31 January 2000
Source: Sir Ian McKellen's Website
Sir Ian McKellen has updated his Grey Book and has provided quite a nice commentary on New Zealand and LOTR. Towards the end of his story he recounts watching the rough cut of the scenes filmed so far, and there's this:
"They had been filming without me for
three months and I felt like the new
boy at school as they re-grouped two weeks into the year. Term
started with
a rough cut of the action so far - those that didn't need major
special effects added. A videotape was projected onto the screen
of the cinema near the WETA workshops where the dailies are viewed.
The soundtrack was uneven.
The music was from other movies. And so the audience began by
cheering
their hard work like a home movie until the story took over and
through the
silence they watched Boromir die and the hobbits weep as they
lose Gandalf
to the Balrog. Peter had provided beer and wine but I'm off the
alcohol and
had two candy floss (cotton candy) and popcorn. Then a party at
the house of
Barrie Osborne (Producer) and his partner Carol Kim (Production
Manager.)
At the end of the evening Billy Boyd ("Pippin") persuaded
me to follow him
down the fireman's pole that falls twenty feet to the hall. And
I wasn't even
drunk."
You can read the whole thing at:
http://www.mckellen.com/cinema/lotr/000125.htm