The opening poem of the LotR

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I was wondering what happened to the opening poem of the books. It never made it into the movies. I rather liked the whole "one ring to rule them all" thing. I think it would have been a great start for the movies but it never was in the movies as a whole piece, only parts of it spoken by Gandalf in Bilbo's house for example. Does anyone know how this came to pass? Perhaps a legal issue with Tolkiens's son Christopher?

Just curious.

[Ineti]

I don't think there was a legal problem with using it. It's in the LOTR, and PJ and co. were able to use the entirety of LOTR.

My guess is the writers simply didn't find a good place to put the whole thing in.

[Liquidator Queeg]

I may be off, but doesn't Elrond say the whole poem during the Fellowship "extended" Council scene?

Or perhaps it was a shot on one of the special features discs and was cut out? I can't recall now!

LQ

[ComaBoy]

When Gandalf and Frodo talk toward the beginning of FotR at Bag End?

[BouncyCaitian]

actually, it was Gandalf who spoke it during the Extended council scene. And Elrond gave this very ugly look for it. Of coruse when he spoke it, the sky turned black and there was thunder...and shaking...

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Didn't have the time to watch my Extended Version DVD yet. My fault it seems...

Gotta check this out. Thanks folks

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That's not what I meant. I just watched the council scene and I didn't mean Gandalf talking mordor's language. I meant this, and to my best knowledge it's not in the movies...At least not as the whole thing...

Three Rings for the Elven-kings in under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in darkness bind them
In the land of Mordor where the Sahdows lie.

You see... I liked it when I read the book first and I missed it when I saw the movies. Now I'd like to know why it was dropped in this form or if I really overlooked it...

[REG]

I don't think one should start the film with the poem, but rather the backstory that led up to the start of the story, which was narrated by Galadriel herself (Cate Blanchett). And in her narration she summed up the first few verses in the backstory.

Gandalf later filled in the rest by translating the Black Speech inscription on the One Ring, when he explained it to Frodo (after having cast it in the hearth fire and let Frodo examined the Ring himself to see if "flame can tell").

Personally, I like the prologue/backstory on the first film.

[Cut]

IMO the verse is typicaly for Tolkien's style. Gandalf speaks the two lines inscribed on the ring in Frodo's kitchen and then goes on...

"It is only two lines of a verse long known in Elven-lore."

The Lord Of The Rings, Book One, Chapter Two
„The Shadow Of The Past“, p. 63

You probably right REG that the prologue by Galadriel was needed that everyone understood what this is all about.

But starting the movie with the verse spoken by Galadriel (it IS elven lore after all...) and then explain what it means within the prologue we now know would have given the movie a different feel to it. And it would have taken what? About thirty seconds more...

I think it would have had more style.

Just my view of things...

[REG]

Personally, I don't think the first LOTR film needed more style. It has been praised as being better than the second film (although I beg to differ, I'm a sucka for big large mass battles).