How it happens in the movie:

MINAS MORGUL
The scene opens with Frodo, Gollum, and Sam crouching, holding onto the edge of the roadway, and gazing awestruck at Minas Morgul, The Dead City. The architectural lines of the city are symmetrical, and sharp. It radiates an unearthly, pale green light. On each side of the entrance to the bridge, a ghoulish statue stands. Gollum leaps up onto the road telling the hobbits to be quick because they (the enemy) will see them. Frodo and Sam follow. Frodo’s gaze is drawn towards the city. While Gollum and Sam begin to clamber up a ridge nearby, Frodo gapes at the city. The gargoyle-like statues seem to be bearing down on him. Gollum advises Frodo to come away and informs him that he has found the way. Frodo abruptly turns. He and Sam look up – way up. The stairway above their heads has countless uneven stairs and they rise up at a near-vertical incline. Frodo has a faraway haunted look in his eyes. Gollum states that this is the secret stair and tells the hobbits to climb. Sam begins to climb, while Frodo turns once again towards the city. He appears mesmerized and seems to be drawn towards it unwillingly. He clutches the Ring. His face is a collage of anxiety, confusion and horror. Sam calls out to him, ‘No Mr. Frodo!’ And Gollum, in shock at Frodo’s behaviour, says, ‘Not that way!’ They rush after Frodo as he staggers towards the city. Sam grabs onto Frodo, but Frodo protests saying, ‘They’re calling me,’ and tries to wrench himself free. Both Sam and Gollum pull Frodo back. There is an eerie high-pitched sound followed by a great rumble. Sounds like the clapping of thunder and the crashing of lighting reverberate. There is a great flash of light. The ground shakes, and Frodo and Gollum tumble to the ground. Sam steadies himself on a rock. For a moment, there is a surreal calm displaced by sound seeming to retreat – as if being pulled into a void. A fearsome streak of greenish-blue lights erupts from the tower of Minas Morgul spiralling up it and then shooting straight up into the darkness. Frodo grasps the Ring, as Sam helps him to his feet. Gollum yells at the hobbits to hide and scrambles up the cliff. Sam pushes Frodo up.

Meanwhile in Minas Tirith… Gandalf and Pippin are standing outside on their room’s balcony. They look upon the terrible streak of light set amid a reddening sky. Faramir, and others in Minas Tirith, also look with terror upon the ominous sight. Gandalf gently places a hand on Pippin’s shoulder to comfort him. With eyes full of fear, Pippin swallows.

Back to Frodo, Sam and Gollum…
Frodo, Sam, and Gollum find shelter behind some jagged rocks. Frodo’s face is filled with pain and fear. He sweats. He turns and watches with Sam as the Witch-King, sitting atop a fell beast, rises up out of the city. The beast growls loudly and the hobbits cower. Frodo is wracked with pain. Then an ear-piercing screech is heard. Screaming, the hobbits cover their ears. Frodo grabs at the place near his shoulder where the Witch-King had stabbed him and says, ‘I can feel his blade.’ He grimaces and moans loudly in pain. As the Nazgûl and his beast look down from their perch high above, the gate of Minas Morgul opens and row upon row of Orcs come marching out. They march by Frodo, Sam, and Gollum who watch and wait hidden.

Meanwhile back in Minas Tirith… Gandalf says, ‘We come to it at last. The great battle of our time.’

Back to Frodo, Sam, and Gollum… The fell beast flies down screeching and glides directly over the hobbits. Gollum urgently says, ‘Come away hobbits. We climb. We must climb.’ They follow Gollum up the formidable stairs, as Orcs continue to stream out of the Dead City below them.

And in Minas Tirith… Gandalf says, ‘The board is set. The pieces are moving.’

