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Why did Peter Jackson add the Nazgûls attack scene in Bree when it was not present in the original story, nor very important for the plot?
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Although it's a very good scene from the film, I don't see why Peter Jackson added it to the story (remember).
In the books, the Hobbits do not meet the Nazgûl in Bree, and that does not really advance the plot of the film (even if the scene in question remains excellent).
Then why did he add it?
tolkiens-legendarium the-lord-of-the-rings movie nazgul
edited Aug 31 at 22:16
Edlothiad
54k20284294
asked Aug 31 at 20:35
Foxy
499137
 |Â
show 11 more comments
up vote
50
down vote
favorite
Although it's a very good scene from the film, I don't see why Peter Jackson added it to the story (remember).
In the books, the Hobbits do not meet the Nazgûl in Bree, and that does not really advance the plot of the film (even if the scene in question remains excellent).
Then why did he add it?
tolkiens-legendarium the-lord-of-the-rings movie nazgul
edited Aug 31 at 22:16
Edlothiad
54k20284294
asked Aug 31 at 20:35
Foxy
499137
7
To introduce the villain/s earlier?
– Valorum
Aug 31 at 20:46
10
@NKCampbell They do attack the bolsters: "the beds were tossed about, and the bolsters slashed and flung upon the floor".
– Nicola Talbot
Aug 31 at 21:16
8
FWIW - the VTC votes are inappropriate. As Valorum's answer has shown, there is direct information from the director himself as to why he did what the question asks. Additionally, my answer demonstrates that the film scene isn't that much of a departure from the text as the question may indicate.
– NKCampbell
Aug 31 at 21:35
10
It bears mentioning that Jackson was speeding up the plot of LOTR fairly significantly. In the book, Frodo held the ring for 17 years while in the movies, he set out on his adventure almost immediately after Bilbo's birthday party. Having the Nazgul attack so early in the film made the danger seem more imminent.
– geewhiz
Sep 1 at 14:15
6
Although it's a very good scene from the film,...what other reason would you need? ;)
– xDaizu
Sep 3 at 13:36
 |Â
show 11 more comments
up vote
50
down vote
favorite
up vote
50
down vote
favorite
Although it's a very good scene from the film, I don't see why Peter Jackson added it to the story (remember).
In the books, the Hobbits do not meet the Nazgûl in Bree, and that does not really advance the plot of the film (even if the scene in question remains excellent).
Then why did he add it?
tolkiens-legendarium the-lord-of-the-rings movie nazgul
edited Aug 31 at 22:16
Edlothiad
54k20284294
asked Aug 31 at 20:35
Foxy
499137
Although it's a very good scene from the film, I don't see why Peter Jackson added it to the story (remember).
In the books, the Hobbits do not meet the Nazgûl in Bree, and that does not really advance the plot of the film (even if the scene in question remains excellent).
Then why did he add it?
tolkiens-legendarium the-lord-of-the-rings movie nazgul
edited Aug 31 at 22:16
Edlothiad
54k20284294
asked Aug 31 at 20:35
Foxy
499137
edited Aug 31 at 22:16
Edlothiad
54k20284294
edited Aug 31 at 22:16
Edlothiad
54k20284294
edited Aug 31 at 22:16
Edlothiad
54k20284294
54k20284294
asked Aug 31 at 20:35
Foxy
499137
asked Aug 31 at 20:35
Foxy
499137
asked Aug 31 at 20:35
Foxy
499137
499137
7
To introduce the villain/s earlier?
– Valorum
Aug 31 at 20:46
10
@NKCampbell They do attack the bolsters: "the beds were tossed about, and the bolsters slashed and flung upon the floor".
– Nicola Talbot
Aug 31 at 21:16
8
FWIW - the VTC votes are inappropriate. As Valorum's answer has shown, there is direct information from the director himself as to why he did what the question asks. Additionally, my answer demonstrates that the film scene isn't that much of a departure from the text as the question may indicate.
– NKCampbell
Aug 31 at 21:35
10
It bears mentioning that Jackson was speeding up the plot of LOTR fairly significantly. In the book, Frodo held the ring for 17 years while in the movies, he set out on his adventure almost immediately after Bilbo's birthday party. Having the Nazgul attack so early in the film made the danger seem more imminent.
– geewhiz
Sep 1 at 14:15
6
Although it's a very good scene from the film,...what other reason would you need? ;)
– xDaizu
Sep 3 at 13:36
 |Â
show 11 more comments
7
To introduce the villain/s earlier?
– Valorum
Aug 31 at 20:46
10
@NKCampbell They do attack the bolsters: "the beds were tossed about, and the bolsters slashed and flung upon the floor".
– Nicola Talbot
Aug 31 at 21:16
8
FWIW - the VTC votes are inappropriate. As Valorum's answer has shown, there is direct information from the director himself as to why he did what the question asks. Additionally, my answer demonstrates that the film scene isn't that much of a departure from the text as the question may indicate.
– NKCampbell
Aug 31 at 21:35
10
It bears mentioning that Jackson was speeding up the plot of LOTR fairly significantly. In the book, Frodo held the ring for 17 years while in the movies, he set out on his adventure almost immediately after Bilbo's birthday party. Having the Nazgul attack so early in the film made the danger seem more imminent.
