Discover the main differences between the events of the film "The Return of the King" and the novels "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien. A non-exhaustive selection, limited to 6 highlights.
Everything that follows is obviously SPOILER for the film The Return of the King by Peter Jackson or its literary version by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Aragorn smarter than Gandalf
After the battle of the fields of Pelennor, Aragorn, Gandalf the White, Eomer and Legolas meet in the halls of Denethor to speak tactically. In Peter Jackson's version, Aragorn puts forward the idea that fighting Sauron's troops at the gates of Mordor would be a good diversion and would allow Frodo to reach the Mountain of Destiny. A suggestion that is made in the novel by Gandalf, and the scene takes place in the prowler's camp.
The fate of Saroumane
Tolkien has planned a dramatic end for Saroumane (Christopher Lee): his surprise slit by Grima Tongue-Snake, at the very end of the book! It was well before that, at the very beginning of Return of the king, that the scene takes place, not at all in front of the same characters, and not at all in the same place - we will come back to this. In addition, one sees Saroumane falling from the tower of Orthanc and impaled on a wheel (a reference to the death of Christopher Lee when he played Dracula in films of the Hammer, where he often ended up with stakes in the heart). The deceased magician then releases the palanthir, which is recovered by Pippin, as in the book, but again, the recovery of the palanthir does not take place there. Finally, Grima is killed by a well placed arrow from Legolas while, like Saroumane, he knows a somewhat different fate in Tolkien.
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Saroumane is about to die
The Weight of the Ring
In the film, as Frodo approaches the Mountain of Destiny, the Ring becomes heavier and heavier around his neck, slowing his climb. This adds a dramatic effect to this ultimate ordeal suffered by the hobbit, but is an invention of the writers. The book does not specify a particular reaction of the Ring to this situation.
Where is Imrahil?
In the cinema version, Faramir is riddled with arrows and taken, dragged by his horse, to Minas Tirith. At Tolkien's home, Faramir was only hit by a shot, and it was Imrahil who led him injured to the capital of Gondor. Imrahil is also the one who extracts the arrow and heals the wound, before Aragorn identifies the projectile as " a suderonne arrow "If the name Imrahil does not mean anything to you, it is because he is absent from the films of Peter Jackson. He is the Prince of Dol Amroth, resident of the fief of Belfalas. With his riders, he participated in the fight against Sauron's forces.
King and husband the same day!
With a marriage and a coronation at the same time, The king's return definitely ends well for Aragorn, who becomes king Élessar and marries the elf Arwen before his (new) subjects. The two events are brought together at the cinema, no doubt because of the time constraints of the feature film, but in the book, the coronation and the marriage are spaced several months apart. Indeed, the king has time to plant a tree that we find " covered with flowers"when the elves arrive, at the time of the summer solstice. The novel tells us: "Aragorn, King Élessar, married Arwen Undômiel in the City of Kings on the day of the Summer Solstice, and the story of their long sorrows was finished."
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Aragorn's marriage and coronation
The cleaning of the Shire
This is undoubtedly the passage that made Tolkien's fans scream the most (with Saroumane's death at the start of the film): that where the hobbits return to the Shire and that their region is in peace, happiness found, and the young people celebrated for having accomplished this hard mission. These readers had not forgotten that on their return, in the novel, the hobbits note that the Comté is in the hands of Saroumane (who calls himself Sharcoux), Grima and their henchmen and that the pastoral beauty of their country is only a distant memory. Follows a confrontation between Sam, Frodo, Merry and Pippin during which Grima, humiliated by Saroumane the throat (scene similar to that of the film, which takes place elsewhere) before fleeing and being shot by the hobbit arrows. Thanks to grains donated by Galadriel, the County regains its greenery and its cultures, while life can resume.
The film The Fellowship of the Ring refers to this chapter of the novel via a "flash-forward" showing the Comté on fire, when Galadriel allows Frodo to use his magic mirror.
Sources: Unsung Heroes of the Lord of the Rings: From the Page to the Screen of Lynnette R. Porter, theonering.com.