Thoughts about Return of the King...

[dreamflower]

So, I had the Encore marathon of LotR on all last afternoon and evening as background while I did my housework and so forth. (The house is small enough that I can hear the TV well in every room except the kitchen, and even SEE it from three rooms.)

I got to thinking about a recent trend that might have been very neat back when RotK was being filmed: I'm talking about the trend of filming the "last" book in a series in two parts. Hey, it worked for Harry Potter, right?

So, here's a little "what-if" question: If RotK could have been six hours instead of three, what (if anything) would you like to have seen added or changed?
My own wish-list behind the cut:


The first thing I would have liked would have been the addition of "Flotsam and Jetsam" in some form or other: Merry and Pippin feeding and talking with Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, and showing them all the bounty they'd found.

With more time to fill, perhaps the Grey Company could have been included, instead of a totally irrelevant visit from Elrond. Halbarad could have brought Aragorn the standard.

More scenes with Merry among the Rohirrim.

Beregond and Bergil might have been included-- perhaps a brief scene at least, in which they are introduced to Pippin.

The Houses of Healing: Aragorn could have been shown tending Faramir as well as Eowyn, and also he could have tended Merry after Pippin found him.

With more time to use, perhaps the deplorable scenes where Frodo sends Sam away could have been amended a little, so that Frodo and Sam could have been separated at the tunnel without that part. (For example, Gollum could have tricked Sam somehow so that he temporarily ends up going down the wrong tunnel.)

Perhaps we could have had Cormallen?

I'm of two minds as to whether the Scouring could have been included in movie-verse. Perhaps, but there would have had to have been some changes in the first two movies to allow it.


So, what about y'all: what do YOU wish could be included if we could have had a two-part RotK?

Comments

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

Definitely the Beregond and Bergil scenes!

More with Sam rescuing Frodo from the tower.

Frodo and Aragorn would have a longgggg conversation/hug at some point! :)

Scouring. I think. But yes, I can see that there would have been some potential problems.

[dreamflower]

The main problem I see with the Scouring (as much I would have LOVED to see it, and see it done right!) would have been the reactions of those who had not read the books.

I remember my first time reading LotR, the Scouring, especially the cutting down of the Party Tree, hit me really hard. I was actually ANGRY about it, and thought that Tolkien shouldn't have done that to the four hobbits when they went through so much to keep the Shire safe. That feeling went away after I began re-reading, and now the Scouring chapter is one of my favorites!

But if I had never re-read the story, I can see feeling cheated with the ending.

[gamgeefest.livejournal.com]

My dad's never read the books, only seen the movies. He was surprised that the Shire wasn't harmed and said that was completely unbelievable. So of course I had to explain about the Scouring and he agreed that made much more sense.

I think the biggest problem with the Scouring would have been conveying it in a way that the audience understood this was the true final battle of the War of the Ring, and not the big grand battle of the Pelennor and the Black Gate.

[lbilover.livejournal.com]

I don't think Peter would ever have included the Scouring of the Shire, but I would have liked to see it, to see the growth of the hobbits and Sam doing his planting, in particular the mallorn. I'd have loved Cormallen to be shown and then some scenes of the Fellowship in their 'fair house in the city'. Also the stop on the road home in Rivendell. And maybe over the credits they could have shown some scenes from the Appendices of the Fellowship in future years, ending with Sam's arrival on Tol Eressea.

Oh, and yes to Beregond and Bergil! I really missed them!!

[dreamflower]

Those are all definitely great scenes!

[periantari.livejournal.com]

And maybe over the credits they could have shown some scenes from the Appendices of the Fellowship in future years, ending with Sam's arrival on Tol Eressea.

omg that would be awesome to include! I can so imagine that! That is a great idea! :D

[slightlytookish]

Pippin killing the troll and being rescued by Gimli!!

[dreamflower]

Yes!! And what would be cool: if the one he killed was the one that almost got Aragorn!

[mews1945.livejournal.com]

The Scouring of the Shire.

[dreamflower]

I think it would have been great, if it had been done right. Though I totally understand why PJ did not include it to begin with.

[baranduin.livejournal.com]

I'd like every chapter to be included and then some of the appendices, up to at least Aragorn's death and possibly to the point of Legolas and Gimli leaving Middle-earth.

Little bits I'd particularly like to see:
- the parting of Aragorn from the Fellowship, when he holds up his green stone
- the journey home, with all the high (or low) points including coming to Rivendell, passing Weathertop, going to Bree (and seeing the expression on Butterbur's face when it finally gets through to him that Aragorn is king
- Sam going up and down the Shire doing his planting
- the mallorn tree
- the Elves passing through the woods when Frodo is leaving
- a correct depiction of Gondor and Denethor

Just a few things :-)

[dreamflower]

the journey home, with all the high (or low) points including coming to Rivendell, passing Weathertop, going to Bree (and seeing the expression on Butterbur's face when it finally gets through to him that Aragorn is king

Oh, yes! That would have been awesome!

