Glad2 get to get rid of the scouring

I believe taking out the scouring is exactly the right thing to do. It's impossible to engage with post the huge climax of ring and journey and it has a distinctly odd anticlimactic feeling as though its all taking place in a Middle Earth at a different, very much later, period in its history. The tone is so at variance with the rest of the novel one could very easily believe it to be from an alternative version of TLOTR that Tolkien was toying with.<P>One of the great things about the Grey Havens is that we are returned to the Middle Earth that we have spent most of a thousand pages in. It is, I think, the true emotional climax of the novel and, in a few understated paragraphs, perhaps Tolkien's finest moment. Sentimental but absolutely authentic, and a perfectly judged close. <P>Nonetheless I think Jackson will reference the Scouring in some way and I think I can take a guess at how he will handle post-ring Hobbiton which we will visit for a time. But aren't the cinematic opportunities for the Grey Havens wonderful? The psychological release of this is powerful enough for readers and I think even more so for viewers. Our one and only view of the ocean in an otherwise land locked film, the limitless horizon, the pearly light, cloaks billowing in the off-sea breeze, the ship, a hint of which we have already had. And, of course, that most nostalgic of sounds: the crying of gulls. It will be, I believe, one of the very finest moments of the film. RP

[Rose Cotton]

I agree that for a movie the Scouring of the Shire is out of place. However, that dos't mean I'm glad it's gone. There are some very special things that happen in that chapter. One part I think is very important is Frodo's character. He wanted to be sure that very few people were hurt and he also stopped Sam from killing Saruman. That part holds great meaning for me and I hope that PJ makes that apart of movie Frodo somehow. <P>Scouring of the Shire wasn't just a fun little story tacked onto the Lord of the Rings. It was delibrate. It showed the spirit of the hobbits in full. <P>I also want to add that it is very unrealistic that the Shire would be untouched through the whole war of the ring. In the movie we will probably recieve a much more sapy fairytale ending.

[peonydeepdelver]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> That part holds great meaning for me and I hope that PJ makes that apart of movie Frodo somehow. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>I feel the same, and there's another part in that chapter that has Pippin standing up against a ruffian that mocks Frodo. I felt that was also important to Pippin's character and showed how much braver he had become.<P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> In the movie we will probably recieve a much more sapy fairytale ending. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Oh God, I spent a lot of last Saturday trying to figure out how PJ was going to do things, and this was one of the big ones. What does he propose to do, have them come up over a hill and look at the Shire and say, "Oh boy, we're home!" That's the best thing I could come up with.

[Daisy Brambleburr]

I agree with most of what's been said. The Scouring works well in the book, because it shows how the hobbits have changed and wraps things up (like Sharkey and Wormtongue, and Sam's box and Bag End), but it wouldn't work in the movie because it'd be an anticlimatic ending after the huge battle of the Pelennor fields. I've seen a spoiler picture of the hobbits returning home somewhere, and I think that PJ will focus on how much the hobbits have changed and grown up, rather than on getting rid of the Ruffians and rebuilding everything. And it also gives him much more screentime to spend on everything else. So in all I think it was a good descision, although I'd still have liked to see how he'd have done it, out of curiosity mainly. <P>But I'm against the fairy tale ending whole heartedly. I'd like to see either an atmospheric shot of a white ship sailing into the mist or Sam's famous line, "well, I'm back." Hopefully he shouldn't feel the need to show us Sam and Frodo meeting up all happy or cheesy shots of Sam surrounded by kids. Tolkien's ending was prefect, and I still hold hope that PJ will leave it as it is.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

I must say that if done correctly, the Scouring of the Shire would not have been anticlimactic. It has been left out to satisfy typical 'Hollywood' criteria.<P>I think they should have kept it in the film.