LoTR: Return of the King - Pictures, spy reports and spoilers thread (ongoing)

many

[Pippin]

Billy Boyd is Pippin the way I always thought Pippin should be :O)

[Wneighbor]

Hey PIP! Good to see ya'!

[Pippin]

Good to see you too!

[Wneighbor]

although Billy Boyd FLOORS me with his talent. He is Pippin, through and through.

Totally agreed on that one. The first viewing of TTT I sat in the theater shaking my head NO NO NO. It was Merry, Pippin, the entmoot and Faramir. I still don't like several of those changes. The culmination of the entmoot was too much like our recent experience with French "allies." heh. But, I'm living with it and like it better than if there had not been a TTT.

[Alkhin]

Omigosh...I am SO glad Im not the only one shaking her head in shock at those scenes...I could take Merry arguing with the Ents, and telling Pippin that they needed to go on...what I couldnt take was Pippin even questioning to begin with. It deviated quite a bit from the book characters. And it was shocking cause in my view, so many of the OTHER characters were right in line with how I perceived them ie Elrond, Galadriel, Gandalf, Frodo, et al. Why did Merry and Pippin have to be SO different??

I still go back to my worn out complaint that Jackson shoudl have, at least in the Extended version, had Merry and Pippin confront Frodo like they did at Crickhollow. Innocense does not mean stupid.

I digress...you are about teh only other person I know of that had that gut reaction to TTT...so many others have found it to be quite nice. And it was. But I am a bit mad at Jackson for trying to 'improve' on Tolkien's sense of humor. It must be a Kiwi thing, because the sense of humor I see them trying to do through Merry and Pippin doesnt match with the sharp wit of the book characters. He messed up Pippin's BEST line in FOTR! WHY!?!?

Okay...I'll stop ranting now...

but thank you...I was feeling very lonely about that LOL LOL!!!

[Pippin]

LOL!

You are on roll tonight!

[ElfArcher]

There so cute in uniform!

[Wneighbor]

I was feeling very lonely about that

YOu weren't alone! For sure. Now, where we may differ is that Elrond is totally messed up for me too. I could not reconcile Elrond in FOTR. But, FOTR was much closer in other ways so I thought it would be isolated.

The other thing was though that as a fan of Simarillion and all the other works too, I love Glorfindel. I wanted to at least see him a minute. I'm over that though.

[Alkhin]

I understand about the Elrond characterization. I guess why I was so accepting was that I had never really formed a definitive picture in my mind, and in the book he always SEEMED rather bland and unapproachable...rather like a dignified professor who was sociable to a degree and rather removed from the hustle and bustle and daily dramas going on around him. I rather liked the rougher, more passionate edge the movie gave him...but then I am not at all that familiar with Silmarillion...I tried reading that when I was a teenager and gave up, having barely gotten through the more High-ended stuff in LOTR, namely those parts dealing with Rohan and Theoden. I liked it when the story was told in more nitty-gritty terms, like through Sam's or Pippin's eyes. They have good 'voices.'

I kind of felt the same way about Glorfindel, although I can certainly relate to the interest there. He appears to be one of those brief characters that readers find intriguing. Those kind of characters are always neat. By extension, I think that is why I like Pippin so much. HE was supposed to be brief and inconsequential...but the lad wouldn't leave Tolkien alone.

Its also why I think LOTR was divinely inspired. There are so many things that work on so many levels it boggles the mind as to how Tolkien was able to keep it together, much less pull it apart and find the good stuff inside.

[Wneighbor]

I kind of felt the same way about Glorfindel, although I can certainly relate to the interest there. He appears to be one of those brief characters that readers find intriguing. Those kind of characters are always neat. By extension, I think that is why I like Pippin so much. HE was supposed to be brief and inconsequential...but the lad wouldn't leave Tolkien alone.

Now that I think of it, were I gifted and talented as you at writing I would probably be filling in Glorfindel. In the Simarillion you get the great taste of him in the fall of Gondolin. He would definitely leave Legolas, Elrond and Haldir sitting shamefully in the dust were he a correctly developed character in film. Of course this is just my own imagination running wild - but, that's why we love Tolkien isn't it?

