At the Sign of The Prancing Pony (scene)

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At the Sign of the Prancing Pony
Scene from
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring - At the Sign of the Prancing Pony.jpg
Scene number12 (theatrical edition)
15 (extended edition)
Duration 5:57 (theatrical edition)
6:01 (extended edition)
Event The hobbits arrive at the Prancing Pony and meet Aragorn.
Characters Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Harry Goatleaf, Barliman Butterbur, Aragorn
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At the Sign of The Prancing Pony is twelfth scene of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and the fifteenth scene of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (extended edition).

Snyopsis[edit | edit source]

On a rainy night, the four hobbits arrive at the western gate of Bree. They are let in by the Gate Keeper, but Frodo declines to state their business. They make their way through the streets to the Prancing Pony, where they are greeted by the innkeeper Barliman Butterbur. Frodo gives his name as Underhill and asks about Gandalf. Butterbur informs them that Gandalf has not been seen for six months. While having a drink and wondering what to do next, the hobbits notice a man sitting in the corner staring at them. Frodo asks Butterbur who the man is and is told that he is a Ranger called Strider.

Frodo fingers the Ring while a sinister voice repeats the name "Baggins". Suddenly, Frodo hears Pippin loudly giving the name Frodo Baggins to a group of men at the bar. Frodo runs over to stop him, and in the ensuing tussle, he falls on the ground and the ring slips onto his finger. Frodo disappears, to the shock of the bystanders. The Nazgûl sense the ring's power and immediately turn towards Bree, while Frodo sees a vision of the Eye of Sauron, which tells him he cannot hide.

After Frodo takes the ring off, Strider pulls him into a private room and tells him to be more careful. He adds, as the other hobbits burst in, that there is no time to wait for Gandalf, because the Ringwraiths are coming.

Although the scene is not officially marked as an extended scene, a few lines of dialogue are in the extended edition but not the theatrical cut of the film. One is the Gate Keeper remarking that the hobbits are "out of the Shire, from your talk," and another is Butterbur stating that he is "always proud to cater to Little Folk."

Differences[edit | edit source]

The scene is a heavily condensed version of the chapters At the Sign of the Prancing Pony and Strider from The Fellowship of the Ring.

  • The Prancing Pony is shown as a less pleasant and welcoming environment than in the book, and seems to be populated only by rough-looking men, with no other hobbits.
  • Nob and Bob are omitted.
  • Frodo's speech and performance of The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late, meant to distract attention from Pippin, are omitted.
  • In the film, the hobbits do not eat a meal in a private parlor before joining the company in the common room.
  • Frodo's vision of the Eye of Sauron is not in the book.
  • Frodo's conversation with Butterbur, in which Butterbur reveals that Gandalf had told him to be on the lookout for a hobbit traveling the name of Underhill, and had given him a letter to deliver to Frodo, is omitted.
  • The film contains no mention of Bill Ferny or his associate. (However, two men in the inn are identified as Bill Ferny and the Squint-eyed Southerner in The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game.)