Posted on 11/17/2003 1:38:14 PM PST by steppenwolffe
Screen Legend Plans Boycott Of World Premiere.
If you want to find out what happens to the wizard Saruman in the last chapter the saga, of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" in December you'll have to read the book.
Christopher Lee told Britain's ITV-1 that he's "very shocked" director Peter Jackson has cut his scenes from "The Return of the King."
The legendary actor is reportedly so upset about the move that he's boycotting the premiere screenings of the film -- including the world premiere of the film in Jackson's native New Zealand, according to the New Zealand Herald.
Lee, 81, played the good-wizard-turned-bad Saruman in the first two "Rings" movie chapters "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers." He's also played Dracula, the Mummy and Frankenstein's monster in Hammer Studio's horror films of the 1950s and '60s, and Count Dooku in the "Star Wars" prequel "Attack of the Clones."
While he is not speaking about Jackson's reported move on his official Web site, the operators of the site are asking fans to sign a petition to have the filmmaker restore the scene that spells out Saruman's fate. The site said the scene is seven minutes long.
Jackson tells the Web site Ain't-It-Cool-News online that Saruman's opening scenes looked too much like they were wrapping up last year's movie instead of starting the new one.
He says the scenes will be restored on the extended version of the "Return of the King" DVD.
The extended version of "The Two Towers" will be released Tuesday. "The Return of the King" opens in theaters Dec. 17.
Hopefully, they'll be too busy shooting Hobbit in summer of 2005....... :)
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I personally think Gundolf should have made the cutting room floor. He doesn't add to the story at all...he just carries that stick around...and it's not realistic because if they were in a hurry why would they bring an old guy with them.
I get the Shire? Kewl!
Amazing how folks who've obviously never read LOTR (much less The Hobbit) show up in these threads critiquing the movies and acting as if they have something worthwhile to say...
I do wish Jackson goes ahead and makes The Hobbit while the Hobbiton site is still usable.
As for me, I hope Jackson doesn't omit the statues of the Pukel-men and their linkage to the ancient forest people of Ghan-Buri-Ghan... (To me, the rich depth of Tolkien's mythology is his magic!)
My daughter is having Amazon.com drop-ship the Two Towers Director's cut CD to me. What a 66th birthday present!
For the last twenty-six years, I've set time aside in the summer to read The Hobbit & LOTR from start to finish -- uninterrupted. (Usually with Karen Wynn Fonstad's "Atlas of Middle Earth" at my side...)
Well I'm glad THAT'S settled!
Thanks for that info, by the way. That would be SO cool to see all of that together with the gems we already have!
I believe all of the movie sites have already been dismantled. Bummer that; New Zealand could have made even MORE in tourism because of LOTR than it already has!
according to the exchange between Harry Knowles and Peter Jackson on AICN the Scouring is not part of the movie. Hence the unecessary footage on Sauroman. It can be easily assumed that he was defeated by the Ents along with the demise of his army at the hands of Arogarn and Gandalf. Given the assumption that the entire subplot of The Scouring is gone it makes sense to drop Mr. Lee from the theatrical version of Return of the King.
Of course, for me, the Scouring is as important as all the rest of the book combined. But that's me.
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