How it happened in the movie:
At the beginning of the movie, Frodo and Sam are trying to find a way down from the Emyn Muil. Frodo senses that they are not alone; in the Extended Edition, Gollum is shown sneaking on top of a cliff at the foot of which the hobbits are seeking shelter from rain. At night, when Frodo and Sam are asleep or pretend to sleep, Gollum descends to them for to steal his Precious back, but the hobbits grab him and get into a fight with him. Gollum manages to get a grip on Sam and tries to throttle him, but Frodo forces him to let him go by threatening him with Sting. The hobbits tie Gollum on Sam’s elvish rope and drag him with them as they continue their journey; Gollum keeps on complaining that the rope hurts him. Sam suggests that they tie the creature up and leave him there to starve, but Frodo feels pity for him and refuses to kill him. Gollum swears by the Precious to serve and obey its Master if only they take the rope off. Frodo does so, despite Sam’s protesting, and asks if Gollum knows the way to Mordor. The answer is yes, and he tells Gollum to take them there.

How it happened in the book:
Frodo and Sam are trying to find a way down from the Emyn Muil. They know that Gollum is trying to follow them, and hope to lose him from their tracks. At night, the hobbits are resting at the foot of a precipice, when they see Gollum sneaking on top of the cliff. They wait in hiding for him to come down, and Sam attacks him before he notices them. Gollum manages to get a grip of Sam and tries to throttle him, but Frodo forces him to let him go by threatening him with Sting. Sam suggests that they tie the creature up and leave him there to starve, but Frodo remembers Gandalf’s words, shows pity for Gollum and refuses to kill him. He tells Gollum to show them the way to Mordor, which he reluctantly agrees to do, but tries to escape when the hobbits pretend to fall asleep. They catch him again and tie him with the elvish rope; Gollum complains that it hurts him, and swears by the Precious to do whatever Frodo wants if only the rope is taken away. Frodo tells Sam to release the creature, who starts to lead them towards Mordor.

Bookie Details:
This shot of Frodo holding Sting to Gollum’s throat is derived from this painting by Alan Lee, though some people are more reminded of the infamous fight scene in Bakshi‘s animation movie.

Mistakes:
– In the movie, the rope is around Gollum’s neck; in the book, the hobbits tie the rope on his ankle.
– In the movie, the hobbits travel with Gollum by full daylight; in the book, they continue their journey at night, because Gollum can’t stand even the moonlight.

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Related Information
Related Books vs. Movies Articles:
- 4.01.*a.The Elven Rope by Morwinyoniel

Interesting Links:
Our Gallery has has screencaps of the theatrical version, as well as the extended edition.

A transcript of 'The Lord Of the Rings: The Two Towers' can be found in our Film Fun & Facts section.

A summary of 'The Lord Of the Rings: The Two Towers' can be found in Elrond's Library.

Some articles that are related to this sequence:
- The Weaponry Section has an article about Sting by Fëathoron.

Forum threads related to this sequence:
- You can discuss this sequence in detail in TTT Sequence by Sequence #1: Prologue / The Taming of Sméagol in the Movies Forum. There's also a thread about Gollum/Sméagol discussing the character in TTT and ROTK.

Take a look at how some artists saw this part in the book:
- The Taming of Sméagol by Darrell Sweet
- The Taming of Sméagol by Alan Lee
- The Taming of Sméagol by Ralph Bakshi
- The Taming of Sméagol by Darrell Sweet
- Gollum leading Frodo and Sam through the Emyn Muil by Michellucci

Looking for something more creative - you may find it here: