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{{Merge|Differences Between Jackson's Movies and Tolkien's Books}}
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<center>Rewrite in progress</center>
 
Several attempts have been made to adapt the various books written by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] to film. The most recent of these was [[Peter Jackson|Peter Jackson's]] epic motion picture series, which was released as three movies titled as the books and released in 2001 (<i>[[The Fellowship of the Ring (film)|The Fellowship of the Ring]]</i>), 2002 (<i>[[The Two Towers (film)|The Two Towers]]</i>), and 2003 (<i>[[The Return of the King (film)|The Return of the King]]</i>). As can be expected, differences in the medium necessarily requires the adaptation of a literary work to a screenplay that is suitable for presentation to a film audience, but such adaptations of a beloved story can stir up controversy and resentment among loyal fans. When the first installment of <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> motion pictures was released, many were so disappointed that they never went to see subsequent episodes. Those that did tended to find their final reaction to be mixed. Their enjoyment of the movies might have been better had they not already fallen in love with the story as written, but the writers of the screenplay might also have taken greater pains to tell the actual story instead of their own. In this article, the differences between the written story and the screenplay as presented to the film audience (in the extended editions of the three movies) will be explored.<br><br>__TOC__<br>
 
 
 
==Justification of (Some) Changes==
 
==Justification of (Some) Changes==
   
The director and writers of the motion pictures faced some significant challenges in bringing Tolkien's work to the big screen. Not the least of these was the enormous scale of the story. The <i>[[Lord of the Rings]]</i> is a very lengthy story that was, itself, derived from a fictional universe of prodigious dimensions. In it, an entirely original world of the author's manufacture forms the backdrop of a story with multiple intelligent races ([[Elves]], [[Dwarves]], [[Hobbits]], [[Ents]] and [[Men]]), their many languages and dialects, a highly developed historical narrative, and a minutely detailed geography of the world that had, itself, changed significantly over time. The result of all this is a level of complexity that is very difficult to apprehend in a screenplay. How does one go about presenting, for example, the historical background of a story that spans an enormous period of history that is outside the scope of the movie to be filmed? The difficulties the writers faced were innumerable, and many compromises to the story were required to successfully adapt it to the medium of film.
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The director and writers of the motion pictures faced some significant challenges in bringing Tolkien's work to the big screen. Not the least of these was the enormous scale of the story. The ''[[Lord of the Rings]]'' is a very lengthy story that was, itself, derived from a fictional universe of prodigious dimensions. In it, an entirely original world of the author's manufacture forms the backdrop of a story with multiple intelligent races ([[Elves]], [[Dwarves]], [[Hobbits]], [[Ents]] and [[Men]]), their many languages and dialects, a highly developed historical narrative, and a minutely detailed geography of the world that had, itself, changed significantly over time. The result of all this is a level of complexity that is very difficult to apprehend in a screenplay. How does one go about presenting, for example, the historical background of a story that spans an enormous period of history that is outside the scope of the movie to be filmed? The difficulties the writers faced were innumerable, and many compromises to the story were required to successfully adapt it to the medium of film.
   
Soon after the release of the first movie, controversy began to arise over deviations in the screenplay from Tolkien's own story. Key characters such as [[Glorfindel]] and [[Tom Bombadil]] were absent, and substantial parts of the story were completely missing. Moreover, characters that <i>were</i> present, such as [[Elrond]], [[Aragorn]], and [[Gandalf]], were strangely inverted. The release of <i>The Two Towers</i> made matters even worse with deviations in character development becoming more significant and major plot elements being substantially altered. Finally, with the release of <i>The Return of the King</i>, more differences appeared and critical plot conclusions were either reduced or removed. The overall effect of the entire movie series was that it told a story that was recognizably that of Tolkien's, but it did so with major thematic and other differences that tended to disappoint his fans. These differences were not, however, of any importance to the movie's target audience&mdash;the enormous worldwide moviegoing public most of whom knew nothing of the story. Despite the differences, <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> motion pictures are beautiful and stunning epic movies that tell a great story in their own right.
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Soon after the release of the first movie, controversy began to arise over deviations in the screenplay from Tolkien's own story. Key characters such as [[Glorfindel]] and [[Tom Bombadil]] were absent, and substantial parts of the story were completely missing. Moreover, characters that ''were'' present, such as [[Elrond]], [[Aragorn]], and [[Gandalf]], were substantially altered. The release of ''The Two Towers'' took this even further with deviations in character development and major plot elements becoming more significant. Finally, with the release of ''The Return of the King'', more differences appeared and critical plot conclusions were either reduced or removed. The overall effect of the entire movie series was that it told a story that was recognizably that of Tolkien's, but it did so with major thematic and other differences. These differences were not, however, of any importance to the movie's target audience— the enormous worldwide movie going public most of whom knew nothing of the story. Despite the differences, ''The Lord of the Rings'' motion pictures are beautiful and stunning epic movies that tell a great story in their own right.
   
The fact that the movies are a great achievement of movie-making is due, in part, to some of the changes that were required for screen adaptation. The most understandable differences in the screenplay from the story are those that were required to contract the duration of the film and keep up its pace. Even with substantial portions of the story excised in the screenplay, the three, extended-edition movies have a combined running time of well over eleven hours, and there is arguably enough material not filmed to make a fourth, extended-length motion picture. Considering the relative unimportance&mdash;to general audiences&mdash;of the missing material, it was probably a wise decision to not include it. Another important consideration in filming a motion picture is the pace at which the story moves. For example, the [[Council of Elrond]] is a lengthy episode in Tolkien's book, <i>The Fellowship of the Ring</i>, in which much historical material and explanations of off-camera events are provided. If this episode had been filmed as written, it probably would have run on over an hour and lost many viewers. Instead, the material was presented in a different way that kept the pace of the movie going along as was required for the medium.
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The fact that the movies are a great achievement of movie-making is due, in part, to some of the changes that were required for screen adaptation. The most understandable differences in the screenplay from the story are those that were required to contract the duration of the film and keep up its pace. Even with substantial portions of the story excised in the screenplay, the three extended-edition movies have a combined running time of well over eleven hours, and there is arguably enough material not filmed to make a fourth extended-length motion picture. Considering the relative unimportance— to general audiences— of the missing material, it was probably a wise decision to not include it. Another important consideration in filming a motion picture is the pace at which the story moves. For example, the [[Council of Elrond]] is a lengthy episode in Tolkien's book, ''The Fellowship of the Ring'', in which much historical material and explanations of off-camera events are provided. The material was presented in a different way that kept the pace of the movie going along as was required for the medium.
   
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The reason for Arwen, Eowyn, and Galadriel's extra roles are possibly to give women more screentime.
Some differences between the story and the screenplay, however, are less easy to justify. Characters in the screenplay were developed very differently to those in the story, and they were made to do things that seemed contrary to their personalities. Moreover, major differences of theme exist&mdash;differences that do not seem to make sense or be entirely necessary for film adaption. For example, the result of the Entmoot in the movie was that the Ents decided not to go to war, but then the writers used what seems to be a silly and irrational emotional manipulation to get them to do so anyway. It is fair to ask why they could not have just agreed to go to war in the film as they had in the book. Such differences, though unnoticeable to those who had never read the story, tended to disappoint those who had and vitiate their moviegoing experience.
 
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Some differences between the story and the screenplay, however, are less easy to justify. Characters in the screenplay seem to be developed very differently to those in the story. Moreover, major differences of theme exist— differences that do not seem to make sense or be entirely necessary for film adaption. For example, the result of the Entmoot in the movie was that the Ents decided not to go to war, but then the writers used what seems to be (in some people's opinion)&nbsp;a silly and irrational emotional manipulation to get them to do so anyway. It is fair to ask why they could not have just agreed to go to war in the film as their motivations were in the book. On the other hand, the film's creators stated that the scene had been added to make Merry and Pippin more than just baggage, and indeed it does do a good deal to improve their role in the storyline.
   
