Shelob's Lair

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

In the appendices of The Two Towers EE Peter Jackson says that Shelobs Lair was postponed until RotK because it would have clashed with the Battle of Helms Deep, yet in RotK it was clashing with The Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Does anyone know why this was or was there another reason.

[ringbearer]

I think just time restraints...The Two Towers would have been too long, with Shelob's lair...

[Haradrim]

yeah I mean can you imagine if they had added Shelobs lair which also would have included the stairs would have been like an extra hour. Also PJ was doing the story chronologically so we saw what happened at what times and I really liked that.

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

It's just the reasons he gave didn't make sense.

[Halbarad of the Dunedain]

Well there are a couple of reasons, one is that there was a lot of stuff already in Two Towers for Frodo and Sam. Obviously as they had back and forth Frodo to Aragorn. They would have had to subtract from what is now in TT in order to add the Return of the King Frodo and Sam footage. The more important and more likely reason is the timeline. The events of Shelobs Lair coincide with the Battle of the Pelennor. If they had done Shelobs lair at the time of Helms Deep, the ring would have been destroyed durring or before the Battleo f Pelennor.

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

I know that but PJ said that it was because it would have been sidelined by Helms Deep.

[Lady Ravyn]

personally, i'm glad that it was in rotk; i think it would have been too much for people who weren't fans of the books to handle.
that's sorta how i tend to view alot of things about the movies. having watched them with so many people who haven't read the books and/or were skeptical about how good the trilogy would be, i try to think of it from their pov. i'm always trying to convert people (so to speak ) so anything that makes watching the movies or reading the book easier is okay by me
besides, halbarad's right: pj did have a lot of frodo and sam parts in the second one- and i like the parts with legolas, aragorn, and gimli

[Halbarad of the Dunedain]

Not to mention a lot of the book version of Return of the King for Frod oand Sam was walking across the Plains of Gorgoroth. It would not have been a great idea to show half an hour of footage of Frodo and Sam walking across a wasteland for the film. With the removal of the Scouring of the Shire there was even less of Frodo and Sam so, I think the change was a good one.


*This post is in memory of J.R.R. Tolkien who died on September 2, 1973*

[Lady Ravyn]

acutally, i realized that about ten seconds after i logged off that day- i feel guilty i didn't say anything anywhere lol

[Elessar the Elfstone]

it says in the appendices of TT that it was not in TT because it would be inter cut with the huge climax of Helms deep and would cancel themselves both out in ROTK it is inter cut with the battle of pellenor fields but that isn't the climax of the film. yes it is a huge battle but I see the climax of ROTK to be Frodo and sam climbing mount doom and the bit where Gollum falls in with the ring and the black gate battle.

[Manveru]

Originally Posted by Halbarad of the Dunedain

The more important and more likely reason is the timeline. The events of Shelobs Lair coincide with the Battle of the Pelennor. If they had done Shelobs lair at the time of Helms Deep, the ring would have been destroyed durring or before the Battleo f Pelennor.

if they were really following the timeline the frodo/sam storyline wouldve ended at about the spot when they reach the black gates as this coincides with the end of the battle for helm's deep and the parley with saruman