How does it happen in the movie?
After their narrow escape from the Black Riders at Bucklebury Ferry, the four Hobbits arrive at the gate of Bree. It is dark and it’s raining, and Bree doesn’t seem to be a very pleasant place. At the Prancing Pony Inn they’re in for yet another disappointment: Gandalf hasn’t turned up at all. They arrange for a room and buy some drinks, but a hooded stranger called Strider is watching Frodo.
Pippin reveals Frodo’s true name when he goes to fetch himself a pint of beer and Frodo, getting up to stop him, stumbles and falls – accidentally putting on the Ring in the process. The stranger pulls him aside when he reappears and forces him upstairs.


Cavini – Bree

How did it happen in the book?
The Hobbits arrive at the gate of Bree on a dark but clear night (it’s not raining). They are greeted with great suspicion, but are allowed to enter when Merry mentions he’s a Brandybuck.
They make for the Prancing Pony Inn, which was recommended to them by Tom Bombadill, and are finally convinced to go inside because of laughter and singing that drifts towards them through the open front door.
They get a room and stabling for their ponies, and take a meal in a separate parlour. After the meal, Merry goes for a walk and the other Hobbits go to them common room for some singing and mingling. Soon they are getting acquainted with some Hobbits, and Pippin starts telling some funny stories.
Frodo notices he’s being watched by a hooded stranger, whom Barliman Butterbur, the innkeeper, identifies as Strider. Strider invites him to come over, introduces himself and warns Frodo to be cautious.
At that moment Frodo overhears Pippin talking about Bilbo’s birthday party. To prevent the young Took from blurting out something about the mysterious disappearance, he jumps on top of a table and sings ‘The cow jumped over the Moon’, but ends up falling off it and onto the Ring – which makes him disappear. This displeases the crowd greatly, and the Hobbits retire to their room.

Let’s look at the changes a little more systematically:
– It’s not raining when the Hobbits arrive at the Gate in the book. As a matter of fact, PJ went through a whole lot of trouble to make this sequence as uncomfortable as possible: he wants to express how the Hobbits feel unsettled by their first encounter with ‘the real world’.
– The Hobbits are riding their ponies in the book.
– The Hobbits stop at the Prancing Pony Inn because it was recommended to them by Tom Bombadill. In the movie, Gandalf has arranged to meet up with them there.
– Barliman Butterbur, aptly portrayed as a busy, forgetful but kind man, is assisted in the Pony by two Hobbit servants: Bob and Nob. In the movie, all Dwarves and Hobbits were left out to make the environment even more hostile towards Hobbits.
Strider introduces himself to Frodo and warns him to be cautious. After the ‘incident’ there’s no dragging and pushing of said Hobbit: the Hobbits retire to their chamber only to find Strider sitting there, waiting for them.
Pippin‘s a bit of an innocent, but not an idiot. In the book Frodo has to intervene because he’s about to tell them something about Bilbo’s disappearance, which might draw attention to them. In the movie however, he goes as far as tell a bunch of complete strangers Frodo’s real name. Of course, he wasn’t warned that he shouldn’t, but it seems unlikely Frodo left out such an important detail…
– ‘The Cow Jumped over the Moon’ was left out completely, such a shame: we all wanted to see Frodo recite that silly poem and maybe accompany it with a silly dance. The alternative isn’t any more credible though.

Mistakes
– Of course Pippin knows beer comes in pints! He is the one who insists on a stop at The Golden Perch on the road to Crickhollow, which makes Frodo take a shortcut… to mushrooms.
– If the Inn has Hobbit-sized rooms, wouldn’t it also have Hobbit-sized tables?

Borrowed Lines
– When Frodo introduces himself to Barliman Butterbur, he says ‘ Underhill. My name is Underhill.’. In the book Gandalf gives him that name, in ‘The Shadow of the Past’ [1.II]: ‘I will give you a travelling name now. When you go, go as Mr. Underhill.’

Bookie Details
– When the Hobbits arrive at the gate, we see the gatekeeper open a spy-hole, close it again and open another one at a lower level. Although this isn’t in the book (the gatekeeper is just sitting outside), it is a nice nod to the permanent presence of Hobbits and Dwarves mentioned by Tolkien.
– The sign is very much like Tolkien describes it.


Alan Lee – Frodo’s Disappearing Act

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Related Information
Interesting Links
Our Gallery has screencaps of At the Sign of the Prancing Pony.

A transcript of Lord Of the Rings: Fellowship Of the Ring can be found in our Film Fun & Facts section.

A summary of Lord Of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring can be found in Elrond's Library.

Some articles that are related to this sequence:
- Our Maps Gallery has a detailed map of Bree and the Prancing Pony Inn
It also has The Dúnedain of the North which provides with some more background on the character of Strider, and the Rangers.

Forum threads related to this sequence:
You can discuss this sequence in Sequence by sequence #8: At the Sign of the Prancing Pony.
The Book Club also discusses this chapter 1.IX. At the Sign of the Prancing Pony.

Take a look at how some artists interpreted this sequence:
- Bree by Cavini
- Looking over Bree by Britton
- At the Sign of the Prancing Pony by Ted Nasmith
- At the Sign of the Prancing Pony by Kortich
- Meeting with Strider by Eismann
- At the Prancing Pony by Janin
- The Incident at the Prancing Pony by Alan Lee

Not pleased with the book or the movie, take a look here: