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I am one of those people who didn't see the films in the theater and ONLY saw the extended cuts at home. I had no idea that a ton of people hadn't seen the death of Saruman until years later and I was shocked to discover that. It feels like one of the most important scenes in that whole film.

It's been so long since I've seen a non-extended version I didn't realize that scene was one of the extensions.

As someone who grew with the extended cuts I agree with Lee, just because you can’t cut out such character with no explanation; imagine if Darth Vader suddenly disappeared and we just had Luke fight the Emperor

It was indeed a strange decision to cut Saruman’s death from the picture. One of the key antagonists. Glad it made it into the extended version, which I believe has become the standard way to watch LOTR now anyway.

It's worth mentioning Lee's relationship with Tolkien's work. He was a massive fan of The Lord of the Rings and read the books several times throughout his life. He had dreamt of playing Gandalf for years should a film adaptation ever come to be. This fantasy epic was a huge part of his life and to see it broken for the sake of 7 minutes must have been heartbreaking to say the least.

I think the worst part of all this, is that they ended up doing EXACTLY what Jackson said they were trying to avoid here when it came to The Hobbit and they left the Smaug climax for the last movie.

No one can ever compare to the villains Sir Christopher Lee brought to life on screen. I hate that we didn't get more time with him.

One of my big questions at the end of RotK was "what happened to Saurman?" When I received the extended edition of TTT, I thought that scene was both one of the best performed and critical to the story. That is one of Jackson's only mistakes making that trilogy.

100% with Christopher Lee on this. Lee wasn't just a distinguished, esteemed veteran actor, he was the only person involved in the production to have actually met J.R.R. Tolkein. After playing such a major role in the first two parts of the trilogy, it was the best decision story-wise as well to bring closure to his character. This is why people hate when the suits get involved.

The commitment of the fans to the extended editions was probably something no one anticipated at the time. I think at this point the extended editions are considered the “official” versions by most fans. I watched a theatrical cut for the first time in years a little while ago and there seemed to be a LOT missing - not just Saruman’s death.

Having watched the extended editions, as much as I love them, I agree with most of what they chose to cut for the theatrical releases as far as pacing goes. But they should've never cut this scene for the theatrical release. It makes no sense that Saurumon just disappears from the story and is never spoken of again.

In the books, Saurman died in the Scorching of the Shire which was a whole story from the books that got left out due to time limitations for the films. Sorry that the whole situation wasn’t handled well, but the extended editions definitely create a fuller/better movie version of the story for sure- I love both the films and the books

"From Lee's perspective, this was a massive betrayal." So did he feel like he'd been stabbed in the back?

For everyone that doesn't know, Christopher Lee was the only one in that set that met personally Tolkien, he liked his books so much that was a tradition to him to read all the Tolkyen books once a year, so you can understand why he was so upset.

Another detail that might add to the pain that this scene was cut: originally, Sir Lee was told to scream when his back is stabbed. And he refused to do that and said, if someone is stabbed, the person sharply inhales, but does not scream. He asked the team, if they ever had to whitness a person beeing stabbed, of course they said no. Unfortunately, he had to whitness such events during his service. So they changed the scene to how it is now in the extended edition. That made the scene really personal to him, since it triggered a lot of bad memories and he had to put a lot of his own trauma into it, I can imagine. Seeing it landing on the cutting room floor must have hurt deeply.

My favorite character in the trilogy due to Lee's presence, he and the Witch King of Angmar deserved more screen time in my opinion.. RIP to the great Sir Christopher Lee

He wasn't cut. He was stabbed. Oh wait.

Knowing that the shot of Saruman saying “Leave Sauron to me!” in Battle of Five Armies was the last time we would ever see Christopher Lee on screen makes me even more glad that he and Jackson reconciled. Man was an absolute legend to the end!

i wish they would release a comprehensive full cut of all that they filmed (such as Faramir and ÉOwyn's wedding). These films are a masterclass in filmmaking and I watch them every year

Something else from the 2 towers could have been cut and replaced with Sarumans death. I love the movie but if you're thinking how do we trim it for a theatrical release, the battle for helms deep, the ents, the journey to Mordor, all of these parts of the movie surely combined have 7 minutes to spare a co main villains death.

The fact that Lee found out he wasn’t in the third movie until he saw it is very telling. This story would almost certainly would have been different if someone had the balls to have a hard conversation with him.

