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A Shortcut to History: Trilogy Tuesday Comes to Washington, DC
My friends and I planned our Trilogy Tuesday excursion some months in advance, having to contend with numerous logistical challenges as well as the chaotic sale of the actual movie tickets via the online vendor, Fandango. Rather than release a single all-day marathon ticket, Fandango inexplicably sold tickets to each of the three films individually, resulting in a great deal of confusion, frustration and anger amongst Rings fans that would fall upon the Uptown Theater in Washington DC to relieve. Would they be up to this monumental task? They were indeed. In those early days, they even offered to sort out sets of tickets for all those who failed to acquire all three through Fandango. But one day soon, the real adventure would begin... 12/15, Monday night, 12:00 Midnight Some of my friends had already begun the long wait earlier on Monday, taking up temporary residence in a makeshift camp that had sprung up on the pavement outside the Uptown. Others had brought lanterns, a tent, and numerous sleeping bags and collapsible canvas chairs, so despite the cold it was a pleasant gathering with lots of excitement and anticipation in the chilly air. My girlfriend and I took up our shift for the next several hours, and although it sounds strange, the ridiculously early start was worth it - we secured numbered cards from the theater that guaranteed us choice spots in tomorrow morning's entrance line. Having never participated in the "fans wait overnight" scenario before, I found it an enjoyable if uncomfortable experience. 12/16, Tuesday morning, 10:00AM Returning from a brief rest (we had wisely booked a hotel room up the street for our group), we found the line stretching down the block and beyond, but we were in the first half dozen people in line thanks to the numbered cards. The theater handed out "Trilogy Tuesday" buttons in exchange for the cards, the first indication that an organized system was in place to insure that the moviegoers would be properly looked after. As I noted before, the ticket-buying chaos had led some to question how the theater would handle the crowd, and paramount on everyone's minds was the main concern: Would they clear the theater between films, even though marathon attendees should be allowed to keep their seats all day and night? The Uptown played it close to the vest, and as we filed into the theater around noon, we still didn't know what their plan would be. Tuesday afternoon, just before 1:00PM My group made it up to the left-side balcony, claiming seats in the first two rows - the best seats in the house, no question. The manager stepped out to greet the crowd of 900+ fans and then came the magic words themselves: we were going to be allowed to keep our seats all day. To top it off, arrangements had been made to bring in sandwiches for the break between films one and two so that no one had to rush out into the cold to find something to eat. The first of many cheers filled the theater, and then the festivities began... Tuesday afternoon, around 4:30PM With Fellowship of the Ring concluded, the manager returned with lunch for everyone (for a relatively reasonable fee), although some noticed that the theater personnel were rather lenient about letting patrons bring in outside food and drinks if they wished. Then another even bigger surprise: there would be a mysterious special "item" made available to every single movie-goer after The Two Towers. We were instructed to show our 10:30 Return of the King ticket stub at three designated places in the theater and we would receive the "item?" The mystery would linger as the second film began... Tuesday evening, 9:00PM The big surprise of the day arrives. It seems New Line had arranged with Sideshow WETA to produce a collectible only available to Trilogy Tuesday attendees. The stone-like desktop piece contains individual film frames of each of the three movies cut from actual prints, and every piece is unique. The distribution of the collectibles was handled in what by now was the Uptown's signature orderliness. The rest of the break before the final film, as with the break between films one and two, was filled with good-natured conversation, food and drink runs to the concession stands or restaurants outside, and countless e-mails sent via the ubiquitous laptops and PDAs that flared to life at both breaks in the day. By this point, it felt like we were all part of a very happy community, and the theater staff seemed very pleased that everything had gone so well. And soon enough it was finally time for the saga to end and for us to witness the triumph of good over evil, of heroism confirmed, of love won and lost, and of one hell of a movie smooch between King Elessar (Aragorn) and Arwen (certain to win next year's MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss). 12/17, Wednesday Morning 3AM (Simon & Garfunkel fans will get it) It was all over. The theater was almost completely empty, with only a few cups and popcorn bags left behind to mark our coming. Some of us had lingered to talk about the final film - there was simply too much to process on first viewing, and too many tearful farewell moments to see through clouded eyes - but it was now time to leave Middle Earth and face the cold darkness of reality. Ugh. A rain-drenched walk back to the hotel did not dampen our spirits. After all, we had Return of the King to talk about! And the movies themselves? After spending all day watching them, I can safely say they felt as if they were one cohesive film, and they simply flew by despite their running time. As for the final chapter itself, there is little I can say that isn't being said by countless others. It's a masterful conclusion - complaints from Tolkien purists notwithstanding - and the 'multiple endings' that some people are fussing about are perfectly appropriate and desperately wanted at the end of such an emotionally involving saga. We want to spend a good long time saying goodbye after such a grand adventure - anything less would have felt abrupt and cruel. And when Oscar time rolls around, if this movie - and by extension the entire series - is not properly recognized, you will hear a howl erupt from around the world that even an army of orcs from Mordor could not match. So say what you will about fandom and its often strange behavior, but on December 16 we were part of a nationwide event that celebrated one of the greatest storytelling achievements in cinema - and literary - history. I wouldn't have missed it for anything, and I thought it all the more appropriate that we did it together, as friends joined in a fellowship of our own, linked by a shared love of fantasy film, classic literature, and good stories well told. Hail to the King, baby! |