 
==Story Background==
 
==Story Background==
   
<i>The Lord of the Rings</i> is a story about an epic conflict between good and evil powers that is set in the land then known as [[Middle Earth]]. The struggle, which had begun even before the [[First Age]] of Middle Earth, had continued for thousands of years through to the end of the [[Third Age]] at which time it reached its final climax and was resolved. The three ages of Middle Earth that had then passed had seen many great battles, and one of the greatest of these was the [[Battle of Dagorlad]] in which the Dark Lord, Sauron, was defeated by the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men]]. Following the battle, [[Isildur]], the son of [[Elendil]], [[King of Gondor]], cut the [[One Ring|Ring of Power]] from the hand of Sauron and took it to be an heirloom of his house. That he did not destroy it as had been advised by [[Elrond]] and [[Círdan]] setup the historical background of <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>.
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''The Lord of the Rings'' is a story about an epic conflict between good and evil powers that is set in the land known as [[Middle-earth]]. The struggle, which had begun even before the [[First Age]] of [[Middle-earth]], had continued for thousands of years through to the end of the [[Third Age]] at which time it reached its final climax and was resolved. The three ages of Middle-earth that had then passed had seen many great battles, and one of the greatest of these was the [[Battle of Dagorlad]] in which the Dark Lord, Sauron, was defeated by the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men]]. Following the battle, [[Isildur]], the son of [[Elendil]], [[King of Gondor]], cut the [[One Ring|Ring of Power]] from the hand of Sauron and took it to be an heirloom of his house. That he did not destroy it as had been advised by [[Elrond]] and [[Círdan]] setup the historical background of ''The Lord of the Rings''.
   
The hot and cold wars that were continually underway between the powers of Middle Earth were, themselves, part of a greater struggle between the [[Valar]] and Sauron, and before him, of [[Morgoth]]. Those wars, though never welcome, were understood to be the appointed task of the lords of Middle Earth, and in their support, the Valar had sent the five [[Istari]], or wizards, from among the lesser powers known as [[Maiar]]. The lords of the people of Middle Earth who stood against Sauron were the heads of the various houses of Elves and the wizards. The Elf-lords were Elrond, [[Galadriel]], and [[Cirdan]], and the wizards were [[Saruman]] the White, Gandalf the Grey, [[Radagast]] the Brown, and the [[Blue Wizards]], [[Alatar]], and [[Pallando]]. As a result of corruptions and debasements of the various wizards, the only one, in the end, that stood with the Elf-lords was Gandalf, and consequently, he became the chief mover of the events of that time.
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The hot and cold wars that were continually underway between the powers of Middle-earth were, themselves, part of a greater struggle between the [[Valar]] and Sauron, and [[Morgoth]] before him. Those wars, though never welcome, were understood to be the appointed task of the lords of Middle-earth, and in their support, the Valar had sent the five [[Istari]], or wizards, from among the lesser powers known as [[Maiar]]. The lords of the people of Middle-earth who stood against Sauron were the heads of the various houses of Elves and the wizards. The Elf-lords were Elrond, [[Galadriel]], and [[Cirdan]], and the wizards were [[Saruman]] the White, Gandalf the Grey, [[Radagast]] the Brown, and the [[Blue Wizards]], [[Alatar]], and [[Pallando]]. As a result of corruptions and debasements of the various wizards, the only one, in the end, that stood with the Elf-lords was Gandalf, and consequently, he became the chief mover of the events of that time.
   
The story of <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> is that of the final [[War of the Ring]] that was fought at the end of the Third Age. This war would have been unnecessary had Isildur destroyed the Ruling Ring instead of taking it for his own, but the persistence of the ring meant the persistence of its master, Sauron. It was the task of the lords of Middle Earth to take council on how finally to destroy Sauron and then to effect that destruction. Their decision was to send the Ring to the [[Orodruin|Fire]], and a group was formed, called the [[Fellowship of the Ring]], to see it done. The path before them was unclear, however, and they were soon turned from their way. Over time, the Fellowship was divided with the [[Ringbearer]] taking his journey to [[Mordor]] with his faithful companion while the others were dispersed, by fate it would seem, to other tasks. As the [[Ringbearer]] made his way in secret, diversionary battles had to be fought to prevent the destruction of the various peoples and to hold the gaze of the Dark Lord away from his own lands. Thus was the destruction of Sauron achieved. The Ring was finally cast into the [[Cracks of Doom]] destroying both it and its master, and the West was liberated from the oppression of the Dark Lord. Once Sauron had been destroyed, the king could take up his throne in [[Gondor]] and also restore the northern kingdom of [[Arnor]].
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The story of ''The Lord of the Rings'' is that of the final [[War of the Ring]] that was fought at the end of the Third Age. This war would have been unnecessary had Isildur destroyed the Ruling Ring instead of taking it for his own, but the persistence of the ring meant the persistence of its master, Sauron. It was the task of the lords of Middle-earth to take council on how finally to destroy Sauron and then to effect that destruction. Their decision was to send the Ring to the [[Orodruin|Fire]], and a group was formed, called the [[Fellowship of the Ring]], to see it done. The path before them was unclear, however, and they were soon turned from their way. Over time, the Fellowship was divided with the [[Ring-bearer]] taking his journey to [[Mordor]] with his faithful companion while the others were dispersed, by fate it would seem, to other tasks. As the [[Ring-bearer]] made his way in secret, diversionary battles had to be fought to prevent the destruction of the various peoples and to hold the gaze of the Dark Lord away from his own lands. Thus was the destruction of Sauron achieved. The Ring was finally cast into the [[Cracks of Doom]] destroying both it and its master, and the West was liberated from the oppression of the Dark Lord. Once Sauron had been destroyed, the king could take up his throne in [[Gondor]] and also restore the northern kingdom of [[Arnor]].
   
 
==Major Differences==
 
==Major Differences==
   
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Major thematic and character differences exist between the movie screenplay and the written story. These differences are presented in the article linked below.
===Differences of Form===
 
   
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*[[Movie vs. Book:Major Differences]]
====Arrangement of Story Threads====
 
   
 
==Differences by Movie==
Tolkien's story was written in such a way that separate threads eventually emerge for the various activities of the various characters. At one time, as many as four threads of the story existed. Tolkien organized these threads such that multiple chapters could advance them well along before switching to another. This is especially true of <i>The Two Towers</i> and <i>The Return of the King</i>. The first half of <i>The Two Towers</i> carried forward the events of the Fellowship in the lands of Rohan including the [[Battle of Helm's Deep]], and the second half took Frodo through the [[Emyn Muil]] on his journey toward Mordor and ending with his imprisonment in the [[Tower of Cirith Ungol]]. The first half of <i>The Return of the King</i> then switches back to the West to tell of the war in Gondor through to the challenge of Sauron at the Black Gate by the [[lords of Gondor]]. The final throw and closure of open threads takes place in the second half of the last book. By this organization, each thread is advanced far along before switching to another.
 
   
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In addition to the major thematic differences described in the article above, a number of other differences exist of varying degrees and significance, and these are related in the articles linked below.
In the movie, the threads are switched much more frequently, and this is probably a necessity of the medium. One could easily forget the plight of one character while spending much time with another. Moreover, the synchronicity of events was much easier to follow with the frequent switching than it would have been had the screenplay been written as the book. This was definitely a case in which the medium dictated the form.
 
   
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*[[The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey#Deviations_from_the_book|''An Unexpected Journey'']]
====Missing Material====
 
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*[[The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug#Differences_between_novel_and_film|''The Desolation of Smaug'']]
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*[[Movie vs. Book:There And Back Again|''There And Back Again'']]
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*[[Movie vs. Book:Fellowship of the Ring|''The Fellowship of the Ring'']]
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*[[Movie vs. Book:Two Towers|''The Two Towers'']]
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*[[Movie vs. Book:Return of the King|''The Return of the King'']]
   
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== External links ==
As amazing as it may seem for a single screenplay that lasts well over eleven hours in its extended form, there was still considerable material in the story that was not filmed. The table below gives a rough idea of how much material from each chapter was filmed. Of a total of sixty-two chapters in the three-volume book set, little to none was filmed from nine of them. These are indicated in <font color=red>red</font>. Another thirty-one chapters had substantial portions left out of the screenplay. These are indicated in <font color=blue>blue</font>. The Remaining twenty-two chapters&mdash;less than half of the total&mdash;had most or all of their material included. These are indicated in <font color=green>green</font>.
 
