"The Lord of the Rings" = Frankenstein's monster

I have come to realize, upon rereading Tolkien's masterpiece, that the film trilogy of "The Lord of the Rings" is a little bit like Frankenstein's monster. You see, it's made up of bits and pieces taken from different parts of the books and sewn together in a different order. Don't get me wrong, I think it works very well. Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Phillipa Boyens did a fantastic job with these scripts, much better than most screenwriters working on an adapted film. However, I find it very funny when I discover that well known lines from the movies are actually taken from very different parts of the books. As I'm only eight chapters into "The Fellowship of the Ring" currently, I haven't discovered all that there is to find. However, I've found many already, and I will share my findings with you.

"So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." - In the movie, Gandalf says this line when Frodo has fallen into despair in the Mines of Moria. However, the actual line is taken from Chapter II of "The Fellowship of the Ring", when Gandalf is explaining the history of the One Ring to Frodo.

"Pity? It was Pity that stayed his hand. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement." - Another movie scene from Moria, when Frodo notices that Gollum is following them and expresses his disappointment that Bilbo did not kill him when he had the chance. In the book, this speech is also taken from Chapter II, "A Shadow of the Past", set in the kitchen of Bag End. Somehow, it's less inspirational when heard in a warm kitchen, isn't it?

"Hey ho, to the bottle I go
To heal my heart and drown my woe
Rain may fall and wind may blow
But many miles be still to go

Sweet is the sound of the falling rain
And the stream that runs from hill to plain
But better than rain or rippling brook
Is a mug of beer inside this Took" - Merry and Pippin sing this song in the Green Dragon in the extended version of "The Fellowship of the Ring." The first verse is pretty much correct, although it starts with "Ho ho ho" instead of "Hey ho." It is a drinking song that Sam and Pippin sing in Chapter IV, "A Shortcut to Mushrooms," that attracts the attention of one of the Black Riders. The second verse, however, is taken from the Bath Song that Pippin sings when they are in Frodo's new home in Crickhollow (not pictured in the movie). The verse actually goes, "O! Sweet is the sound of the falling rain, / And the brook that leaps from hill to plain, / But better than rain or rippling streams / Is Water Hot that smokes and steams."

"...turn the veil all to glass and silver, until at last it was rolled back, and a far green country opened before him under a swift sunrise." - This is perhaps my favorite. It's taken from Chapter VIII, "Fog on the Barrow-Downs," and is actually a description of Frodo looking across the downs. Unlike the other three examples, whose meaning stayed the same even if the lines were in different places, this line is found in "The Return of the King," when Gandalf is describing death to Pippin. It is also found in the Annie Lennox song "Into the West" that plays during the credits. I find it hilarious that the beautiful, peaceful description that Gandalf gives to Pippin actually has nothing to do with death or the Undying Lands but is actually a description of a rather sinister place, the Barrow-Downs.

Yes, I know I'm a geek. So are all my friends, though. We were discussing this very subject last night, along with goofs from the movie, and cool camera tricks that were used in the films. What a fun Friday night. :-P