43 extra minutes on extd. TTT

[Morquesse]

<A HREF="http://ringbearer.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=508&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0" TARGET=_blank>Here</A> is the link to where you can read more on the extended TTT version. *Spoilers*! My apologies if this is old news.<BR>See you later! <BR>~M<p>[ April 11, 2003: Message edited by: Morquesse ]

[Birdland]

Oh boy! Ent-draught!

[Diamond18]

<I>*squeals in a rather uncharacteristic fashion*</I><P>This is the first news I've gotten of it. This deserves to be posted in the thread (in case the link stops working ).<P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> "I think the thing I am most excited about is the fleshing out and expansion of the Treebeard/Ent story. His story, more than any other single part of the film, was reduced for the theatrical version"<P>"Most of the Treebeard stuff is humorous, We have a great scene - which I would have loved to put in the theatrical version - where he recites really bad poetry to the Hobbits, who are desperately trying not to fall asleep because that would be rude and they don't want to be rude. <BR>In addition to the Treebeard material in that storyline, we also have a really funny sequence with Merry and Pippin and the Ent-draught, which is pretty much taken right from the book. There are a lot more surprises in that extra Fangorn material." <BR> <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>I hope it's not a burlesque kind of funny. I'm not so sure about what his idea of "taken right from the book" is... But I can't wait to find out. (And no Birdie, I had nothing to do with the poem. )

[Eressië Ailin]

Oh fun! That ia so nifty!! *does a happy dance* I'm getting SE, I'm getting SE!<P>I'm glad that they're putting the Ent Draught back in!!!

[Beruthiel]

Oh wow thats so cool!<BR>I can't wait!<BR>

[Everdawn]

Thats good! I want as many more minutes of TTT as i can get!

[davem]

Oh, good, lets show the Ents as REALLY stupid. That will be so wonderful. Really, really stupid. And Funny. Funny, funny, funny. Oh, I really can't wait. Dumb old Treebeard. What a jerk he was. If only Tolkien had been smart enough to take this approach with him, instead of making him wise & sad, lamenting the loss of his people, & the destruction of the forest he loved. Still, at least we've got PJ to put right Tolkien's mistakes.

[Birdland]

Uh...but there's...ent draught...(sigh)<P><I>(Birdie makes mental note not to invite kill-joy Dave to her next ent draught party)</I>

[HCIsland]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Oh, good, lets show the Ents as REALLY stupid. That will be so wonderful. Really, really stupid. And Funny. Funny, funny, funny. Oh, I really can't wait. Dumb old Treebeard. What a jerk he was. If only Tolkien had been smart enough to take this approach with him, instead of making him wise & sad, lamenting the loss of his people, & the destruction of the forest he loved. Still, at least we've got PJ to put right Tolkien's mistakes. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>I hate to break this to you, but Treebeard is funny in the books. <P>H.C.

[Arwen Evenstar the Fair]

All I have to say is, YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!! I SOOOOO glad they put the ent-draught stuff in, thats an awesome part in the book!!!! 43 mintues!!! OH YEAH!!!!!

[Diamond18]

I was always very amused by Treebeard in the book.<P>Tolkien did have a sense of humor, you know.

[The Saucepan Man]

I do see what davem's getting at though. It does somewhat devalue Treebeard's character to have Merry and Pippin dozing off while he recites bad poetry to them.<P>Much as I like the films, I am not really a fan of these momets of "forced" humour and excitement (continued repetition of Dwarf tossing/shortness jokes, shield-surfing etc). Yes, there is humour in JRRT's books, but its gentle humour and the gentler moments of humour in the films that reflect this are great, such as Gandalf playing up to the Hobbit children when he lets his fireworks off from the back of the cart (wonder what the health and safety inspectors would have to say about that, though ). Similarly, Gimli's discussion with Eowyn about Dwarvish women is wonderful, but then it's all spoilt by the slapstick of Gimli falling off his horse.<P>Merry and Pippin do work in the films as comedy duo (although it would be nice to see their characters fleshed out as more than just a wisecracking double-act - fingers crossed for RotK). And of course there is gentle humour in the book in Treebeard's conversations with them and the length of time that the Entmoot takes. This, I think, is dealt with well in TTT. But to set up Treebeard as some lousy poet and have M & P poke fun at him doesn't seem quite right to me.

