'Jackson cut the 📔book’s real ending...'

[Radaghast]

'...and Tolkien readers have debated it for 23 years'​

In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Return of the King, Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin come home to find the Shire industrialized under Saruman's ruffians and must liberate it themselves at the Battle of Bywater, with no aid from the rest of the Fellowship. Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens cut that entire chapter, with Boyens explaining an audience "just wouldn't go for" a new conflict after the ring's destruction. The films kept one line intact from the book's true ending: Sam's "Well, I'm back."

Jackson cut the book's real ending, and Tolkien readers have debated it for 23 years - 3DVF

In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Return of the King, Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin come home to find the Shire industrialized under Saruman's ruffians and must liberate it themselves at the Battle of Bywater, with no aid from the rest of the Fellowship. Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens cut…

3dvf.com

Agree or disagree? For myself I agree, but only because the film trilogy was never set up to have a Scouring. But I disagree that the audience wouldn't go for it. That's silly.

 

[Eljorahir]

"Jackson cut the book’s real ending"​

Is it even accurate to state "The Scouring of the Shire" is the ending of the book?

I don't think so.

 

[Eljorahir]

"Sam Gamgee’s last line made it to the screen word for word: “Well, I’m back.” What didn’t survive the cut is everything that line was originally answering to. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel, the hobbits come home to a Shire gutted by Saruman’s thugs and have to fight one final battle themselves..."

Isn't Sam's "Well, I'm back" simply him telling Rose he's home from his trip to the coast? Or, am I missing something? I don't see what Sam's final line has to do with The Scouring. I tend to think this article is not so well written. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Halasían]

"Jackson cut the book’s real ending"​

That's not all he cut. The sadder thing is what Jackson added to the movies.

 

[wondering]

"Sam Gamgee’s last line made it to the screen word for word: “Well, I’m back.” What didn’t survive the cut is everything that line was originally answering to. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel, the hobbits come home to a Shire gutted by Saruman’s thugs and have to fight one final battle themselves..."

Isn't Sam's "Well, I'm back" simply him telling Rose he's home from his trip to the coast? Or, am I missing something? I don't see what Sam's final line has to do with The Scouring. I tend to think this article is not so well written. Correct me if I'm wrong.

That's my reading, too. I think it's emphasizing that while Frodo has passed West, Sam still belongs in the Shire. I don't think it's specifically Scouring related.

 

[d4rk3lf]

with Boyens explaining an audience "just wouldn't go for" a new conflict after the ring's destruction.

The Scouring of the Shire is not about new conflict, it's about showing how hobits grew, and could solve that conflict very quickly.
And that could be also shown in the movie with few clever scenes, and they should have cut all the Aragorn fake death, visions of Arwen, and sword pathetic nonsense... wedding too... and the movie would be even shorter with inclusion of The Scouring of the Shire.

 

[Greenleaf2024]

Well, okay.... I just want a movie that includes pretty much everything...🤣 I feel like the scouring of the Shire should have been in there, because it shows that even beautiful, simple, "perfect" places are damaged by evil, and - they saved Middle Earth, yes, but at a great cost. They saved the Shire, but it was bittersweet. I've always found it disturbing in the movies how the hobbits return home and the Shire is exactly as they left it. The whole point was that Saruman was supposed to "destroy" the Shire, right? But I suppose he can't do that if he dies in The Two Towers.....

Oh, since we're talking about the movies, I can't help it - Peter Jackson will forever have my wrath upon him for removing Glorfindel from the story. 😅😅😅😡