Alright, according to modern hollywood protacol, movies should have some sort of a happy ending. Even if the movie is a tragety, there is always some kind of little glimmer of hope at the end.
This makes me ask a question: will the ending of The Return of the King be altered to be a little more…happy?
Remember, at the end of the novel, Frodo has quite the bitter parting with Sam, Merry, and Pippin. Later on in the appendicies, we read that Merry dies, Pippin dies, Aragorn dies, Legolas and Gimli sail away never to be seen again (just like Frodo and Galndalf) and then finally after Sam’s wife dies he too sails away.
I was a saddened by this ending (not exactly moved to tears though) so I wonder, do you think the ending will be altered somehow to make it more, optomistic?
I believe PJ has stated that ROTK will stick pretty closely to the book. That’s not to say he can’t make the ending seem a little more hopeful rather than sad, but the ending is supposed to be sad. This ain’t Hollywood, it’s Wellington.
I don’t think he’ll try to film the appendices (except for the romance of Aragorn and Arwen). And I don’t think knowing that the mortal characters die in the story’s future is too much of a surprise, anyhow.
Though Frodo finding himself unable to live in the Middle Earth he saved is definitely sad. And necessary to the story.
We already know from the FOTR DVD commentary that the Scouring of the Shire is not in the film, which (extrapolating here) will likely result in an ending at least somewhat different from that of the books’.
That said, I can’t see Jackson remaining true to most of the major plot points of the story so far, only to “happy up” the ending. I expect that while the general impression of the ending may be more optimistic, the events themselves will be the same.
Also, as I recall, the ending of the books projected some years after the conclusion of the Ring saga (could be wrong here, I still need to re-read ROTK). I doubt the film will do the same; I think some things might be left hanging. “And the road goes ever on…” and all.
Heh, the tale of Aragorn and Arwen is being filmed out across all three movies.
Also, I heard that the scouring will be in RotK, but horribly chopped for time constraints. Can anyone confirm this?
Jackson himself said on the DVD commentary that it was completely out, or words very similar to that. Then again, that was, what, a year ago or so. Who knows if something has changed? If there’s updated info out there, I’m interested to hear it… 'til then, Jackson’s words are right up there with Gawd’s for me (probably higher).
It says “spoiler” in the title and everyone here has read the book, right? OK.
We will have two big happy spectacles: the defeat of evil for the boys and a coronation/wedding for the girls.
The Scouring is right out. PJ’s been insistent about that from the very early on.
We will have Sam seeing Frodo off to the West, which will be melancholy.
We will have a cute and touching scene of Sam returning to the Shire and embracing his little daughter (end of book).
The above is pretty much given. I’ve seen talk of a Galadriel voice-over explaining the fates of the characters. I hope that’s wrong; it sounds too much like Animal House.
Here’s what I’d like to see: Old Sam, after raising his family and serving a couple terms as mayor of Hobbiton, leaves for the Grey Havens. The final shot is Frodo waiting to welcome him to the Undying Lands. Gives us a nice upbeat ending, only adds a couple of minutes AND it’s true to Tolkien, since we’re told in the appendices that Sam made the trip.
As a novel, the scouring of the Shire is necessary to convey the message that evil is not far-off and magnificent, it is close by and petty. As a movie, once the Ring is destroyed, the audience’s attention span will be about ten minutes to finish everything up.
God, I hope the ending doesn’t get changed or happied up. Although I think the Scouring is very important to the vision/themes of the novel, I can live with its deletion for ciinematic puposes.
However, Frodo’s leaving MUST be left as it is. If it’s handled at all well, I will be weeping by the time Frodo says that someone has to give things up so others can have them, etc. - and when he gives all he has or ever would have to Sam. I feel the tears coming whenever I read it in the book.
And the last line should be “Well, I’m Back”.
He found the directions to the Undying Lands underneath a piece of volcanic glass under the Party Tree, plus fifty pieces of gold to buy a ticket at the Gray Havens.
In the very last scene, Frodo is sanding a boat on the beach in the foreground as Sam slowly approaches, carrying his shoes. And we hear Gandalf’s voiceover just before we fade to black: “And someday, humans may wonder, is there any hobbit in me? Is there?”
Credits roll, and then . . .
