Effects and Adapted Screenplay.
Interestingly, Return of the King won Best Picture without receiving even a nomination in any of the acting categories at the Oscars. Not since Braveheart in 1995 had this happened1.
The outpouring of critical acclaim served as a fitting end to this impressive body of cinematic work. All three films in the series performed extremely well at the box office. The Fellowship of the Ring, released in 2001, took in $313 million. The Two Towers accumulated $340 million the following year, and Return of the King hauled in $377 million.
Yet, while the first two films had great commercial success, they fell somewhat short at the Oscars. Fellowship of the Ring won four Oscars, primarily in technical categories. It received nine other nominations, including Picture and Director, but lost out to A Beautiful Mind and Ron Howard. The Two Towers won a pair of Oscars for Sound Editing and Visual Effects the following year. The trilogy's second chapter was nominated for Best Picture, but lost out to Chicago.
Nothing, however, could deny Return of the King at the 2003 Oscars. The awards ceremony held at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles turned into a veritable coronation for the final chapter in cinema's most successful trilogy. The telecast was filled with those who had received nominations for the film making their way down the aisle, past Elijah Wood, who seemed to managed to work his way into every single camera shot. A rather rumpled-looking Peter Jackson, accepting the Adapted Screenplay, Director and Picture Oscars seemed gracious and relieved. Moreover, the man seemed glad that no one would have to talk him into getting into a tuxedo again for a long, long time.
1The list of Best Picture winners which have not received a single nomination in any of the acting categories:
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Braveheart (1995)
The Last Emperor (1987)
Gigi (1958)
Around the World in Eighty Days (1956)
The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
An American in Paris (1951)
Grand Hotel (1932)
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
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