Question: Maybe I missed something, but why didn't Gandalf notice that Sam was not there? He acts surprised when Aragorn says that Frodo didn't go to Mordor alone, Sam went with him. Yet, he has already seen Merry and Pippin, and Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn are with him, and he knows that Frodo went on alone, so where does he think Sam is? Please excuse me if I missed something.
Question: Why did they change Faramir? In the books he wasn't even tempted by the Ring.
Answer: Most likely to emphasize the power of the ring to corrupt men. It shows that Faramir was actually the stronger brother, because he was able to resist its power.
You mean that Faramir should have joined the Fellowship? Because I think if he joins the Fellowship, he would be corrupted. Or Is Faramir more stronger than Boromir?
Boromir is most motivated by glory for Gondor, whereas Faramir is most motivated by honor. Boromir was therefore more susceptible to the Ring's corruptive influence than Faramir was as the Ring has great power which Boromir believes Gondor could use to defeat Sauron. Faramir understands that the Ring must be destroyed at all costs, any other course of action is futile, and therefore dishonorable. Hence, he is able to resist the Ring's influence.
Question: When Pippin and Merry are with the orcs (or uruk-hai or whatever they're called) one of the orcs keeps insisting on eating them. What does he mean when he says, "Do they give good sport?" And then he does this weird thing with his tongue to which Merry looks at him oddly. I don't know what he meant by that. (00:29:45)
Chosen answer: "Do they give good sport" is simply a way of asking whether they're being kept alive to provide later entertainment; could they be used in some sort of organised hunt, could they serve as gladiatorial fodder in an arena fight, that sort of thing. The weird thing with the tongue really just seems to be a sort of odd tic, designed to emphasise his rather disgusting nature.
Question: When Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli found out that Gandalf has risen, did Gandalf ever wonder why Boromir was not with the three hunters?
Answer: He may well have, but as there's no need for us, the audience, to see him being brought up to date because we've seen it all, it can be assumed that Aragorn told him about the events since the Mines of Moria while they travel, off-screen, to Edoras.
Question: I'm just curious, but at Helm's Deep, when Legolas says to Gimli "Shall I get you a box to stand on?" or words to that effect, was that line improvised by Orlando Bloom or was it in the script?
Answer: There's nothing to indicate that it wasn't in the script. It seems in line with much of the humour displayed throughout the trilogy, so was likely there from the start.
Question: Gandalf says "three hundred of the lives of men.... etc." does he mean he is that old? I have not read the book, but plan to.
Chosen answer: "Three hundred lives of Men I've walked this earth, and, now, I have no time." That is an implication of his age. This isn't, though, referring to how long he's been walking the earth as the wizard Gandalf. From the book: "Olorin I was in the days of my youth in the West", Gandalf came to Middle-Earth about a thousand years into the third age, yet he was a Maia, and is much older. He has only been in human form for about 2000 years.
Question: On the way to Helm's Deep, Theoden is riding Snowmane. After the battle with the Wargs and the company finally arrives inside the great fortress, Theoden dismounts off of a brown horse...where did Snowmane go?
Answer: Snowmane was presumably either killed during the battle against the Wargs and their riders, or injured to the extent that Theoden didn't want to risk riding him.
Answer: Snowmane definitely wasn't dead. He rode Snowmane to the battle of Pelennor fields.
Question: In the opening scene, Frodo is dreaming about Gandalf's fall in Moria. So later on, when Gandalf is explaining to Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas, how does he suddenly get from a water-filled cave miles below the surface of the earth (seen in Frodo's dream) to the top of a tower in the mountains (where he killed the Balrog once and for all)? I won't accept the explanation that Frodo's dream was inaccurate to real events or that he doesn't know what really happened, as I'm sure Peter Jackson used the dream as a way to partially explain what really happened to Gandalf in the books.
Answer: Nope, Frodo's dream is spot-on - no need to use that excuse. Gandalf and the Balrog obviously both survive the fall, and Gandalf spends the next eight days chasing the Balrog through the deep caverns under Khazad-dum. Ultimately, the pair reach the Endless Stair, which connects the deep halls to the ruins of Durin's Tower on the peak of Zirakzigil, a mountain high above Moria. They head up the stair to the mountaintop where they fight their final battle, which lasts another two days before Gandalf finally triumphs.
