The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Corrected entry: Look at the faces of Boromir, Legolas and Merry after they leave Moria and get outside. They have dirt on their faces in a particular pattern. Then they make their way to Lothlorien and get cleaned up. But in the final scene, the dirt returns in exactly the same places.

Correction: Not true. The dirt is in similar places, but it is definitely different (checked this one carefully.)

STP

Corrected entry: When Saruman uses his magical powers to bring an avalanche down on the group, Legolas is seen standing to the right of Gandalf but when the avalanche starts he is now standing to his left. (01:41:17)

MCKD

Correction: He is part way back to joining the group but then runs out to pull Gandalf to safety.

STP

Corrected entry: In Balin's tomb in Moria, Boromir runs to the door and avoids two arrows flying towards him. In the next shot, he runs back into the room a few feet away from the door, but in the next shot, he is back at the door, preparing to slam it shut. (00:27:11)

Correction: He doesn't run any feet into the room. He turns to see Aragorn coming to help him and then they both slam the doors closed.

Corrected entry: Right after Frodo rescues Sam from drowning, in the boat Sam's left ear, camera side, is round and not pointed like it has been in the whole movie. This shot is repeated until the scene is over. (01:27:35)

Correction: It's pointy. You only see it from behind so you don't get a very good look at it, but it is indeed pointy.

Corrected entry: After Boromir has been hit by the third arrow, shots of him alternate several times between showing all three completely parallel with each other and then sticking out from his chest at completely different angles. (02:33:30)

Correction: He is involved in a pretty full-on sword fight - it's more than reasonable to assume he's knocked the arrows with his arms more than once.

STP

Corrected entry: At the beginning of the movie, during the Prologue when Cate Blanchett gives a brief history of Middle Earth, near the end of her monologue she says "For none now live who remember", referring to the war of the Last Alliance, this is in contradiction to two major facts of the story. The first being that the elves are immortal, therefore at least some of them would still be present at this time. The second is that Elrond is clearly shown fighting in the battle, and later he vividly recalls to the Fellowship, at the meeting in Rivendell, how he begged Isildur to cast the Ring into the fire of Mount Doom. Proving not only was he present but he can also remember the Last Alliance.

Correction: What Galadriel says is that 'much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it'. She does not say, or mean, that nothing of the Last Alliance can be remembered; she is speaking generally about Middle Earth's history, and saying that of the many races and peoples within it, lots of knowledge has been lost as people have died and taken their memories with them.

STP

Corrected entry: Does it strike anyone else as odd that the members of the Fellowship have to tap at the walls outside Moria (extended DVD) to try to find the gates, when the gates have an enormous great tree at either side of them - the two holly trees which are later ripped up by the Watcher and used, along with stones and other rubble, to block the entrance. In the book they never had any trouble finding the door, only making it appear; the holly trees, which were 'larger than any trees of holly that Frodo had ever seen or imagined,' and stood 'like sentinel pilars at the end of the road,' marked the spot even from quite a distance.

STP

Correction: The trees were present in the book also, and yet Gandalf had Legolas and Gimli looking for the door. If you call it a mistake, don't blame the movie, blame the book.

rbryant73

Corrected entry: In the scene where Aragorn exposes the wound in Frodo's shoulder there is no blood on the shirt but when the shot cuts out then back in there is a large bloodstain on the shirt.

Correction: Watch in slow motion - Arwen's gloved hand obscures most of the bloodstain, but it is there.

Corrected entry: This is found on the extended version, the scene where Frodo is offering Galadriel the One Ring, she moves towards him with her right hand extended. After her morphing scene she regains composure and tells Frodo that she, too, is a Ring Bearer and then extends her right hand again - this time showing her ring. Where was the ring when she extended her hand the first time?

Correction: This is true to the book: it is only at the end of their conversation that Frodo is able to see Galadriel's ring, even though she's been wearing it all along. She explains to him that as a Ring-bearer, his sight has 'grown keener'. Even Sam (who is present in this scene in the book) cannot see it, instead saying something about seeing 'a star shining through your finger'.