   
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* A [http://gary.appenzeller.net/TheHobbitDiff.htm detailed list of book and film differences]
<table border=1 cellpadding=1 cellspacing=1 width=650px>
 
<tr><td colspan=3 align=center><i><b>The Lord of the Rings</b></i>
 
<tr><td width=34% align=center><i><b>The Fellowship of the Ring</b></i><td width=33% align=center><i><b>The Two Towers</b></i><td width=33% align=center><i><b>The Return of the King</b></i>
 
<tr><td><font color=green>A Long-expected Party</font><td><font color=blue>The Departure of Boromir</font><td><font color=blue>Minas Tirith</font>
 
<tr><td><font color=green>The Shadow of the Past</font><td><font color=blue>The Riders of Rohan</font><td><font color=blue>The Passing of the Grey Company</font>
 
<tr><td><font color=blue>Three is Company</font><td><font color=green>The Uruk-hai</font><td><font color=green>The Muster of Rohan</font>
 
<tr><td><font color=red>A Short Cut to Mushrooms</font><td><font color=blue>Treebeard</font><td><font color=blue>The Siege of Gondor</font>
 
<tr><td><font color=red>A Conspiracy Unmasked</font><td><font color=green>The White Rider</font><td><font color=blue>The Ride of the Rohirrim</font>
 
<tr><td><font color=red>The Old Forest</font><td><font color=blue>The King of the Golden Hall</font><td><font color=green>The Battle of the Pelennor Fields</font>
 
<tr><td><font color=red>In the House of Tom Bombadil</font><td><font color=blue>Helm's Deep</font><td><font color=blue>The Pyre of Denethor</font>
 
<tr><td><font color=red>Fog on the Barrow Downs</font><td><font color=red>The Road to Isengard</font><td><font color=blue>The Houses of Healing</font>
 
<tr><td><font color=green>At the Sign of the Prancing Pony</font><td><font color=blue>Flotsam and Jetsam</font><td><font color=blue>The Last Debate</font>
 
<tr><td><font color=green>Strider</font><td><font color=blue>The Voice of Saruman</font><td><font color=green>The Black Gate Opens</font>
 
<tr><td><font color=green>A Knife in the Dark</font><td><font color=blue>The Palantír</font><td><font color=green>The Tower of Cirith Ungol</font>
 
<tr><td><font color=blue>Flight to the Ford</font><td><font color=green>The Taming of Smeagol</font><td><font color=green>The Land of Shadow</font>
 
<tr><td><font color=green>Many Meetings</font><td><font color=green>The Passage of the Marshes</font><td><font color=green>Mount Doom</font>
 
<tr><td><font color=blue>The Council of Elrond</font><td><font color=blue>The Black Gate is Closed</font><td><font color=red>The Field of Cormallen</font>
 
<tr><td><font color=blue>The Ring Goes South</font><td><font color=green>Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit</font><td><font color=blue>The Steward and the King</font>
 
<tr><td><font color=green>A Journey in the Dark</font><td><font color=blue>The Windows on the West</font><td><font color=blue>Many Partings</font>
 
<tr><td><font color=green>The Bridge of Khazad-dûm</font><td><font color=blue>The Forbidden Pool</font><td><font color=red>Homeward Bound</font>
 
<tr><td><font color=green>Lothlórien</font><td><font color=blue>Journey to the Crossroads</font><td><font color=red>The Scouring of the Shire</font>
 
<tr><td><font color=blue>The Mirror of Galadriel</font><td><font color=blue>The Stairs of Cirith Ungol</font><td><font color=blue>The Grey Havens</font>
 
<tr><td><font color=green>Farewell to Lórien</font><td><font color=blue>Shelob's Lair</font><td><font color=blue>&nbsp;</font>
 
<tr><td><font color=blue>The Great River</font><td><font color=green>The Choices of Master Samwise</font><td><font color=blue>&nbsp;</font>
 
<tr><td><font color=blue>The Breaking of the Fellowship</font><td><font color=blue>&nbsp;</font><td><font color=blue>&nbsp;</font>
 
<tr><td colspan=3>Note: This table is likely to elicit some controversy, so further explanation is in order. The table is intended to show the relative amount of each chapter that appeared <i>somewhere</i> in the three movies. For example, none of the material of 'The Shadow of the Past', which is chapter 2 of <i>The Fellowship of the Ring</i>, appears at that place in the movie. Instead, all of its material is spread out in various places throughout the three movies. Much the same could be said for 'The Council of Elrond'. Decisions about color-coding was based on rough percentages, and was a subjective call by the author of this article. <font color=red>Red</font> is used when less than about 10% of the material from the chapter appeared in the final, extended-edition movie. <font color=blue>Blue</font> is used for up to about 66%. And <font color=green>green</font> is used for more than 66%. In some cases, such as 'The Departure of Boromir', the material was just shifted from one film to another.
 
</table>{{-}}
 
 
===Differences of Substance===
 
The differences between the story and the screenplay take various forms and degrees, and while they are mostly of a trivial nature, there are some differences that alter the major themes of the story.
 
 
====The Hope of the West====
 
 
One of the most important thematic differences is the alteration of the state of mind of the lords of Middle Earth in their conflict with the Dark Lord. In Tolkien's story, they understood their role in the struggle and shouldered their burden with purpose and resolve&mdash;even in the long years when they despaired of hope in a successful outcome. In addition to the Ruling Ring, there were the [[Three Rings]] that had been made for the Elf-lords by the Elvish craftsman [[Celebrimbor]]. It was by the Three Rings that the Elf-lords and Gandalf, who wielded [[Narya]], the [[Ring of Fire]], resisted the power of the Dark Lord. So great was the power of these rings that Sauron's mind was unable to penetrate the realms in which they were at work&mdash;[[Rivendell]] and [[Lothlorien]]. While the lords of the West did not always hope for final victory, they vigorously carried out their appointed task and depended on the Valar to help them. Gandalf, himself being a Maia, was an emissary of the Valar to aid the Elf-lords in contesting Sauron. Moreover, Aragorn, who was the heir of Isildur, had been raised in preparation for his role in the final struggle with Sauron. Such hope was placed in him that his name among the Elves had been [[Estel]], which means 'hope' in their language. Long before the War of the Ring, Aragorn had fought in other name in the wars of Gondor and [[Rohan]] and had openly embraced his destiny, and the Elf-lords saw in him portend of the final end of the struggle whether to victory or to defeat. He had prepared for that war, and they had prepared with him in such ways as they could. The Valar, too, had opened the way by placing the Ruling Ring under the power of the council of Gandalf and Elrond, and they knew the great chance that it offered&mdash;indeed the only chance they had for victory. They seized that chance and sent the ring to the Cracks of Doom. Even before these events, Aragorn and Gandalf had worked side-by-side for many years toward the accomplishment of their desired ends.
 
 
In the screenplay, the Elf-lords had abandoned all hope and saw no chance for victory&mdash;even when presented with the opportunity of defeating Sauron by destroying the ring. The last of their people were fleeing Middle Earth, and Elrond in particular appears determined to surrender Middle Earth to the Dark Lord. Since the fall of Isildur, Elrond had lost confidence in men and had no hope that they would be reliable allies against Sauron. He regarded the struggle to be one of inevitable defeat and took no more thought of it than on how to effect the escape of his people before the end.
 