Surprised you didn't mention the book. Saruman has quite a different ending in the book, which Lee was expecting to play, and Jackson's decision to have him die earlier (while understandable) was the first step that led to this disagreement/disappointment on Lee's side.

After having read the books for decades, I missed many things. Tom Bombadil for one, but for me the most important omission was the battle of the Shire with Saruman's reappearance as Sharkie and his subsequent demise. Sam's replanting of the decimated Shire using Galadriel's gift was another that was missed. If you don't recognise these events at the end of the stories then READ THE BOOKS!

The extended versions are just so essential. I wish there were extended versions of the extended versions.

Normally, I side with the director in situations like this, but in this case, I’m in total agreement with Christopher Lee. When I first saw The Return of the King in theaters, I was massively disappointed by Saruman’s absence. After all, he was really the only villain with a human face. I actually think placing his death at the beginning would have caused the audience to be on edge. With Saruman being killed off early, people would be constantly wondering about who could be next. It was a lost opportunity.

Sadly, the theatrical release of Return of the King is quite broken. Not only is Saruman ignored, the Witch King of Angmar tells the commander of the orcs that he will confront Gandalf personally... but never does. The Return of the King is the only LOTR film where the extended edition feels necessary, rather than as an extra bonus.

As a massive Tolkien fan and a film editor, I fully understand Jackson’s dilemma. Run time is such a massive part of the decisions of getting to the final cut. Perhaps one who hasn’t worked in an edit bay for hours on end wouldn’t understand. The A Story (the quest to destroy the One Ring) is the master and everything else must help move the A story forward. If there’s doubt then it can be considered to end up on the cutting room floor.

Funny thing is, as a many-time reader of the books, I distinctly remember not expecting to see Saruman die at Orthanc. It was only after realizing that the scouring of the Shire had been omitted that I realized what a horrible loose end had been created. My cynical side immediately expected this was to use Saruman as a villain in further stories. I had no idea it had ended up on the cutting room floor.

I remember finding it really strange that Saruman's last scene in the theatrical cut of the trilogy was a two second shot of him looking out over his balcony. That's like Darth Vader disappearing in the middle of Empire, and then never shown or mentioned again.

Just reminds me of the story where Peter Jackson tried to tell Lee how to act when stabbed and Chris asked him if he’d ever actually heard a man get stabbed, cause he did. Lmao an actual badass irl.

What is amazing is that scene with Lee is so key, so essential ... I do not even remember the movie without it by now! I mean if the theatrical release was missing the scene I just do not remember it. I remember him and that scene and his death. The extended cut has become THE movie and the theatrical release is a forgotten has been. I know Jackson thought he was doing the right thing but without that scene the second movie is incomplete. You never find the movie shown anywhere without it.

Wasn't Saruman supposed to show up and enslave the Shire at the end of Return of the King fulfilling Galadriel's prophecy. The Hobbits, having just returned and emboldened by their adventures overthrow him ultimately having Wormtongue stab him. I'm not sure if this is in the book which I never got through, as I saw it in a play, but way too many comments to tell if someone mentioned this. If they had removed all the slow-mo at the end they could have fit it in the runtime surely.

I'm with Lee on the fact that it was a betrayal, and I also remember thinking it was really stupid to skip out on an ending for Saruman. As far as the extended versions being a cash grab, that's a hard disagree from me. The extended versions were as close to a complete story they could have done without adding events and characters that would have changed the story they had shown in theaters. I would consider it the complete version while the theatrical version was abridged to be more reasonable to sit through in theaters.

I gotta take Christopher’s side, that’s some BS with what they did with his character

I will have to agree with Lee. The Voice of Saruman was an integral chapter in the story, and they did do a great job of filming it, from what can be seen in the extended version. Would have liked the version where he was just banished and on the road to being Sharkey.

I have to agree with Lee on this, that scene should have been in the theatrical cut with Saruman and Wormtongue as it was awesome. You can see the people involved with the money making decisions (as if they were not going to make huge amounts anyway) saying if we keep that for the extended DVD people will be talking about it as the best scene to give as a reason to buy a extended edition.

The only thing I found really odd in the theatrical cut. Treebeard: _"But there is a wizard to manage here, locked in his tower."_ Gandalf: _"And there Saruman must remain, under your guard Treebeard"_ Gimli: _"Well, let's just have his head and be done with it."_ Gandalf: _"No. He has no power anymore."_ Me in the theater 2003: What? What do you mean no power? They are just gonna leave him there? The scene in the extended cut wasn't even that long, but added a much needed resolution. They should have keept it in. I understand why Christopher Lee felt betrayed.

