June 16, 2003

TTT Exdended DVD: All the New Scenes So Far
Bob Praz

I'd just like to clarify things on the new scenes that will or may be featured in the TTT extended DVD (which I have long been researching and keeping track of). Believe me, everything I say here has a basis, I won't bother posting stuff that's just wild rumour. Obviously, don't read if you're spoiler-conscious.

OSGILIATH: I have heard (or read) many people speculating that the sewers of Osgiliath are the way Frodo and Faramir GET INTO Osgiliath, but I would just like to point out that Frodo, Sam and Gollum go through the sewers to GET OUT of Osgiliath, after Faramir has his "change of heart". I'm not sure if I read this from the TTT movie companion (those who have the book may know) but I know that Faramir shows Frodo to the sewers so that he can escape Osgiliath while avoiding all the orcs on the eastern side of the river (as for how they get to Osgiliath in the first place, the gondorians could easily have arranged transport across the river by boat, perhaps somewhere outside the city). This scene is most likely in the extended DVD, as is an extended fight between Frodo and Sam at Osgiliath (Elijah and Sean said they shot and filmed a lot more physical stuff than what appeared in the theatrical cut).
FLASHBACK (GOLLUM): The flashback sequence where we see how Smeagol murdered Deagol and got the ring was, I believe, supposed to appear when Frodo first reminds Gollum of his old name Smeagol in the Dead Marshes, just before the Nazgul comes. But we have been told by Phillipa Boyens and Fran Walsh that this scene has been moved to ROTK (assuming it doesn't get cut again).
FLASHBACK (FARAMIR): Another flashback scene, when Faramir finds Boromir's cloven horn (if not his funeral boat), IS in the TTT extended DVD, and this has been confirmed. We've also been told that we see Denethor and Boromir in this flashback, and that the scene was meant to allow the audience to understand why Faramir is so harsh with Frodo when he meets him, as we see the grief of Boromir's death and Denethor's lesser love for Faramir. This scene was obviously meant to appear (and may reappear at the same spot in the extended DVD) when we see Faramir thinking by himself right after he interrogates Frodo and Sam in Henneth Annnûn and just before his lieutenant comes to whisper in his hear (to give him news of Gollum). In his hands he is holding the cloven horn of Boromir, though we never get to see this in the theatrical cut (I know this because I saw a picture of it on one of the Decipher LOTR trading cards, the one entitled "cloven horn").
ARAGORN TAMES BREGO: We have learned that Brego, which is the horse that rescues Aragorn after he washes up on the shores of the river, was the horse of Theodred, who died in battle. There was apparently a scene in Edoras, which was ultimately cut, in which Aragorn tames Brego (which had become a little wild since the death of its former rider/master) by whispering elvish in his hears. Eowyn probably sees this and falls further in love with him. Aragorn then tells the stablemen to let the horse free, saying it has suffered enough. Brego remembers Aragorn becaus of this and that's why he comes to his aid later on.
TREEBEARD AND THE ENTS: Of course, as Peter Jackson said himself, there will be much more of the ent storyline in the extended DVD. Jackson said that out of all the multiple storylines, this part of the plot was the most cut, and he looks forward to putting much of it back in. The most important sequence that will be put back will be that of the ent-draught. Between the scenes of Gandalf's return and Frodo at the Black Gate, there is a short scene with Treebeard and the hobbits, where Treebeard says: "Gandalf told me to keep you safe, and safe is where I'll keep you." This is evidently Treebeard on the way towards Wellinghall, his ent-house, but it is very short in the theatrical cut. In the extended DVD, the hobbits will drink the ent-draught which, like in the book, makes them grow a few inches taller. There is then a humorous scene where Treebeard recites to them very bad poetry, and the two hobbits, out of respect, are struggling to keep awake. There may be other extended scenes like this, as in the movie we keep seeing short sequences with Treebeard here and there, but which seem to have been mostly cut. Yet that's all we know for certain right now.
FLOODING OF ISENGARD: The artists at Weta Digital have expressed before their wish to improve the Flooding of Isengard scene, because it was one of the last scenes to be developped before the delivery of the movie and they did not have as much time as they would have preferred to create the special effects for it, and apparently they had many other good ideas for the scene that they were unable to use. Yet whether they will change or add anything for the extended DVD is uncertain, and honestly doubtful, but it's possible.
OTHER: Naturally, we can expect to see more interaction between the characters and more comic relief. Of the latter there is, according to an article at usatoday.com, a scene where (quote) "Eowyn, not especially deft in the kitchen, serves Aragorn a vile-looking bowl of homemade stew, which he politely chokes down." We may also expect more scenes with Gollum, possibly more of Faramir and his relation to the ring, and likely the scene where Eomer finds Theodred dead and brings him back to Edoras (and, if we're lucky, we may glimpse a bit of the Battle of the Fords of Isen, if not the aftermath; although Peter Jackson probably kept Theodred's death simpler and shorter).

That's all I can recollect at the time, though there's a lot of little things here and there that are not really worth mentioning.