 
Gandalf was in great fear and doubt himself. While he still saw a glimmer of hope in Aragorn, he was in a state of near panic about the imminent threat of the [[Ringwraiths]]. Far from having confidence in the work of the Valar, at the beginning, Gandalf was almost in a state of madness over the discovery that the hobbit's ring was the Ruling Ring. (In the book, his mood is one of deep but calm deliberation.) As the movie progresses, Gandalf becomes more secure in the rightness of their Quest such that he is able to speak of being reassured that Frodo "was meant to have the Ring". This is, of course, a veiled reference to the work of the Valar. When he is met in [[Fangorn Forest]] by Aragorn, [[Legolas]], and [[Gimli]], he has finally come into his full power and intended purpose, and though his doubts continue to haunt him, his resolve from that time never falters.
 
 
Unlike his character in the book, Aragorn had refused to embrace his calling to challenge Sauron and make a play for the kingship of Gondor openly declaring that he did not desire the task. When Gandalf reminded Elrond that there was "one who could reclaim the throne of Gondor", Elrond declared that the man&mdash;meaning Aragorn&mdash;had forsaken that path. While Aragorn did wish to wed [[Arwen]], there did not seem to be anything that he cared to do to bring that about. In the story, her father's terms were that she could only wed the man who had become king of both Gondor and Arnor, and this was a driving motive for Aragorn through the long decades of his struggle. In the screenplay, there is just his love for her and no effort to achieve the end. Aragorn seems content to live out his life in peace and safety without taking up his father's sword. While in the story, he bore that sword wherever he went, at first in shards but later reforged, in the screenplay, he does not take it up again and accept his calling until nearly the middle of the final movie when Elrond brings the reforged blade to [[Dunharrow]].
 
 
Instead of carrying on the long defeat in nobility and wisdom such as they had, the lords of Middle Earth were in a state of despair and hopelessness from which each took his own time in recovering. Even Arwen allowed herself briefly to forsake her oath to Aragorn and take, for a time, the road toward the [[Havens]] and escape. Except perhaps [[Galadriel]], there were none who held a noble head in purpose and resolve against the Dark Lord at the beginning of the screenplay. It was all despair and defeat.
 
 
====The Role of the Elves====
 
 
A number of curious alterations exist in the screenplay pertaining to the role of the Elves in the war. The largest and most significant of these is the presence of an Elvish army at the [[Battle of Helm's Deep]]. No such force came to [[Helm's Deep]] in Tolkien's story, and what Elvish force did exist was required to repel an attack of Lothlorien by a small force from the ancient fastness of [[Dol Guldur]].
 
 
To understand the significance of this difference, one must go back to the secret purpose of the [[Quest of Erebor]]. That quest, which is told in somewhat of a fanciful way in Tolkien's story <i>[[The Hobbit]]</i>, had been organized by Gandalf ostensibly to destroy the dragon, [[Smaug]], and restore the kingdom of Dwarves at [[Erebor]], the [[Lonely Mountain]]. There was, however, an underlying purpose to that event. Erebor lay in the far northern lands of Middle Earth on a path by which the armies of Sauron could bypass Gondor and penetrate deep into the West. By the overthrow of Smaug and the restoration of the Dwarf kingdom at Erebor, Sauron's northern march was checked. By the further resettling of the city of Dale by the men who had been displaced from Lake Town, Sauron's opportunity in that direction was further quashed. It is clear, from this, that Gandalf was already laying out his strategy for confronting Sauron, and it further puts the lie to the panic and despair that he had in the movie at the discovery of the Ruling Ring. Indeed, the Ring would represent to him a great hope to further, unexpectedly, his cause.
 
 
Aside from the northern route into the West, there was also a central path that might have been of some use to Sauron, but the Quest of Erebor eliminated it as well. Following the [[Battle of Five Armies]] that brought the Quest of Erebor to a successful completion, the [[Orcs]] of the [[Misty Mountains]] were substantially reduced in number, and the [[Beornings]] who lived between the mountains and [[Mirkwood|Mirkwood Forest]] were greatly multiplied. It was the men of [[Beorn]] and the Elves of Lothlorien that prevented Sauron from exploiting an invasion of the west through the forest and over the mountains. His force at Dol Guldur was used in the war, but it was of insufficient strength to be of any credible threat. Its only purpose was to prevent possible northern allies from coming to the aid of [[Rohan]] and Gondor. In consequence of this force, the only credible Elvish army that then existed in Middle Earth was completely occupied in the defense of Lothlorien.
 
 
One other way in which the Elves resisted Sauron to great effect was by the power of the rings that they bore. When Sauron first took up the Ruling Ring and uttered the [[One Ring#Appearance|accursed incantation]], he was unmasked to the Elves, and they immediately removed the rings that they wore and thus prevented him from bringing them under his dominion. When the Ruling Ring was lost, the Elves again took up their rings and used them to heal the hurts of the world and, eventually, to resist the dark power as it slowly regained its former strength. Although the power of the Elvish rings was tied to that of the One, they gladly would work toward its destruction and in so doing accept the loss of their own. Of the rings of the Elf-lords, Elrond stated at the Council, "They are not idle. But they were not made as weapons of war or conquest: that is not their power....But all that has been wrought by those who wield the Three will turn to their undoing, and their minds and hearts will become revealed to Sauron, if he regains the One. It would be better if the Three had never been. That is his purpose." The might of the Elves to resist Sauron by the power of the [[Three Rings]] was great when they were wielded in strength of purpose. In the screenplay, the only one of the Three that was revealed in any detail was [[Nenya]], the Ring of Adamant, which was worn by Galadriel, but there was the idea put forward that even then she was under the threat of the dominion of the [[Eye of Sauron]]. The implication was that the power of the Three was not as great as it was in Tolkien's story.
 
 
====Entmoot====
 
 
[[Entmoot]] is a meeting of [[Ents]]. In both the story and screenplay, such a meeting occurred in a place in [[Fangorn Forest]] called [[Derndingle]], but the circumstances and outcome of the meeting were very different between the two. In the book, the felling of the trees by the Orcs of Saruman had angered the Ents, and the coming of the hobbits, [[Merry]] and [[Pippin]], had boiled them over. It was the news that they had brought to [[Treebeard]] that caused him to realize that the forest was in danger of destruction and that the Ents must take their part in the war. The Entmoot was called, and in it, Treebeard slowly laid out the situation to the other Ents. It was not that they had to be talked into war so much as they needed to rationally deliberate the provocations so as to justify doing so. The Ents living in the southern part of the forest that had been savagely felled by the Orcs had already spread the word of the attack, and one among them, [[Quickbeam]], had decided in a haste uncharacteristic of Ents that war was necessary. The outcome of the Entmoot was that they decided to go to war against Saruman, and they began their march to [[Isengard]].
 
 
In the movie, the story is much different and incongruous. The Ents were strangely unaware that Saruman's Orcs had been harvesting the forest, and so they remained in blissful ignorance of their danger. When Merry and Pippin came, their report of the events in the wider world brought about the Entmoot, but the outcome was totally different. The Ents, still ignorant of the felling of the trees, decided that the war was not their affair and that they would just stay out of it. Even though he had met with Gandalf, as in the book, Treebeard was still utterly ignorant of the events that were rapidly overtaking him. Despite the pleas of the hobbits, the Ents remained steadfast in their conviction that they were not a party to the war. After the Entmoot, Treebeard took his journey to the western border of his land to send the hobbits on their way home. During this journey, an idea came to Pippin, and he asked Treebeard to turn to the south. The result was to cause Treebeard to discover for the first time that the southern part of the forest had been decimated by the Orcs of Saruman. (As an aside, because Fangorn Forest was on the eastern side of the Misty Mountains, a journey to the west would have forced them to the south and right into the valley of Saruman anyway.) Merry had manipulated Treebeard into the discovery of the ravaged wood expecting him to be so angered by it as to declare war on the spot, and so it transpired that Treebeard did see the destruction and did proclaim war in the heat of passion. Calling for the other Ents, who were, mysteriously, in position to immediately step out of the wood, Treebeard took them to war. How they could be right there on the edge of the forest but remain ignorant of the depredations of the Orcs is never explained. Because the screenwriters were going to take them to war anyway, it seems silly and juvenile that they should bring this about through emotional manipulation instead of rational deliberation. (Could it never be that the undertaking of war result from rational discussion and calm decision-making? Need it always be due to base emotions?) In any event, the overall effect of this sequence of events was to make the Ents look foolish and almost stupid instead of the wisest and most thoughtful and rational creatures of Middle Earth.
 