– geewhiz
Sep 1 at 14:15
6
Although it's a very good scene from the film,...what other reason would you need? ;)
– xDaizu
Sep 3 at 13:36
7
7
To introduce the villain/s earlier?
– Valorum
Aug 31 at 20:46
To introduce the villain/s earlier?
– Valorum
Aug 31 at 20:46
10
10
@NKCampbell They do attack the bolsters: "the beds were tossed about, and the bolsters slashed and flung upon the floor".
– Nicola Talbot
Aug 31 at 21:16
@NKCampbell They do attack the bolsters: "the beds were tossed about, and the bolsters slashed and flung upon the floor".
– Nicola Talbot
Aug 31 at 21:16
8
8
FWIW - the VTC votes are inappropriate. As Valorum's answer has shown, there is direct information from the director himself as to why he did what the question asks. Additionally, my answer demonstrates that the film scene isn't that much of a departure from the text as the question may indicate.
– NKCampbell
Aug 31 at 21:35
FWIW - the VTC votes are inappropriate. As Valorum's answer has shown, there is direct information from the director himself as to why he did what the question asks. Additionally, my answer demonstrates that the film scene isn't that much of a departure from the text as the question may indicate.
– NKCampbell
Aug 31 at 21:35
10
10
It bears mentioning that Jackson was speeding up the plot of LOTR fairly significantly. In the book, Frodo held the ring for 17 years while in the movies, he set out on his adventure almost immediately after Bilbo's birthday party. Having the Nazgul attack so early in the film made the danger seem more imminent.
– geewhiz
Sep 1 at 14:15
It bears mentioning that Jackson was speeding up the plot of LOTR fairly significantly. In the book, Frodo held the ring for 17 years while in the movies, he set out on his adventure almost immediately after Bilbo's birthday party. Having the Nazgul attack so early in the film made the danger seem more imminent.
– geewhiz
Sep 1 at 14:15
6
6
Although it's a very good scene from the film, ...what other reason would you need? ;)– xDaizu
Sep 3 at 13:36
Although it's a very good scene from the film, ...what other reason would you need? ;)– xDaizu
Sep 3 at 13:36
 |Â
show 11 more comments
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
up vote
83
down vote
accepted
Jackson and Boyens felt that the medium of film (as opposed to Tolkien's fairly stodgy prose) allowed them a unique opportunity to create a scene that would heighten tension for a few minutes as well as giving audiences an ambiguous moment where they could ultimately learn that Strider/Aragorn was a good guy.
Jackson: I liked this gag where we deliberately made people think that the Hobbits were asleep, and it's a cheap and cheesy one, but it's always good value doing this kind of stuff. It's what cinema can do so well. You can't really do it in the book, but in the movies you can. You can juxtapose places and time and make people think they're looking at something and then reveal that they're looking at something completely different.
Boyens: This is one of my favourite shots, not because Viggo looks so gorgeous, but because he looks so dangerous and that helps sell the idea that you're not sure which way Strider is going to go. We played with that a little bit more in the script, where and when you would reveal that this guy was on their side but in the end we decided, as with most things, to do it as quick as possible, but for that one moment you're not sure.
LOTR: DVD Audio Commentary - Director's Cut.
answered Aug 31 at 21:30
Valorum
373k9627202950
Well done - I had just popped my disc in to grab this but you beat me to it :)
– NKCampbell
Aug 31 at 21:31
3
@NKCampbell - I have them on my desktop for just such an occurrence. I might invest a few hours into transcribing the whole thing at some point.
– Valorum
Aug 31 at 21:34
2
I found I only had the theatrical cut on my Plex server so I had to go to physical media
– NKCampbell
Aug 31 at 21:36
4
This scene also follows the Ralph Bakshi animated version, as do a lot of sevens in PJ's version.
– Seamusthedog
Aug 31 at 22:24
@seamusthedog What do you mean by "a lot of sevens in PJ's version"? Is that a typo for "a lot of scenes in PJ's version"?
– M. A. Golding
Sep 1 at 19:09
 |Â
show 3 more comments
up vote
120
down vote
He didn't deviate from the book...much
At least one Ring-Wraith does enter Bree in the night and is seen by Merry:
"I have seen them Frodo! I have seen them! Black riders!...Here. In
the village. I stayed indoors for an hour. Then as you did not come
back, I went out for a stroll. I had come back again and was standing
just outside the light of the lamp looking at the stars. Suddenly I
shivered and felt that something horrible was creeping near"
Merry continues his story:
"I went to pieces. I don't know what came over me." 'I do,' said
Strider. 'The Black Breath. The riders must have left their horses
outside, and passed through the South-gate in secret.'
Strider / Aragorn is aware that there are human enemies and ne'er do wells in the town who would gladly give the company up:
"They will know all the news now, for they have visited Bill Ferney;
and probably that Southerner was a spy as well. Something may happen
in the night, before we leave Bree".
