Mouth of Sauron

[Essex]

for me the MoS looked very creepy. I love the way his head moves as the hobbits wimper- as if he has tunnel vision, or maybe no vision and relying on an acute sense of hearing.

oh dear here we go again -

he is an ambassador

Book MoS was an ambassador there to parly. Movie MoS was no ambassador at all, and did not claim parly either. He was there to taunt them before his troops ripped them apart. (and to be honest that was what the Book MoS was there for - Sauron knew our Heroes would not surrender - remember he thought they had the Ring - it was just a trap to draw them close so he could spring his trap anyway)

Movie Aragorn chopped his head off to shut him up. He was putting major doubt into the minds of the Men of the West and Co. and had to stop it. As he said after he did the deed - that he would not believe what the MoS was saying, so off with his head!

[Boromir88]

Book MoS was an ambassador there to parly. Movie MoS was no ambassador at all, and did not claim parly either. He was there to taunt them before his troops ripped them apart.

I disagree. In the movies there is clearly set up a term of negotians and a message from Sauron:


Mouth: My master, Sauron the Great, bids thee welcome. Is there any in this rout with authority to treat with me?
Gandalf: We do not wish to treat with Sauron, Faithless, and Accursed; Tell your master this: The armies of Mordor must disband. He is to depart these lands, never to return.
Mouth: Ahh, old grey beard. I have a token I was bidden to show thee.

(Throws out the Mithril coat, some shock and dismays. This is when the MoS starts gloating over Frodo and his death, he was tortured...etc)

Aragorn then rides up the Mouth says, blah takes more to make a king than a broken elvish...and he can't finish because his head is then chopped off. In which case Gimli so comically remarks 'I guess that concludes negotiations.'

Jackson knew exactly what he was doing, he exactly understood the scene in the book. The Mouth comes out, says would someone like to treat with me...the scene continues, head chopped off, Gimli remarks thats the end of negotiations. It doesn't matter if the MoS insults, annoys, gloats...etc, there is a clear scene set up where the Mouth (in the movies) was out there as a messenger and Aragorn kills him as Mithalwen references in another thread 'in cold blood.' Clearly there were negotiotians going on, Gandalf even acknowledges this in the movies, 'Tell Sauron this....,' and Aragorn rides up in anger to chop his head off.

and to be honest that was what the Book MoS was there for - Sauron knew our Heroes would not surrender - remember he thought they had the Ring - it was just a trap to draw them close so he could spring his trap anyway

Doesn't matter, Aragorn and company willingly road in expecting to fight, that was there plan. They wanted the armies to come out (in both the books and the movies). There was no hope for a military overthrow of Sauron, but Aragorn willingly road out to the black gate, so Frodo would have the chance. It doesn't matter if Sauron is planning to trap them or not, the MoS was out there for a message and to deliver terms. This is clearly established in both the movies and the books. But Jackson decided to have fun because it would be cool to kill a gross disgunting evil man.

[Essex]

Good points Boromir.

the word 'Treat' - I'll have to take a look at that.

But a few other things though.

Gimli's 'I guess that concludes negotiations' - he was being Ironic. There were no negotiations.

The movie MoS came out to gloat -

Let me put this to you. if you had not read the book before you saw this scene you would not believe that the MoS was there to negotiate or parley with them.

But then we need to ask someone who saw this film before they read the books....Anyone?

Aragorn asked for Sauron to come out, the gates open ajar and out pops one of his cronies to taunt the Men of the West, to inflict more doubt in their minds with Lies, and then to spring a trap.

He was not there to Parley. Just because someone walks up to you on the field of battle and doesn't swing a sword at you doesn't give him the right to walk around and taunt you and you must leave him be......

Finally, to make clear, the book version is far superior and works a LOT better than the movie version. I am just defending the actions of movie Aragorn.

[ninja91]

I like how he says "My master Sauron the Great bids thee welcome". Like they are welcome guests at all.