 
====A Matter of Character====
 
 
The differences between story and screenplay that are among the most difficult to accept are those that altered characters in some fundamental way&mdash;a truthful character is made to lie, a kind one into a brute, one who is sure and determined into doubtful and lost, or a wise and lordly into a mere lunatic. Rarely do such changes make evil more ambiguous. Usually, their purpose is to "humanize" brave and heroic characters, but all they manage to do for some is ruin especially favorite characters and scenes and taint the moviegoing experience. Many who had already come to love Tolkien's story were deeply disappointed by these changes, and for some, the movies were rendered worthless thereby.
 
 
=====Gandalf=====
 
 
Far from the self-possessed and calculating wizard of the story, Gandalf becomes, at one point, crazed and panic-stricken. Both his hopes are diminished and his fears magnified in ways that are not in keeping with his role as a wizard. Gandalf's appointed mission was to contest, mostly indirectly, the Dark Lord and somehow prevent his conquest of Middle-earth. The Valar had sent him and the other Istari to act as their emissaries in Middle-earth for this purpose, but only Gandalf had not, in some way, been corrupted. In the screenplay, the discovery of the Ruling Ring, far from giving him hope of final victory, brings on a terror that temporarily overmasters him. He almost goes mad in his fear.
 
 
Later, in the third movie, Gandalf is overcome by the [[Witch King]]. His staff is broken and he is saved from certain destruction by the horns of Rohan. In the story, however, Gandalf is set to challenge the Witch King at the gates of Gondor before Rohan arrives. There, he is strong and lordly prepared to confront the Ringwraith and overcome him. Gandalf was no man, so he needn't fear the echantment that lay upon his foe, and while there may have been some small doubt as to the outcome, what certainly would not have happened is that the Ringwraith would have simply thrown him down at the first blow. Moreover, it is very likely that Gandalf <i>the White</i> would have defeated him. The depiction in the screenplay of the Ringwraith just having his way is not credible. Even with the Witch King being an extension of Sauron, the fact that Sauron himself had been defeated centuries before by an Elf, [[Gil-galad]], and a man, [[Elendil]], makes it very unlikely that someone who was a Maia like him should have any trouble with a mere man however embued with the Dark Lord's power he might be. (Other writings of Tolkien suggest that Sauron must be weaker at this point in the story than when he was overthrown in battle long before, so there is no reason to suppose that Sauron's emissary could just walk over Gandalf.)
 
 
=====Elrond=====
 
 
One of the few remaining Noldorin lords in Middle-earth, Elrond, who is over 6,500 years old in the story, has despaired of all hope and has lost confidence in men. His attitude is one of capitulation, and his purpose therefore is simply to quit Middle-earth with as many of his people as possible. His opposition to the marriage between his daughter and Aragorn is taken to the extreme of selfish possessiveness and deceit to retain her. It is only when he fears her outright death, itself an utter improbability, that he orders Narsil reforged and then delivers it to Aragorn in person. Throughout the screenplay, Elrond is deeply scornful of men. Isildur's fall was, to his mind, the fall of all men, and he lacks any confidence in any man or group of men to save the honor of that kindred.
 
 
In a sense, Elrond himself has fallen. His fears dominate him until near the end of the screenplay, and his possessiveness of Arwen leads him to perpetrate a deception upon her. Knowing of her intent to forsake the immortal life and wed Aragorn, he deceives her by willfully withholding crucial information from her while convincing her to break fealty and abandon her betrothed. It took the intervention of the Valar to prevent the success of his deceit. In the end, he surrenders to the inevitable, but in this, too, his demeanor is one of capitulation.
 
 
=====Aragorn=====
 
 
A man presented by Tolkien as having a singular destiny for which he is prepared by Elrond and toward which he labours throughout his life, Aragorn is, instead, man of doubts turned inward. His love for Arwen becomes a weight around his neck, almost literally because the jewel necklace she had given him. He is full of fears and self-doubt, and he is unwilling to embrace the destiny that had been pronounced over him at birth. He is named Estel, that is 'hope', by the Elves, but he is far from being the hope that they are expecting. The reluctant savior might play well in a movie, but it was not the character that Tolkien had written.
 
 
Thankfully, and somewhat surprisinginly, Aragorn does stay true to Arwen even as she is, without his knowledge, in process of forsaking Middle-earth and her oath to him. (One wonders how Elrond intended to break the news to him.) In the story, Aragorn's destiny drives him as much as his love for Arwen, but in the movie, it seems that he would have Arwen without the kingship if he could.
 
 
Aragorn is portrayed as alone in the world without kith or kin, but in the story, he has dozens of kindred, at least, among the [[Dúnedain]] and the sons of Elrond were his especially close friends. (Note: [[Elladan and Elrohir]], the sons of Elrond, do not appear in the movie.) In the screenplay, Aragorn takes the [[Paths of the Dead]] with only Legolas and Gimli, but in the story they are joined by thirty others including the sons of Elrond and one other named man, [[Halbarad]].
 
 
When Aragorn challenges Sauron with the Palantír, far from wresting it to his will as he did in the story, he falls under Sauron's control and is overmastered by him. The jewel of Arwen is destroyed, which signifies the loss of her immortal life, and he is thrown back a defeated man. In the story, his use of the Palantír to reveal himself to Sauron is a brilliant stroke that accomplishes Aragorn's purpose. (Sauron is terrified by the sight of the blade that had once defeated him, and his doubts and fears cause him to miscalculate his preparedness for war and launch his offensives prematurely.) Unlike in the movies, Aragorn never despairs even when his doubts and fears are at their height.
 
 
=====Frodo=====
 
 
Frodo, who resisted the power of the Ring much longer than most others could, was depicted as succumbing to it much more rapidly and was almost completely overmastered by the time he had reached [[Ithilien]]. Of his interrogation by Faramir in the story he could say, "I have told you no lies, and of the truth all I could," while in the screenplay, he told a bald and brazen lie about "the gangrel creature" that had been seem with him. Even under the strongest influence of the Ring, Frodo never lied in the story.
 
 
While it is true that Frodo is eventually so overcome by the power of the Ring that Sam must drive, and eventually carry, him on the Quest, the screenplay causes the loss of his will much more quickly and thoroughly. By the time they reach the top of [[The Stairs of Cirith Ungol]], his wits are so completely scrambled that he does the unthinkable and forsakes Sam on the Quest. This is one of the most unacceptable plot changes to Tolkien fans because the friendship between Frodo and Sam is the solid road on which the Quest is driven. At no time does Frodo turn on Sam in this way in the book.
 
 
(More on Frodo...)
 
 
=====Sam=====
 
 
Tolkien regarded Sam to be the "chief hero" of the story<ref>Hammond, Wayne, et.al., <i>The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion</i>, Houghton Mifflin, 2005, p. 667, ISBN 978-0-618-64267-0. Quoting letter ca. 1951 written by Tolkien to Milton Waldman, Sr. Editor at HarperCollins. (This letter was written during a brief period in which Tolkien was intent on switching publishers from Houghton Mifflin, who had published <i>The Hobbit</i> to HarperCollins over a dispute about the inclusion of certain reference material into <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>.)</ref>, and his role was a key one in driving the Quest to completion. The screenplay, however, has Sam actually abandoning his master at a moment of highest danger&mdash;a moment where, in the book, came the most tender and prosaic scene of the story in which Smeagol was very nearly reformed. The idea that Sam <i>could</i> turn back from the Quest even if so ordered by Frodo is preposterous. There is no doubt that Sam's love for Frodo would have held him on the road even if he had to follow at a distance. He did not have to do so, however, because Frodo and Sam entered the tunnel of [[Shelob]] together in the book, and they fought the terror of Cirith Ungol together&mdash;until, of course, Frodo was overcome. Aside from this, Sam was depicted so faithfully that one wonders why the screenwriters felt the need to deviate so drastically at this crucial moment of the story.
 
 
=====Faramir=====
 
 
Faramir is a widely loved character in Tolkien's story and the favorite of millions. This is due to his wisdom and purity of heart that makes him a great leader and an excellent judge of difficult matters. Despite his love for his brother Boromir, he is his exact opposite. The Ring had no purchase on him, and he understood that it must not come near the White City. He and his men treated Frodo and Sam with courtesy and honor, and even Gollum, when he was captured, received only hindness.
 
 
Like so many other characters, Faramir was twisted out of recognition by the screenplay. He lacked the wisdom that held back his hand from taking the Ring and the foresight that it must not come near his city. Faramir was turned into a virtual carbon copy of Boromir, but what the screenwriters failed to realize is that the allure of the Ring was directly proportionate to the degree a character's personality possessed a will to dominate others. Boromir possessed this trait very strongly and was, hence, overcome by the Ring even though he had never touched it&mdash;depictions in the movies that he had held it notwithstanding. Faramir, like Frodo, had no such desire, and so the Ring could not overcome him without long possession. Indeed, Faramir was one of the few men to whom it was totally safe for Frodo and Sam to reveal their Quest and thereby receive aid and council.
 
 
The fact that Faramir and his men brutalized Gollum is, to many, an unforgivable departure from the story. Its only result was to debase Faramir and reduce him into little more than a bully. This is somewhat incongruous to the man that we see in the scenes with his brother. Even within the screenplay, there is no explanation for the brutality that he exhibits.
 
 
Faramir's dependence on the opinion of his father is also overstated. (More here...)
 
 
=====Denethor=====
 
 
Instead of Tolkien's wise and mighty Lord of Men who had simply been overwhelmed by the lies of Sauron, Denethor is turned into an imbecile and madman. In him, nobility is reduced to premature and artificial senility. (More here...)
 
 
=====Awen Evenstar=====
 
 
For some strange reason, the fate of Arwen is tied to the Ring as if its survival, and that of Sauron's, would precipitate her own death. Fears arose after the first movie that she was to be made into a warrior princess due to her replacement of the character Glorfindel, but then she fell in later movies into a weak and failing elf-maiden. While Tolkien's character was strong, bold, and independent&mdash;she was over 2,500 years old in his story&mdash;the screenplay made her over into a frail and dependent child who was easily manipulated by a selfish father. Aragorn's love for her was used by Sauron to strike a blow against him and prevent him from mastering the Palantir to his own will. (More here...)
 
 
==Other Differences (Chronologically)==
 
 
In addition to the major thematic differences described above, a number of other differences exist of varying degrees and significance, and these are related here in chronological order. Some difficulty exists in finding the proper order due to changes in event sequencing between the books and movies. Because complete resolution was impossible, a "best order" was found for the placement of each in the Chronology.
 
 
===<i>The Fellowship of the Ring</i>===
 
 
*In the prologue to the movie, the defeat of Sauron was depicted as having been accomplished by Isildur when he took up the hilt-shard of [[Narsil]], his father's sword, and cut the fingers, and hence the Ring, from Sauron's hand. This is somewhat unusual because the life of Sauron was not in the Ring. Sauron was, like Gandalf, a Maia, but his body could be killed. This would have required some conventional method of killing a person such as running him through or cutting off his head. A person does not usually die, Ruling Ring or no, from having his fingers cut off. Even considering the loss of the Ring by having his fingers suddenly separated from his hand, his body would not have been killed thereby. In the book, Sauron was killed in battle through some unknown conventional means by the Elf-lord [[Gil-galad]] and [[Elendil]], the king of Gondor and Isildur's father, but they were both killed in the doing of it. (Narsil broke when Elendil fell and not because Sauron had stepped on it.) Afterward, Isildur took up the shards of Narsil, which was in two pieces, and by it cut the ring from the hand of Sauron's lifeless body.
 
*Also in the movie prologue, Elrond is shown leading Isildur into the fiery mountain, Orodruin, and bidding him throw the Ring into the Cracks of Doom. In the book, Elrond and the Elf-lord [[Círdan]] standing with Isildur beside their dead counseled him to take the Ring into the mountain and throw it into the Cracks of Doom near at hand, but Isildur refused and took the Ring instead as weregild for the death of his father.
 
*In the movie, the mischief of Merry and Pippin in launching Gandalf's best rocket was a fabrication of the screenplay. This did not occur in the book.
 
*We learn from the Director's Commentary of the movie that during Bilbo's speech at his birthday party, the plastic cake that was just off camera caught fire and became a raging inferno. This did not happen in the book. <b>; )</b> So far as we know, there was no cake at Bilbo's party.
 
*In the movie, when Bilbo put on the Ring, he just vanished much to the shock and dismay of the onlookers. In the book, this was to be a little joke of his of which Gandalf and Frodo were in the know. Gandalf did not much approve of this because, "magic rings were not to be trifled with." Without Bilbo's knowledge, Gandalf had prepared a trick of his own to provide an explanation for his disappearance. At the moment he vanished, Gandalf threw a blinding flash. In addition to scaring the wits out of Bilbo, who had not expected it, this gave the partygoers a "culprit", and Gandalf was blamed for spiriting him away.
 
*In the movie, Gandalf bangs his head on the frame of a doorway in Bilbo's hole. (Note: Ian McKellen really bumped his head on accident and just continued acting.) So far as we know, Gandalf never bumped his head at Bag End.
 
*In the movie, the time between Bilbo's departure from the Shire and Frodo's does not seem to have been more than a few months. The only clue that it might have been longer was the amount Bilbo seemed to have aged when Frodo next sees him in Rivendell, but that aging could have been attributable to his no longer possessing the Ring. In the book, their respective departures were separated by a period of exactly seventeen years, and Bilbo did age much more in that time that he would have normally as a result of the loss of the Ring.
 
*During the brief time between the departures of Bilbo and Frodo in the movie, Gandalf is shown riding to [[Minas Tirith]] and Riding back to [[Hobbiton]]. While at Minas Tirith, he found the scroll written by Isildur that told him how he could learn whether Frodo's ring was the Ruling Ring. He rushed back to the Shire in a great panic and conducted the "test". This is all well enough, but it suggests that Hobbiton and Minas Tirith are just around the corner&mdash;perhaps no more than a few days' ride away. The fact is that the two are separated by road of over 1,300 miles. A round trip of over 2,500 miles would have taken many months to complete, and there is also the time that it would have taken Gandalf to search the archives of the city to locate Isildur's scroll. (It is worth noting that Gandalf learned of the existence of the scroll of Isildur from Saruman years before.)
 
*In the movie, Gandalf's journey included only the trip to Minas Tirith. In the book, that journey was taken for the purpose of finding and capturing Gollum, and Aragorn aided him in the quest. It was only when he despaired of doing so that Gandalf remembered the words of Saruman about the scroll of Isildur that might make the finding of Gollum unnecessary. After Gandalf forsook the quest and turned toward the city of Gondor, Aragorn found Gollum and bestowed him into the keeping of the [[Wood-elves]] as had been agreed between him and Gandalf. (Legolas was a Wood-elf.) On his return from Minas Tirith, Gandalf came to the [[Woodland Realm]] and interrogated Gollum. It was from this that Gandalf learned how the Ring had been found by Deagol, of the murder of Deagol by [[Smeagol]] (Gollum), of the turning out of Gollum by his kin, of Gollum's flight into the subterranean caves below the Misty Mountains, and of his account of his loss of the Ring. From the many things that were said and known, Gandalf also inferred the distant relationship between Gollum's people and the hobbits. This journey by Gandalf took a period of about nine years after which time he returned unexpectedly to Hobbiton to make that final "test" to prove what he already knew&mdash;that the hobbit's ring was the Ruling Ring.
 