Here is where the major deviation occurs:
'What will happen?' said Merry. 'Will they attack the inn?'
'No, I think not', said Strider. 'They are not all here yet' And in
any case, that is not their way They will drive these wretches to do some evil work; Ferny, and some of the strangers, and maybe, the gatekeeper too.
Here, we find some similarity again w/ between the film and the text:
[Aragorn] 'Stay here, and do not go to your rooms! They are sure to
have found out which those are. The hobbit-rooms have windows looking
north and close to the ground. We will all remain together and bar
this window and the door.
Nob, the hobbit working at the inn, sets up a decoy:
'Well Masters' said Nob, "I've ruffled up the clothes and put in a
bolster down the middle of each bed. And I made a nice imitation of
your head with a brown woollen mat'
During the night, the Riders (or someone - as Strider indicated earlier, perhaps Ferney or the like) entered and turned over the room:
"As soon as Strider had roused them all, he led the way to their
bedrooms. When they saw them they were glad they had taken his advice:
the windows had been forced open and were swinging, and the curtains
were flapping; the beds were tossed about, and the bolsters slashed
and flung upon the floor; the brown mat was torn to pieces."
In the text, the company departs Bree the following morning without interference from the Black Riders. So, in the book, the Riders do enter Bree and the company does hide from the Riders, and someone rousts the bedroom, but, in the text, the attack on the bedroom is not shown, nor is there any indication it is the Black Riders that perform the deed. Strider thinks any attack would be perpetrated by humans in Bree, not the Riders.
answered Aug 31 at 21:07
NKCampbell
26.6k892140
add a comment |Â
up vote
12
down vote
Just to build tension. The whole of the first half of the first movie was a desperate race to Rivendell, being chased the whole time by the Nazgûl. It's more or less the same in the book, the main difference being that the book moved a lot slower, and relied on other ways of building tension (e.g. Old Man Willow, the Barrow Downs). They cut out a few of those other scenes, so they added this one in to keep pacing and make sure we didn't have a chance to get bored and lose the fear.
They're still a ways away from Weathertop, which is the first real confrontation both in the movie and in the book, but the filmmakers know that the audience expects that confrontation, and want a little more danger than Strider sighting the enemies miles off in the distance.
answered Aug 31 at 21:03
Jason
533210
1
The funniest difference between the book and the film is, for me, in the urgency with which Frodo and the other Hobbits leave for Rivendell. In the book, after Gandalf tells Frodo he has Sauron's ring of power, a terribly dangerous artifact, and he must take it to Rivendell, Frodo potters about Hobbiton for (IIRC) several months before getting it together to actually leave. Stark contrast with the movie's "You're in terrible danger, go now!" tone of this part of the film, continued in the Bree scenes.
– Max Williams
Sep 4 at 8:12
1
more like years @MaxWilliams
– NKCampbell
Sep 4 at 13:08
@NKCampbell was it? haha.
– Max Williams
Sep 4 at 13:23
Check this question for timelines.
– Márton Molnár
Sep 4 at 14:02
add a comment |Â
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
83
down vote
accepted
Jackson and Boyens felt that the medium of film (as opposed to Tolkien's fairly stodgy prose) allowed them a unique opportunity to create a scene that would heighten tension for a few minutes as well as giving audiences an ambiguous moment where they could ultimately learn that Strider/Aragorn was a good guy.
Jackson: I liked this gag where we deliberately made people think that the Hobbits were asleep, and it's a cheap and cheesy one, but it's always good value doing this kind of stuff. It's what cinema can do so well. You can't really do it in the book, but in the movies you can. You can juxtapose places and time and make people think they're looking at something and then reveal that they're looking at something completely different.
Boyens: This is one of my favourite shots, not because Viggo looks so gorgeous, but because he looks so dangerous and that helps sell the idea that you're not sure which way Strider is going to go. We played with that a little bit more in the script, where and when you would reveal that this guy was on their side but in the end we decided, as with most things, to do it as quick as possible, but for that one moment you're not sure.
LOTR: DVD Audio Commentary - Director's Cut.
answered Aug 31 at 21:30
Valorum
373k9627202950
Well done - I had just popped my disc in to grab this but you beat me to it :)
– NKCampbell
Aug 31 at 21:31
3
@NKCampbell - I have them on my desktop for just such an occurrence. I might invest a few hours into transcribing the whole thing at some point.
– Valorum
Aug 31 at 21:34
2
I found I only had the theatrical cut on my Plex server so I had to go to physical media
– NKCampbell
Aug 31 at 21:36
4
This scene also follows the Ralph Bakshi animated version, as do a lot of sevens in PJ's version.
– Seamusthedog
Aug 31 at 22:24
@seamusthedog What do you mean by "a lot of sevens in PJ's version"? Is that a typo for "a lot of scenes in PJ's version"?
– M. A. Golding
Sep 1 at 19:09
 |Â
show 3 more comments
up vote
83
down vote
accepted
Jackson and Boyens felt that the medium of film (as opposed to Tolkien's fairly stodgy prose) allowed them a unique opportunity to create a scene that would heighten tension for a few minutes as well as giving audiences an ambiguous moment where they could ultimately learn that Strider/Aragorn was a good guy.
