RotK: Movie sequence of events *SPOILER ALERT*

[Knight of Gondor]

I've put together rumors, stories, facts, pictures, preview footage, etc. to put together this composite "screen play" if you will for what happens in Return of the King. If you do not want spoilers, don't read this. It's not 100% guaranteed all true, but it's pretty doggone close. Here goes:<BR>--------------<BR>RotK Sequence:<P>Beginning credits. Do we start with Aragorn and the rest, or Sam and Frodo? I’m taking a guess it will be Sam and Frodo, but it’s anybody’s guess. Very near the beginning, Gandalf, Aragorn, Théoden, Legolas, Gimli and some guards will ride to Isengard. Death of Saruman and Wormtongue. Since the rumor is that Wormtongue kills Saruman, and Legolas kills Wormtongue (it’s 99% certain that’s how it happens), I’m assuming that Saruman is thrust over the edge of Orthanc, impaled on a spike of the tower, and perhaps holding the Palantír in his hand, drops it upon his death. Somehow, the people at the bottom of the tower get the Palantír. <P>The two hobbits leave Isengard and journey with Théoden and the rest back to Rohan. Sometime during this Aragorn must have a discussion with Gandalf, the conversation that opened the preview: “Every day Frodo moves closer to Mordor.” Sometime during the night, Pippin takes the Palantír from Gandalf and looks in it. This makes Sauron believe Pippin has the Ring. Gandalf decides to take Pippin to Minas Tirith. Before going, he gives the speech to Aragorn about “the board is set, pieces are moving”, and surrenders the Seeing Stone to Aragorn, and Aragorn tells him “He has gone unchallenged long enough.” This must be where the exchange between Pippin and Merry takes place, where Merry tells Pippin “Don’t you know? The enemy thinks YOU have the Ring.” And of course, when Gandalf and Pippin go to Gondor, Merry tells him “We shall see the Shire again.”<P>Gandalf rides to the White City. Here it gets a little fuzzy. Aragorn must go with the King and the troops somewhere. Perhaps this is the ride to Gondor? Perhaps the encampment is on the way back to Rohan from Isengard? Meantime back in Rivendell, the sword of Elendil is being reforged. Not by Arwen, and not by Figwit, whoever that is. Just regular Elven smiths. Elrond and probably Arwen ride to the encampment of the Rohirrim. So the question is, when does Aragorn receive the sword? On the way back to Rohan? On the way somewhere else? Probably on the way back to Rohan is my guess. Aragorn begins to accept his destiny a little more, which probably gave him the confidence boost to challenge Sauron in the Seeing-stone. Aragorn sees the ships headed for Gondor, so he and his friends (only Legolas and Gimli?) take a different path through the Paths of the Dead. Rumor has it that Aragorn must do battle with the King of the Dead. POSSIBLY this is where Legolas says “He is here.” But I don’t think so, since he was just referring to the Eye of Sauron a minute earlier. My guess for that line would be the Witchking.<P>Gandalf arrives in Minas Tirith. They meet Denethor. (Yay we get to see him...boo for the jerk that he is) Gandalf and Pippin retire to their room, where Pippin asks in that adorable accent of his: “Is there any hope, Gandalf, for Frodo and Sam?” Later on, he becomes the Knight of the White Tower, and serves as one of Denethor’s personal servants. Faramir returns from his battle at Osgiliath and informs Denethor that it is overrun. Denethor sends Faramir on a suicide mission to drive the orcs out. This is the rumored place where Pippin is asked to sing his song, and this song is sung while Denethor callously watches his son ride to his death. The soldiers of Faramir actually succeed in driving the orcs away, perhaps, or fail and attempt to retreat back to the White City. This is where the Nazgûl show up, and that spectacular shot of the Fell Beast swooping down to scatter the riders. Faramir is injured, and the White Riders charges out onto the field to challenge the Nazgûl in a spectacular effort. In one shot of the preview, a very quick one, there is a shot of the Nazgûl circling the riders, but there is a white light piercing the darkness. The survivors, including Faramir, are born back to the city. Ere long, the siege of Gondor builds up. The long, but long-expected battle begins. The Riders of Rohan show up, which is where the shot of the Rohirrim plowing through the ranks of orcs. (The one where, in the preview, is show under Aragorn’s “we can give Frodo a chance” speech) Pyre of Denethor scene takes place simultaneous with Éowyn and Merry’s battle against the Witchking. Aragorn with the Army of the Dead show up to save the day on the Pelennor Fields? This doesn’t make much sense, since the ToyBiz action figure “Pelennor Fields Battle Armor Aragorn” has the cool Gondorian armor. However, I do not think Aragorn acquires these awesome duds until after the end of