Sean Astin fans won’t want to miss this webcast Celedon sent us, of Sean talking about being a volunteer and why he believes in it. [More] It’s just short, but very sweet.
Month: May 2003
The recent spoiler report on the fate of Sauron, Saruman and Grima as portrayed in the next film surprised a few people. Some of this news has been hinted at in previous articles but if you’re a relative newcomer to TORN you might have missed them. Some of our readers dug them out to share again, and other speculated on the possible meaning of what we just learned. [More] !!!MAJOR SPOILERS!!!
Lots of people are always catching up with news that might have been reported a long time ago and then forgotten about. Newcomers to the site are still reeling with shock as they learn that the Scouring of the Shire is out, that Saruman probably doesn’t die there but at Orthanc, and that Sauron may assume visible form and confront Aragorn at the Black Gate. Here’s some thoughts on all that from various readers:
Adanedhel writes: “Regarding your “ROTK Spoilers! Saruman, Grima & SAURON News!” here, and especially this: “…the Dark Lord who looked like he was in different armor than when we saw him in the prologue…”
“In my opinion, this is NOT Sauron himself but his servant, the Mouth of Sauron, because your spy says “in different armour” and few weeks ago you’ve reported that Peter Jackson is unhappy with the armour of the Mouth of Sauron because he thought it looks very much similiar to the armour of Sauron, so Sala Baker had returned to NZ for reshoots. I could be wrong, of course, but we must also consider this.”
OJ puts it another way: “I should think that the reason that “Sauron” appears in “different armour” when he has it out with Aragorn is because he is NOT “Sauron”. Rather, I should think that in the movie as in the book, “The Mouth of Sauron” is present at “The Black Gate” in the last battle of the movie.”
Nicholas says: “I thought Peter Jackson said that he knew Sauron couldn’t stay as just an eye (here he mentioned that Star Wars – Darth Vader quote) but that he couldn’t take full physical form either. I wonder if maybe people are confusing Sauron with the Mouth of Sauron battling Aragorn? I would think it would be more dramatic for PJ to do what Tolkien does in the book – having Sauron (whether he be just an eye or in some other form) suddenly realize what’s going on when Frodo puts on the ring in Mount Doom and do all he can do to try and stop Frodo, instead of Aragorn. Anyway, just a thought.”
Diana scanned some othersources for what we think we know about changes to ROTK: “Amidst all this discussion of the death of Saruman–possibly opening the door for the cut of the Scouring of the Shire– I stumbled across this old Q&A article (before Fellowship was released) on E!Online: More]”
Q: “The Return of the King has a very long denouement, with fully one third of the book coming after the destruction of the Ring. I worry that the filmmakers may have cut or severely shorted the Scouring of the Shire and the Grey Havens episodes. Any word on that?”
A: “LOTR conceptual artist Alan Lee showed me his sketches of the Grey Havens buildings and boats. Elijah Wood (Frodo) and Ian Holm (Bilbo) said they count their “farewell” scenes (when they say goodbye to their friends before going to the Grey Havens) as among their favorite to film. Sources tell me the Scouring of the Shire has made the cut, albeit with a few tweaks.” [But we’ve since heard – from PJ, if I remember correctly – that the Scouring was OUT. Hence the confusion – T.]
Also this one:
Q: “Peter! We’ve got to have hope. Do you promise a happy ending to The Return of the King? Peter: It’s happy/sad. The third film makes me cry. It’s really emotional. It’s very, very emotional.”
Diana has another guess: “Furthermore, in regards to deleted scenes being put back in the Extended and Theatrical DVDs, has anybody mentioned the shot of Arwen in the TTT trailer? In the theaters we saw a shot of her walking off, cloaked, with other Elves. In the trailer, we see her apparently throwing off her cloak, rushing to Elrond, exclaiming “Tell me what you see!”. Could they possibly put this shot back in the movie?”
Update: Demosthenes here. Regarding the demise of Saruman, people keep submitting the picture below – which is from Brian Sibley’s The Making of the Movie Trilogy. Sure does look like one angry Wormtongue, there. Yep, that’s a knife in his hand and that does indeed appear to be the floor patterning of Orthanc.
Mr. Frodo sent us this link to Adam Sandler’s website; you can see their pic of Sean Astin [Sam Gamgee] “behind the scenes” on this page.
TheOneRing.net, in association with Planet BB, is turning the spotlight on the fans of J.R.R. Tolkien in a new feature-length documentary titled “Ringers: Lord of the Fans.” Yes, this is a film about YOU, the FANS! [More] If you wish to contact the producers, please do so at ringers@theonering.net.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
“Many young Americans are involved
in the stories in a way that I’m not…”
— J.R.R. Tolkien
TheOneRing.net, in association with Planet BB, is turning the spotlight on the fans of J.R.R. Tolkien in a new feature length documentary titled “Ringers: Lord of the Fans.”
There are people who claim to enjoy “The Lord of the Rings” — as a story for the ages — and then there are fans who camp out on the sidewalk for five miserable days, suffering cold and flash floods, in order to get the first look at “The Two Tower”s movie. “Ringers” celebrates devotees from different generations, old and young, who share a common bond. They are the lifeblood of the new Tolkien fan-movement; and their stories are funny and often moving.
TORn has witnessed the liveliest and most dynamic fan community ever to grace the Internet. Through years of covering fan events, picnics, Oscar Parties, book signings, conventions, and Line Parties, we discovered that the intimate stories fans shared on-camera were more fascinating than the actual event.
From the hippie counter-culture to the electronic age, from the Bakshi animated films to Jackson’s epic trilogy, this documentary brings together extensive interviews and footage from across the globe. With units in The Netherlands, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and Oxford, England, the fans reveal what drives them to unusual acts of devotion. We highlight couples whose mutual love for “The Lord of the Rings” caused them to fall in love — a girl who waited on the sidewalk at a busy Hollywood intersection from 5 AM to midnight to catch a glimpse of her favorite Hobbit — armchair scholars who fight over differences between book and movie — collectors who fill their homes with amazing toys and rare editions — and young children who pick up their very first book — ever — because they are so inspired by the thrilling adventure of Peter Jackson’s films.
The filmmakers are themselves obsessive Tolkien fans. “Ringers” is directed by documentary filmmaker Carlene Cordova, produced by Danny Lukic and narrated by Cliff Broadway “Quickbeam” — familiar to TORn readers of the Green Books online magazine and as co-author of the best-selling new book “The People’s Guide to J.R.R. Tolkien.” Shooting with the cutting edge digital format of 24P, Director of Photography Josh Mandel gives the film both a fast-moving video style and a richer, more “movie-like” presentation. Their vigorous approach to documenting the “full on experience” of fandom brings laughs and insight into a world otherwise overlooked.
“Ringers” wants you! We still have a few key positions to fill. So if you have any professional filmmaking experience and wish to volunteer to help TheOneRing.net, please send an email explaining your experience to ringers@theonering.net. We need the following positions filled: Music Supervisor, Composer. These open positions are for Los Angeles based people only: Field Audio technician, Assistant Final Cut Pro Editor, Transcriber, Production Assistant, Associate Producer.
We’ll be launching our “Ringers” site soon, so keep checking on TORn for more “Ringers” news!