Jackson: I liked this gag where we deliberately made people think that the Hobbits were asleep, and it's a cheap and cheesy one, but it's always good value doing this kind of stuff. It's what cinema can do so well. You can't really do it in the book, but in the movies you can. You can juxtapose places and time and make people think they're looking at something and then reveal that they're looking at something completely different.
Boyens: This is one of my favourite shots, not because Viggo looks so gorgeous, but because he looks so dangerous and that helps sell the idea that you're not sure which way Strider is going to go. We played with that a little bit more in the script, where and when you would reveal that this guy was on their side but in the end we decided, as with most things, to do it as quick as possible, but for that one moment you're not sure.
LOTR: DVD Audio Commentary - Director's Cut.
answered Aug 31 at 21:30
Valorum
373k9627202950
Well done - I had just popped my disc in to grab this but you beat me to it :)
– NKCampbell
Aug 31 at 21:31
3
@NKCampbell - I have them on my desktop for just such an occurrence. I might invest a few hours into transcribing the whole thing at some point.
– Valorum
Aug 31 at 21:34
2
I found I only had the theatrical cut on my Plex server so I had to go to physical media
– NKCampbell
Aug 31 at 21:36
4
This scene also follows the Ralph Bakshi animated version, as do a lot of sevens in PJ's version.
– Seamusthedog
Aug 31 at 22:24
@seamusthedog What do you mean by "a lot of sevens in PJ's version"? Is that a typo for "a lot of scenes in PJ's version"?
– M. A. Golding
Sep 1 at 19:09
 |Â
show 3 more comments
up vote
83
down vote
accepted
up vote
83
down vote
accepted
Jackson and Boyens felt that the medium of film (as opposed to Tolkien's fairly stodgy prose) allowed them a unique opportunity to create a scene that would heighten tension for a few minutes as well as giving audiences an ambiguous moment where they could ultimately learn that Strider/Aragorn was a good guy.
Jackson: I liked this gag where we deliberately made people think that the Hobbits were asleep, and it's a cheap and cheesy one, but it's always good value doing this kind of stuff. It's what cinema can do so well. You can't really do it in the book, but in the movies you can. You can juxtapose places and time and make people think they're looking at something and then reveal that they're looking at something completely different.
Boyens: This is one of my favourite shots, not because Viggo looks so gorgeous, but because he looks so dangerous and that helps sell the idea that you're not sure which way Strider is going to go. We played with that a little bit more in the script, where and when you would reveal that this guy was on their side but in the end we decided, as with most things, to do it as quick as possible, but for that one moment you're not sure.
LOTR: DVD Audio Commentary - Director's Cut.
answered Aug 31 at 21:30
Valorum
373k9627202950
Jackson and Boyens felt that the medium of film (as opposed to Tolkien's fairly stodgy prose) allowed them a unique opportunity to create a scene that would heighten tension for a few minutes as well as giving audiences an ambiguous moment where they could ultimately learn that Strider/Aragorn was a good guy.
Jackson: I liked this gag where we deliberately made people think that the Hobbits were asleep, and it's a cheap and cheesy one, but it's always good value doing this kind of stuff. It's what cinema can do so well. You can't really do it in the book, but in the movies you can. You can juxtapose places and time and make people think they're looking at something and then reveal that they're looking at something completely different.
Boyens: This is one of my favourite shots, not because Viggo looks so gorgeous, but because he looks so dangerous and that helps sell the idea that you're not sure which way Strider is going to go. We played with that a little bit more in the script, where and when you would reveal that this guy was on their side but in the end we decided, as with most things, to do it as quick as possible, but for that one moment you're not sure.
LOTR: DVD Audio Commentary - Director's Cut.
answered Aug 31 at 21:30
Valorum
373k9627202950
edited Sep 1 at 0:12
answered Aug 31 at 21:30
Valorum
373k9627202950
answered Aug 31 at 21:30
Valorum
373k9627202950
answered Aug 31 at 21:30
Valorum
373k9627202950
373k9627202950
Well done - I had just popped my disc in to grab this but you beat me to it :)
– NKCampbell
Aug 31 at 21:31
3
@NKCampbell - I have them on my desktop for just such an occurrence. I might invest a few hours into transcribing the whole thing at some point.
– Valorum
Aug 31 at 21:34
2
I found I only had the theatrical cut on my Plex server so I had to go to physical media
– NKCampbell
Aug 31 at 21:36
4
This scene also follows the Ralph Bakshi animated version, as do a lot of sevens in PJ's version.
– Seamusthedog
Aug 31 at 22:24
@seamusthedog What do you mean by "a lot of sevens in PJ's version"? Is that a typo for "a lot of scenes in PJ's version"?
– M. A. Golding
Sep 1 at 19:09
 |Â
show 3 more comments
Well done - I had just popped my disc in to grab this but you beat me to it :)
– NKCampbell
Aug 31 at 21:31
3
@NKCampbell - I have them on my desktop for just such an occurrence. I might invest a few hours into transcribing the whole thing at some point.