Frodo of the Nine Fingers, and the Ring of Doom . . .
Which really sinks him, in my eyes. The Scouring is really the heart of the story: seeing how the bright land from the beggining has been crippled, how it will be healed, and why Frodo has to leave it. If he simply leaves for the Havens from Gondor, it wont make much sense: he doesn’t want to see the beloved Shire, the place he loves so deeply, one last time?
The appendix is actually vague as to whether Sam really makes the trip. It’s suspected, but never confirmed that he lives that long. All we know is that he was last seen heading for the Havens.
To change the ending would hurt the point of the entire saga. I shy away from ‘message’ as Tolkien denied there was a message. But, there are certainly displays of his ideology and beliefs, found most throughout the book. He was fond of the ‘older’ things of this world, things that were fading. The ‘dead’ languages of man and such.
The elves are fading; the greatest of their kind remaining in Middle Earth are finally departing - Elrond and Galadriel. The ents are disappearing. The Shire will eventually disappear from the knowledge of men, and their rise is the end of an era.
The ending seems resigned, in a way hopeful, with Sam returning home. Yet, it is resigned. Things are disappearing. ‘Magic’ is disappearing from the world.
Now, even so, Sam’s return is hopeful in a way. Frodo was wounded, yet Sam, a far cry from the beginning, is mature and capable, and he assumes the post of Master of Bag End. He can be seen as a ‘symbol’ (though I am reluctant to use the word) of ‘renewal’ or ‘continuity’. Life goes on and, though things change, some things will remain the same. Make the best of what you are given.
Fellowship left out some things that I really felt were missed. With the exception of the many dozens of discrepencies between the book and the movie I was not disappointed with it. The Two Towers was a different matter altogether. I feel that it has strayed too far from the book. I guess it’s nice that someone wants to bear some artistic lisense in regards to making their adaptation. It’s not like the original work was popular or well-known. Oh wait, it has been read by countless people around the world for years and years (by my youngish reckoning anyways). There is more than enough content and superb storytelling in the trilogy to make three long movies WITHOUT taking liberties with the story. The 2 Towers pissed me off. I see the Return of the King moving farther away from the ‘facts’ of the story. I would not be surprised if it just ends with the coronation/wedding. Yaayyyy, we defeated evil. Long live love. Long live the King. :rolleyes:
I can understand having to remove the Scouring of the Shire for cinematic reasons. Although it’s true that many people have read the book, there are plenty more people who haven’t. It would make sense that those who aren’t already familiar with the ending don’t want to sit around for 2 climaxes in the movie.
I genuinely hope that the movie doesn’t end with the weddings and everyone leaving from Gondor. Even with the Scouring of the Shire taken out, I hope the rest of the ending of the book remains intact. The hobbits make it back to the Shire, and Frodo leaves from there to meet the others travelling to the Gray Havens.
If they “happy up” the ending though, I’ll be sorely disappointed with Peter Jackson et al.
It’s my understanding that the movie will end with cutaway scenes of the many jubilant celebrations in the various lands and kingdoms of Middle Earth as the Hobbits sing the “Jub Jub” song.
Leaving out The Scouring of the Shire is really hurts the story, IMHO. As Saruman said:
“You made me laugh, you hobbit-lordlings, riding along with all those great people, so secure and so pleased with your little selves. You thought you had done very well out of it all, and could now just amble back and have a nice quiet time in the country. Saruman’s home could be all wrecked, and he could be turned out, but no one could touch you or yours.”
If, in fact, they simply amble back and have a nice quiet time, that would really suck. Worse, in my opinion than missing Bombadil, worse than Faramir’s change of personality…
However, I’m not making the film, PJ is, so it’s up to him–dang it.
As far as the ending of the book being “sad”–well, everybody dies (in the appendixes anyway) so I guess some folks consider that sad. However, we all die some time, what matters is what we do while we’re alive.
Re: Sam, Merry and Pippin
To live a full life, save the land that you love and see your children and grand-children grow up happy can’t be all that bad.
Re: Frodo
To save the entire world and end up in paradise sounds like not a bad way to spend your life, even if you didn’t get to enjoy the world you saved.
pravnik, scarcasm becomes you. Will you be attending the premier of RotK?