[2Jedismom]

Fetch my medicine! They look mighty nice in their new duds!

[Alkhin]

Medicine, schmedicine...get the smelling salts!! Pippin is Swoonable...

[HairOfTheDog]

Spoiler alert!

HIGH RES ROTK PICS AT TORN! TheOneRing.net™ - Amazing Hi Resolution RoTK Publicity Stills!

NOTE: When you click these thumbnails, the larger pic that opens is also a thumbnail. Click that to get or save the very high res version!

Aragorn On Horse - Ringer Spy Bellerophon	The Army Of The West - Ringer Spy Bellerophon	Legolas And Rohirrim Riders - Ringer Spy Bellerophon

Jackson And Mortensen Converse - Ringer Spy Bellerophon	Gimli Son Of Gloin - Ringer Spy Bellerophon	Jackson Directs At Edoras - Ringer Spy Bellerophon

To Edoras' Stables - Ringer Spy Bellerophon	Elrond And Arwen - Ringer Spy Bellerophon	Arwen Evenstar - Ringer Spy Bellerophon

Faramir At The Pelennor - Ringer Spy Bellerophon	Theoden Rallies The Rohirrim - Ringer Spy Bellerophon	Legolas Tells Aragorn He Has Not Failed - Ringer Spy Bellerophon

Merry In Rohirric Armour - Ringer Spy Bellerophon	Frodo In Shelob's Lair - Ringer Spy Bellerophon	Frodo Enters Shelob's Lair - Ringer Spy Bellerophon

Jackson Directs In Shelob's Lair - Ringer Spy Bellerophon	Sam With The Phial Of Galadriel - Ringer Spy Bellerophon	Pippin At The White Tower - Ringer Spy Bellerophon

Peter Jackson - Ringer Spy Bellerophon	Aragorn And Eowyn - Ringer Spy Bellerophon	Denethor, Steward Of Gondor - Ringer Spy Bellerophon

Arwen Leaving? - Ringer Spy Bellerophon	Eomer - Ringer Spy Bellerophon	Braving The Paths Of The Dead - Ringer Spy Bellerophon

Aragorn And Anduril - Ringer Spy Bellerophon	Gandalf In Minas Tirith - Ringer Spy Bellerophon

Key to colours

[Maigret]

Many thanks for posting these, how many more days?

[HairOfTheDog]

You're welcome! 206 days, 15 hours!

[ElfArcher]

Coolness!

[Mamzelle]

Thanks! Wow! My favorite is Pippin in his Gondorian regalia--he looks grown-up, at last (the whole pt, of course)!

[HairOfTheDog]

Several Stories from TORN:

Spoiler alert!

ROTK Running Time: 3hr 10mins?
5/30/03, 11:19 am EST - Xoanon

Ingve writes: According to the biggest newspaper here in Norway, the running time of ROTK will be 3 h 10 min. PJ is working to make his first 4 hour cut into a 3 h 10 min cut. It is confirmed in the article by the LOTR distributor in Norway, SF Norway.

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Frodo and Sam NOT in Osgiliath?
Tehanu @ 5:38 am EST

About the Frodo and Sam in Osgiliath Sewers pictures.

Simon wrote, "Interested to read MattForce's comments on the picture. If anyone looks in the 'photograph guide to the Two Towers' book, they will see these pictures at the end with text that reads something like, 'After Faramir decides to let them go, he shows Frodo and Sam a secret way out of the city'

On the other hand, Jolyon writes to argue with this:

"When I saw these pictures on TORN, the first question that leaped to mind was: "Why are Frodo and Sam alone?"

"They were brought to Osgiliath as captives of Faramir and his men and left with Gollum, so this didn't make sense.

"Then I started thinking, where else do Frodo and Sam walk alone through a tunnel? The answer of course is "on their way to Shelob's Lair", when Gollum deserts them.