SAM’S WARNING
Gollum rather gleefully says, ‘Up, up, up the stairs we go. And then it’s into the tunnel.’ He seems quite pleased and smiles. Sam asks Gollum, in a suspicious tone, what’s in the tunnel. Gollum scampers away but Sam catches him by the shoulder and throws him against the rock. He warns Gollum, ‘You listen to me, and you listen good and proper. Anything happens to him, you have me to answer to.’ Gollum looks fearfully at Sam and listens. Sam continues, ‘One sniff something’s not right, one hair stands up on the back of my head, it’s over.’ Frodo, who has climbed ahead of them, looks down. Sam says, ‘No more slinker. No more stinker. You’re gone. Got it? I’m watching you.’ Gollum shows a hint of a defiant smile. Sam releases him and goes on to join Frodo. Gollum’s eyes follow Sam. He looks down with an expression of defiance and contempt. Frodo asks Sam, ‘What was that about?’ Sam answers, ‘Nothing. Just clearing something up.’ Gollum smiles mischievously and follows the hobbits.

THE STAIRS OF CIRITH UNGOL
The scene opens with Gollum leading Frodo and Sam up the dangerous, narrow stairway. The wind blows. The going is slow and difficult. Far below them Orcs are still streaming out of the Dead City. Frodo slips on a stair but manages to catch himself. Sam looks grimly up. Gollum leaps up onto a ledge. While Frodo pulls himself up, the Ring dangles from his neck. When Gollum sees it his eyes open wide; he stares at it mesmerized. He says in a disembodied voice, ‘Come to Sméagol,’ and reaches slowly towards Frodo. Sam draws his sword and shouts, ‘Mr. Frodo;’ he tells Gollum to get back, threatening him. Gollum’s hand continues to inch toward Frodo; he grabs Frodo’s arm and pulls him up onto the rock shelf. Gollum whines, ‘Why does he hates poor Sméagol? What has Sméagol ever done to him?’ Sam angrily puts his sword away.

Frodo, appearing dazed, lies on the ledge his breathing laboured. While Sam struggles up to the ledge, Gollum, in a quiet, reassuring tone, tells Frodo that he knows what it is like to carry such a heavy burden. He warns Frodo that Sam, ‘the fat one,’ wants and needs the Ring and will soon take it away from him. Frodo clutches the Ring closely; he turns around and looks suspiciously at Sam.

THE PARTING OF SAM AND FRODO
The scene opens with Frodo sleeping on a rocky ledge. Gollum, too, sleeps (or appears to be sleeping) on a rock above the hobbits. Sam, his eyes heavy, looks up at Gollum. His eyes shut, but Sam resists sleeps. Again, he looks up at Gollum and then shuts his eyes, turns, and falls asleep. Gollum opens his eyes. A mischievous grin crosses his face. He quickly gets up; drops down, crouches and takes the leaf-covered lembas bread out of Sam’s backpack. He groans in disgust, breaks off a piece, and crumbles it over Sam’s cloak. Sam remains asleep. Gollum then throws the bread over the steep cliff. Sam wakes up with a start and asks Gollum what he is up to. He adds, ‘Sneaking off, are we?’ Gollum appears offended and counters, ‘Sneaking? Sneaking? Fat hobbit is always so polite.’ He continues, ‘Sméagol shows them secret ways that nobody else can find and they say “sneak”.” Shaking his head he says, ‘Very nice friend. Oh, yes, my precious. Very nice. Very nice.’ Sam shouts, ‘All right. All right!’ He tells Gollum that he was only startled. Then he asks Gollum again, what he was doing. Gollum sarcastically replies in a venomous tone, ‘Sneaking.’