– Valorum
Aug 31 at 21:34
2
I found I only had the theatrical cut on my Plex server so I had to go to physical media
– NKCampbell
Aug 31 at 21:36
4
This scene also follows the Ralph Bakshi animated version, as do a lot of sevens in PJ's version.
– Seamusthedog
Aug 31 at 22:24
@seamusthedog What do you mean by "a lot of sevens in PJ's version"? Is that a typo for "a lot of scenes in PJ's version"?
– M. A. Golding
Sep 1 at 19:09
Well done - I had just popped my disc in to grab this but you beat me to it :)
– NKCampbell
Aug 31 at 21:31
Well done - I had just popped my disc in to grab this but you beat me to it :)
– NKCampbell
Aug 31 at 21:31
3
3
@NKCampbell - I have them on my desktop for just such an occurrence. I might invest a few hours into transcribing the whole thing at some point.
– Valorum
Aug 31 at 21:34
@NKCampbell - I have them on my desktop for just such an occurrence. I might invest a few hours into transcribing the whole thing at some point.
– Valorum
Aug 31 at 21:34
2
2
I found I only had the theatrical cut on my Plex server so I had to go to physical media
– NKCampbell
Aug 31 at 21:36
I found I only had the theatrical cut on my Plex server so I had to go to physical media
– NKCampbell
Aug 31 at 21:36
4
4
This scene also follows the Ralph Bakshi animated version, as do a lot of sevens in PJ's version.
– Seamusthedog
Aug 31 at 22:24
This scene also follows the Ralph Bakshi animated version, as do a lot of sevens in PJ's version.
– Seamusthedog
Aug 31 at 22:24
@seamusthedog What do you mean by "a lot of sevens in PJ's version"? Is that a typo for "a lot of scenes in PJ's version"?
– M. A. Golding
Sep 1 at 19:09
@seamusthedog What do you mean by "a lot of sevens in PJ's version"? Is that a typo for "a lot of scenes in PJ's version"?
– M. A. Golding
Sep 1 at 19:09
 |Â
show 3 more comments
up vote
120
down vote
He didn't deviate from the book...much
At least one Ring-Wraith does enter Bree in the night and is seen by Merry:
"I have seen them Frodo! I have seen them! Black riders!...Here. In
the village. I stayed indoors for an hour. Then as you did not come
back, I went out for a stroll. I had come back again and was standing
just outside the light of the lamp looking at the stars. Suddenly I
shivered and felt that something horrible was creeping near"
Merry continues his story:
"I went to pieces. I don't know what came over me." 'I do,' said
Strider. 'The Black Breath. The riders must have left their horses
outside, and passed through the South-gate in secret.'
Strider / Aragorn is aware that there are human enemies and ne'er do wells in the town who would gladly give the company up:
"They will know all the news now, for they have visited Bill Ferney;
and probably that Southerner was a spy as well. Something may happen
in the night, before we leave Bree".
Here is where the major deviation occurs:
'What will happen?' said Merry. 'Will they attack the inn?'
'No, I think not', said Strider. 'They are not all here yet' And in
any case, that is not their way They will drive these wretches to do some evil work; Ferny, and some of the strangers, and maybe, the gatekeeper too.
Here, we find some similarity again w/ between the film and the text:
[Aragorn] 'Stay here, and do not go to your rooms! They are sure to
have found out which those are. The hobbit-rooms have windows looking
north and close to the ground. We will all remain together and bar
this window and the door.
Nob, the hobbit working at the inn, sets up a decoy:
'Well Masters' said Nob, "I've ruffled up the clothes and put in a
bolster down the middle of each bed. And I made a nice imitation of
your head with a brown woollen mat'
During the night, the Riders (or someone - as Strider indicated earlier, perhaps Ferney or the like) entered and turned over the room:
"As soon as Strider had roused them all, he led the way to their
bedrooms. When they saw them they were glad they had taken his advice:
the windows had been forced open and were swinging, and the curtains
were flapping; the beds were tossed about, and the bolsters slashed
and flung upon the floor; the brown mat was torn to pieces."
In the text, the company departs Bree the following morning without interference from the Black Riders. So, in the book, the Riders do enter Bree and the company does hide from the Riders, and someone rousts the bedroom, but, in the text, the attack on the bedroom is not shown, nor is there any indication it is the Black Riders that perform the deed. Strider thinks any attack would be perpetrated by humans in Bree, not the Riders.
answered Aug 31 at 21:07
NKCampbell
26.6k892140
add a comment |Â
up vote
120
down vote
He didn't deviate from the book...much
At least one Ring-Wraith does enter Bree in the night and is seen by Merry:
"I have seen them Frodo! I have seen them! Black riders!...Here. In
the village. I stayed indoors for an hour. Then as you did not come
back, I went out for a stroll. I had come back again and was standing
just outside the light of the lamp looking at the stars. Suddenly I
shivered and felt that something horrible was creeping near"
Merry continues his story:
"I went to pieces. I don't know what came over me." 'I do,' said
Strider. 'The Black Breath. The riders must have left their horses
outside, and passed through the South-gate in secret.'