Question: What happens to Haldir, right before he dies? I've watched it several times, but still can't figure it out.
Answer: The first stab Haldir gets in his side, when two orcs come at him at once. The second blow, from what we can see, Haldir receives from above by an orc sword. The orc swings it downward, and from the jerk of Haldir's head, it apparently cleaves downward through the back of his skull, or his neck. Either way, it's enough to sever a vertebrae (or whatever elves have). Peter Jackson was gracious enough not to show it.
Question: Often when Gollum is in the middle of a sentence, he will cough the words "Gollum, Gollum". Why is that? It does that in the book too but I don't understand it.
Answer: It is not known exactly why he makes this noise only that it started after he recieved the ring. Since any people that knew him are now dead or have forgotten his name, the sound he makes (gollum,gollum) is what people now call him.
Question: Trolls usually turn to stone if they are exposed to daylight (like in the Hobbit). How is it then that the trolls that were opening and closing the Black Gate (when Sam and Frodo wanted to try to sneak in after the foreign army) weren't turned to stone and it was the middle of the day?
Answer: It was so cloudy that not enough sun came through. Or it could be that the Trolls were of Sauron's new Troll-breed, Olog-Hai, who could withstand direct sunlight.
Question: When Aragon and the others were a day's journey behind the Uruk-hai in the canyon, and one of the Uruk-hai was able to smell "man-flesh", so how is it that the Riders of Rohan were able to sneak up on the Uruk-hai while they are camped by the forest and the Uruk-hai not smell them?
Answer: We don't know that they didn't smell them. We just know that the riders found the camp and that there was a fight. If you read the books, it says that they knew the riders were coming, but there was no way they could outrun them on the plain; they headed for Fangorn Forest, hoping they wouldn't follow, but the riders caught up with them just outside of it. Obviously, some things are skipped in the movie, so it's a little less fluid. Check out The Two Towers, ch. The Uruk-Hai, about 1/2 way into the chapter.
Question: I was watching The Two Towers on DVD the other day and I am sure that I saw John Rhys Davies as one of the villagers that are helping to defend Helm's Deep. Is this true? It's not the spear-throwing Peter Jackson cameo - this character lifts a rock (or something) above his head and lets out a very John-like roar. Blink and you'll miss it.
Chosen answer: At what time? Peter Jackson's cameo (spear) is at 1:10:07 and producer Barry Osborne's (rock) is at 1:10:17. I couldn't spot another 'lift something over head and shout' shot.
Question: What was the point of bringing the Elves to the Battle of Helm's Deep? I don't mean in terms of the action of the film - I mean, why would the filmmakers add in something that is completely off the book? Legolas and Gimli frequently comment in the books that they wish their kinsmen would come to help them. Legolas then says that war is raging on their lands, and they will not come. Why have them come in the film?
Chosen answer: It's to show that the other races aren't just sitting back and letting the race of Men fight the battles. They could, of course, simply have had Legolas and Gimli saying that their people are fighting elsewhere, much as the books do, but it's more interesting and emphatic to actually show that the elves are participating in the battle against evil, even if it represents a change.
Question: Who or what is Helm and what is its deep?
Chosen answer: Helm Hammerhand was the ninth King of Rohan who used the caves and their accompanying fortifications (built many centuries earlier by the Gondorians) as refuge during a war against the Dunlendings. The caves, and the valley leading to them, were named Helm's Deep as a tribute.
Question: What type of horse did they use to play Brego?
Answer: Brego's real name is Uraeus. He is a warmblood stallion, a former FEI dressage horse, and was afterwards owned by Viggo Mortensen.
Question: This is an odd question, but have any historians commented on the battle scenes? Aside from the heroes' fights (such as Legolas, Gimili and Aragorn defeating hundreds of orcs by themselves), how true to life are the battles compared to real medieval sieges / battles?
