The Return of the King was the second movie in the Lord of the Rings duology. It was released in 1980.
Plot
During the 129th birthday celebration for Bilbo Baggins in Rivendell, Frodo Baggins, Bilbo's nephew, tells the story of his quest to destroy the One Ring. Frodo begins his story with Samwise Gamgee, his friend and companion, heading towards the tower of Cirith Ungol to rescue him, as he is being held captive there by Orcs. During his journey, Sam begins to question his thoughts about claiming the Ring himself. Meanwhile, the wizard Gandalf and the Hobbit Pippin arrive at Minas Tirith to warn the Steward of the Throne about the upcoming war - only to discover that the Steward has lost his mind by believing the war will be the end of mankind.
Sam rescues Frodo and returns the Ring. The two then continue on to finish their quest at Mount Doom, only to be attacked by their past guide, the wretched Gollum. As Sam holds Gollum off, Frodo makes it to the Crack of Doom, but once inside, the Ring finally succeeds in corrupting him: he decides to claim to the Ring for himself and as he puts the Ring on, he turns invisible. At the same time, Gondor's neighboring country, Rohan, helps the former claim victory in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
After weeks of searching for Frodo in Mount Doom, Sam discovers Gollum and Frodo fighting over the Ring, which results in Gollum biting off Frodo's finger to claim it. While dancing with joy at the retrieval of his "Precious," Gollum loses his footing and falls into the lava, taking the Ring with him. With the destruction of the Ring, Sauron was defeated.
Months later, Frodo's friend Aragorn is crowned King of Gondor. The film concludes back in the present with Frodo agreeing to accompany Bilbo as they leave Middle-Earth to set out for the Grey Havens.
Cast
- Orson Bean - Frodo and Bilbo Baggins
- Theodore Bikel - Aragorn
- William Conrad - Denethor
- John Huston - Gandalf
- Roddy McDowall - Samwise Gamgee
- Brother Theodore - Gollum
- Paul Frees - Orcs, Uruk-Hai and Elrond
- Don Messick - Theoden, Easterling and The Mouth of Sauron
- John Stephenson - Gondorian Guard, Dwimmerlaik and the Witch King of Angmar
- Casey Kasem - Meriadoc Brandybuck
- Sonny Melendrez - Peregrin Took
- Nellie Bellflower - Eowyn/Dernhelm
- Glenn Yarbrough - The Minstrel of Gondor
Trivia
- 2 Dwarves are seen on the cover, even though they don't appear in the film.
- Several characters from the book don't appear. These characters include Legolas,Gimli, and Arwen.