Strider / Aragorn is aware that there are human enemies and ne'er do wells in the town who would gladly give the company up:
"They will know all the news now, for they have visited Bill Ferney;
and probably that Southerner was a spy as well. Something may happen
in the night, before we leave Bree".
Here is where the major deviation occurs:
'What will happen?' said Merry. 'Will they attack the inn?'
'No, I think not', said Strider. 'They are not all here yet' And in
any case, that is not their way They will drive these wretches to do some evil work; Ferny, and some of the strangers, and maybe, the gatekeeper too.
Here, we find some similarity again w/ between the film and the text:
[Aragorn] 'Stay here, and do not go to your rooms! They are sure to
have found out which those are. The hobbit-rooms have windows looking
north and close to the ground. We will all remain together and bar
this window and the door.
Nob, the hobbit working at the inn, sets up a decoy:
'Well Masters' said Nob, "I've ruffled up the clothes and put in a
bolster down the middle of each bed. And I made a nice imitation of
your head with a brown woollen mat'
During the night, the Riders (or someone - as Strider indicated earlier, perhaps Ferney or the like) entered and turned over the room:
"As soon as Strider had roused them all, he led the way to their
bedrooms. When they saw them they were glad they had taken his advice:
the windows had been forced open and were swinging, and the curtains
were flapping; the beds were tossed about, and the bolsters slashed
and flung upon the floor; the brown mat was torn to pieces."
In the text, the company departs Bree the following morning without interference from the Black Riders. So, in the book, the Riders do enter Bree and the company does hide from the Riders, and someone rousts the bedroom, but, in the text, the attack on the bedroom is not shown, nor is there any indication it is the Black Riders that perform the deed. Strider thinks any attack would be perpetrated by humans in Bree, not the Riders.
answered Aug 31 at 21:07
NKCampbell
26.6k892140
add a comment |Â
up vote
120
down vote
up vote
120
down vote
He didn't deviate from the book...much
At least one Ring-Wraith does enter Bree in the night and is seen by Merry:
"I have seen them Frodo! I have seen them! Black riders!...Here. In
the village. I stayed indoors for an hour. Then as you did not come
back, I went out for a stroll. I had come back again and was standing
just outside the light of the lamp looking at the stars. Suddenly I
shivered and felt that something horrible was creeping near"
Merry continues his story:
"I went to pieces. I don't know what came over me." 'I do,' said
Strider. 'The Black Breath. The riders must have left their horses
outside, and passed through the South-gate in secret.'
Strider / Aragorn is aware that there are human enemies and ne'er do wells in the town who would gladly give the company up:
"They will know all the news now, for they have visited Bill Ferney;
and probably that Southerner was a spy as well. Something may happen
in the night, before we leave Bree".
Here is where the major deviation occurs:
'What will happen?' said Merry. 'Will they attack the inn?'
'No, I think not', said Strider. 'They are not all here yet' And in
any case, that is not their way They will drive these wretches to do some evil work; Ferny, and some of the strangers, and maybe, the gatekeeper too.
Here, we find some similarity again w/ between the film and the text:
[Aragorn] 'Stay here, and do not go to your rooms! They are sure to
have found out which those are. The hobbit-rooms have windows looking
north and close to the ground. We will all remain together and bar
this window and the door.
Nob, the hobbit working at the inn, sets up a decoy:
'Well Masters' said Nob, "I've ruffled up the clothes and put in a
bolster down the middle of each bed. And I made a nice imitation of
your head with a brown woollen mat'
During the night, the Riders (or someone - as Strider indicated earlier, perhaps Ferney or the like) entered and turned over the room:
"As soon as Strider had roused them all, he led the way to their
bedrooms. When they saw them they were glad they had taken his advice:
the windows had been forced open and were swinging, and the curtains
were flapping; the beds were tossed about, and the bolsters slashed
and flung upon the floor; the brown mat was torn to pieces."
In the text, the company departs Bree the following morning without interference from the Black Riders. So, in the book, the Riders do enter Bree and the company does hide from the Riders, and someone rousts the bedroom, but, in the text, the attack on the bedroom is not shown, nor is there any indication it is the Black Riders that perform the deed. Strider thinks any attack would be perpetrated by humans in Bree, not the Riders.
answered Aug 31 at 21:07
NKCampbell
26.6k892140
He didn't deviate from the book...much
At least one Ring-Wraith does enter Bree in the night and is seen by Merry:
"I have seen them Frodo! I have seen them! Black riders!...Here. In
the village. I stayed indoors for an hour. Then as you did not come
back, I went out for a stroll. I had come back again and was standing
just outside the light of the lamp looking at the stars. Suddenly I
shivered and felt that something horrible was creeping near"
Merry continues his story:
"I went to pieces. I don't know what came over me." 'I do,' said
Strider. 'The Black Breath. The riders must have left their horses
outside, and passed through the South-gate in secret.'
Strider / Aragorn is aware that there are human enemies and ne'er do wells in the town who would gladly give the company up:
"They will know all the news now, for they have visited Bill Ferney;
and probably that Southerner was a spy as well. Something may happen
in the night, before we leave Bree".