[elandulin.livejournal.com]

Definitely Pippin and Bergil, and the Houses of Healing!

[dreamflower]

I have always imagined young Daniel Radcliff (at 11 when the first HP movie was made) as the perfect Bergil. But I guess he would have been a little busy to do LotR at the time. LOL!

And they really needed more HoH!

[gamgeefest.livejournal.com]

You know I loathe what PJ did to Frodo and Sam, so with a few extra hours, he could have filmed that correctly, as it's written in the book. The Choices of Samwise could have used more time and they could show Sam actually wearing the Ring and what he sees while wearing it, as opposed to Frodo.

Pippin and the troll - good one!

Bergil and Beregond

More of Eowyn and Faramir's courtship

More of Merry with the Rohirrim - Master Bag should have been said at least once!

Maybe he could have found a way to make Denethor less insane at the beginning and show his gradual descent into madness, instead of just having him cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs right from the start.

Aragorn and Gandalf retrieving and planting the White Tree

[dreamflower]

I think the Frodo/Sam/Gollum stuff was probably the most wince-able part of the whole trilogy. (Is wince-able a word? If not it ought to be!) With an extra three hours, I am sure he could have stuck closer to the book.

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

Aragorn healing Faramir - the lack of that spoiled the film for me.

The Grey company and Halbarad

Pippin's scenes with Bergil.

Beregond's story

[budgielover.livejournal.com]

Are you kidding? More of Frodo's healing in Imladris! :)

[ansostuff.livejournal.com]

Oh, I like your suggestions as well as some of the others. I agree about the Scouring. I'm not sure if that would have worked without a change in all the movies, but it would have been nice to see that too.

[mrowe.livejournal.com]

- the Scouring of the Shire
- dropping Frodo sending Sam away
- Halbarad and the Grey Company bringing the standard
- losing the Ghost Army from the Pelennor (even if the change would have made me bawl my eyes out - see point above)
- proper characterisation for Denethor

(edit) and of course include Beregond and Bergil

[periantari.livejournal.com]

Scouring of the Shire is a popular demand. I want an amendment to the Frodo and Sam separation too-- how they did it was just abominable in the current version. There is so much room to include more of the Faramir/Gandalf/Denethor conversation with Pippin about Frodo's whereabouts and just more Siege of Gondor in terms of the dialogue part.

HoH- definitely healing Faramir and Merry too!

Such an interesting question-- i will have to think more into this question. :) Good question!!!

[pandemonium-213.livejournal.com]

Oooh, good question! Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I caught bits and pieces of the Encore marathon and was reading chunks of The Lord of the Rings (in part for research to refresh my Silmarillion-soaked brain and in part for sheer entertainment). One of the chapters which thoroughly engrossed me was The Scouring of the Shire.

That's an amazingly strong chapter IMO and illustrates the hobbits as a force to be reckoned with once they are riled up. It also shows how the characters have developed through their ordeal/quest/adventure/thing. I think it would have been difficult to incorporate this into the cinematic narrative, but oh, would I have loved to see it! I swear I was swooning like a school girl when I was reading about Merry and Pippin's role in the uprising.

I could not agree more strongly on changing the terrible scene when Frodo sends Sam back. That shocked me. Up to that point, I had accepted certain changes (some grudingly, some very willingly), but that one...sometimes I have to fast forward through it when I am watching the DVD, it bothers me so much.

Bergil and Beregond! Oh, yes! That was one of my favorite bits in The Return of the King. I loved Pippin and Bergil's interactions. Remember how Pippin declared himself a fierce, hard hobbit? Or something to that effect? A young Daniel Radcliffe would be perfect in the role.

Yes to the Grey Company! Which leads me to say that I would have liked to have seen Arwen back in Rivendell working on the standard. In the book, the presentation of the standard and Halbarad's words that accompanied it strengthened the connection between Arwen and Aragorn, that his dreams and hopes were hers as well. I liked what PJ et al did with Arwen's role in the movies, including substituting her for Glorfindel in The FotR. The addition of a small scene of her crafting/finishing up the standard, the presentation under darkness when Halbarad, Ellandan, Elrohir and crew arrive, and then Aragorn unfurling it per the book would have been very cool IMO.

[shirebound]

Halbarad could have brought Aragorn the standard.

The Houses of Healing: Aragorn could have been shown tending Faramir as well as Eowyn, and also he could have tended Merry after Pippin found him.

Perhaps we could have had Cormallen?

Yes yes yes! And Frodo getting the pendant from Arwen!