Questions about specific movies, TV and more

This page is for questions relating to a specific title. If you have a more general question, please check out the general movie questions section. Click the button below a question to answer it or click "edit" to correct a spelling mistake. Ask your questions here, and hopefully someone will answer soon. Members get e-mailed when any of their questions are answered.

Question: At the end of the movie the remainder of the 54th Mass top a cliff, look down and see a bunch of soldiers waiting for them who then fire on them. My question is what happened to the rest of the 54th Mass? did they die in this scene? Did they survive? It is never explained and during the burial at the mass grave none of the soldiers who ended up at the cliff are seen being put into the grave nor do you see their bodies on the ground.

SAZOO1975

1 1

Chosen answer: While the film deals with factual events, the only real character is Robert Gould Shaw, so, historically speaking, it cannot be stated exactly what happened to the characters based on historical grounds. However, only about a quarter of the regiment were actually slain in the real battle, with slightly more captured. Bearing that in mind, it's not unreasonable to speculate that the characters on the cliff were either captured by the enemy or managed to retreat.

Tailkinker

1 0

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1981)

Episode 6 - S1-E6

Question: When Marvin is left behind in the Disaster Area ship as the others teleport away, he says, "I'm so intelligent I've probably got time to go through the five." before he is cut off. Is there anything in the books or rest of the series which suggests what we was about to say?

Moose

0 0

Chosen answer: That seems to be an error in the subtitling of the episode. What Marvin actually says is: "I may just be a menial robot, but I'm far too intelligent to expect to think of me for a moment... far too intelligent..."

Sierra1

1 0

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Question: I heard somewhere (quite possibly on this site) that there were references to the chapter names of the book in this movie. Could someone tell me where these references are?

Blibbetyblip

0 0

Chosen answer: This is from the Encyclopedia of Arda: At least three of the chapter titles from the book have made it into the film, as part of the dialogue. Look out for 'a long-expected party' (the title of chapter I 1), 'a short cut to mushrooms' (chapter I 4) and 'the bridge of Khazad-dûm (chapter II 5). Gandalf also uses the phrase 'riddles in the dark', which is the title of the chapter in The Hobbit that sees Bilbo acquire the Ring.

Zwn Annwn

1 0

Friday the 13th (1980)

Question: There was a "Friday the 13th" TV series that ran from 1987-1990 and had about 70 episodes; does anybody know where I can see these episodes online?

Movieman123

1 1

Chosen answer: No, not all of them. The first three episodes are on Youtube. Direct TV new horror-movie channel - Chiller TV - is airing all the episodes currently, but you have to subscribe to the TV station (check out ChillerTV.com.) They are not officially on DVD, but are also sold on ebay. The series has no affiliation to the Friday The 13th Jason films.

1 0

Answer: The entire series is now on DVD. You can most likely find them on Amazon or a video store.

0 0

Friday the 13th (1980)

Question: There was a "Friday the 13th" TV series that ran from 1987-1990 and had about 70 episodes; does anybody know where I can see these episodes online?

Movieman123

1 1

1 0

Answer: The entire series is now on DVD. You can most likely find them on Amazon or a video store.

0 0

Casino Royale (2006)

Question: Near the end of the film, how does Bond deduce Vesper is in danger after she says she is needed by Mathis?

Cubs Fan

7 7

Chosen answer: He suddenly realises that he told Mathis about Le Chiffre's 'tell', and that that must be how Le Chiffre was able to beat him. With the realisation (or assumption - we never find out either way) that Mathis can't be trusted, he comes to the conclusion that Vesper could be in danger and goes after her. Of course, he fails to consider that he also told Vesper herself...

Tailkinker

1 0

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Question: Why release the Army of the Dead at the Pellenor Fields? Why not send them all into Mordor to destroy Sauron's entire army? Furthermore (this doesn't really count because it is about the book) why does, in the book, Aragorn just use the Army of the Dead to defeat the Corsairs and not even bring them to the Pellenor Fields?

Blibbetyblip

0 0

Chosen answer: Purely and simply, Aragorn gave his word. The Dead would be held to their oath, nothing more. They came to the aid of Gondor, thus fulfilling their oath. Aragorn had no real choice but to release them; if he tried to keep them past the terms of their oath, he'd just have had a lot of annoyed Dead warriors to deal with. He can't compel them to continue to fight and he gave his word to release them once they'd fought to defend Gondor, fulfilling their oath. With that done, at Pelargir in the books, at Minas Tirith in the films, their oath is done. Aragorn had no choice but to release them.

Tailkinker

1 0

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Question: When Aragorn confronts the King of the Dead with Anduril (the reforged sword), The King of the Dead says, "That *something* was broken!" I am almost sure he says, "Blade" (referring to the reforged sword), but the subtitles on my Region 4 disc say, "Line" (presumably referring to Aragorn's ancestry). What does he really say? Do the subtitles on discs of a different region say otherwise?

Blibbetyblip

0 1

Chosen answer: The King of the Dead says, "That line was broken." Aragorn replies, "It has been remade." Their comments are referring to Aragorn's royal lineage that was believed to have died out. The reforged sword symboilizes Aragorn's return as king. There is a video clip of this scene on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfh9Ypgfp7Q.

raywest

1 0

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Question: What exactly is shown in the Palantir when Saruman says, "An evil festers in the heart of Middle-Earth"?

Blibbetyblip

1 0

Chosen answer: There doesn't seem to be anything in particular shown. You can see Saruman's reflection and those of the spires at the top of Orthanc; there don't appear to be any concrete images actually within the palantir itself.