Here is where the major deviation occurs:
'What will happen?' said Merry. 'Will they attack the inn?'
'No, I think not', said Strider. 'They are not all here yet' And in
any case, that is not their way They will drive these wretches to do some evil work; Ferny, and some of the strangers, and maybe, the gatekeeper too.
Here, we find some similarity again w/ between the film and the text:
[Aragorn] 'Stay here, and do not go to your rooms! They are sure to
have found out which those are. The hobbit-rooms have windows looking
north and close to the ground. We will all remain together and bar
this window and the door.
Nob, the hobbit working at the inn, sets up a decoy:
'Well Masters' said Nob, "I've ruffled up the clothes and put in a
bolster down the middle of each bed. And I made a nice imitation of
your head with a brown woollen mat'
During the night, the Riders (or someone - as Strider indicated earlier, perhaps Ferney or the like) entered and turned over the room:
"As soon as Strider had roused them all, he led the way to their
bedrooms. When they saw them they were glad they had taken his advice:
the windows had been forced open and were swinging, and the curtains
were flapping; the beds were tossed about, and the bolsters slashed
and flung upon the floor; the brown mat was torn to pieces."
In the text, the company departs Bree the following morning without interference from the Black Riders. So, in the book, the Riders do enter Bree and the company does hide from the Riders, and someone rousts the bedroom, but, in the text, the attack on the bedroom is not shown, nor is there any indication it is the Black Riders that perform the deed. Strider thinks any attack would be perpetrated by humans in Bree, not the Riders.
answered Aug 31 at 21:07
NKCampbell
26.6k892140
edited Sep 1 at 3:01
answered Aug 31 at 21:07
NKCampbell
26.6k892140
answered Aug 31 at 21:07
NKCampbell
26.6k892140
answered Aug 31 at 21:07
NKCampbell
26.6k892140
26.6k892140
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
12
down vote
Just to build tension. The whole of the first half of the first movie was a desperate race to Rivendell, being chased the whole time by the Nazgûl. It's more or less the same in the book, the main difference being that the book moved a lot slower, and relied on other ways of building tension (e.g. Old Man Willow, the Barrow Downs). They cut out a few of those other scenes, so they added this one in to keep pacing and make sure we didn't have a chance to get bored and lose the fear.
They're still a ways away from Weathertop, which is the first real confrontation both in the movie and in the book, but the filmmakers know that the audience expects that confrontation, and want a little more danger than Strider sighting the enemies miles off in the distance.
answered Aug 31 at 21:03
Jason
533210
1
The funniest difference between the book and the film is, for me, in the urgency with which Frodo and the other Hobbits leave for Rivendell. In the book, after Gandalf tells Frodo he has Sauron's ring of power, a terribly dangerous artifact, and he must take it to Rivendell, Frodo potters about Hobbiton for (IIRC) several months before getting it together to actually leave. Stark contrast with the movie's "You're in terrible danger, go now!" tone of this part of the film, continued in the Bree scenes.
– Max Williams
Sep 4 at 8:12
1
more like years @MaxWilliams
– NKCampbell
Sep 4 at 13:08
@NKCampbell was it? haha.
– Max Williams
Sep 4 at 13:23
Check this question for timelines.
– Márton Molnár
Sep 4 at 14:02
add a comment |Â
up vote
12
down vote
Just to build tension. The whole of the first half of the first movie was a desperate race to Rivendell, being chased the whole time by the Nazgûl. It's more or less the same in the book, the main difference being that the book moved a lot slower, and relied on other ways of building tension (e.g. Old Man Willow, the Barrow Downs). They cut out a few of those other scenes, so they added this one in to keep pacing and make sure we didn't have a chance to get bored and lose the fear.
They're still a ways away from Weathertop, which is the first real confrontation both in the movie and in the book, but the filmmakers know that the audience expects that confrontation, and want a little more danger than Strider sighting the enemies miles off in the distance.
answered Aug 31 at 21:03
Jason
533210
1
The funniest difference between the book and the film is, for me, in the urgency with which Frodo and the other Hobbits leave for Rivendell. In the book, after Gandalf tells Frodo he has Sauron's ring of power, a terribly dangerous artifact, and he must take it to Rivendell, Frodo potters about Hobbiton for (IIRC) several months before getting it together to actually leave. Stark contrast with the movie's "You're in terrible danger, go now!" tone of this part of the film, continued in the Bree scenes.
– Max Williams
Sep 4 at 8:12
1
more like years @MaxWilliams
– NKCampbell
Sep 4 at 13:08
@NKCampbell was it? haha.
– Max Williams
Sep 4 at 13:23
Check this question for timelines.
– Márton Molnár
Sep 4 at 14:02
add a comment |Â
up vote
12
down vote
up vote
12
down vote
Just to build tension. The whole of the first half of the first movie was a desperate race to Rivendell, being chased the whole time by the Nazgûl. It's more or less the same in the book, the main difference being that the book moved a lot slower, and relied on other ways of building tension (e.g. Old Man Willow, the Barrow Downs). They cut out a few of those other scenes, so they added this one in to keep pacing and make sure we didn't have a chance to get bored and lose the fear.
