Where TT will end, redux: BIG NEWS re: Shelob

[Earniel]

I'm not going to get my hopes (or my dissapointments) up until I have actually seen the movies. It'll be 2 years, yeah I know, it'll be hard yeah I know that too. I seldom believe something untill I see it. It happened when I graduated (didn't want to believe it until I held that piece of paper that officially stated I passed) So all I can do is wait and fret that time is moving so slooooowly.

[Arathorn]

IP, olsonm,
I finally got what you guys meant; what with me being slow to pick up sometimes. The last 2 volumes flip back and forth between frodo/sam/(gollum) and the other parties. It leaves for some freedom to move one scene between films. It looks like PJ will be focusing more on the battles in TTT: The Movie.

[Laurelyn]

Originally posted by Arathorn
IP, olsonm,
I finally got what you guys meant; what with me being slow to pick up sometimes. The last 2 volumes flip back and forth between frodo/sam/(gollum) and the other parties. It leaves for some freedom to move one scene between films. It looks like PJ will be focusing more on the battles in TTT: The Movie.

Yep, I think you're right. I'm figuring that Helm's deep and the like will get a lot of screentime in TTT.
Oh, and Luthien Tinuviel, I think you're right as well . . . once we've actually seen the movie, we will all be laughing at what we thought now.

[olsonm]

I think the only way to reproduce the TTT & RoTK as published is to duplicate the bifurcation of Books III-V,(ch.1-3)Book VI.

PJ's decison to tell the story linearly(& intercut) is debatable.
I think Professor Tolkien said LoTR wouldn't work as a conventional screenplay. I believe he was refering to the bifurcation(though there were probably other reasons as well). I accept PJ's choice and the changes seem logical to me. But, as I said, I think this is debatable.

If I were to adapt LoTR to the screen I would be tempted to retain the original structure. I'm not a film-maker so I don't know how well it would play on screen. This uncertainty may be why PJ made the change.

P.S.-Yes, I know I've said all this already. But the more I think about it the more big words I come up with to better elucidate my position.

P.P.S.-Tolkien was a genius!
--- Captain Obvious

[Pailan]

Fans were especially inquisitive about Shelob, the giant spider, and her encounter with Sam and Frodo beneath the mountains of Mordor. As Tolkien's novel was published, the Shelob scene occurs at the end of the Two Towers book. However, Jackson has chosen to push it back to the beginning of The Return of the King. One of the reasons for this is that the scenes between Sam, Frodo, Gollum, and Faramir have been expanded, perhaps to build upon Faramir's character and tie plotlines together a little more tightly. Jackson declined to comment how The Two Towers would end, but said viewers wouldn't be disappointed.

While some of this has been previosly discussed, I find interesting to consider what those "expanded scenes" could be.

Isnagged this bit from tolkienonline.com

[Pailan]

Hmmmm...

Jackson also mentioned a major part of the Lord of the Rings novel that will be cut from the films: the Scouring of the Shire at the end of The Return of the King. Jackson's only explanation for this is that it didn't really "work," so the films' only homage to it will remain the vision Frodo received from Galadriel's mirror.

[RosieCotton]

Originally posted by IronParrot
According to a TORN report from a fan who met Peter Jackson in the recent NY media blitz, Shelob will be in ROTK, not TT.



However.

Without TT's perfect ending of Frodo being alive, but taken by the Enemy, and Sam left alone with the Ring - then where does it end?

where's the climax?

What would be an effective, climactic ending? Darkness flowing out of Mordor? The fumes of Mount Doom filling the sky?

But still - climax? Cliffhanger? The hook that makes us want to see more?

WHAT KIND OF STUPID DECISION IS THAT!!!! I'M GOING CRAZY WAITING FOR SHELOB, JUST SAYING 10 MORE MONTHS 10 MORE MONTHS! NOW I HAVE TO SAY 22!!! AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!
Sorry. Lost control there for a minute.

[Earniel]

There, there Rosie.. It's not that bad. If you find 22 months too long to wait, go to your basement, find yourself a nice and hairy spider, take a magnifying glass, and repeat this process on a daily basis.

[RosieCotton]

Originally posted by Eärniel
There, there Rosie.. It's not that bad. If you find 22 months too long to wait, go to your basement, find yourself a nice and hairy spider, take a magnifying glass, and repeat this process on a daily basis.

What a great idea!
*Goes to find magnifying glass*........ (10 minutes later) Okay, I feel better.
Just kidding.

But really, I heard that too on Tolkien Online. Shelob will be in ROTK because the section with Faramir, Sam, and Frodo will be longer. PJ wouldn't say how it was going to end, but said that fans "wouldn't be disapointed" Also, Gollums past is shown it TTT.

On why Scouring won't be in the movie:
Jackson's only explanation for this is that it didn't really "work," so the films' only homage to it will remain the vision Frodo received from Galadriel's mirror. Don't know about that...

On the DVD:
Jackson was also able to confirm a video/DVD release date of August for the Fellowship movie and the November release of a 3.5-hour special edition

Last thing, I promise:
Jackson also confirmed that new Fellowship reels will be sent out to theaters by March 22, each with a new Two Towers preview tacked onto the ending

[Pailan]

Here Is the latest info about the trailer to be added on to FotR.

"We're going to be in the low $290 millions before we get to Oscar weekend," New Line's David Tuckerman said. "Just hype alone should get us to $300 million. We're going back in the marketplace on Mar. 22 and then on Mar. 29--we've just revised our plan--we're going to add (something special at the conclusion of the film).

