This Cut ‘Lord of the Rings’ Scene Completely Changes How We View Boromir

The Big Picture

• The extended edition of
  The Lord of the Rings
  trilogy features crucial scenes that add depth to the characters and their relationships.
• The deleted scene in
  The Two Towers
  showcases the close bond between Boromir and Faramir, providing insight into their motivations.
• The omission of this scene was likely due to time constraints, but it added heart and context to Boromir’s character arc and his tragic fate.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by Peter Jackson is often heralded as one of, if not the, best movie trilogy ever made. They do an admirable job adapting the beloved fantasy series by author J. R. R. Tolkien through groundbreaking practical effects and set designs, perfect casting, and some of the most epic battles ever seen in cinema. They remain most people’s go-to example of the strength of the fantasy genre in cinema, especially with the release of the extended edition, which added many fantastic scenes that further fleshed out the characters and world.

Most people who have seen the extended edition point to the final confrontation between the wizards Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and Saruman (Christopher Lee) from The Return of the King as the best and most important of these additional scenes. There are many valid reasons for this, such as the strong acting between the two veteran actors, and how it was controversially cut at the last minute, straining the relationship between Lee and Jackson for years. However, The Two Towers. has an equally crucial scene involving Boromir (Sean Bean), the tragic member of the Fellowship who fell to the corrupting influence of the One Ring, and his younger brother, Faramir (David Wenham).

A Crucial Scene Was Cut From ‘The Two Towers’

After finding the Horn of Gondor cloven in two following Boromir’s death at the Battle of Amon Henn, Faramir remembers the last time he saw his brother alive. The two had retaken the city of Osgiliath, Gondor’s former capital city, from the Dark Lord Sauron’s (Alan Howard) orcs and were celebrating with the men. When passing Faramir a drink, Boromir tells him, “Remember today, little brother. For today, life is good.”

Yet the victory toast is spoiled by the arrival of their father, Denethor (John Noble), the steward of Gondor. He berates Faramir for losing Osgiliath to the forces of Mordor before telling Boromir that Elrond Halfelven (Hugo Weaving) has called a meeting at Rivendell, which Denethor suspects to be about the discovery of the One Ring. He tasks Boromir with being Gondor’s representative, despite his misgivings. It ends with Boromir sadly reminding Faramir to remember this day before departing.

Why This Scene Is Important to ‘The Two Towers’

The biggest strength of this scene is how it humanizes the ruling family of Gondor. Boromir, in particular, is given tons of characterization that builds off of what was established in Fellowship of the Ring. In that film, he was burdened with responsibility and gradually gave into despair, believing that the only way to save his people was to take the One Ring for himself. Here, Boromir is given the chance to be the legendary heir to Gondor. Audiences see him inspiring his men after a great victory and enjoying his time with his brother. This gives audiences a stronger insight into Boromir’s struggle in the first movie. When he was talking about the suffering of Gondor and how he wanted to use the power of the One Ring to save them, this is what was flashing through his head. He even shows wisdom and restraint against his father, wanting to refuse the mission and stay with his men rather than go north. This adds a greater layer of tragedy to Boromir’s character, and when he speaks his final line to Faramir, there is a strong level of finality, as if he knows he won’t return from this journey.

Boromir and Faramir are also given a chance to interact as brothers. Unlike with their men, where the two have to present themselves as the ideal leaders, they can let loose and speak more casually with one another. Boromir even defends Faramir from Denethor’s cruelty, stressing how impressive he was in battle and calling out their father’s disrespect. This helps audiences empathize even more with Faramir’s situation, since they can see how close the brothers were.

Since the flashback also introduces Denethor before his theatrical appearance in Return of the King, there’s more of a chance to explore the relationship between him and his sons. In the third film, Denethor gives into madness and grief due to Boromir’s death and doesn’t even try to put up a defense of the city of Minas Tirith from Sauron’s forces. Meanwhile, this scene shows Denethor before his fall, where his mind is clear enough to plan and deduce Elrond’s reason for calling the council. This gives a glimpse into the kind of leader he once was.

Finally, the scene expands on the relationship between Denethor and his sons. Both Boromir and Faramir crave the love and approval of Denethor, but in trying to get it, the brothers destroy themselves. Before Boromir caved, Faramir offered to go to Rivendell himself but was denied because Denethor trusted the mission to the son who would not fail him. This helps to further influence Faramir’s decision to bring the hobbits Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) to his father when he learns they carry the One Ring. Though their mission is to destroy the ring by throwing it into the fires of Mt. Doom, Faramir wants to finally have a chance to show his qualities to his father, which nearly leads him to make the same mistake as Boromir.

There Was a Likely Reason Why This Scene Was Cut

The best reason that can be given for why this scene was cut is likely due to time. The Two Towers’ theatrical run is almost 3 hours long, clocking in at 179 minutes, so perhaps the filmmakers thought another five minutes was pushing things. Another justification could be that Boromir died in Fellowship, so his story is technically over. However, this omission cuts out so much heart and explanation for his actions, as well as shows his strong relationship with his father and brother, which influences their actions in the rest of the trilogy. It also helps contextualize why he fell into the temptation of the ring, emphasizing that it was due to his love for his homeland over greed or a desire for power. Without this scene, Boromir’s actions in Fellowship can be interpreted in a more simplistic light of temptation for a great power, which is a massive disservice to his character.

All Lord of the Rings movies can be watched on Prime Video in the U.S.

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