[HCIsland]

But to me this doesn't sound like pratfall. There's a cultural difference between the unbelievably ancient Treebeard and the very young hobbits that's about the size of the Pacific and virtually begs to be played upon. This is not about making Treebeard look stupid, but instead about playing with the enormous differences between this trio of characters. They are simultaneously light years apart but in some ways similar of mind and temperament. It's endearing and part of establishing that endearment can be done through comedy.<P>Part of the Ent personality is this malodorous language of theirs. Treebeard says himself that Ents don't say anything unless it is worth taking a long time to say, so having him be somewhat oblivious the very mortal fatigue and haste that Merry and Pippin suffer from is right in character, the way I see it.<P>I know many people were upset by Treebeard's, "That doesn’t make sense to me. But then, you are very small", but I loved it. This doesn't make this character stupid. It just plays upon the vast cultural differences at work here and yes, it is funny.<P>Editted to add: The line even has wisdom to it. The wisdom of knowing that your perspective on the world is not the only one and although it may make no sense to you, it may make every bit of sense from another point of view.<P>H.C.<p>[ April 11, 2003: Message edited by: HCIsland ]

[Sapphire_Flame]

Well said, HC. I agree with you thoroughly.

[Birdland]

Very well put. H.C. Also, let's not judge these future scenes by a 3 sentence description from one of perhaps dozens of interviews that Jackson gives out on a weekly basis. Treebeard would consider that to be unforgivably "hasty".<P>I'm very glad that P.J. chose to restore more scenes from Fangorn rather then fleshing out Helm's Deep. My only other hope is that he will devote some of that 45 minutes to the Frodo/Faramir interactions.<P>Wait until November, Dave, and if you don't like the scenes, I'll buy you an Ent Draught.

[Firondoiel]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! 43 extra minutes!!!! YAHOO!!!! And we get to see the ent draught!!!! That made my day!<P>

[The Saucepan Man]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Also, let's not judge these future scenes by a 3 sentence description from one of perhaps dozens of interviews that Jackson gives out on a weekly basis. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Well, I certainly agree with that, Birdie. The same point occurred to me as I was writing my post. It may well be that the scene is dealt with with great affection and humour. <P>Still, Jackson's use of the phrase "reciting bad poetry" troubles me. It suggests to me that the poetry itself will be portrayed as ridiculous, rather than alien from M & P's cultural standpoint.<P>But, I shall reserve judgment ... <P>And I look forward to sharing the odd Ent Draught or two, whatever the outcome. <p>[ April 11, 2003: Message edited by: The Saucepan Man ]

[davem]

So, no truth in the rumour then, about PJ writing a three part memoir of his experiences making the movie:<BR>'Where Tolkien went wrong'<BR>'Some more of Tolkien's Mistakes'<BR>& 'Who is this Tolkien Person Anyway?'<BR>(with apologies to Douglas Adams )

[Braeden Fireheart]

This looks hopeful, though I don't think there'll be 43 minutes extra in the SEE. No doubt PJ will probably make it an extra 30 minutes like in the FotR one.<P>There might perhaps be some additional things elsewhere on the DVDs, but not in the actual film.<P>However, if I'm wrong, I'm wrong, and happy. <P>7 months to go!

[HCIsland]

I don't know, it sounds to me like he was saying 43 minutes right on. I don't see any reason why he should feel compelled to be shooting for a particular number of minutes.<P>As far as what is available to him, I believe the rough cut to FotR was something like four and a half or five hours and TTT was likely the same. When I read this it sounds to me like he's already made up his mind on exactly what is in the extended edition.<P>H.C.

[VanimaEdhel]

Although I'm not big on outward shrieks, unless I'm being tickled, I'm screaming <I>really</I> loudly on the inside! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy: extra footage coming and I can't wait! Yay!

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

No davem, I'm pretty sure there's no truth in that rumour.<P>And I also thought that Treebeard was probably the funniest character in the book. It shows when I laugh out loud at the things he says in the film while non-book readers don't understand.

[Morquesse]

Whoa, a lot of replies! *cough cough* Anyway.<BR>I too am very happy about the 43 minutes! Whee!! <BR> However, when I first saw TTT in theaters and saw that PJ made fun of the ents, I was not all that happy. I hope that the extra Ent-draught isn't making more fun of them, but we shall see and be optimistic. <BR>And if anyone wants to know, supposedly the extended TTT will be rated PG-13. At least that's what this <A HREF="http://www.filmratings.com/" TARGET=_blank>Site</A> says (you'll need to look it up).<BR>See you later! <BR>~M<BR><p>[ April 13, 2003: Message edited by: Morquesse ]

[Dain]

I read on Tolkienonline that this will include Huorns at Helm's Deep. I'd also seen Huorns mentioned in a Two Towers film companion book at Borders, so I assume they are in there. Phew...<P>And 43 minutes is good. The extended Fellowship is so much better than the original, and TT has a lot of improving to do...<P>I agree with earlier sentiments worried about the way the homour of the Ents will come across, but also with the replies reminding us not to be hasty. <p>[ April 16, 2003: Message edited by: Dain ]

[HCIsland]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> I read on Tolkienonline that this will include Huorns at Helm's Deep. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Wow! I certainly wasn't expecting that. Neat. <P>Then again, what self-respecting horror director could resist people being murdered by trees? <P>H.C.

