Return of the King : On the Scouring of the Shire
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I just finished the books and this omitted part was the most shocking. Especially the death of Saruman IN THE SHIRE who was behind it all.
I guess Peter Jackson wanted to preserve the hobbits innocence by removing it.
I'm certainly no fiction or film expert, but putting another conflict directly after the ultimate war that ended the ultimate evil, within the same book or movie, doesn't exactly seem appealing. Everything about the war needed to end at Mordor. And considering how long the movie was already, they'd have to make Return of the King a 2-parter to include something like that (extended cut was over 4 hours). They'd already defeated Saruman at Isengard, and they needed the Palantir for the plot, Wormtongue would be the one to kill him anyways, just get it done there.
Or something to that degree. Like I said, I'm no expert on this stuff.
Cinematically, I agree with you. The movie was likely better without that part.
For the books themselves, their inclusion held a particularly personal importance for J.R.R. Tolkien. He was a soldier during World War I, a second lieutenant. He had to leave his home for years during that time. The Shire itself is a representation of the idyllic nature of his hometown, of how everyone lived in peace and tranquillity. But when he came back from the war, it no longer felt like the same place for him. He felt like it had been intrinsically altered, like the innocence was gone. The Scouring of the Shire is how he presented that situation; of having spent so long abroad, dreaming of his home, only to come back to see it deformed and uncanny. Of wanting to claim back what he feels was lost, even knowing that it can never be the same.
Personally, I always liked that part of the book. I did not expect it the first time I read it when I was about 11 years old, so it left quite an impression on me. But I understand why it would have seemed out of place in the movies.
Honestly the scene where the four hobbits are back at the pub and everyone else is super happy, the looks on the actors' faces sells it all.
https://www.hobartpulp.com/web_features/great-moments-in-cinematic-drinking-nbsp-lord-of-the-rings-the-return-of-the-king
good channel the feral historian talks about a lot of books I would never bother to read or couldnt even read because they are out of print.
idk when I read RotK as a kid the scouring flipped the book and made me hate it. it's such a massive buzzkill/climax killer. You mean they're not DONE YET?! Note that one of the most common complaints of the movie is that it seems like it's going end like four times, imagine the audience revolt if they put the full Scouring in? Come on. They HAD to cut it.
I know it's the theme that ties the hobbit's journey full circle but omg it DESTROYS the pacing of the story.