STP

Corrected entry: When Sam tried to follow Frodo (at the very end) and started drowning in the Great River, Sam was all the way under water. Frodo saved him, and then when you see that they are both in the boat again, Sam is COMPLETELY dry. Only his head is dripping wet. Frodo also reached in to save him, and Frodo's arm wasn't wet, either.

Correction: The cloaks that the Fellowship were given in Lothlorien repel water extremely well, but even so you can see that Sam's cloak is several shades darker from his immersion and it is covered with water droplets and rivulets of water running down. His shirt is also several shades darker and water can be seen running down his chest and arms as well. As for Frodo's arm and hand, both are dripping with water. The side of the cloak where he reached in to grab Sam is also covered with water droplets and is slightly darker. Claims that both hobbits are "completely dry" are ridiculous.

Corrected entry: In the scene where Arwen first appears she has her hair loose. She talks to Frodo in elvish and you see a close up of his face, then the camera goes back to her and her hair is all in little plaits.

Correction: Arwen's whole appearance changes in this scene - hairstyle, clothing etc. At first (as she is seen from Frodo's POV) her true appearance as an Elf is revealed - white, shining, perfect - and then it changes to show her in her riding clothes, looking more normal. The book refers to this happening with Elves on a number of occasions - and once or twice even with Aragorn.

Corrected entry: When the Fellowship is running through the mines of Moria, after they have fought with the orcs and cave troll, they reach the bridge of Khazad-dum. Then they are stopped again by the great number of orcs. When the Balrog arrives, they run further to Khazad-dum; the filmmakers used the exact same shot for this scene as when the Fellowship was running from the orcs in the first place.

Correction: The long shots of the Fellowship running through the Great Hall were all CG (as Peter Jackson says on his commentary on the extended DVD) and the background of columns is very repetitive, so the shots look similar, but they are not the same.

STP

Corrected entry: In the movie, Bilbo's book is called "There and Back Again - a Hobbit's Tale," but in the book "The Hobbit," it's "There and Back Again - A Hobbit Holiday." Maybe Peter Jackson thought audiences would misinterpret Bilbo's British use of the word "holiday"?

rbryant73

Correction: At the end of 'The Hobbit', when Bilbo is writing his memoirs, certainly it is stated that 'he THOUGHT [my emphasis] of calling them 'There and Back Again, a Hobbit's Holiday' ' - however by the end of the 'The Lord of the Rings' this has changed significantly. When Frodo has finished writing his part of the tale, he hands the book on to Sam for completion (last chapter, 'The Return of the King'), and Sam sees that 'the title page had many titles on it, crossed out one after another, so: My Diary. My Unexpected Journey. There and Back Again. And What Happened After. Adventures of Five Hobbits. The Tale of the Great Ring, compiled by Bilbo Baggins from his own observations and the accounts of his friends. What we did in the War of the Ring. Here Bilbo's hand ended and Frodo had written: The Downfall of the Lord of the Rings and the Return of the King. We can hardly blame the film-makers for avoiding all that and just keeping it simple!

Corrected entry: Towards the end of the fight in Moria, the cave troll slams Pippin on his back, but in the very next shot (look at the bottom center), Pippin is standing up as if nothing happened.

Correction: There is enough time when Pippin is off-screen for him to jump to his feet again. He'd have to do it quickly - but I think the possibility of an enormous cave troll squashing you as you lay there would be motivation enough.

STP

Corrected entry: When Aragorn is letting Frodo go to Mordor, in one shot it shows him facing the camera and you can see that Frodo is up to his shoulder, before Aragorn kneels down. In the next shot, Frodo is only up to his waist, but Aragorn hasn't moved.

Correction: This is the effect of forced perspective - Aragorn and Frodo are some distance apart, and the shot referred to here is over Frodo's shoulder, so that he is closer to the camera. He therefore looks taller than when he is further away, but his actual height hasn't changed.

STP

Corrected entry: When Bilbo Baggins is leaving Bag End after his birthday party, he picks ups his backpack. The shot shows that his backpack is a black leather hiking type. However, when he's at the door, the backpack is fabric, and much thinner.

Correction: As he picks up the bag, view it in slow mo to get a better grip on what you are seeing. As he picks it up, the underside of the bag is made of a leathery black material. However, as he flips it over, only the TOP is made of the other type of material.