As someone who had only ever seen the extended version growing up, it wasn't until I was an adult that I realized there was a shorter version. Someone invited us over to watch LoTR and I was very confused about why it was so short and missing so many important scenes...

With a story like LotR the extended cuts actually help reduce that bloat as scenes have time to settle in, and take form, while also letting cut stuff back in. The original cuts felt bloated because they had to deal with those time constraints, and I am thankful that we got the extended version.

Growing up not watching the extended version, I was always confused by what happened to the main, actually physically, bad guy. Like he just disappeared! Definitely with Christopher Lee on this one, at the very least from a storytelling point, if not more

Gandalf broke Saruman's staff, not realizing he still was the Man with the Golden Gun...

100% with Lee on this 1. It was just weird to see Saruman just dissapear. Poor choice of Jackson in my opinion.

Great video!!! I didn't knew this and the information it's very precise, I also loved your comment on it, keep it on, man!!!

I tend to agree with Lee on this - they never should’ve cut that scene. I remember being disappointed that it was gone when the movie first came out in theaters. Peter Jackson should’ve known that millions of Tolkien fans were expecting to see it.

I honestly never noticed this because I only watch the extended editions now. I remember reading a long time ago that Sean Bean went down to NZ just to film that scene after the battle of Osgiliath. The scene that really showed the stark difference of Denethor's relationship with Boromir vs Faramir as well as the relationship of the two brothers. That scene got cut for theatrical release but luckily was included in the extended edition. If I remember right, Bean was pretty upset about that. Also just want to say Lee was a legend, and I'm so glad he was able to be included in these films 💝

Going with Sir Christopher Lee here, 100 percent. I was heartbroken as a kid, really. I can understand cutting the entire Tom Bombidal acid-trip from the films... but not The White Wizard.

Never really bothered me in the teatherical cut. It just seemed fitting that the man who betrayed his mission because he got persuaded by power was now forced to be locked inside Orthanc with the forest he decided to ravage being his jailors. Him being stabbed by Wormtongue who then just gets killed by Legolas felt like a odd scene either way, them both just being nicely written out of the story in one swoop without any interesting consequences.

Well saw both versions and Saruman should have had the extended version in the second movie ,made sense for second movie story arc.

I'm so glad they reconciled during The Hobbit before Lee passed.

Knowing that Christofer Lee is the kind of guy who stood so hard by his conviction in artistic projects like 'The Wicker man' that he played the role for free, it is criminal that they treated a character he played that way. The dedication and commitment that he brought to his roles ... it is becoming a lost art form.

I love the extended cuts, and have been through them five times. Every minute is part of a complete masterpiece, I think.

Having viewed the extended version more times than the theatrical cut, I had a hard time understanding what you were talking about. As one who waited decades for L.O.T.R. to be made, and as one who was terribly disappointed by the first attempt which tried to throw it all into two films barely completing the first one, I, like many lovers of Tolkien's Mythopoesy, was surprised at how much of "The Fellowship of the Ring" was excluded in the film, and thought perhaps they should have made that into 2 films in order to more thoroughly flesh out the rich lore of Middle Earth and include the major character, Tom Bombadil, who never made it into the films. That was disappointing, but, on the whole, I thought Jackson & Co. did an excellent job of bringing the Trilogy and much of the Appendices to life on the screen.

As much as I consider The Return of the King to be a masterpiece, I thought it was awkward the way the theatrical version hand-waved Saruman's defeat.

I just saw the extended version for the first time. I was like WTH. I always felt like Saruman’s story was left hanging. I feel kinda robbed. Those scenes were good and necessary to end Saruman.

Rest in peace, one of the best voices in the history of cinema.

I don’t blame Lee at all. It was a damn good scene too.I remember being confused as to where he went at the end of Two Towers. The theatrical cut of Saruman slinking back into Isengard and never seen again is just not narratively satisfying enough for how built up his character had been.

Lee was also a HUGE Hobbit/LOTR fan, reading the books every year. He knew the characters and the story inside and out. That's hard to argue with successfully.

Thank goodness. I've been reading these books since I was a teenager in the 1960s - and there is no way that Townsend would have made it. Mortenson is the only one . . . .