They're still a ways away from Weathertop, which is the first real confrontation both in the movie and in the book, but the filmmakers know that the audience expects that confrontation, and want a little more danger than Strider sighting the enemies miles off in the distance.
answered Aug 31 at 21:03
Jason
533210
Just to build tension. The whole of the first half of the first movie was a desperate race to Rivendell, being chased the whole time by the Nazgûl. It's more or less the same in the book, the main difference being that the book moved a lot slower, and relied on other ways of building tension (e.g. Old Man Willow, the Barrow Downs). They cut out a few of those other scenes, so they added this one in to keep pacing and make sure we didn't have a chance to get bored and lose the fear.
They're still a ways away from Weathertop, which is the first real confrontation both in the movie and in the book, but the filmmakers know that the audience expects that confrontation, and want a little more danger than Strider sighting the enemies miles off in the distance.
answered Aug 31 at 21:03
Jason
533210
answered Aug 31 at 21:03
Jason
533210
answered Aug 31 at 21:03
Jason
533210
answered Aug 31 at 21:03
Jason
533210
533210
1
The funniest difference between the book and the film is, for me, in the urgency with which Frodo and the other Hobbits leave for Rivendell. In the book, after Gandalf tells Frodo he has Sauron's ring of power, a terribly dangerous artifact, and he must take it to Rivendell, Frodo potters about Hobbiton for (IIRC) several months before getting it together to actually leave. Stark contrast with the movie's "You're in terrible danger, go now!" tone of this part of the film, continued in the Bree scenes.
– Max Williams
Sep 4 at 8:12
1
more like years @MaxWilliams
– NKCampbell
Sep 4 at 13:08
@NKCampbell was it? haha.
– Max Williams
Sep 4 at 13:23
Check this question for timelines.
– Márton Molnár
Sep 4 at 14:02
add a comment |Â
1
The funniest difference between the book and the film is, for me, in the urgency with which Frodo and the other Hobbits leave for Rivendell. In the book, after Gandalf tells Frodo he has Sauron's ring of power, a terribly dangerous artifact, and he must take it to Rivendell, Frodo potters about Hobbiton for (IIRC) several months before getting it together to actually leave. Stark contrast with the movie's "You're in terrible danger, go now!" tone of this part of the film, continued in the Bree scenes.
– Max Williams
Sep 4 at 8:12
1
more like years @MaxWilliams
– NKCampbell
Sep 4 at 13:08
@NKCampbell was it? haha.
– Max Williams
Sep 4 at 13:23
Check this question for timelines.
– Márton Molnár
Sep 4 at 14:02
1
1
The funniest difference between the book and the film is, for me, in the urgency with which Frodo and the other Hobbits leave for Rivendell. In the book, after Gandalf tells Frodo he has Sauron's ring of power, a terribly dangerous artifact, and he must take it to Rivendell, Frodo potters about Hobbiton for (IIRC) several months before getting it together to actually leave. Stark contrast with the movie's "You're in terrible danger, go now!" tone of this part of the film, continued in the Bree scenes.
– Max Williams
Sep 4 at 8:12
The funniest difference between the book and the film is, for me, in the urgency with which Frodo and the other Hobbits leave for Rivendell. In the book, after Gandalf tells Frodo he has Sauron's ring of power, a terribly dangerous artifact, and he must take it to Rivendell, Frodo potters about Hobbiton for (IIRC) several months before getting it together to actually leave. Stark contrast with the movie's "You're in terrible danger, go now!" tone of this part of the film, continued in the Bree scenes.
– Max Williams
Sep 4 at 8:12
1
1
more like years @MaxWilliams
– NKCampbell
Sep 4 at 13:08
more like years @MaxWilliams
– NKCampbell
Sep 4 at 13:08
@NKCampbell was it? haha.
– Max Williams
Sep 4 at 13:23
@NKCampbell was it? haha.
– Max Williams
Sep 4 at 13:23
Check this question for timelines.
– Márton Molnár
Sep 4 at 14:02
Check this question for timelines.
– Márton Molnár
Sep 4 at 14:02
add a comment |Â
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7
To introduce the villain/s earlier?
– Valorum
Aug 31 at 20:46
10
@NKCampbell They do attack the bolsters: "the beds were tossed about, and the bolsters slashed and flung upon the floor".
– Nicola Talbot
Aug 31 at 21:16
8
FWIW - the VTC votes are inappropriate. As Valorum's answer has shown, there is direct information from the director himself as to why he did what the question asks. Additionally, my answer demonstrates that the film scene isn't that much of a departure from the text as the question may indicate.
– NKCampbell
Aug 31 at 21:35
10
It bears mentioning that Jackson was speeding up the plot of LOTR fairly significantly. In the book, Frodo held the ring for 17 years while in the movies, he set out on his adventure almost immediately after Bilbo's birthday party. Having the Nazgul attack so early in the film made the danger seem more imminent.
– geewhiz
Sep 1 at 14:15
6
Although it's a very good scene from the film,...what other reason would you need? ;)– xDaizu
Sep 3 at 13:36