diff --git a/_posts/2019-02-16-lotr-book-to-film.markdown b/_posts/2019-02-16-lotr-book-to-film.markdown index 7af6f8d..67b0fdb 100644 --- a/_posts/2019-02-16-lotr-book-to-film.markdown +++ b/_posts/2019-02-16-lotr-book-to-film.markdown @@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ To clear up terminology, what we call books is called volumes in Lord of the Rin "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" is internally consisting of two books. The same is true for the second and third volumes that correspond with the movies. -That said, let's start with the differences of (for now) the first volume/movie. +That said, let's start with the differences of (for now) the first two volumes/movies. ## Hobbiton to Buckleberry Ferry @@ -292,7 +292,223 @@ The journey is shorter and the first movie concludes with a battle of the Urukha is not even in the first book and only hinted at in the second (which I will feature later). The scene with Boromir and the almost drowning of Sam is, however, depicted close to the book. +## Battle at Rauros (begin of 2nd volume and 3rd book) + +Before I start with the summary of the battle on the west coast of the Anduin, I will give some general +information about the second volume and how I will portray it here. The second volume focuses first only on the +things west of the Anduin (Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, Gandalf, Pippin, Merry) and then in the 4th book on the +things that Frodo and Sam are experiencing. This order will be preserved here. Furthermore, there will be +quite big differences between the book and the movie. + +Frodo and Sam have already departed when the battle begins. Aragorn is at the top of Amon Hen when he hears +the horn of Gondor. By the time he arrives Boromir is pierced by many arrows and Merry and Pippin are taken. +Legolas and Gimli arrive much later and were at a different part of the forest. After some parting words +with Boromir, Aragorn sends Legolas and Gimli back to Parth Galen, where the boats still lie. They take both +remaining boats and bring them close to the point where Boromir is. Boromir is put into one boat together with his +sword and tokens of the slain enemies. Then they paddle with the other boat close to the falls of Rauros and +let the boat of Boromir go over it. + +Afterwards they get back to the land and set out to hunt orcs. + +### Differences + +The movie version at the end of the first movie is close enough. However, one major difference there is: +In the book the attack involves not only orcs from Saruman but also orcs under direction of Sauron. +Also, Legolas happens to be out of arrows in the book. In the movie he is never out of arrows. + +## From Rauros to Fangorn + +Both parts of the remaining fellowship travel to Fangorn forest. + +### Merry and Pippin + +Overall the journey to the forest is more detailed in the book and the different orcs are fighting with each +other. This is actually indicated in the movie, albeit much shorter. Other than that there are no big diversions +to be noted. + +Before the Fangorn forest the riders of Rohan are encircling the camp of the orcs. Merry and Pippin manage to +flee into the forest. + +### Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas + +Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas are running for days with minimal rest and cover a huge distance to keep up +with the orcs of Saruman that can travel both during day and night. Along the way they try to understand +what happens in the orc company and keep track of the lost hobbits. Eventually, they meet Éomer and have +some longer talk than during the movie. They get two horses and travel forth to Fangorn forest where they +encounter the camp of the destroyed orcs. + +### Differences + +The major difference relates to the Aragorn part of the story. Éomer is not exiled but went on his own to hunt +the orcs. The horses are given to Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas with the clear instruction to give them back +in Edoras in a few days time. As usual the dialogues in the book are more extensive and give more insight +into what is going on. + +Furthermore, in the dialogue of the orcs is revealed that the black riders are now using winged animals. + +## From Fangorn to Isengard (Merry and Pippin) + +Merry and Pippin travel through Fangorn forest until and initially stay close to the river Entwash. After some +time they arrive at a plateau when they meet Treebeard there. It is revealed that his name is actually Fangorn +and he is the master of the forest. Together they travel a great distance to the home of Treebeard. +Ents do not eat and only drink. As a consequence Merry and Pippin are drinking their meals as well. + +The gathering of ents happens and Merry and Pippin meet a "hasty" ent. They talk a while and eventually +the ents have decided to go to war against Saruman. With Treebeard the hobbits now travel to Isengard where the +ents attack and put it under water. + +### Differences + +In the book there is a lot more information aboout ents and their lore. Plus, the entire story up until the +destruction of Isengard is longer. The biggest difference is that Merry and Pippin do NOT meet Gandalf in the +forest. + +## Fangorn to Edoras (Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas) + +Near the camp the three companions discover signs that the hobbits escaped into the forest. Before entering +it, they camp one night and seem to see Saruman but when they try to speak to the old man, he disappears. +Their horses also disappear during one night. +In Fangorn they eventually reach the same plateau. There they meet Gandalf again, who is revealed to be +the white wizard now. Together they leave the forest and find their horses again. Gandalf is again riding with +Shadowfax. Following Shadofax and Gandalf, they travel straight south towards Edoras. + +### Differences + +The encounter with Gandalf is different and, again, the dialogues are more detailed. No major plot differences +though. + +## From Edoras to Helm's Deep + +In Edoras they are at first locked out of the city. Eventually they are allowed inside but have to leave their +weapons outside of the king's hall. Gandalf can keep his staff. Inside Gandalf frees king Théoden of Rohan from +the influence of Wormtongue. However, Saruman was not directly controlling the king. Éomer was arrested but is +now freed and gives the sword of the king back to him. With sword in hand, the king remembers his strength, +although the old age is not gone. Wormtongue is banished from Edoras, free to choose his path. + +After a short meal the host of Edoras is setting out to make war to Isengard. Eowyn is given control of Edoras +and is tasked to guide their people to safety. + +On the way to Isengard they are informed