Sam wakes Frodo, who comments that it is still dark. Sam remarks that it is always dark here. He opens his pack and is shocked to find the Elven bread gone. In great distress, he tells Frodo. Frodo, looking shocked says, ‘What? That’s all we have left.’ Gollum watches, and rubs his head as if he knows nothing. Sam turns to Gollum and angrily accuses him of taking the bread. Shaking his head, Gollum looks at Frodo and denies the accusation saying that, ‘Sméagol hates nasty Elven bread.’ Sam yells furiously at Gollum, ‘You’re a lying rat! What did you do with it?!’ Frodo says, ‘He doesn’t eat it.’ He stands and says to Sam, ‘He can’t have taken it.’ Frodo’s words stun Sam. Gollum says, ‘Look. What’s this?’ He brushes crumbs off Sam’s cloak, ‘crumbs on his jacketses.’ Then he yells, ‘He took it!’ and repeats this for emphasis while pointing at Sam. Gollum tells Frodo, ‘I seen him. He’s always stuffing his face when master’s not looking.’ Sam yells, ‘That’s a filthy lie!’ He slaps Gollum hard across the face. Gollum falls down. Sam yells, ‘You stinking two-faced sneak!’ He jumps on Gollum and viciously attacks him. Frodo intervenes telling Sam to stop and pulls him off Gollum. Frodo falls heavily to the ground exhausted. Sam, visibly shaken and near tears, apologizes saying, ‘I was just so – angry. Here, just – Let’s just rest a bit.’ Frodo, looking quite ill, responds that he is all right. Sam says that he is not all right. He tells Frodo that he is exhausted and says, ‘It’s that Gollum. It’s this place. It’s that thing around your neck!’ Frodo turns looking up at Sam suspiciously. Sam offers to help Frodo and says, ‘I could help a bit. I could carry it for a while.’ Frodo’s suspicion deepens. ‘Share the load.’ Sam’s words reverberate in Frodo’s mind. Frodo jumps up suddenly and yells, ‘Get away!’ He pushes Sam roughly to the ground. Sam, visibly shaken, tells Frodo that he doesn’t want to keep it. Frodo frowns angrily; his eyes glare. Sam desperately says, ‘I just want to help.’ Gollum peers out from behind Frodo’s cape and tells Frodo that Sam wants it for himself. Sam jumps up to his feet and verbally attacks Gollum telling him to shut up and to go away. Gollum growls and turns away. Frodo quietly says, ‘No Sam. It’s you.’ Sam, teary eyed, looks at Frodo in stunned disbelief and grief. In a raspy voice, Frodo says, ‘I’m sorry Sam,’ while a smile of delight creeps over Gollum’s face. Sam tries to reason with Frodo saying, ‘But he’s a liar. He’s poisoned you against me.’ Frodo tells Sam that he can no longer help. Sam’s bottom lip begins to quiver; he says, ‘You don’t mean that.’ Frodo says to Sam, sternly but quietly, ‘Go home.’ Tears run down Sam’s face. Sobbing uncontrollably, he curls up against the rocks. Frodo turns away and ascends the stairs. Gollum gives Sam a look of disgust and follows Frodo.


Alan Lee – Nazgul of Mordor (detail)

How it happens in the book:
The chapter opens with Gollum pulling at Frodo’s cloak and fearfully pleading with him to hurry. The hobbits and their guide leave the crossroads and take the road leading east towards the Mountains of Shadow, Ephel Dúath. The road runs straight, and then south until it comes under the ominous shadow of the mountains; it then runs east and begins to climb. Frodo and Sam trudge on forlornly. Frodo’s burden, almost forgotten in Ithilien, becomes heavier as they pass the Crossroads. He walks wearily with head bowed. Frodo, upon noticing that the road has become steep, looks up and sees the city of the Ringwraiths, Minas Morgul. He cowers against the rock. Though all is dark about it, Minas Morgul is lit with a ‘corpse-light, a light that illuminated nothing,’ and many windows like black holes dot the tower. The topmost section of the tower slowly revolves: ‘a huge ghostly head leering into the night.’ The ghastly sight holds the travellers briefly mesmerized. Gollum then pulls at the hobbits’ cloaks with urgency. The three move on as if in slow motion: each step feels heavy and laborious.

