Lord of the Rings

[Gurm]

Yeah, there ARE a few puzzlers.

The bit with Bill is bizarre - they obviously HAD some film of it. In fact, I recall seeing a special or an interview where they were talking about the extended filming in Bree... the stuff with Bill Ferny and Bill the Pony. It didn't make it back into the extended version, but remember - there is STILL another hour of footage out there that hasn't made it into the first movie.

In fact, there are different versions entirely of several scenes, some of which we've seen in trailers and specials and whatnot.

I hold out hope for the scouring of the shire, although Jackson hasn't committed one way or the other. It's really kind of important.

- Gurm

[Jon P. Inghram]

It's probably a good thing they left the gift scene out of the theater release... poor Boromir and Sam get ripped off pretty bad. After Sam gets home after it's all over, he probably had a T-shirt made saying "I went to Lothlorien and all I got was a ROPE and some DIRT!"

[KvHagedorn]

The prologue to FOTR managed to tell a lot of story without dragging it out too long. Why you all think it needs to take a long boring hour to tell the epilogue, I don't know. If I were doing the film, I would make about a 5 minute epilogue, narrated by Frodo or Gandalf, telling how they all wound up, with brief scenes to back it up. Not a big deal, and you certainly don't want to just cut from the ring falling into the mountain straight to the end credits.

[Wombat]

The Shire isn't an epilogue. It's practically a novel in itself.

[Gurm]

The extended release DOES have the prologue to the book, narrated by Bilbo.

- Gurm

[BuddMan]

Originally posted by rugger
I am wondering BuddMan, why do you dread them cutting the story off after the destruction of the ring?

Why the obsession to follow the exact flow of the book, to the detriment of the quality of the movie? (having a 1 hour conclusion is simply not an option in a movie)

Well how else can he tell the death of Saruman, unless he wants to change that too. I don't see how you can leave his death out of the movie. It would make it imcomplete IMO.

[bibble]

Tom is fine to leave out but not all of the ending of the book. I read the appendixes and they carry on for 50 years until all ringbearers have left to 'Go west'. A bit of that to end would be good but the Saruman sequence is a must but I dont think needs to be ages maybe 15mins wrap up after the destruction of the ring - films like star wars only last for 5-10 mins after end of death star etc type sequences I see no reason to tarry on this other than saruman as that is integral but the rest is all 'and they lived happily ever after type stuff'. my 2c (pence as am in london)

[Wombat]

It wasn't just "happily ever after." It was the rise of the Hobbits. Pippin and Merry came back, and the "meek" hobbits rose again to reclaim their land, like their forgotten forefather archers.

[KvHagedorn]

There, now.. that didn't take too long to tell did it?

It will be interesting to see how the filmmakers handle the ending.. I think I will hold onto my criticism til I see what they've done.

[Dogbert]

Bah, you're all arguing about the small details.
The worst thing was the last scene. It was Awful !
VERY unlike the book. For example, in the book Boromir's last fight was quite different.

On the other hand, BIG-DEAL. Sheesh... At least it's better than Ralph Bakshi's. And (hopefully) it might get people to read the book for the extra details.

[BuddMan]

Originally posted by Dogbert
Bah, you're all arguing about the small details.
The worst thing was the last scene. It was Awful !
VERY unlike the book. For example, in the book Boromir's last fight was quite different.

On the other hand, BIG-DEAL. Sheesh... At least it's better than Ralph Bakshi's. And (hopefully) it might get people to read the book for the extra details.

Actually that was very close to the book. It's just that they dramatized Boromir's death more which I actually think was needed in the movie's case and better. It actually went on into the beginning of the 2nd book and ended where the 2nd book begins, but again, I don't mind that at all.

If anything, you're the one arguing small details because what you mentioned doesn' affect the main storyline of the book at all. What we're pointing out is stuff that actually makes the movie quite different from the book.

[Gurm]

And again, the extended version is substantially closer to the book as well. Boromir takes out dozens and dozens of orcs single-handedly, in a grim determination to attempt (by protecting Merry & Pippin) to expiate his sins (trying to take the ring from Frodo).

- Gurm

[knirfie]

Maybe I should watch the extended version then, I didnt want to first because I was so disappointed by the movie in the cinema.

[Gurm]

If you were disappointed by the movie in the cinema, then either you haven't read the books as carefully as you might have liked, or you're a COMPLETE stickler for detail. It was amazing.

- Gurm

[Technoid]

Reading all of this makes me confused....
I'll just have to read the d*** books myself
I'll put it in the pipeline....
Should have time to start early 2006