It seems like Christopher didn't understand the politics of film-making which is a shame because I absolutely admire his integrity, the stance he took and fully agree with it. I wouldn't stay in theatres for a 3.5 hr movie but at home, I absolutely loved the extra segments - especially how Boromir's from the Two Tower - that redeemed him in my eyes.

Christopher Lee was right though, if the Scouring of the Shire was to be cut, then Saruman's death needed to be the finale of Two Towers. If the film was two long something else needed to be cut. The compromise of moving it, was a bad idea taken to put off a hard decision, which is always a mistake.

Saruman was one of the best movie villains of all time. Christopher Lee performance was just perfect and once in a lifetime, just like the whole trilogy. Watching him bringing Saruman alive into the movie was one of the highlights of the movie. It won’t be the same without him and it would make the third movie even better that it already was. The man is a natural talent for the craft of acting. Haven’t seen any other actor pulling off a villainous role like him since LOTR and Star Wars episode 2. That’s just prove how good and legendary he is in these unforgettable roles.

As someone that doesn't watch the films without the extended scenes I honestly forgot about this.

Cutting Saruman’s death scene in favor of Sméagol’s back story was a mistake. The only visible villain disappeared without any closure.

I can understand Jackson leaving out Tom Bombadil and the Barrow Downs since that is not essential to the course of the story. However to leave out the Scouring of the Shire which shows the destruction wrought by Saruman, subverts the whole thrust of Lord of the Rings, that in war everyone loses, there are no real winners. The world they all knew has passed away, like the world Tolkein knew before the First World War.

Only the extended cut matters. The quality and importance of that Saruman scene is perhaps the biggest reasons why.

Looking back on the theatrical cut, it’s weird that the 2 major villains are silent the last time we see them.

It was shameful that Sarumans final demise was omitted,and an insult to such a beloved actor as Christopher Lee,who breathed life into the character so magnificently,it was also very disappointing for the audience.

Having not watched the theatrical versions since they were in theatres, I'd forgotten that Saruman's death wasn't included. I think for most fans, the extended cuts have become the standard viewing experience and Saruman's full arc remains intact. Hopefully that might serve as some consolation...

I grew up with the extended edition and was shocked to learn Saruman's death wasn't part of the regular edition!

I absolutely love these films and as a kid when I watched fellowship at the cinema, it blew my tiny little mind. I love them still and I still think they're by far the best example of books successfully being turned into films, but everytime I have read the books it always annoys me that Saruman doesn't do his evil bit in the shire etc in the films. I love that part of the books.

Lee got into acting long before his 40s. He got started as an extra when he was in his 20s and gradually got more significant roles. His first Dracula performance was when he was in his mid 30s.

It’s amazing that Jackson also made the Hobbit movies, where he made so so many mistakes he conscientiously avoided in LoTR. Like starting the third movie by wrapping up the second one…

not me being confused then remembering that I've only seen the extended editions

The Two Towers is really good but it gets to a whole new level with the extended cut. Not only because of Saruman's ending, but because Faramir feels completely different and much more cohesive with the main plot too.

When it was announced that he would be directing the trilogy, I remember Peter Jackson assured fans of the novels that he had the utmost respect for JRRT and his work, saying he carried a copy of The Fellowship of the Ring with him on set. Apparently, he used pages from the book as toilet paper, considering how many changes he made.

I know it's not Peter Jackson's fault alone, but I'm with Christopher Lee on that one. I think he was a fine Sir, not only in title but also attitude, and deserved to have his arguably most famous character's final scene included in the premiere.

It may have been worth mentioning that even the extended version's ending for Saruman is much different than the end of the book. Although in both instances it is Wormtongue who stabs him, the timing, location, and context are completely different

I was very disappointed my favorite scene wasn't in the movie. It was a scene of great subtlety and I happen to think the way it was shot in the "expanded edition" added to the Theoden arc quite nicely.

3:33 His name is Aragorn. Eragon is the protagonist from the Inheritance book series.

