[mirrim]

SCREENING DISCUSSION
(New Scene *; Extended Scene **)
MARCH 31---APRIL 7
37. The Corsairs of Umbar*

In which the Three Hunters confront the Corsairs.

[greenman]

I don't think this scene should have been included myself although I can understand it as a bit of a tribute to the behind the scenes guys who had cameos. I actually quite like Gimli's dialog but Aragorn's "you shall not pass" line must go down as one of the worst deliveries in the entire trilogy, still they had enough sense to leave a bit of mystery at the end of the scene.

[victimofadown]

Hmm, I'm not sure about this scene. I really don't like the part where Gimli nudges Legolas's arm so he ends up killing the Corsair captain.

I also didn't like the fact that there were so many recognisable faces that I had seen in the extras, I know its weird because the actors are in the extras too but I guess its because I saw the crew in the extras first, where as I saw nearly all the actors in the film first. Anyway my point is it kind of took me out of the film completely because I kept thinking oh look theres so and so.

Of course I totally understand them wanting to be in a film they'd spent so much time and energy on, and given so much too and they totally deserve to be in it as well, especially with it being their last chance.

[MrBaseman]

Originally Posted by greenman

I don't think this scene should have been included myself although I can understand it as a bit of a tribute to the behind the scenes guys who had cameos. I actually quite like Gimli's dialog but Aragorn's "you shall not pass" line must go down as one of the worst deliveries in the entire trilogy, still they had enough sense to leave a bit of mystery at the end of the scene.

I'm not a big fan, either. It's a fun scene, Richard Taylor looks fantastic, Andrew Lesnie...

Aside from the cameos and Peter Jackson getting shot with an arrow, I'm not a big fan of the scene. The "you and who's army?" line is horribly cliche.

Edit: I hate contextual advertising!

[Stankton]

Originally Posted by MrBaseman

I'm not a big fan, either. It's a fun scene, Richard Taylor looks fantastic, Andrew Lesnie...

Aside from the cameos and Peter Jackson getting shot with an arrow, I'm not a big fan of the scene. The "you and who's army?" line is horribly cliche.

Edit: I hate contextual advertising!

What were they thinking with the "You and who's army" line? The answer, "This army", is even worse than the question and is so bad that it makes me want to puke when ever i hear it. Richard Taylor does a quite nice acting job though .

[mirrim]

Taylor? Where's he? Jackson (the bos'n) is the one who takes the arrow...Peter Tait (who's also Shagrat) is the captain.

And what a rowdy lot they are, arrrh. But I agree: the only real reason for this scene is to get a few cameos in.

Again, as in the end of the PotD scene, I would have cut the end of this one: after the "You and whose army?" and Aragorn's smug look. That would have maintained the suspense to some degree; we wouldn't have seen the Dead in action until Minas Tirith, and as the ships pulled up to the quay we wouldn't have "known" that the Dead were aboard...until the Three Hunters leaped off. This way, there's really no suspense.

[Stankton]

Originally Posted by mirrim

Taylor? Where's he? Jackson (the bos'n) is the one who takes the arrow...Peter Tait (who's also Shagrat) is the captain.

Who is the one who says "You and whose army"? I think I'm confusing names.

[mirrim]

I always assumed that was the captain. Richard Taylor has a high, whiny, annoying voice.

[j3ff]

I really don't care for this scene. First off the bluescreen work is pretty bad. Not as bad as the almost cartoonish shot of Aragorn/Gandalf/Eomer/etc. running back to the army as soon as the black gates open, but pretty bad. Second, do we really need to see the ghosts rushing through Aragorn and crew twice?

[mirrim]

Good point. That's another good reason to cut the end of the PotD scene and leave out the Dead attacking the Corsairs here!

[greenman]

Originally Posted by mirrim

Good point. That's another good reason to cut the end of the PotD scene and leave out the Dead attacking the Corsairs here!

I think if you cut the end of the PotD it needs to be at the same point as in the TE as there we go from an undesided dead to a attacking dead, a pretty easy leap of logic. If you include the exit from the PotD but not the "we fight" or the Corsairs then you suddenly go from a dead refusing to fight to one leaping out of the boats which is too great a leap if you ask me.

I don't think much of the scene but I don't think that foreknowledge of the dead really damages the tension a great deal as their arrival isnt really a tension builder like that of the Rohirrim(plus were not told their actually coming). If they'd have made the black ships arrival the big moment it was in the book it would have been a mistake but as it is the only tension I think is lost is in the few seconds between the ships pulling up and Aragorn jumping out.

[MrBaseman]

Originally Posted by mirrim

Taylor? Where's he? Jackson (the bos'n) is the one who takes the arrow...Peter Tait (who's also Shagrat) is the captain.

And what a rowdy lot they are, arrrh. But I agree: the only real reason for this scene is to get a few cameos in.

Again, as in the end of the PotD scene, I would have cut the end of this one: after the "You and whose army?" and Aragorn's smug look. That would have maintained the suspense to some degree; we wouldn't have seen the Dead in action until Minas Tirith, and as the ships pulled up to the quay we wouldn't have "known" that the Dead were aboard...until the Three Hunters leaped off. This way, there's really no suspense.

Andrew Lesnie(DP), Gino Acivedo, prosthetics, Richard Taylor, and Rick Porras, all have cameos in this scene. Watch the EE documentary on filming this scene, then watch the scene frame-by-frame. They're all there.