Tailkinker

1 0

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Question: Are there any places where I can find deleted scenes of this movie that never made it into the Theatrical or Extended releases?

Blibbetyblip

0 1

Chosen answer: Sadly, there has been no release of scenes that did not feature on the extended or theatrical film. Some scenes that didn't make it into films can be glimpsed in the behind-the-scenes footage included with the DVDs or blu-ray.

1 0

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Question: What is the reason for Aragorn falling off the cliff? Most people who see this movie would at least know that the next installment is called "Return of the King" so they would know that Aragorn cannot die until the third movie. I wondered whether it was just a plot device so that Aragorn could see the army of Uruk-Hai later and report their numbers to Theoden.

Blibbetyblip

0 0

Chosen answer: You're quite right in that, no, I doubt anybody seriously would have thought that Aragorn was going to die, but the scene functions as a way of showing the peril that the characters are facing, plus, as you say, it allowed Aragorn to report on the approaching enemy force, putting the main characters in the thick of the action rather than having a nameless scout character make the report. Plus it also allows them to reunite Aragorn with Brego the horse.

Tailkinker

1 0

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Question: Extended Edition: Why do Faramir and his men expect an attack on Osgiliath from the North? Minas Morgul, the place where the orcs would come from, is South East of Osgiliath- wouldn't they expect an attack from there, especially after seeing the green beacon in the sky coming from there?

Blibbetyblip

0 0

Chosen answer: Additional forces left Mordor via the Black Gate, marching to attack the elves in Lorien and the dwarven kingdom in the north. It would make a great deal of sense to send a group across the river at a crossing point to the north, then south towards Osgiliath to avoid the necessity of crossing the river under fire. With the main force attacking from across the river and the subsidiary force attacking from the north, Osgiliath would swiftly fall. Knowing that Mordor's armies are on the march, Faramir would be able to anticipate the likelihood of a northern attack.

Tailkinker

1 0

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Question: Why does the Eye of Sauron look so different in this movie? In 'Fellowship', it's a round eye with a thin slit but in this movie it is more oval shaped and has a considerably wider slit.

Blibbetyblip

0 0

Chosen answer: The Eye gradually changes throughout the films, getting noticeably larger and more dynamic - a sign of Sauron's growing power.

Tailkinker

1 0

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Question: When Gandalf tells Pippin about the 'fair green country' is he referring to the Undying Lands (where Frodo goes in the end) or somewhere else? If he is talking about the Undying Lands, does that mean that normal people also go there once they physically die?

Blibbetyblip

0 0

Chosen answer: In terms of the specifics, Gandalf may well be referring to the Undying Lands in order to boost Pippin's morale, but, no, non-Elves do not end up there without special dispensation. The younger races have their own destination after death, which Tolkien doesn't elaborate on to any great degree.

Tailkinker

1 0

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Question: Is Sam's line "By rights we shouldn't even be here," a reference to the fact that Frodo and Sam never go to Osgiliath in the books?

Blibbetyblip

0 0

Chosen answer: No. Despite various attempts to read that as some tacit admission of wrong-doing on the part of the scriptwriters, it doesn't mean anything of the sort. What Sam means is that, if things were going right in the world, he and Frodo would be living a peaceful life in the Shire, not dodging Nazguls and arrows in the ruins of Osgiliath.

Tailkinker

1 0

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Question: When Gandalf finds out that Denethor is going to burn Faramir alive, why does he leave the battle just to save Faramir? Surely he could do much more good and save more than one life by staying in the battle.

Blibbetyblip

0 0

Chosen answer: It's a morale thing. Denethor's already nearly ruined the defence of the city by telling everybody to flee; were it to become known that Denethor was not only dead, but had taken Faramir with him, thus destroying the line of Stewards and leaving the city with no ruler, the morale of the troops would be destroyed. Gandalf can only do so much to rally the troops; the city still needs a leader, even an incapacitated one. As such, he needs to make sure that Faramir survives.

Tailkinker

1 0

Glory (1989)

Question: When the men finally get their shoes, they are just tossed a pair from the wagon and they automatically fit. Were military shoes back then one size fits all? How could they have shoes that automatically fit them?

SAZOO1975

0 0

Chosen answer: The shoes would have been a mix of the most common sizes, and the men would have gone through them to find the right size...swapping when necessary. Keep in mind many of them were barefoot, so even shoes of the wrong size would have been a blessing.

Jason Hoffman

1 0

The Great Escape (1963)

Question: In the scenes in which the POWs use the bags inside their trousers to distribute tunnel dirt over the compound, how do they put the pins back into the bags? It seems like a pain in the butt to have to take the bags out, just to put them back in, just to take them back out, etc.

Cubs Fan

0 0

Chosen answer: The movie is based on a true story and depicts actual events. After dispersing the dirt, the POWs simply removed the bags from their pants, reinserted the pins, and put the filled bags back inside their trousers again. Of course it was a pain, but what other options did they have? Little or none. Carrying out a secret operation in a prisoner of war camp with few resources, they worked with what they had, and made what they had work.

raywest

1 0

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Question: When Aragorn looks into the Palantir (Extended DVD) he sees Sauron (in bodily form) holding the other Palantir. Are we to assume that Sauron has regained physical form?

Blibbetyblip

0 0

Chosen answer: No. Sauron's trying to psych Aragorn out, show him what he's up against. Appearing as the formidable warrior that he was before he lost the Ring is part of that.

Tailkinker

1 0