Corrected entry: At the end of the film, when Boromir is racing up the hill to the rescue of Merry and Pippin, you simply see his dark clothing as he climbs. Then the camera cuts away, returning to a shot of Boromir still coming up the hill, only this time the horn of Gondor is suddenly evident, flip-flopping wildly with his every step.

Correction: It's just twisted round his body on its strap as he's running.

Corrected entry: There are two parts in the film where Sam refers to what "Gandalf told him". When he first tells him (in the cornfield) he says "Don't you lose him Samwise Gamgee", but at the ending (right after Frodo saves Sam from drowning) he says, "Don't you leave him Samwise Gamgee."

Correction: How is this a "mistake"? Sam could have remembered what Gandalf told him two different ways; memory is a very subjective thing. Or he could have chosen to use the word "leave" rather than "lose" the second time because it had more impact. Or he could have decided that even though Gandalf had said "lose", what he truly meant was "leave". There are a dozen other plausible reasons for this.

Corrected entry: When Saruman is summoning an avalanche on Carhadras a bandage can be seen on his left middle finger.

Correction: This isn't really a mistake - although it was a real bandage from an injury (it is mentioned in the commentary on the extended DVD) it isn't anachronistic in any way.

Corrected entry: When Frodo and Gandalf are discussing the fate of the ring in Bilbo's house, the ring is on the table in front of them. When the camera goes to close ups of the ring it is sometimes to the left of the table and sometimes to the right. Looks like a simple camera reversal.

Correction: These changes represent the different points of view - sometimes we see the ring from Gandalf's POV, sometimes from Frodo's. The items on the table are all in the correct places to support this, and there is often a close-up of the relevant person right before the shot cuts away to the ring.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring mistake picture

Other mistake: When Sam and Frodo are in the field with the scarecrow, you can plainly see a car cruising past in the distance, from right to left. Further comment - there are two different shots which show the car moving from right to left. One starts at the top right distance, and in a shot a few seconds later the car has traveled down the road a bit and is more easily visible. Complicating matters is that the dust thrown up by the car looks similar to smoke from a chimney in the right distance, making some people think it is just the chimney. But chimneys don't move, and the smoke from the chimney is separate from the moving vehicle. [It is deleted on the DVD, but you can still see an obvious bit of image fakery on the hill just left of the smoking chimney. One can see the hill, tree, and surrounding area move up and down and shimmer slightly where someone has done a cut and paste to cover up the auto. The "car inclusive" scene appears on the National Geographic documentary, "Beyond the Movie The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." Also, watch the music documentary on the Extended DVD - when it shows this scene the car is still in it. Bizarrely, in his commentary Peter Jackson said he never saw a car and doesn't know what people are talking about, but the production/post-production team say in their commentary that despite not thinking anyone would be able to see it, they took it out anyway.] (00:42:55)

More mistakes in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Aragorn: Gentlemen! We do not stop 'til nightfall.
Pippin: But what about breakfast?
Aragorn: You've already had it.
Pippin: We've had one, yes. But what about second breakfast?
[Aragorn stares at him, then walks off.]
Merry: Don't think he knows about second breakfast, Pip.
Pippin: What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them, doesn't he?
Merry: I wouldn't count on it.

More quotes from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Trivia: While filming the trilogy, Viggo Mortensen got so into character that, during a conversation with Peter Jackson, Jackson addressed him as "Aragorn" for more than half an hour, and Mortensen didn't even realize it.

More trivia for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Question: Since Gandalf knew how dangerous the ring was, why did he give it to Frodo and tell him that he must destroy the ring? It would make more sense to either do it himself or find someone else to do it.

Answer: The temptation of the Ring is directly proportional to the power and ambition of the bearer. To someone like Gandalf - a mighty wizard who wants to save the world - the temptation would, over time, prove to be too much, and he's realistic enough to understand that about himself. With an ordinary hobbit who only wants a nice meal and some peace and quiet, the Ring has a lot less to work with.

Answer: Gandalf can't take the ring because he would be tempted to use it, and it would ultimately corrupt him. This is true for nearly anyone who has it for any length of time, except hobbits for some unknown reason. Gandalf recognized this in Bilbo, and later in Frodo.

More questions & answers from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

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