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Scouring of the Shire- it's own movie? (self.lotr)

submitted ago by [deleted]

Couldn't the Scouring of the Shire stand alone as its own movie?

I was reading it last night and thinking that it would be a great story by itself. You could start with Bag's End being sold and follow the characters left behind in the Shire. Some of it would need to be invented to fill out the story, but much of it could be taken from the book.

Then the movie could end with the return of the Travelers and the big battle. You could even throw in some romance with Sam and Rosie to top it all off.

I would love to spend a whole movie in Hobbiton.

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[–]travelinghobbit 23 points24 points ago*

I reckon it would be awesome done in the vein of The Hunt for Gollum and Born of Hope. Both are done by the same group of people and are absolutely BRILLIANT. You should definitely watch them if you haven't. I think they would do an amazing job with the Scouring.

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points ago

Ohhhh, I've not seen these, I'll check them out-- thanks!

[–]travelinghobbit 1 point2 points ago

Get yourself some popcorn and a drink and have a movie night! They are both full length and extremely well done. All fan made, including the music.

I think Born of Hope is my more favourite of the two.

[–]IAmNotYourBoss 2 points3 points ago

I've got a long weekend coming up, and I've got no desire to do anything but watch some cinema on Friday...

[–]Wolfszeit 2 points3 points ago

Allright. That is quite brilliant.

[–]RuafaolGaiscioch 1 point2 points ago

OMG I've only seen The Hunt for Gollum, did NOT know they did another one...

[–]travelinghobbit 0 points1 point ago

I love it. With The Hunt for Gollum, it's kinda hard to disassociate Aragorn and Gandalf with PJ's versions, Viggo and Sir Ian. With Born of Hope though, you have none of that. I found it incredibly fun and great to watch.

Though they both are!

[–]RuafaolGaiscioch 2 points3 points ago

Hunt for Gollum had, in my opinion, the best low budget action scene ever.

[–]travelinghobbit 0 points1 point ago

Totally! If I came across one on TV, I wouldn't peg it as a fan-made movie at all. They are serious about what they do. :D

[–]PattyMcWagon 1 point2 points ago

If you watch the 'making of' video on their website it really shows how much effort it took to make it all work. There were tons of volunteers involved. It's pretty mind blowing.

[–]CaptainEZ 3 points4 points ago

They already killed off Saruman, so it wouldn't work, unfortunately. Plus Christopher Lee is getting too old, and I can't imagine anyone else playing him :(

[–]reignofkindo 1 point2 points ago

Not to mention the fact, if you're talking about Hollywood doing it, Peter Jackson always HATED the chapter The Scouring of the Shire. So he wouldn't be the one doing it, which means none of the same actors.

[–]mwerte -1 points0 points ago

Do you have a source on PJ's hating? I'd like to hear his illogic.

e; 24 days ago...that's what I get for not paying attention, sorry.

[–]reignofkindo 0 points1 point ago*

Unfortunately, a Google search isn't yielding much. I see lots of hearsay that says he hated it, but no source. I do know for a fact though that I saw/heard him say it on one of the appendices. But I also know that if you watch the director's commentary, he gives a different reason and says it wasn't included for cinematic reasons. (Sauron is dead, it's denouement time.) Maybe I'll watch all the appendices sometime soon and come back and let you know exactly where he said it. I'd assume it's on the RotK extra discs, so that narrows it down a little, at least.

EDIT: Yeugwo said in this thread: "I was very upset when I heard PJ say he left this part out because he simply did not like it. One of the worst omissions in my opinion." if that gives any credence to my statement.

[–]mwerte 0 points1 point ago

I kind of understand the cinematic reasons for not including it, it adds a second ending to the story, which is kinda weird. So even though it's one of my favorite sections, I was only sad, and didn't nerdrage over it's omission.

I nerdraged more over Aragorn trying to dodge his kingship then that or the exclusion of Tom Bombidail.

[–]jackryan4x 2 points3 points ago

I think if they did more a whole story about the war in the north, not the game but the events taking place their at the time of the fellowship, so the rangers and elves and dwarves of those parts got in on it, too. Also have Tom Bombildo prancing around... yes that could work

[–]burntsalmon 3 points4 points ago

Nghnghah, the errors....

[–]MRdaBakkle 0 points1 point ago

It could work nicely as a 20 minute short film.

[–]demand-curve 1 point2 points ago

I love the chapter as a part of the whole book, but I don't think it has enough going for it to constitute an entire movie. It's main service is really in highlighting how the hobbits have changed, and it's difficult to imagine how this could be achieved when the central characters would be away for almost the entire duration of the film. Abstracted from the major events in Middle Earth, the Shire happenings just don't seem all that intriguing.

I was going to suggest that a short film may be suitable, and then I checked and realised that Born of Hope is over an hour. I probably would have had similar reservations about that but really liked it...

So, in answer to the question, erm...maybe?

[–]Gypsy_Cowboy 10 points11 points ago*

it is actually one of the more important sections of book.

the hobbits return to their ideal home, only to find it invaded and corrupted by machine and it is them that repel it, no others. They have taken what they learned, all the good and evil they've seen battled, internalized it, and made their world better because of it.

It is what the audience and readers of the book are to do. Take these amazing adventures that none of their neighbor's would believe, learn from them, and become better because of that, transforming their world, removing the taint that creeps upon it. In a way, also, a message of growing up. Starting in the shire, going to Mordor, and returning to the Shire, older and wiser, dedicated and able to do things they hadn't before.

[–]demand-curve 4 points5 points ago

I completely agree with you. You've basically managed to better explain what I mean by "highlighting how the hobbits have changed". However, as important a chapter as it is to the book, I still think that it has little potential to be told well as a full-length movie. The main characters (the same ones who have the amazing adventures, who you care about in the chapter) would be absent for the whole thing. How could it possibly be the same when Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin pop in at the end - with no prior character development - and just wrap things up. You'd have no idea how and why they had changed if you hadn't seen what was happening with them.

I suppose what I mean is that it is a great conclusion to the book, but this is true because it is so dependent on prior events in the book. It loses its significance when you isolate it and invent some main characters and events to flesh out whatever happens while the others are away (this would be a good long section) for the sake of a film.

[–]Gypsy_Cowboy 3 points4 points ago

Yes, this along with omission of good ol' singing fool Tom, I feel were very sad points in the original production. Both sections are critical commentary to wider implications of what is going on for the entire work.

But yes, it would be hard to turn into full length for the reasons you mention. They both would stand to be made into fan based clips, as was posted previously. They are both well done.

My dream would have been though, that the original production would have shot the scenes, merely to be included on limited/extended edition dvd after the movie released.

[–]Yeugwo 3 points4 points ago

I was very upset when I heard PJ say he left this part out because he simply did not like it. One of the worst omissions in my opinion.

[–]Gypsy_Cowboy 0 points1 point ago

this is discussed in greater detail in Joseph Pearce's Tolkien: Man & Myth (the google books link has some of it)

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