Peter Jackson has made a four minute preview--not a trailer--of (the next film in the Rings trilogy) The Two Towers (opening this December). He basically did it as a thank you to the fans. So we're going to switch out the last reel for Friday, Mar. 29. On Mar. 22 we're going to do a big push to get back into the theaters. I hope to get back to (around) 2,000. So we'll get ourselves through that weekend. If we win, that's great. If we don't win, we have a thank you for the fans on Mar. 29 (that will continue to play) until it leaves theaters."

I know were I will be on Friday, March 29th...how about you?

[Kyote Fields]

I was thinking
(a dangerous past time)
(I know)
at the end of FOTR that the whole 3 hour movie only dealt with half a book. Rivendel starts right in the middle of the book and it's not like the intro lasted that long in the movie. So I don't think that ROTK will have that hard of a time filling up three hours.
Personally, I'd like to see some frickin' long battle scenes with hundreds - no - thousands of extras and CG extras. 45 minute battle of Pellenor (sp?) fields. I think I'd be great.

[Play Girl]

We'll probably have to wait to see what really happens and whether we like it or not. Remember how we were all freaking out about Arwen and she got about 3mins screen time in a three hour movie! We were worried that it would not entertain non-fans of the book (a total of two of the world population who happen to have been living under a rock for the whole of their lives) and that Elijah would be rubbish and it wouldn't capture the spirit of Tolkien and it would be a terible adaption of the book but I think the movie is wonderfull.
Ah well.
Maby we will have a gilmps of Shelob at the very end of the movie.
luv
Play Girl
xxxx

[jerseydevil]

Arwen may have gotten only 3 minutes of screen time (used for major advertising purposes) - but the changes that Jackson made with the Flight to the Ford to "build up" her character are the most hated in the movie.

It isn't any surprise that Jackson is concentrating more on the battle scenes - since he's making a hollywood action movie - but moving Shelob to RotK ruins the climax of TT. He always says the fans won't be disappointed - because he knows that most fans are just kissing his feet just because he made the movies. If the books didn't have such a following the movies wouldn't be doing anything at the box office nor would they be getting as much publicity. It's because of the books that most people like the movies.

After seeing FOTR and seeing how he butchered the books and now that my expectations of the movies are so far down - maybe I'll just be able to accept TT more than FOTR.

Concerning the intercutting of the various books - I think that's the only way to do it in the film. I think in the book it works - but in a movie you'd lack the concept of time; not to mention all the fans would have to listen to the nonfans saying half the movie - "Where are the other two characters?". Could you imagine hearing that for an hour and half??

[Earniel]

She may only had 3 minutes, but somethimes 3 minutes are more than enough. I hope they don't make her all Xenaish again in the next movie, but seeing a pic of her in Helm's Deep kinda dashed those hopes. I may have severe doubts about the story JP will be portraying in TTT, but I'm looking forward to seeing the sceneries and sets. And perhaps we can try to look on the bright side of things: If we all expect TTT to be butchered, perhaps we might be pleasantly surprised....

[Rosie-Lass]

I read in some magazine or other that Liv Tyler took fighting lessons and that, in her own words
"That's not the last you'll see of Arwen,"
She also said that she was good at fighting...twice.
Great, so we're going to have a repetition of "If you want him, come and claim him," Possibly the worst line in the film!!!

[Laurelyn]

No. No no nononononono! Please, Eru don't let there be a repeat of "If you want him come and claim him . . . "

[Earniel]

Maybe you should be glad with merely another 'come and claim him' In my view there are plenty of lame sentences she can deliver. Who knows? You might even start to like that sentence compared to other lines.

[Arathorn]

Yeah. She could suddenly sprout wires all over her face and body and bark "WE ARE BORG. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE"

[Gorhiriel]

They CAN'T end TT without Shelob!!! One word: CLIFFAHNGER!!!!

[Pailan]

I got these bits from Imladris.net.

Jackson also let slip a few more details about the second Lord of the Rings movie. The feature will have even more effects shots than Fellowship – 600 in all, due in large part to the dramatic battle at Helm's Deep. The climactic showdown between thousands of Elves, Humans, and Orcs dominated much of the year-long filming in New Zealand, and Jackson says that they have between 15 and 20 hours of footage to work with. Jackson is anxious that this event live up to its importance and prominence in Tolkien's original novel. "Helm's Deep is one of Tolkien's most vivid pieces of prose," said Jackson. "You really feel his blood boiling."

Jackson also revealed that he plans to milk the psychological games between Gollum and the two hobbits, Frodo and Sam, for all it's worth. "It's an unholy trinity," Jackson says. "We play psychological games more intensely than the book does."

Among Two Towers elements still being worked on is the ancient and myserious tree-being, Treebeard. Effects specialists are putting the finishing touches on the Ent's computer-generated leaves and bark texture. The character is one of the most unusual of all Tolkien's creations, and will have to be pulled off just right if Treebeard is to be his imposing and impressive self. John Rhys-Davies, who plays the dwarf Gimli, has been chosen to do Treebeard's voice.

I am looking forward (being an entmooter and all) to see how PJ portrays the ents. The bit about the cast of thousands at Helm's Deep is perhaps wrong by including "Elves". I think it should have read "Ents". As I rember the story, the only Elf there was Legolas.