the siege of Gondor. I surmise this because the picture of Aragorn healing both Faramir and Éowyn has Aragorn still in his Ranger clothes, and because Aragorn would not have had chance to put on that armor until after entering the White City. <P>Éowyn, Merry, and Faramir are all healed by Aragorn. In the council taken by Gandalf, Éomer, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and whoever else that is present in the white room, Éomer says they cannot hope to achieve victory through strength of arms. Aragorn (note: still in his Ranger suit!) says no, but they can hope to give Frodo a chance. (I’m also quite sure that this is after the Pelennor Fields victory...Gimli is shown in the background, slumped in the Steward’s Chair — something Denethor would NEVER have allowed if he were still living) This must be the resolve to ride in open arms against the Black Gate. THIS must be where Aragorn gets his armor, because in the DVD preview, it shows a lot of riders pouring forth from Gondor in an orderly fashion, Aragorn in the lead, wearing his new clothes and armor, and looking thoughtful. I think this must be the shot where Legolas and Gimli are riding, and thinking of Gandalf when he said “All we must decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”<P>Sometime here after, the band of warrior setting out from Gondor waylay a band of orcs because the camera angle showing Aragorn looking thoughtful is seen a second later with him yelling a battle cry and charging. <P>As for Aragorn’s battle speech, this is a matter of debate among the good people at Barrow-Downs. I have surmised through careful study (stop that laughing) that the voice is most definitely Aragorn’s. However, the first image of troops shows a smoking Gondor and a band of Rohirrim preparing to charge; this is indeed the shot of the Muster of Rohan, but the overlying speech is Aragorn’s. This speech, however, is actually the one that Aragorn delivers to his troops that are prepared to do battle at the Black Gate. I’m not sure why he gave this speech; their situation was much more dire than that speech made it seem. Also, in the books, the army wasn’t mounted, for the most part. But I can conclude nothing else based on what can be seen in front of Aragorn when he swivels around on Brego with his sword in the air. <P>Word has it pretty much confirmed that Aragorn will be doing battle with the Mouth of Sauron, and the Mouth will almost have killed Aragorn but for what Frodo accomplishes. The Mouth will indeed come out and talk with our heroes; Ian McKellen’s website reports that the Mouth of Sauron throws down the Mithril coat.<P>Back to Frodo and Sam, but there’s really not much at all to put together. They are led by Gollum to Cirinth Ungol. I’m unclear as to exactly when, but while being guided past Minas Morgul, that strange light that rockets out and up heralds the Witchking’s departure with a huge army to attack Minas Tirith. Frodo’s neck is scarred and cut by the weight of the Ring. This, of course, is where Frodo is climbing high above Minas Morgul and Gollum says “Come master!...Come to Smeagol...”<P>Sméagol and Gollum appear to be united in an effort for the Precious. Frodo does not see what Sam sees; Gollum is leading them in to a trap. The hobbits fight with Shelob, and Gollum somehow escapes. Orcs capture Frodo after he is attacked by Shelob. Sam’s bitter parting with Frodo, who he thinks is dead, is an amazing performance on Sean Astin’s part. <P>Sam follows orcs that capture Frodo, and it appears that, contrary to the book, there are several orcs that Sam winds up fighting himself. There is one shot which I think I can safely identify; during Gandalf’s speech from the preview about Sauron being either exalted greatly in victory or downtrodden utterly in defeat, there is a spectacular shot of someone running up stairs to a tower. I’m pretty sure this is Sam, rushing to Frodo’s aid. Frodo’s Mithril coat is taken, as well as his clothes, but Sam kept Sting and the Phial, as well as the Ring after Frodo was stung. They dress up in Orc armor, and try to slip past the enemy lines to Mt. Doom. Of course we still don’t know if they will be made to march with other armies of orcs or not, but eventually the hobbits come to Mt. Doom. When the reach the pinnacle, Sauron’s road to the mountain’s interior, and the cracks of doom, the doorway looks similar to Sauron’s helmet from the prologue. Frodo and Sam grapple, Sam shouts “NOO!” when Frodo puts on the Ring. Gollum gets Ring, falls into Cracks, is destroyed.<P>We know Gandalf WILL fly on Gawihir to rescue Frodo and Sam, by the way. After that...it’s anybody’s guess as to how they handle the world post-Ring destruction. Understandably, it’s been kept tight-lipped.<P>That's it! Do you guys think it's pretty good? Did I miss anything? What did you think?<p>[ October 31, 2003: Message edited by: Knight of Gondor ]