that the Westfold defense has been broken by Saruman. The general +Erkenbrand is said to be in Helm's Deep. Gandalf leaves the host and gallops away. The rest of the host +move towards Helm's Deep. Éomer is riding with the king and Aragorn. + +Helm's Deep is set behind a dike, which is open only for the road. They realise that it cannot be guarded against +the onslaught of the enemy. Therefore, they move to the Hornburg. The entrance to the caves is behind the Deeping +Wall and not through the Hornburg. It is revealed that Erkenbrand is not in Helm's Deep. Gamling is the leader of +the troops at Helm's Deep. + +### Differences + +There are no warg attacks. Aragorn is not lost in the waters. There are no two young boys from the Westfold +that come to Edoras to report an attack. Éowyn does not travel together with Aragorn. No elves are coming +to help at Helm's Deep - knowing the distance from Rivendell to Helm's Deep, where the only pass is held +by Saruman, they would have to depart in Rivendell weeks before the fellowship is broken to arrive in time. +The only other elven stronghold is in Lothlorien and they would not leave their forest. Éomer and the rohirrim +are not banished and therefore are at the battle from the start. + +## Battle at Helm's Deep + +Shortly after arriving in Helm's Deep the enemy forces are approaching. Among them are the urukhai but also +wild men from the western lands. The events of the battle: + +- rearguard from dike is galloping to Hornburg +- gates of Hornburg are almost destroyed +- Aragorn and Éomer are entering the area before the gate to relieve it for a while +- Gimli followed them and prevents harm to Éomer +- the gate is blocked from the inside and holds for the remainder of the siege +- ladders were put against wall +- some orcs crept like rats through opening in wall (the one for the river) an were behind wall +- Gimli saw them, jumped down from wall and attacked them +- Gamling saw this and attacked the orcs with some men from the Hornburg +- the orcs were crushed +- bolders were used to block the inner part of the culvert for the stream of water +- a short pause in the attack +- culvert is blown to pieces while Aragorn, Éomer, and Gamling talk +- at the same time more ladders are put against the wall +- orcs are swarming in and the defense is driven to the caves or the Hornburg +- Aragorn and Legolas retreat into Hornburg +- Gamling, Éomer, and Gimli are driven to the caves +- a plan is made to ride out +- Aragorn parleys with orcs and wild men and warns them +- gate is blown to pieces +- sound of horn of Helm rings +- Théoden rides out with Aragorn, men in the caves attack the orcs and drive them back (the morning after a night + of fighting) +- Théoden rides up to the great dike +- all the orcs retreat behind the dike and stay there, in fear of both the king and the forest (the tree-like + ents marched to Helm's Deep instead of Isengard) +- Gandalf appears and close after a great host of men appear +- they are led by a great warrior with a red shield, Erkenbrand +- the king's company, Gandalf, and the host of men charge into the orcs and wild men +- the wild men lie down to the earth while the orcs are fleeing to the forest, where they are destroyed + +With this the battle concludes. + +### Differences + +The overall choreography of the battle is changed a little, made more linear, and shortened. That said, +the battle makes up a larger percentage of the screentime than it does in the book relative to the number +of pages in it. This is due to the paradoxical effect of writing length to filming length. Action can be +summarised quite succinctly. In a movie all these actions actually have to be shown. Conversely, a dialogue +that takes only a few minutes of talking will fill many pages in a book. + +## From Helm's Deep to Isengard + +After the battle it is revealed what Gandalf did, that Gimli, Gamling, and Éomer survived, and the captain +of the king's guard Háma was dead. The wild men were allowed to go home if they swore an oath never to +cross the fords of Isen again bearing arms or helping otherwise the enemies of men. + +Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, Théoden, Éomer, and some warriors travelled to Isengard. On the way Gimli +told Legolas about the caverns of Helm's Deep and that before their end Legolas had to visit them together +with Gimli. In turn, Legolas got the promise from Gimli that they would visit Fangorn forest together, despite +Gimli feeling unwell in it. + +Arriving in Isengard, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas met again with Merry and Pippin. While Gandalf and the king's +company went with Treebeard, the three companions stayed and a great deal was told about what happened to +each party. Eventually, the parley with Saruman took place but no useful information was taken from him. +Gandalf broke the staff of Saruman and removed him from the council of wizards, Saruman was now colour-less. +Wormtongue, who had fled to Isengard, threw out a palantir. Pippin found it but Gandalf quickly took it over +and covered it. Gandalf asked Treebeard to keep watch on Saruman, who might be encircled but had still the +power of Orthanc. Furthermore, Treebeard should let in the water once more to find out all drains that Saruman +might use to escape. +On their departure, they heard how Wormtongue was killed by Saruman, likely because he threw out the palantir. + +A few hours of Isengard the company made camp. Pippin looked at the palantir and it was revealed that Sauron +thought it still in Isengard. Pippin told nothing but that he was a hobbit. Sauron likely thought him a prisoner +of Saruman and did not question further. Through this revelation it became clear how Saruman kept in touch with +Sauron. Aragorn was given the palantir to keep it secret. Shortly after a nazgul was over them and headed to +Isengard. Now they made haste and Gandalf took Pippin and rode swiftly towards Edoras and then Minas Tirith. + +### Differences + +For once, the journey to Isengard is the starting scene of the third movie. Aside from this, the major difference +is that Saruman remains alive and Wormtongue is killed by Saruman. Furthermore, the scene with the palantir +takes place on the road and not in Edoras. + +## From Rauros to Black Gate (begin of 4th book) + +### Differences + +## Black Gate to Ithilien + +### Differences + +## Ithilien - Meeting with Faramir + +### Differences + +## From Ithilien to Crossroads + +### Differences + +## From Crossroads to Shelob's Lair + +### Differences + +## Shelob's Lair + +### Differences + ## To be continued -Once I finish the second volume, I shall continue the journey of describing the differences. - +Once I finish the third volume, I shall continue the journey of describing the differences.