In response to the overwhelming demand, I’ve thrown together a scene-by-scene description of the RoTK Trailer that first appeared online just today. As you’d expect, there’s plenty of spoilers. Enjoy
Opening shot looks to be a flashback of Deagol (just his hand) opening on the Ring. The hand is wet and there’s mud on it, the Ring looks damp as well. And there’s no chain … I think it’s Deagol – or perhaps Smeagol.
Cut to: Frodo and Sam walking through dead bracken. Sam looks behind himself. No gollum in sight. East Ithilien, perhaps?
Cut to: Pippin asking “Is there any hope Gandalf?”
Gandalf: “there never was much hope.” *pause* “Just a fool’s hope”
They are on the battlements of Minas Tirith looking reflective.
Cut to: Frodo literally dragging himself up a rockface somewhere. It must be Orodruin. He looks absolutely desperate.
Cut to: Merry and Pip. Merry: “We shall see the Shire again” Pip nods, in tears. Could be Meduseld, after Pip has gazed into the Palantir.
Cut to: Gandy, Pip on Shadowfax riding through the (Druadan) Woods.
Cut to: The Eye and then orcs of Mordor.
Cut to: Faramir in the White Tower speaking to an (off screen) Denethor. “My lord, Osgiliath is overrun”. His accent sounds slightly odd – or maybe it’s emotion colouring his voice. Random hangers on in the background.
Cut to: Gondorian soldiers racing in a block to reinforce the square in front of the Great Gate. It is night. Fires burn, but they look controlled.
Cut to: Theoden voiceover on a shot of Eowyn looking impassive and silent. “I would have you smile again.” Cut to: Theoden before Eowyn. Tent in the background. Dunharrow, I suspect. Is she being left behind again?
Theoden continues: “Not grieve for those whose time has come.”
Cut to: Scene with a Gondorian soldier cradling a Rohirrim soldier in death agony. The Gondorian looks incredibly young. Is it Pippin cradling Merry? Or Dernhelm and Theoden? There’s also a weird white figure in the background but it doesn’t look to be Gandalf.
Cut to: Aragorn sinking down onto his hands and knees in obvious despair. Legolas is behind him holding his bow. This lines up with the NL Official picture “Legolas tells Aragorn he has not failed in his mission.” Must be waiting for the Dead to show, I guess.
Cut to: Gandalf speaking in a stone-walled room. Can’t see anyone else. Last Debate at Minas Tirith? “The board is set.”
Voiceover continues across a montage of scenes. Gondorian archers on the walls of Minas Tirith readying and aiming at an unseen enemy out of shot …
“The pieces are moving.”
Cut to: Shot of orcs(?) marching with torches. It is night. Can’t tell the location. Could be Mordor.
“We come to it at last”.
Cut to: The Captains of the West leading forth the host from Minas Tirith to the Morannon. Minas Tirith is in the background. Aragorn leads in the van.
Cut to: Closeup of kingly!Aragorn in his White Tree and chainmail gear. Most impressive.
“The great battle of our time”.
Cut to: Gandalf riding Shadowfax up the walls of Minas Tirith with urgency. Ranks of Gondorian soldiers are standing on the battlements. Dark clouds gather out to the East. Camera zooms up and over – across Gandalf’s shoulder we see an approaching army in many columns. There are also huge seige engines – at least six. These ones appear to be seige towers.
Cut to: Horse charge. Is it Faramir, or Imrahil calling the change from trot(?) to gallop? Still can’t tell.
Cut to: A ram being thrown against the Great Gate. If this is Grond, they need to upscale it a bit – very disappointing. Maybe it’s mini!Grond.
Cut to: The bridge of a seige tower crashing down onto the battlements (of Minas Tirith). Camera angle is from beneath and broken stone falls onto the camera. Seems to be a day shot.
Cut to: Fighting in the square behind the Great Gate. Chaos in the dark as orcs rush into Gondorians. Can tell it’s the Gate Square from the staue of the horse on the left of the camera.
Cut to: Fell Beast swooping through smokey air. It dives at a low angle and takes out one of the Gondorian trebuchets, heaving it off the battlements with its momentum. The Fell Beasts are huger than I had previously thought.
Cut to: Sam speaking passionately to Frodo. Frustration mixed with despair. He seems on the verge of tears.
“You don’t see it do you?”
Reverse angle: It’s night. The background is rocky – the Stairs? Frodo looking … wary? afraid?
Cut to: Gollum talking to his reflection in a pool.
“Preciouss … will be ours.”
Cut to: Trebuchets unleashing a flaming load against the city of Minas Tirith. Explosions in Minas Tirith, Gondorians duck for cover.
Voiceover from Sam: “He’s leading us into a trap!”
Cut to: Frodo looking lost, panicky. His mouth is gaping. Sam seems nowhere to be seen.
Cut to: Racing through tunnels, looking left, right and back. Many cobwebs.
Cut back to Gollum at the pool. He says: “And once the hobbitses die …” He then drops a rock into the pool with a very final sounding plop.
Cut to: A pair of hands lifting Narsil reforged. This is Anduril, Flame of the West. Has the blade just been tempered? Could this be the reforging scene?
Cut to: A brief glimpse of Aragorn leading Legolas and Gimli through the Paths of the Dead.
Cut to: Theoden leading the Rohirrim onto the Pelennor.
Voiceover from Theoden: “Ride now. Ride to ruin!”
Cut to: Legolas swivelling and aiming his bow, an arrow nocked and ready. Could be Pelennor, could be Morannon. From all the banners behind, it’s probably at the Morannon.
Cut to: Confused infantry charge. The ground looks too sandy to be at the Pelennor Fields. Again, it’s difficult to tell.
Cut to: Aragorn wearing his kingly armour leading yet another charge. Same one from a different angle?
Cut to shots of the Rohirrim charging.
Theoden’s voiceover continues: “And the world’s ending!”
Cut to: Gandalf and Merry(?) ride out into part of Minas Tirith as a Fell Beast swoops in and lands on the flagstones. It appears top be high up.
Closing credits bit and pieces.
