Purist edit

A purist edit is an edit of a movie to make it follow the book plot more closely. Typically, the new version is not shown in cinemas, but instead is available on peer-to-peer networks.

The Two Towers Example

When The Two Towers was released in cinemas, many people disliked (and some hated) the changes to Tolkien's story. That motivated someone to create The Two Towers: The Purist Edit. To name just the biggest differences: there are no Elves at Helm's Deep, Faramir is a good guy again, Ents don't refuse to help, Arwen doesn't leave Middle-earth, and Gandalf does not exorcise Saruman from Theoden. As a result, this version is about 40 minutes shorter, but for some people it is superior to the original release. The changes are cut out seamlessly and the sound track is carefully re-synchronized, so the only way to notice the changes is to compare the Purist Edit with the original. In some places The Purist Edit manages to completely reverse Peter Jackson's changes and reconstruct the original Tolkien's storyline.

Film length: 2 hours 15 minutes (theatrical release is 2 hr 59 min, the extended edition DVD is supposed to be 3 hr 42 min).

Major changes (out of about 30 changes totally):

• Ents don't refuse to attack Isengard
• Elves do not come to Helm's Deep
• Gimli is no longer a dwarf clown
• Faramir does not decide to send the Ring to Gondor as a "mighty gift" for his father
• Frodo does not attempt to give the Ring to Nazgul

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