Fun_People Archive
23 Oct
Lord of the Rings - What gets cut?

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From: Peter Langston <psl>
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 97 12:02:14 -0700
To: Fun_People
Precedence: bulk
Subject: Lord of the Rings - What gets cut?

Forwarded-by: Nev Dull <nev@bostic.com>
Forwarded-by: Per Persson <pp@sno.pp.se>
Forwarded-by: ig25@fg70.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de (Thomas Koenig)
From: dsalo@usa.net (David Salo)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.books.tolkien

TO:	Miramax Studios
FROM:	Storyline Editor
RE:	"Lord of Rings" story

   Ok, Jack -- I read this grossly oversized book, and I think we can handle
it, but we have got to slim-n-trim this one big time to get it into our 2:07
frame.  Luckily, 2/3 of this book is just dead weight.
Proposed cuts:

   Merry and Pippin, or at least one of them.  Too easy to confuse.  Too
many Hobbits.

   Sam.  Sure,  he's got the supporting role, but isn't Frodo's lone
struggle against impossible odds twice as heroic without him?

   Faramir.  Wussy, non-heroic character- all he does is to get shot and
lie around in agony.  A waste of scenes.  Better to keep Boromir alive, use
him in later scenes.

   Imrahil.  Who cares?

   Saruman.  Needless duplication of a villain.

   Kingdom of Rohan & its inhabitants.  Needless duplication of a kingdom.

   Ents.  Talking trees?  Makes me think of 'The Wizard of Oz'.

   Nine Black Riders.  Reduce to three.

   Some general critiques:

   Dividing up the plot into two lines after they come down the Big River.
No good.  Keep the plot straight, have them all go to Minas Tirith, then
all go to Mordor.
   This reverse-psychology business with the Ring -- no good.  Confuses the
audience.  Suggest new ending:  Frodo _takes_ the ring, then fights duel
with Sauron.  Big fight on Mount Doom.  Sauron blasts him with electric
bolts from his fingertips.  Frodo lies dying on the mountain.  Suddenly the
Chief Nazgul says 'I am your father, Frodo,' picks up Sauron and throws him
down the volcano.  Big eruption.  Segue to final ceremony scene.  Whaddaya
think?

   P.S.  Can we get some submachine guns in this story?  Maybe studded with
spikes all over to give them a medieval look?
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