"There were orc-built passageways intended to avoid her lair, but these were intersected by all of her tunnels. The book describes the passage that Frodo and Sam initially enter as high and wide, with smooth walls and an even floor, suggesting a tunnel fashioned by orcs ("as orc-like a place as ever there could be"). This would seem to describe what we see in the photo's quite well.

"The only problem with this is that in the pictures that we know show Shelobs Lair, the walls are very definitely cavern-like. Very rough and irregular. But this might only be the condition of the walls in that part of the tunnels that Shelob has made her home.

"And in fact, this would appear to be supported by another picture at the quintessential site, the final one on this page.

"This picture shows Frodo holding aloft the light of Earendil. Behind him over his right shoulder you can clearly see a tunnel wall of block stone, similar to that in the pictures supposedly "under Osgiliath". The background is obscured by the light of Earendil, and emerges over Frodo's left shoulder decidely more uneven and irregular, resembling the rough cavern walls of the lair. Presumably Frodo and Sam have just reached the threshold of the Lair itself at this point.

"Why these pictures would appear in a book about The Towers is a bit of a mystery, although it could be explained if there was some question during production over how far Frodo and Sam would get toward Shelob before the end of the second film. Perhaps it was being considered at one point to have the film leave them in the tunnels, with the final decision coming too late to alter the content of the book prior to publication.

"Just my thoughts of course, but I'd be -very- surprised if we see this footage in the extended Two Towers."

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Eowyn in ROTK Spy Report.
Tehanu @ 5:18 am EST
Ringer Spy Ciggy Fagash was involved in an interview with Miranda Otto and writes:

"I know Lawrence Makoare and Sala Baker are both supposed to have been doing work as the Witch King in the final battle with Eowyn - and she mentioned they'd be reshooting a lot of it, so that could explain at least some of Baker's work [Sala's presence at reshoots have been mentioned in recent news - T] "She also mentioned not holding out too much hope that much of the Houses Of The Healing would appear. Apparently the romance between Eowyn and Faramir, although definitely present, has been down-played somewhat. She seemed disappointed but said, 'well something has to make way - there's a lot of story to cover in the last film.'"

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[HairOfTheDog: Remember the set report from Harry Knowles where he watched the filming of the wedding and kiss of Eowyn and Faramir: Ain't It Cool News - There And Back Again: A Geek's Adventures in MiddleEarth! CHAPTER FOUR!!! ]

...Next up I find myself watching Faramir and Eowyn being married… Eowyn’s dress is quite literally one of the most beautiful beaded gowns I have ever seen in my life. Miranda is droolalicious here. And that David bloke now gets to flub his kiss about a 1000 times if he is smart at all. I have been volunteering to be the stand in with Miranda… and work out the angles… But noone seems to be taking me seriously… I will say this though… David has been put through the ringer of emotions today.

They shoot the first rehearsal… It’s a double kiss… they come up for air and push on through the emotion… Peter yells "Cut" and they part… All the ladies on set begin protesting that Peter should hold the shot till after they part… when they are smiling into one another’s eyes.

Upon doing a second take like that, Philippa Boyens… who is absolutely delighted to get to this scene tells Peter that it should be a single kiss, and as they come up for air to part… smiling into one another’s eyes…. They shoot it like that, but David and Miranda come back for a second kiss as well. But Peter yells cut just as their lips begin to touch… David comes away protesting… he wanted that second kiss… I’m with David, give him that second kiss!!! Or at least give me that second kiss Miranda! Hee hee.

Take 4 --- My fave… Good long kiss, wonderful post-kiss glow. The gals on set are quite pleased. Very happy.

Take 5 --- Peter’s happy….

The ladies on set are delighted to finally... after what seems like years of shooting, they get their 'girly' scene. Philippa is literally coo-ing after every kiss... And I have to admit, it is beautiful on the monitors... But crikey... only 5 takes? David didn't mess up nearly as much as I would have. If memory serves he had to get dragged behind that horse stuck full of arrows about a good dozen times. Life just ain't fair at all. I will weep for the man!

[Mamzelle]

Cake! I want cake!

[HairOfTheDog]

LOL!