Frodo, Sam, and Gollum come to a white bridge, the road beyond which, leads to the city’s gate. At the entrance to the bridge, hideous carven figures of men and beasts stand. The water flowing below it is silent, and it gives off a deadly cold vapour. Frodo’s senses are overwhelmed; his mind darkens. Then, seemingly unaware of what he is doing, Frodo lurches forward and hurries to the bridge with his arms outstretched and his head swaying. Sam and Gollum run after him. At the bridge’s approach, Sam manages to catch Frodo, who stumbles and almost falls. Quailing in terror, Gollum tells Frodo, ‘Not that way! No, not that way!’ Even Sam agrees with Gollum – a rare occurrence indeed! Frodo forcibly directs his gaze away from the city. The luminous tower captivates him, and he struggles to resist the temptation to run towards its gate. He forces himself to turn back, and as he does, he feels the Ring struggling against him. He is momentarily blinded; complete blackness lies before him.

Frightened, Gollum crawls on the ground and quickly fades into the darkness. Sam, supporting Frodo, struggles to keep up. Soon they pass through a gap in the stone-wall. The hobbits plod on behind Gollum. They cannot see him; but from time to time, he turns to gesture the way. His eyes shine ‘with a green-white light.’ Frodo and Sam are keenly conscious of those eyes and of the ‘dark eyeholes’ in the tower behind them. Their eyes move constantly from looking over their shoulders to looking down at their feet. As they climb up, their breathing becomes easier and their heads clear. Now they are physically exhausted. They can no longer continue without a rest.

Frodo, sitting on a rock, tells Sam that the Ring is heavy on him, and he wonders how far he can carry it. Gollum urges the hobbits to be quiet. He pulls at Frodo’s cloak and points at the path. Frodo insists that he needs a rest. Gollum, fearful and agitated, hisses that eyes can see them and that they must climb. Once again, Sam agrees with him. Frodo reluctantly agrees to continue.

At that very moment, the ground convulses and shakes beneath them. Then a great red flash lights up the sky. Terrible, jagged peaks are revealed ‘against the uprushing flame in Gorgoroth.’ A tremendous clap of thunder follows. As if in answer, forked lightening of blue flame shoots up from the tower of Minas Morgul and from the hills around it. The earth grumbles, and from the city; ‘mingled with harsh high voices as of birds of prey, and the shrill neighing of horses wild with rage and fear, there came a rending screech, shivering, rising swiftly to a piercing pitch beyond the range of hearing.’ The hobbits cover their ears and throw themselves down to the ground. The screeching subsides; Frodo looks up. He is almost directly across from the city’s gate, which is now open and ‘shaped like an open mouth with gleaming teeth.’ From the gate, an army emerges. Silently and quickly, they march out rank upon rank preceded by many orderly horsemen. In front of the horsemen goes one who stands out against the rest. He is all dressed in black and wears a hood, and upon the hood, there sits a crown that glimmers with deadly light. Frodo stares at him as he nears the bridge below. He realizes that this rider is the ‘Lord of the Nine Riders – the haggard king whose cold hand had smitten down the Ring-bearer with his deadly knife.’ That old knife wound now throbs painfully, and fear overcomes Frodo.

The Rider stops abruptly at the bridge’s approach seeming to sense something. There is complete silence as those behind him also stop. His head turns scanning the shadows. Frodo waits. A strong compulsion to put on the Ring tempts him, but even under that great pressure, he resists. Frodo knows that the Ring will betray him, and that he does not yet have the power to face the Morgul-king alone. His resistance falters. From his mind’s eye, Frodo watches as an outside power takes his hand and inches it towards the chain around his neck. Frodo’s will reawakens; he forces his hand to touch the Phial of Galadriel, and for a time all thought of the Ring vanishes. At that instant, the Wraith-king rides hurriedly across the bridge with his great army following. They march to war in the West at their master’s command.

Frodo worries about Faramir. A sense of hopelessness envelops him, and he weeps. Then, from what seems far away, he hears Sam’s welcome and familiar voice, imploring him to wake up and informing him that the dread army has passed. With a clang, the gates to Minas Morgul close. The city is now dark and silent. Yet, it remains watchful. Still in despair, Frodo stands up; he feels his strength return. He is keenly aware of what he must do, and whether or not anyone ever knows about it seems irrelevant. He picks up Faramir’s staff in one hand and with the other holds the glowing phial to his heart and then puts it away. He is ready to climb.