*In the movie, Gandalf is shown initially relieved and then afterward resigned when the writing appears on the ring to bear witness that it is the Ruling Ring. In the book, Gandalf already knew it was and returned to make the final test to validate that knowledge. He would have been surprised if it had not been, but of course, that was not the story.
 
*In the movie, Gandalf openly tells Saruman that the Ruling Ring has been found in possession of the hobbits in the Shire. In the book, Saruman must infer this based on information that he obtains from various sources, and he is never able to find out anything in detail about where, exactly, the Ring might be or in whose possession.
 
*A total of four chapters and parts of a fifth are completely missing from the screenplay. The chapters are, '[[A Short Cut to Mushrooms]]', '[[A Conspiracy Unmasked]]', '[[The Old Forest]]', '[[In the House of Tom Bombadil]]', and '[[Fog on the Barrow-downs]]'. These chapters relate the adventures of the hobbits on their journey through the woods and fields of the [[Eastfarthing]] to their eventual return to the main road near the village of [[Bree]]. They include the dinner at the house of [[Farmer Maggot]], the revealing of the conspiracy of the hobbits to prevent Frodo from leaving on his own, their adventures in the [[Old Forest]] including their encounter with [[Old Man Willow]], their brief stay with [[Tom Bombadil]] and [[Goldberry]], and their capture by the [[Barrow-wight]] and subsequent rescue by Tom. Although these chapters are some of the most fanciful, their inclusion in the screenplay was not necessary to the story and would have extended the length of an already very long movie.
 
*In the movie at Bree, [[Strider]] is shown drawing a sword that is in one piece. In the book, he bore the shards of Narsil that had been broken when Sauron had been defeated at the end of the [[Second Age]]. That sword was in two pieces.
 
*Having not been captured by the Barrow-wight in the movie, where they had obtained their weapons in the book, some means of arming the hobbits had to be devised. This was accomplished by Aragorn suddenly appearing without explanation with four, conveniently hobbit-sized swords that were given them at [[Amon Sûl]], or [[Weathertop]].
 
*In the movie, the sword Narsil, which is first shown at Rivendell instead of Bree, was in six pieces. In the book, the sword had been broken into two pieces.
 
*In the movie, Boromir was slain with three arrows. In the book, he is "pierced by many arrows".
 
*The movie character [[Lurtz]] who kills [[Boromir]] and is killed by Aragorn does not exist in the book.
 
More to be added.
 
 
===<i>The Two Towers</i>===
 
 
There are two major plot threads in this book that are presented very differently in the movie. Instead of separating them into two internal books as Tolkien did, the storylines are interweaved in the screenplay to keep up the pace and progress of each. In this section, these storylines are "unshuffled" into two subsections to make it more intelligible, but because the movie starts with Frodo and Sam, that is where we start here instead of the other way around as in the book.
 
 
====Frodo and Sam====
 
 
*In the scene at the [[Black Gate]], the movie leaves out Sam's funny little ditty about [[Oliphaunts]].
 
*Also at the Black Gate, the movie throws in a near disaster in which Frodo and Sam fall down the side of the hill and are almost discovered by the captains of the [[Haradrim]] unit marching by. This did not happen in the book.
 
*The words of Faramir over the body of the dead Haradrim soldier were thoughts in the mind of Sam in the book.
 
*The character of Faramir and the [[Rangers of Ithilien]] was substantially altered in the screenplay. In the book, Faramir is quite unlike his brother, and even before he understood what was [[Isildur's Bane]] from his dream, he swore an oath to Frodo to never take it up or even to desire it to save Gondor. In the movie, he was made to be almost a carbon copy of Boromir, and when he became aware of the enemy's Ring in Frodo's possession, he decided to take him and Sam to the White City instead of allowing them to pass on their way unhindered. Moreover, in the book, he and his men were wise, trusty, and kind. When they captured Gollum, they treated him with gentleness and kindness. In the movie, Faramir and his men beat and tortured Gollum treating him with malice and cruelty. This was altogether contrary to the nature of men of Gondor.
 
*When questioned by Faramir in the book, Frodo could say, "I told you no lies, and of the truth all I could." In the movie, Frodo lied to Faramir when he was asked about "the gangrel creature" that had been seen with them.
 
*In the movie, Frodo, Sam, and Gollum were brought to Osgiliath on the western shore of [[Anduin]], which they could only reach by openly crossing the river exposing them all, and especially the Ring, to capture. In the book, the hobbits and Gollum were sent on their way from [[Henneth Annun]] and were not taken to Osgiliath. After the events at Osgiliath in the screenplay, the three were shown the tunnel, which did not exist in the book, and allowed to take their journey. (In the book, the two parts of the city were joined by a bridge and not a tunnel.) Note: None of the sequence of the hobbits and Gollum at Osgiliath occurs in the book.
 
 
====Events in the West====
 
 
*Gandalf's battle with the [[Balrog]] is presented accurately in the movie but was divided between the prologue and his oral narrative when the three companions met him in Fangorn. In the book, the entire story was told in Fangorn. This is just a difference of sequence.
 
*The outcome of the Entmoot in the book was that the Ents chose <i>to go</i> to war, but in the movie, they chose <i>not</i> to. They were later manipulated by Pippin into doing so anyway.
 
*The heart-tugging scene of the boy and little girl fleeing the Westfold and leaving their mother behind does not appear in the book.
 
*The scenes about Dwarf women and Éowyn's discovery of Aragorn's age and heritage do not occur in the book.
 
*The screenplay has Théoden sending his people to Helm's Deep for refuge even though that is exactly where he expects the battle to be fought. In the book, he sends them to the comparative safety of [[Dunharrow]].
 
*In consequence of the above, Éowyn was not at the Hornburg during the battle there as depicted in the movie. She was at Dunharrow in leadership of the refugee settlement.
 
*The battle between Théoden's force with all of its refugees and the [[Warg Riders]] of Isengard did not occur in the book. Théoden's men were not challenged to battle on their journey from [[Meduseld]] to the [[Hornburg]].
 
*The "loss" of Aragorn over a cliff did not happen in the book because the battle in which it occurred was not fought. As a result, Aragorn was not separated from the king and his men until he voluntarily chose to take a different road to Minas Tirith.
 
*The army of Elves that comes to Helm's Deep in the movie is otherwise occupied in the book. They fight a series of battles to defend Lothlórien from an Orc army that attacked from Dol Guldur and then later to conquer Dol Guldur.
 
 
More to be added.
 
 
===<i>The Return of the King</i>===
 
 
*At the opening of this movie, the story is told of the finding of the Ruling Ring by [[Deagol]] and of his murder by [[Smeagol]], who became Gollum. In the movie, the story was a dream that Gollum had while he, Frodo, and Sam were resting on their journey toward [[Cirith Ungol]]. In the book, Gandalf told the story to Frodo while they were sitting in the comfort of Frodo's parlor at [[Bag End]]. (This is in <i>The Fellowship of the Ring</i> chapter 2, '[[The Shadow of the Past]]'.)
 
*In the confrontation with Saruman in the book, both he and [[Grima]] survived until later, but in the movie, [[Grima]] killed Saruman and was then, himself, killed by Legolas at the end of this meeting. Grima did kill Saruman in the book, but it was not until the final confrontation on the doorstep of Bag End. Grima was killed in that story by hobbit archers. Because the [[Battle of Bywater]] and the other events of the Shire were not filmed, a means of killing off Saruman and Grima had to be devised, and it was done at Saruman's home at [[Orthanc]] instead of Frodo's home at [[Bag End]].
 
*Arwen forsakes, briefly, her promise to Aragorn and departs Rivendell on the westward journey. In the book, she remains true to him even to the point of making for him a token of hope of his coming victory&mdash;a jeweled banner that was to become the standard of his royal house.
 