Chosen answer: The LOTR is a heavy interpolation of different times, civilizations, religions, and cultures. Mainly, strict European and no Greek or Roman influence. There are bits and pieces of Medieval era, but then it can shoot to pre-Rome eras, and then shoot to strict religious material. It bounces back and forth all over the place, between pieces based on historical fact. For example, based on the armor, aspects, weapons, and fighting styles, the Elves would be the Gauls and Britonnic, around the time of Julius Caesar. The Dwarves are the Goths (Germany, Austria), but they also are the Nordic tribes ("vikings"). The Orcs bear strong similarity to the Vandals and Khazars, and the Mumakil are the Mauretanians (Moors). The Hobbits, Elves, Ents, Gandalf, are strong nods to the Druidism religion (Gandalf, the Elves, and Saruman are Druid priests, the Ents are supernatural beings). The Dwarves, dragons, trolls, giant spiders, orcs and Sauron show heavy nods to Asatru (Odin, Thor, Freya faith). Man seems somewhere in the middle, with more Medieval Christian hints here and there every so often, but very rarely. Besides the giant wolves, eagles, and such obvious fiction, the battles can go from very realistic to utter fiction. But they keep close enough to real history to be identifiable with who they are based on. The elves seem to follow a Gaul and Britonnic style, copper and gold armor, momentum-based swordplay, and a single-man fighting style. Many of the elves ring close to the Britonnic "kluddargos", high class swordsmen. The trolls seem similar to the very early Goths and Brits, as well as the Nordic "sky-clad" warriors who did at times use clubs and maces while stark naked and whipped up into a powerful "mind-over-body" state. The orcs show some resemblance to the Vandal forces, as well as the Thracians and many Celtic tribes (orcs are based off African American miners by J.R.R. Initially, and the whole story has rings of racism mixed with Christian elements, but take it for what it is. It mostly is a story copied from various myths, lore, and some events of Europe before Rome conquered the tribes Game of Thrones is closer to historical facts, and is not really racist at all, but also bounces around with interpolation as bad as LOTR). The Rohirrim bear strong resemblance to the Iberian horsemen who fought alongside Hannibal against Rome, as well as Viriatus; they were Celtic-like natives of Portugal (before Rome took it over and dominated the ethnic look of the region). The orc warg riders are akin to Nordic and Vandal horsemen, Dwarf combat is very close to actual Nordic and Gothic combat, lots of momentum, speed, heavy blows, and strength. The Elves have some resemblance to Gaulish and Britonnic high class warrior combat, but at swordplay and shields. The archery, on the other hand, is copied from Roman archers, Greek archers, and Sudanese (Nubian) archers (who could quickly whip from bow to sword in combat). The trolls use a style somewhere between fiction, but also with the real religion-hyped warriors of the Pechts, Vandals, Goths, viking tribes and Gauls: naked men armed who jumped into battle in a frenzy. The Uruk-hai berserker bears more resemblance to the Asatru religion "Úlfhéðnar", or Norse berserker. The Uruk-hai show resemblance to Goths mixed with European tribal warriors who sided with Byzantine. The Dunedain are very medieval Europeans, primarily England. So, to answer your question. Are the fights factual? sometimes, and not always the entire fight. Are they medieval fights? Again, sometimes, but usually they are mimicry of pieces of history or tribes and states during the Roman era. The closest to mimicking facts, even more than so-called fact based movies, is the game Skyrim. Skyrim can be very close to mimicking historical facts.
Question: The whole line of events leading to Gollum's capture by Faramir seems a bit out of place. 1. Where was Gollum when the hobbits were captured? 2. Wouldn't he be wondering where they are instead of fishing and singing carelessly? Did he know what had happened to them? 3. When Frodo finally appears, Gollum - suddenly - becomes suspicious. How so?
Answer: 1. Gollum ran off as soon as he heard the Rangers coming. He did not want to get caught, as he figured the Rangers would kill him. 2. Gollum was certainly curious, but he still has to eat. He wouldn't pass up a pool full of fish. He also suspected that the Rangers had taken them. 3. Gollum is suspicious of Frodo showing up randomly. He didn't expect him to be there, and he found it strange that Frodo would want them to leave right at that moment.
Answer: The movie makes it clear that Gandalf has lost some of his memory and his personality has changed. Gandalf actually did die and pass over to the "other side", as it were but was sent back to complete his task. However, he was sent back as a similar, but different entity. Gandalf the White does not have all the memories of Gandalf the Grey, at least at first. He doesn't even remember that he used to be called Gandalf the Grey until someone points this out to him. It is implied that Gandalf doesn't even remember Sam until Aragorn mentions him. Gandalf then searches his memories and remembers who Sam is and his eventual importance to Frodo's quest. When he finally remembers this, he is pleased that Sam went with Frodo, as he will play a crucial role near the end of the journey.