Gollum, who had hidden in the darkness above, emerges and scolds the hobbits. He urges them again to hurry. They quietly follow him to an opening in the path. They have come to the Stairs of Cirith Ungol. It is so dark that they are only able to see a few feet ahead. Gollum’s eyes shine down on them from above. He warns them to be careful and tells them that there are many stairs. Great caution is necessary as the stairs are ‘almost as steep as a ladder.’ In addition, they are narrow and unevenly spaced. Some steps are smooth on the edges while others are broken. The hobbits struggle up, their knees ache, and their fingers cling desperately to the stairs as they climb. They are keenly aware of the long fall down behind them.

Just as the hobbits think they can go no further, Gollum informs them that they have reached the top of the first stairway. They are now in a passageway. The hobbits rub their aching legs. Gollum tells them there is still a longer stairway and tells them that they can rest when they reach the top. He consoles the hobbits saying that, although the stairway is longer, it is not as difficult as the one they had just climbed, ‘Hobbits have climbed the Straight Stair. Next comes the Winding Stair.’ Sam asks Gollum what comes after the Winding Stair. He answers, ‘We shall see, O yes, we shall see!’ Sam asks Gollum if there isn’t a tunnel; he answers, ‘O yes, there’s a tunnel, but hobbits can rest before they try that. If they get through that, they’ll be nearly at the top. Very nearly, if they get through. O yes!’ If…

The hobbits and Gollum go on. The cold air turns to bitter wind as they navigate up through the passage. They reach a wide shelf with a cliff on the left and a chasm on the right; tall peaks lurk in the background. Gollum leads them under the cliff. They are no longer climbing; but it is dark, and the ground is littered with broken rock making the trek difficult. The night seems unending. At last, they come to the Winding Stair. The travellers climb up the seemingly endless stairway, which winds back and forth across the mountain. Finally, they reach the top. Jagged peaks, fragmented by black crevasses between, stand on either side against a brooding red sky. Frodo looks far ahead and high up and sees a black tower; from within it, a red light emanates. Frodo points it out to Sam. Sam sarcastically berates Gollum accusing him of knowing all along that the secret way is guarded. Gollum replies that all ways are watched. He suggests that those in the tower may have gone off to war.

The hobbits rest in a crevasse; Gollum crouches near its opening. Frodo’s mind is focused on getting past the tower and its guard. To him, they are resting to gather strength for the ‘last lap’ of their journey. He does not know what lies ahead. They eat what they think is their last meal before entering the Nameless land, or perhaps their last meal ever together. They have only a little water, so they sip it sparingly. Sam worries about water and wonders whether Orcs drink it. Frodo tells Sam that they do, but the Orcs’ drink is not for them. He reassures Sam that water flowing from where they now are would flow into the Imlad Morgul and would be safe to drink. Faramir had only warned them not to drink the water that flowed out of the Imlad Morgul. Sam says he would not trust any water found in this land and complains about the smell. Frodo says that he does not like anything about this terrible place. To this Sam answers: ‘And we shouldn’t be here at all, if we’d known more about it before we started. But I suppose it’s often that way. The brave things in the old tales and songs, Mr. Frodo: adventures, as I used to call them. I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for, because they wanted them, because they were exciting and life was a bit dull, a kind of a sport, as you might say. But that’s not the way of it with the tales that really mattered, or the ones that stay in the mind. Folk seem to have been just landed in them, usually – their paths were laid that way, as you put it. But I expect they had lots of chances, like us, of turning back, only they didn’t. And if they had, we shouldn’t know, because they’d have been forgotten. We hear about those as just went on – and not all to a good end, mind you; at least not to what folk inside a story and not outside it call a good end. You know, coming home, and finding things all right, though not quite the same – like old Mr Bilbo. But those aren’t always the best tales to hear, though they may be the best tales to get landed in! I wonder what sort of a tale we’ve fallen into?’

Frodo wonders too. He reasons that in a real tale one might know or guess the ending. He adds that the characters in the tale do not know their fate and the teller or listener does not want them to. Sam agrees; he gives the example of Beren, who did not think he would be able to take the Silmaril from Morgoth’s Iron Crown in Thangorodrim: yet he did. Sam continues saying that Beren’s story goes on and on, and that over time, the Silmaril comes to Eärendil. And then, Samwise Gamgee suddenly realizes that they too are in the same story; the phial that Frodo carries holds some of the captured light of the Silmaril. He asks, ‘Don’t the great tales never end?’ Frodo comments that the tales goes on but the people in them come and go when their part is done – just as they will. Sam says that when their part is done, they can enjoy a proper rest, and his only wish is to wake up in the Shire to a day’s work in the garden. He tells Frodo, ‘All the big important plans are not for my sort.’ Sam wonders if people will ever sing songs or read tales about them: ‘And people will say: “Let’s hear about Frodo and the Ring!” And they’ll say: “Yes, that’s one of my favourite stories. Frodo was very brave, wasn’t he, dad?” “Yes, my boy, the famousest of the hobbits, and that’s saying a lot.”’

At this Frodo laughs unconcerned about his current circumstances and replies, “I want to hear more about Sam, dad. Why didn’t they put in more of his talk, dad? That’s what I like, it makes me laugh. And Frodo wouldn’t have got far without Sam, would he, dad?” Sam tells Frodo that he should not make fun; he was being serious. Frodo answers that he is serious too, and adds that they are now in the worst part of the story and some may want to ‘close the book’ at this point. Sam responds that he would not be one to say that. He says that deeds done are different in great tales. His thought now turns to Gollum, ‘Why, even Gollum might be good in a tale, better than he is to have by you, anyway. And he used to like tales himself once, by his own account. I wonder if he thinks he’s the hero or the villain?’ Sam calls Gollum to ask him what he thinks. But Gollum is nowhere to be found.

Gollum had accepted a sip of water earlier but no food. He had curled up at the opening of the crevasse where Frodo and Sam had sought shelter. The day before, when Gollum had disappeared, the hobbits had thought that he had gone to search for food. Sam comments that he does not like Gollum running off without telling them. He questions what kind of food could be found in this desolate place. Frodo reminds Sam that they would not have made it this far without Gollum, and adds, ‘If he’s false, he’s false.’ Sam says he would rather have Gollum in sight. He wonders if he has gone to fetch Orcs. Frodo reasons that Gollum would not seek out any servant of the Enemy; if so, he would have done so by now. He says that it is more likely that Gollum has ‘some little private trick of his own – that he thinks is quite secret.’ Sam agrees thinking that all of Gollum’s thoughts and plans are about the Precious. He questions how Gollum’s idea to bring them to this place furthers his plan. Frodo says that he does not think that Gollum is capable of having a clear scheme. He believes that Gollum is simply trying to save the Precious from the Enemy: or that he is waiting for the opportunity to get the Precious back. Sam predicts, ‘Yes, Slinker and Stinker, as I’ve said before, but the nearer they get to the Enemy’s land the more like Stinker Slinker will get. Mark my words: if ever we get to the pass, he won’t let us really take the precious thing over the border without making some kind of trouble.’

Sam suggests that Frodo get some sleep. He consoles Frodo saying that he will watch over him and keep an arm around him so that nothing can disturb his sleep. Frodo lays his head on Sam’s lap and sleeps.

Hours later Gollum returns. He observes the hobbits. Sam sits propped against a rock; Frodo sleeps with his head on Sam’s lap. One of Sam’s hands is resting on Frodo’s forehead and the other on his chest. Both are sleeping peacefully. As Gollum looks at them a ‘strange expression passed over his lean hungry face. The gleam faded from his eyes, and they went dim and grey, old and tired.’ He appears to be wracked with pain. He looks back from where he came and shakes his head. He gently touches Frodo’s knee. If the hobbits had seen Gollum at this moment, ‘they would have thought that they beheld an old weary hobbit, shrunken by the years that had carried him far beyond his time, beyond friends and kin, and the fields and streams of youth, an old starved pitiable thing.’ At Gollum’s touch Frodo stirs, and Sam wakes up. Sam immediately concludes that Gollum is ‘pawing at his master,’ and confronts Gollum suspiciously. Gollum answers that he was not doing anything. Sam asks Gollum where he has been and accuses him of ‘sneaking off and sneaking back.’ He calls Gollum an ‘old villain.’

Gollum’s eyes quickly flash green; now he is stooped down looking ‘almost spider-like.’ The moment of reflection and inner turmoil that Gollum just experienced is now gone forever. Hissing, Gollum admonishes Sam for accusing him of being sneaky. He reminds Sam of all the things that he has done for them. Sam regrets his words but still does not trust Gollum. He apologizes, and says that Gollum had caught him off guard. In a calmer tone, Sam asks Gollum once more where he has been. Gollum simply answers, ‘Sneaking.’ This time his eyes stay green. Sam decides to drop the conversation, as he tends to agree with Gollum anyway. He asks Gollum whether it is today or tomorrow. Gollum says it was tomorrow when the hobbits went to sleep. He tells Sam how dangerous it was for them to sleep, and adds that it was a good thing that he was watching while he was ‘sneaking’ around. Sam comments that they shall both tire of that word soon.

Sam gently wakes up Frodo. Frodo smiles upon seeing Sam’s face. Sam informs Frodo that Gollum is back. He tells Frodo it is time to go – ‘the last lap.’ Frodo asks Gollum (calling him Sméagol) if he has had any food or rest, to which Gollum replies, ‘No food, no rest, nothing for Sméagol. He’s a sneak.’ Frodo counsels Sméagol not to call himself names. Sméagol replies that he must take names that have been given to him, in this case, by Sam. Sam admits that he did indeed call Gollum a ‘sneak’ and had later regretted it and apologized. He explains his reason for doing so.

Frodo suggests that they let the disagreement pass. He asks Sméagol if they can now find the way themselves. They are within sight of the pass and he says that their agreement has been fulfilled. He tells Sméagol, ‘You have done what you promised, and you’re free: free to go back to food and rest, wherever you wish to go, except to servants of the Enemy. And one day I may reward you, I or those that remember me.’

Gollum replies that they will not find the way alone. He will not leave yet.

Differences at a glance:
The conversations in ‘Sam’s Warning’, ‘The Stairs Of Cirith Ungol’, and the greater part of ‘The Parting Of Sam And Frodo’ do not occur in the book. The brief interaction between Sam and Gollum when Sam accuses Gollum of sneaking off is, for the most part, true to the book. It is considerably shorter though.

In the movie:
These scenes are found in ‘The Return of the King’.
A continuous flame flows up to the heavens – green spiralling up into blue.
The Witch-king flies upon a Fell Beast and wears a black helmet.
The Witch-king rises up out of Minas Morgul.
The Witch-king swoops down and over the hobbits.
There appears to be only one stairway, which Gollum calls, ‘The Secret Stair.’
Frodo, Sam, and Gollum climb while the army is still coming out of the gate.
Gollum plots against Sam.
Sam warns Gollum that he had better not hurt Frodo.
Sam viciously attacks Gollum and calls him names. His apology is sarcastic.
Sam offers to help Frodo carry the burden.
Gollum is almost completely villainous and scheming in these scenes.
Only Frodo and Gollum continue up the stairs. Frodo tells Sam to go home.

In the book:
Chapter 8, The Stairs of Cirith Ungol, is found in ‘The Two Towers’, between Chapter 7, Journey to the Crossroads and Chapter 9, Shelob’s Lair.
‘Forks of blue flame’ like lightening spring up from the tower.
The topmost part of the tower revolves, first one way and then another.
Many riders on horseback precede the Orc army. The Witch-king leads them.
The Witch-king rides a horse and wears a helmet like a crown that shines with a ‘perilous light.’
The Witch-king stops at the entrance to the bridge. He seems to sense the Ring.
There are two stairways, which Gollum calls, ‘The Straight Stair’ and ‘The Winding Stair.’ There is some distance between the two.
Frodo has an urge to put on the Ring; he resists using Galadriel’s file for support.
Frodo, Sam, and Gollum wait until the army has gone to climb the stairs.
Gollum disappears when the hobbits fall asleep.
Sam is only briefly harsh with Gollum. His apology is sincere.
Gollum shows that he is capable of compassion and remorse briefly.
Frodo and Sam have a discussion about being put into songs or tales. A shorter and much revised version of their discussion can be found in Scene 60, The Tales That Really Mattered, and Scene 65, “The Battle for Middle-Earth is About to Begin” of the movie, ‘The Two Towers’.’
Both hobbits and Gollum continue the journey together.


Robert Goldsmith – The Stairs of Cirith Ungol

Why the changes from book to movie:
Chronologically Frodo, Sam, and Gollum’s journey parallel the journeys of the other members of the Fellowship in ‘Return of the King’. These scenes set the stage for ‘Shelob’s Lair’.

Writer Philippa Boyens speaks about these deviations and discusses the reasoning behind these changes in The Appendices Part 5: The War of the Ring – From Book to Script: Forging the Final Chapter, Return of the King, Special Extended DVD Edition: We felt that we had a character who was actually trying to separate… and disrupt the goal of our other two characters, that being ­­–- Gollum. And he was never going to get a payoff. He never really succeeds. So we knew that we wanted a scene where he successfully separated the two of them.

Scene #27. The Parting of Sam and Frodo, which Philippa Boyens is referring to sets the stage for the film version of Shelob’s Lair and explains much about its deviation from the book version. Philippa Boyens goes on to add: More importantly than that we wanted Frodo to enter Shelob’s tunnel alone. It’s all about the tension in the film and it is more tense, the fact that Frodo goes in there alone. I think it’s good that Frodo’s not always right. He’s not the angelic character that he – he does not have complete faith in Sam.

From the Commentaries:
– John Howe designed Minas Morgul for the movie.

– Philippa Boyens (on Frodo sending Sam home), ‘It shocks all the fans of the book.’

– A great concern of the producers was that the details of the scene, The Parting of Sam and Frodo, would be leaked to the public. Every effort was made to ensure that it did not, as this scene is a critical departure from the book. Peter Jackson and the producers did not want readers of the book to prejudge the movie.

Mistakes:
– The lembas crumbs are put on Sam’s blanket. When he first stands up, the blanket is on the ground. His cloak has no crumbs on it, but later when Gollum goes to brush the crumbs away, they magically appear.

Last Word: If I pretend for a moment that I have not read the book, these scenes seem plausible to me.

Sources:
The Lord of the Rings, Edition – Published by HarperCollinsPublishers, 1991
The Return of the King, Special Extended Version
The Two Towers, Special Extended Version

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Related Information
Related Books vs. Movies Articles:


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 Return of the King' can be found in our Film Fun & Facts section.

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

Some articles that are related to this sequence:

Forum threads related to this sequence:
- You can discuss this sequence in detail in ROTK Sequence by Sequence #6: The Stairs / The Lembas / Go Home Sam and ROTK EE Sequence by Sequence #8: Frodo & Sam Extra's in the Movies Forum.
- The Book Club discusses this chapter here.

Take a look at how some artists saw this part in the book:
- The Vale of Morgul by Alan Lee
- Minas Morgul by Rob Alexander
- Minas Morgul by Pauline Baynes
- Minas Morgul by Roger Garland
- Minas Morgul by Andrew Mockett
- Minas Morgul by Joan Wyatt
- Nazgul of Mordor by Alan Lee
- The Witch-king of Angmar by Allan Curless
- The Stairs of Cirith Ungol by Robert Goldsmith
- The Stairs of Cirith Ungol by Anke Eissmann

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