*On returning from the confrontation with Saruman, the [[sons of Elrond]], [[Elladan]] and [[Elrohir]], along with thirty of the [[Dúnedain]] led by [[Halbarad]], met Aragorn in the book and fought beside him as a special elite force for the remainder of the story. This included their being with him, Legolas, and Gimli when they took the [[Paths of the Dead]]. On their journey from Rivendell, they had brought with them a banner that had been made for Aragorn by Arwen in hope of his victory. In the movie, there was no such group of men. No sons of Elrond were ever mentioned, and no Dúnedain. The object that was brought from Rivendell was not a flag but the reforged sword of Isildur, and it was brought by Elrond himself.
 
*On their journey from their muster at Dunharrow to [[Minas Tirith]], the Rohirrim, in the book, encountered [[Ghân-buri-Ghân]], the leader of the [[Drúedain]]. It was from him that [[Théoden]] learned that the main road to the [[Minas Tirith|White City]] was held against them by the army of Mordor. The king was also told about a hidden road through the forest that would not only give them a covered approach to the city but would also place them near the walls of the city well inside the rearguard of the Orc army. In the movie, the Rohirrim just go to Minas Tirith and show up there on the grasslands of the [[Pelennor Fields|Pelennor]]. There is no Orc army on the road to avoid, and there is no forest people from which to receive aid.
 
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[[Category:Movies]]
 
[[Category:Movies]]
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[[Category:Comparing the books with their adaptations]]
 
==References==
 
 
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Revision as of 21:57, 25 June 2014

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Justification of (Some) Changes

The director and writers of the motion pictures faced some significant challenges in bringing Tolkien's work to the big screen. Not the least of these was the enormous scale of the story. The Lord of the Rings is a very lengthy story that was, itself, derived from a fictional universe of prodigious dimensions. In it, an entirely original world of the author's manufacture forms the backdrop of a story with multiple intelligent races (Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, Ents and Men), their many languages and dialects, a highly developed historical narrative, and a minutely detailed geography of the world that had, itself, changed significantly over time. The result of all this is a level of complexity that is very difficult to apprehend in a screenplay. How does one go about presenting, for example, the historical background of a story that spans an enormous period of history that is outside the scope of the movie to be filmed? The difficulties the writers faced were innumerable, and many compromises to the story were required to successfully adapt it to the medium of film.

Soon after the release of the first movie, controversy began to arise over deviations in the screenplay from Tolkien's own story. Key characters such as Glorfindel and Tom Bombadil were absent, and substantial parts of the story were completely missing. Moreover, characters that were present, such as Elrond, Aragorn, and Gandalf, were substantially altered. The release of The Two Towers took this even further with deviations in character development and major plot elements becoming more significant. Finally, with the release of The Return of the King, more differences appeared and critical plot conclusions were either reduced or removed. The overall effect of the entire movie series was that it told a story that was recognizably that of Tolkien's, but it did so with major thematic and other differences. These differences were not, however, of any importance to the movie's target audience— the enormous worldwide movie going public most of whom knew nothing of the story. Despite the differences, The Lord of the Rings motion pictures are beautiful and stunning epic movies that tell a great story in their own right.

The fact that the movies are a great achievement of movie-making is due, in part, to some of the changes that were required for screen adaptation. The most understandable differences in the screenplay from the story are those that were required to contract the duration of the film and keep up its pace. Even with substantial portions of the story excised in the screenplay, the three extended-edition movies have a combined running time of well over eleven hours, and there is arguably enough material not filmed to make a fourth extended-length motion picture. Considering the relative unimportance— to general audiences— of the missing material, it was probably a wise decision to not include it. Another important consideration in filming a motion picture is the pace at which the story moves. For example, the Council of Elrond is a lengthy episode in Tolkien's book, The Fellowship of the Ring, in which much historical material and explanations of off-camera events are provided. The material was presented in a different way that kept the pace of the movie going along as was required for the medium.

The reason for Arwen, Eowyn, and Galadriel's extra roles are possibly to give women more screentime.

Some differences between the story and the screenplay, however, are less easy to justify. Characters in the screenplay seem to be developed very differently to those in the story. Moreover, major differences of theme exist— differences that do not seem to make sense or be entirely necessary for film adaption. For example, the result of the Entmoot in the movie was that the Ents decided not to go to war, but then the writers used what seems to be (in some people's opinion) a silly and irrational emotional manipulation to get them to do so anyway. It is fair to ask why they could not have just agreed to go to war in the film as their motivations were in the book. On the other hand, the film's creators stated that the scene had been added to make Merry and Pippin more than just baggage, and indeed it does do a good deal to improve their role in the storyline.

Story Background

The Lord of the Rings is a story about an epic conflict between good and evil powers that is set in the land known as Middle-earth. The struggle, which had begun even before the First Age of Middle-earth, had continued for thousands of years through to the end of the Third Age at which time it reached its final climax and was resolved. The three ages of Middle-earth that had then passed had seen many great battles, and one of the greatest of these was the Battle of Dagorlad in which the Dark Lord, Sauron, was defeated by the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Following the battle, Isildur, the son of Elendil, King of Gondor, cut the Ring of Power from the hand of Sauron and took it to be an heirloom of his house. That he did not destroy it as had been advised by Elrond and Círdan setup the historical background of The Lord of the Rings.

The hot and cold wars that were continually underway between the powers of Middle-earth were, themselves, part of a greater struggle between the Valar and Sauron, and Morgoth before him. Those wars, though never welcome, were understood to be the appointed task of the lords of Middle-earth, and in their support, the Valar had sent the five Istari, or wizards, from among the lesser powers known as Maiar. The lords of the people of Middle-earth who stood against Sauron were the heads of the various houses of Elves and the wizards. The Elf-lords were Elrond, Galadriel, and Cirdan, and the wizards were Saruman the White, Gandalf the Grey, Radagast the Brown, and the Blue Wizards, Alatar, and Pallando. As a result of corruptions and debasements of the various wizards, the only one, in the end, that stood with the Elf-lords was Gandalf, and consequently, he became the chief mover of the events of that time.

The story of The Lord of the Rings is that of the final War of the Ring that was fought at the end of the Third Age. This war would have been unnecessary had Isildur destroyed the Ruling Ring instead of taking it for his own, but the persistence of the ring meant the persistence of its master, Sauron. It was the task of the lords of Middle-earth to take council on how finally to destroy Sauron and then to effect that destruction. Their decision was to send the Ring to the Fire, and a group was formed, called the Fellowship of the Ring, to see it done. The path before them was unclear, however, and they were soon turned from their way. Over time, the Fellowship was divided with the Ring-bearer taking his journey to Mordor with his faithful companion while the others were dispersed, by fate it would seem, to other tasks. As the Ring-bearer made his way in secret, diversionary battles had to be fought to prevent the destruction of the various peoples and to hold the gaze of the Dark Lord away from his own lands. Thus was the destruction of Sauron achieved. The Ring was finally cast into the Cracks of Doom destroying both it and its master, and the West was liberated from the oppression of the Dark Lord. Once Sauron had been destroyed, the king could take up his throne in Gondor and also restore the northern kingdom of Arnor.

Major Differences

Major thematic and character differences exist between the movie screenplay and the written story. These differences are presented in the article linked below.

  • Movie vs. Book:Major Differences

Differences by Movie

In addition to the major thematic differences described in the article above, a number of other differences exist of varying degrees and significance, and these are related in the articles linked below.

External links

The one ring animated The Lord of the Rings Wiki Featured articles The one ring animated
People: Faramir · Sauron · Witch-king of Angmar · Gollum · Elrond · Frodo Baggins · Samwise Gamgee · Meriadoc Brandybuck · Peregrin Took · Gandalf · Aragorn II · Legolas · Gimli · Boromir · Galadriel · Elves · Hobbits
Locations: Middle-earth · Gondor · Mordor · Rohan
Other: Mithril · Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game · The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings · Works inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien · The Lord of the Rings · The Lord of the Rings (1978 film) · Ainulindalë · Tolkien vs. Jackson · Tengwar · Quenya

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