[Birdland]

Huorns? Wow, that is surprising. That means that Treebeard would have to explain what Huorns are, and set up the premise of them appearing at Helm's Deep. <P>Should have done that in the first place, and skipped all those dang Elves.

[Dain]

I was surprised too, when I saw them in the book (go down to your local bookstore and check it out for yourself--it's the Two Towers "companion" or whatever, and in the map of the battle of Helm's deep, the Huorn forest is there) was that they had just been cut out of this film, and would appear in the extended edition, and at the beginning of RotK. Just as TT has some scenes to remind us of FotR (that great, zoom-into-the-mountain shot!), in RotK, I thought we'd actually see how the battle finishes. In TT we just see them charge down the hillside and such, and suddenly they are riding up victorious over the crest of a hill. So, in order to end the film with less mess, I figure they skipped the huorn bit that ends the battle. And now that I've seen it somewhere else, too, I'm more convinced they will be in the films somewhere. We'll see, though...

[HCIsland]

I think you are completely right, Dain. If you look at how the end of TTT is editted it certainly looks like stuff was taken out. They must have felt there was just too much stuff happening at the same time in the end. It would be so great to see Huorns in the extended edition.<P>H.C.

[Arwen Evenstar the Fair]

Wow, if they put the Huorns in the movie that will be sooooooo awesome!!!!! I really hope they do, I was really looking forward to that!!!!

[lindil]

*Huorns: great<BR>*Treebeard the bad poet:<BR> really bad - as for not being hasty, well I am afraid TTT in general lowered my expectations of tastefullness and accurate interpretation of the Ents in general by PJ, so he has an uphill climb, a steep one, as far as I am concerned.<P>I am afraid though I will be doomed to watching the Ext FotR and skippin right to RotK. <P>I still have high hopes for it.<P>But it is hard for me to imagine that much of anything added to TTT will slavage or repair all of the mess created by the distortion of Farmair beyond recognition, and the gratuitous Warg and Dream scenes.<P>grima was excellent though, so more of Brad <I>might</I> help make up for it.<P>All that being said, the extended FotR really helped that movie far more than I would have guessed to be possible.

[Tar-Palantir]

Hopefully we'll get to see more of Arwen, ooh, and Legolas' bow... <P>Just give me more trees and Ithilien and I'll be happy.<p>[ April 18, 2003: Message edited by: Tar-Palantir ]

[Arwen Imladris]

Sorry if this is old.<P>A spoiler-ish picture that might be in the TTT Extended edition, and might explain some puzzles about Osgiliath. [It's been noted before that in the film, Frodo and Sam seem to turn up in Osgiliath on the wrong side of the River.]<P><A HREF="http://www.theonering.net/perl/newsview/2/1053595540" TARGET=_blank>Here</A>

[Meela]

Wowee! Good news!

[Vahalla]

Here is another tidbit from TORN. Pretty much all known stuff, but seeing Denethor in TTT would be a nice foreshadow for ROTK, not to mention whet my appetite.<P><A HREF="http://www.theonering.net/perl/newsview/2/1053622751" TARGET=_blank>Story</A><P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> The two major changes in RotK are addition of TTT material and cutting of Scouring:<P>- Isengard sequence/VOS is at the beginning of RotK.<P>- Minas Morgul, stairs of Cirith Ungol and Shelob's lair also in RotK<P>- "We don't have the Scouring of the Shire." (In case anyone was holding out hope ... )<P>- At this point, no Ghan-Buri-Ghan. Doubts this will be added in pickups.<P>- Otherwise it follows the book "reasonably well."<P>Other stuff:<P>- Shelob will be "the creepiest and scariest of creatures." Based on the Tunnel Web spider of New Zealand. Photo above<P>- Mumakil and Nazgul will have center-stage appearances - more spectacular.<P>- Post-production should be completed and film "delivered" end of October, early November.<P>- Also of interest: "We only meet one new character, which is Denethor - and he's only new to those who don't check out The Two Towers extended cut in November!" Sounds like a comfirmation of the Faramir / Boromir / Denethor flashback. <P><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[Meela]

Mmmm.... appetite for Denethor...

[HCIsland]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> At this point, no Ghan-Buri-Ghan. Doubts this will be added in pickups. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>I could have sworn that someone posted a cast list a while back with Ghan-Buri-Ghan on it.<P>That's too bad, I was looking forward to this.<P>H.C.

[Meela]

Imdb still has Ghan-Buri-Ghan on the cast list, but I no longer trust that list, as Beregond is confirmed as making an appearance yet he is not on the list.<BR>But he may still make an appearance.<BR>And I'm hoping Beregond is still in the movie. Can anyone confirm?