Saruman dragging Aragorn’s patchy lineage is good tee-up for Return of the King That said, the whole commerce vs storytelling angle Lee argued from kinda peels apart for 3 Hobbit films

"as it is in the book." I've known many fans displeased with Saruman's death in the extended version as it circumvents the events of the Scouring of the Shire. But I feel it rather artfully weds the Fellowships' confrontation with Saruman at Orthanc at the end of the Two Towers and his eventual murder by Grima after his defeat by the hobbits of the Shire. Grima does plunge the Palantir from the tower and ultimately slit his master's throat. Having both events take place simultaneously is an elegant solution. Of course, we lose something in that adaptation. Saruman's new life as "Sharkey," a two-bit bandit leader leading actual "Ruffians" lording over essentially a rural farm town illustrates the depths of his humiliation. The one who fancied himself Sauron's eventual successor, a wizard above all wizards, is reduced to a country brigand. But his bloodshed and cruelty there nonetheless illustrate that the war comes even to Hobbiton and the hobbits of the Fellowship never can, truly, go back again. Even the Shire is scarred and changed by the War of the Ring as they are. But these movies are already nearly four hours each, the Return of the King feels like it endures multiple endings as it is, and the Scouring of the Shire, though resonant and profound and wonderful in the context of the novel, is perhaps as suited for cinema as Tom Bombadil.

3:00 Saruman did not die in second book. There was the scene, but he was kept in Orthanc as prisoner, under ents supervision. He actually die in the very end of third book, after escape and Hobbiton occupation.

Always love YOUR take on movies/genres/topics around cinematic Pop-Culture... Love you, man, and keep it up.

I didn't know Sir Christopher Lee started acting at age 40. That's amazing that a man like him that had no acting roles in his youth he would rise to become one of the most famous actors in the world and play Dracula, Count Doku and Saruman! It proves that you should always chase your dreams.

4:33 This is no mere Eragon. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance.

Even 20 years later, the one sore spot with LOTR is removing what really happened to the Shire from Return of the King film version.

This explains so much. I remember being a kid and thinking how important of a character he was, and then he wasn't there anymore. He's more important and complex than Sauron. I was really confused, but I was a kid, so whatever. Then I read the books and the extended versions all came out with like 800 hours of footage. Him being removed from the movie is absolute heresy. No wonder I felt so confused as to what Saruman's true motives were when I first saw the movies in theaters... but it was too late. That scene is so vital to understanding the concept of the lore and story as a whole. It's not like removing Tom Bombadil or something. I get that... It's so wild it was cut. Dude. Christopher Lee - the only person on set who had already read the books, understood what they actually meant to history, and adored them as well as knew the author. I just lost so much respect for Peter Jackson. You gotta be a special kind of narcissist to do something so egotistical instead of respecting the work. Christopher Lee. Literally knew Tolkien. Insane.

In fairness, an important characters death being cut is a big deal to the film, not *just* the actor. There are plenty of other scenes that could have been trimmed to make space in run time.

To this day I've never actually seen the theatrical editions of LOTR.

Lee began his acting career when he was 25. By the time he made Dracula in 1958, he had been a working actor for 10 years.

I actually think the scene that they shot for it wasn’t especially good. It feels rushed and tonally off to me. I’d bet that if it was better, it may have had a better shot at being included in the theatrical cut. I really think that a more carefully thought through climax to the character is possible, and not in the form of the scouring of the Shire, and acknowledging that what it turned out to be was probably the best we could hope for given the increasing rush that production faced as the filming progressed.

I mean….it’s small consolation, but, since these came out when I was a kid, when I actually got into them, my family only owned the extended editions, so I thought that the extended editions were the actual cut. I still struggle to watch the non-extended editions to this day, it feels like skipping several stairs on a staircase.

Was very disappointed that Return of the King did not have the hobbits win back the Shire from Sauraman and his goons at the end, without the help of elves, dwarves, wizards, or men. It was one of the good points I think Tolkien had brought home in his books, that the hobbits (and perhaps those of us in our comfortable lives) are capable of a lot more than we think we are.

Christopher Lee is a legend.

Apparently when Lee got ''stabbed'' by Grima, he was told yell or whatever to which he disagreed. He said to Peter Jackson "Have you any idea what kind of noise happens when somebody’s stabbed in the back? Because I do.” since he was a WW2 veteran. My dude was as metal as his music and a real inspiration.

I’m just sad they didn’t give Saruman his Scouring of the Shire role.

“The fellowships ultimate enemy” - Saruman Middle earths ultimate enemy - Sauron

I have only ever seen the extended DVD versions, since I was merely a year old when return of the king came out. I have to say. Christopher Lee was a delight to watch on film. He's so beautifully deceitful, just as Saruman should be.

i’m one of the few who has only ever seen the extended editions so it blows my mind to think so many missed out on this super essential moment