The Fellowship of the Ring: Wednesday, December 27, 2 p.m.
The Two Towers: Thursday, December 28, 12:30 p.m.
The Return of the King: Thursday, December 28, 4 p.m.
Davenport Public Library – Fairmount, 3000 Fairmount Street, Davenport IA
One of the highest-grossing and most Oscar-lauded film series in history will provide nearly 10 hours of fantasy-adventure excitement at the Davenport Public Library's Fairmount branch, as Peter Jackson's epic J.R.R. Tolkien adaptations The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Tours, and The Return of the King enjoy screenings in the December 27 and 28 Lord of the Rings Movie Marathon.
An introduction to Tolkien's unforgettable universe of wizards, hobbits, and dwarfs, plus iconic characters such as Frodo, Aragorn, and Gollum, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring opens the marathon at 2 p.m. on December 27. Released on December 10, 2001, the film was instantly acclaimed as a landmark in the fantasy genre, and went on to earn over $871 million worldwide. Jackson's series-starter was also nominated for 13 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Director, and Supporting Actor for Galdalf portrayer Ian McKellen, winning the Oscars for Cinematography, Visual Effects, Original Score, and Makeup.
On December 28 at 12:30 p.m., the library will screen Jackson's follow-up The Two Towers, the highest-grossing domestic title of 2002 that also earned over $926 million worldwide and is currently the 43rd highest-grossing movie of all time. Among the film's numerous accolades were nominations for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, with wins in the categories of Best Visual Effects ad Best Sound Editing.
And at 4 p.m. on December 28, the marathon concludes with 2003's The Return of the King. Jackson's trilogy-ender, which ended its run as the year's highest-grossing release, became only the second film in history to gross more than $1 billion worldwide, and currently stands as the sixteenth highest-grossing movie of all time. It also won all 11 Academy Awards for which it was nominated, including Best Picture (Return of the King is the first and only fantasy film to have done so), and the movie jointly holds the record, alongside Ben-Hur and Titanic, for the most Academy Awards ever won.
All screenings in the Lord of the Rings Movie Marathon are free, and are intended for teen and adult audiences only. For more information on the event, call (563)326-7832 or visit DavenportLibrary.com.