[Meela]

Ok... Beregond IS in it.<P>(I feel really weird... I'm answering a post on here which was posted on another thread...)

[HCIsland]

Here's an <A HREF="http://www.theonering.net/scrapbook/group/800" TARGET=_blank>article</A> concerning TTT - Special Edition. I have to put one quote here from it though because I just love it. This is from Dom Monaghan concerning Merry and Pippin finding Saruman's store room.<P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Merry and Pippin nearly have an orgasm looking at it and go mental. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P> <P>H.C.

[Finwe]

I could have sworn that Ghan-buri-Ghan and Beregond were in the movie. Ah well. I'm especially looking forward to seeing Denethor in Return of the King, or at least in the extended DVD of TTT. He was always one of my favorite characters (me being a pyromaniac and all!).

[Meela]

*huggles Finwe madly and hands him/her a Denethor Appreciation badge*

[HCIsland]

<A HREF="http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2003-06-11-rings_x.htm" TARGET=_blank>USA Today Article</A> has lots of tidbits for the extended edition. Some of this is confirmation, but some is new.<P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> USA TODAY got an early preview in Wellington, New Zealand, last week at director Peter Jackson's private screening room. Though a two-DVD set with the original three-hour Towers arrives on shelves Aug. 26, Rings completists will find plenty of fresh Middle-earth fodder in the longer version.<P>Bean's ring-craving Boromir, slain at the end of 2001's The Fellowship of the Ring, is resurrected in a lengthy DVD flashback after brother Faramir (David Wenham) finds a boat bearing his body. <P>Not only is there more Bean to savor, but the twisted emotional ties that ensnare ruler Denethor (New Zealand actor John Noble, who officially joins the cast in King), his favorite son, Boromir, and scapegoat Faramir also are exposed. The scenes also help explain why the noble Faramir is rather rude when he meets heroic hobbits Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin).<P>Other DVD additions to the middle tale that heighten the drama and lighten the mood:<P>• Rohan horseman Eomer (Karl Urban) finds his mortally wounded cousin Theodred and brings him home, where his subsequent death goes all but unnoticed by his spell-stunned father, King Theoden (Bernard Hill). <P>• The plight of Eowyn (Miranda Otto), Eomer's sister, deepens as she sings a mournful dirge during Theodred's funeral. Meanwhile, her unrequited passion for visiting warrior Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) is further inflamed when he tames an unruly horse by whispering sweet nothings in Elvish. <P>• There are more tree treats as the once-truncated encounter between ancient Treebeard the Ent and hobbits Pippin (Billy Boyd) and Merry (Dominic Monaghan) stretches its limbs. At one point, Treebeard's droning rumble of a voice causes the halflings in his branches to become drowsy.<P>• Jackson injects much fun with food and beverage. Eowyn, not especially deft in the kitchen, serves Aragorn a vile-looking bowl of homemade stew, which he politely chokes down. Boromir and Faramir share a couple of victory brews, and one declares in beer-ad fashion, "Today, life is good." Pippin and Merry greedily guzzle the magical elixir known as Ent-draught, adding inches to their wee stature. <P>The most surprising revelation in the longer Two Towers? That hale-and-hunksome Aragorn is 87 years old. Maybe it's something in that stew.<BR> <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>H.C.

[Faramir Fan]

Call me a little strange...but this scene is the one I am looking forward to the most...<P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Boromir and Faramir share a couple of victory brews, and one declares in beer-ad fashion, "Today, life is good." <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> <P>

[Estella Brandybuck]

Ooh, I was so excited when I found out about those... I'm really looking forward to hearing Éowyn sing. And of course, I can't wait to see Boromir interacting with Faramir, and our first glimpse of Denethor. <P>I'm glad that they put the Ent Draughts in as well, and Merry and Pippin's little "growth spurts." I really loved that part in the books for some reason.

[HCIsland]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> The scenes also help explain why the noble Faramir is rather rude when he meets heroic hobbits Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin).<BR> <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>You know, I was thinking about this statement and what in the Boromir/Faramir/Denethor flashback would help to explain Faramir's behaviour when this occured to me. As Boromir is getting set to head out for Rivendell, Denethor gives him orders like these, within earshot of Faramir, "whatever Isildur's Bain may be, it belongs in Gondor and you are to do what you can to bring it here."<P>Whatever you may feel about Faramir, it would take a lot for him to disobey the direct wishes of his lord and father. This would put him in a very tough spot and would go a long way (perhaps even all the way) to explaining his behavour in TTT. It also nicely sets up the tension between Faramir and Denethor for RotK.<P>H.C.<p>[ June 12, 2003: Message edited by: HCIsland ]