OK fellow fans, I have been listening to the commentaries on the Extended Version of the Fellowship of the Ring.
Peter Jackson says that Bill the pony (travelled with the Fellowship from Rivendell to outside Moria and back) was naturally unable to be filmed on mountains or marshes.
So they used a pantomine pony! :eek:
Now I’m all for kindness to animals. My problem is that I can’t see this panto horse anywhere. (In the marshes it appears to move it’s legs like a real 4 legged animal. Crossing Caradhas, there is no sign of it.)
So please tell me where to look!
Let me add that I’ve seen a lot of pantomime horses.
No you haven’t!
Yes I have!
No you haven’t!
Yes I have!
In about 12 years, Peter Jackson will re-issue the Revised Extended Version that will correct the errors of the original, so that the pony Bill will be seen (CGI) in all those places. Also, the Gollum in FotR will then match the Gollum in tTT and RotK. And the battle scene between Boromir and the orcs will be revised so that Boromir fires his arrows first.
That will pave the way for the filming of three prequels, about how Sauron turned to evil and the Fall of the old republic of Numenor.
There’s a long shot on the Karahdas pass. And the pony being dragged in the Midgwater marshes is a grip holding up the rope off camera. Other than that, can’t think of any.
Ah, but Jackson specifically says it was a standard two man panto costume.
I realise they could have done it with CG - the beautiful shots of the Fellowship leaving Rivendell (and crossing the bridge of Khazad-dum) are done that way.
Reading just the title of the OP, I thought you had gotten your hands on an early copy of the extended edition of The Return of the King, and I was about to explode.
If you go here and scroll down just a little, you’ll see a BONUS marker that will explain it.
Basically, you put in your preorder and then go to Your Account up in the upper right hand corner. Click that, and then under the heading Where’s My Stuff, you’ll see a link that says Dowload Items From Your Digital Locker. The bonus footage would be there.
Let us know how it is! I want the entire trilogy, so I’m waiting on ordering ROTK… but if the immediate footage is good enough, I might go on and preorder it anyway.
I’ve gone to look at that Amazon site, and maybe I’m reading it too quickly, but is the footage they’re offering excerpts from the extended edition, or is it exclusive footage that you will see nowhere else?
