At the center of The Lord of the Rings is the unbreakable friendship between Frodo Baggins and Samwise “Sam” Gamgee, lovingly played by Elijah Wood and Sean Astin in the epic movie adaptations. However, Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies actually cut a detail about Sam and Frodo’s relationship from the books that benefited the way it is depicted on screen. Arguably ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time, Sam accidentally overhears Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and Frodo discussing the One Ring and the threat of Sauron — and is then implored by Gandalf to join the mission himself.
This is how Sam becomes the first member of the Fellowship, standing by Frodo to see the Ring destroyed. Sam becomes the character most commendable for his loyalty, as when Frodo tries to break away from the Fellowship, Sam stubbornly refuses to let Frodo leave on his own. Even in their most despairing moments, Sam never waivers, sometimes needing to protect Frodo from himself, before they miraculously get a happy ending. While Frodo leaves for the Undying Lands, his bond with Sam never fades — and Jackson’s understanding of how to work with the source material made this perceivable in the movies.
The Lord Of The Rings Movies Cut The Fact That Sam Worked For Frodo’s Family
The Movies Downplay Sam’s Job From The Books, Which Was Gardening & Cleaning For The Baggins Family
In the movies, it is suggested that Frodo and Sam are longtime friends and that Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) are part of their usual friend group. They are depicted going to a tavern together before the journey has even started, just for a pleasant night out. It is established that Sam does the gardening at Bag End, as this is his excuse for having been outside the window and hearing Gandalf and Frodo, and he later defiantly says that he is Frodo’s gardener. However, ultimately, this is downplayed as an aspect of his character.
Gardener is just incidentally Sam’s occupation in the Shire, where almost everyone is largely concerned with domestic pursuits. He possibly isn’t even paid for this work and just helps around Bag End as a friend. In the books, Sam is more clearly established as Frodo’s employee. Frodo certainly likes Sam, but it seems like Merry and Pippin are more who he would call his friends. Again, when Sam isn’t already a devoted close friend of Frodo, his being at the window the night that Frodo is charged with delivering the One Ring is a twist of fate.
Keeping Sam’s Role From The Books Would Have Made His Journey Seem Like An Obligation
It Changes The Question Of Whether Sam Ever Could Have Walked Away
In fact, his other friends are the ones Frodo actually reaches out to for help getting out of the Shire, while Sam is roped into it by Gandalf, but also does go because he would like to meet the elves. When Sam agrees to go in the movie, it is because he was caught listening, but also because he is Frodo’s friend. There is still a hierarchy to the hobbits’ dynamics, as Frodo is clearly the leader and Sam always refers to him as “Mister Frodo,” but this can perhaps be interpreted as a sense of knight-like fealty.
And then, he has a certain obligation to do his job well by seeing the quest with Frodo to the end.
When Sam and Frodo have a more professional relationship in the book, it comes across that his joining the journey is also as a servant. And then, he has a certain obligation to do his job well by seeing the quest with Frodo to the end. It is understandable why Peter Jackson decided to cut or at least reduce this story element, granting Sam more agency as a character. He goes the furthest to help Frodo, while Merry and Pippin are sent off on their own quests, ones which give them a bit more individual glory.
The Lord Of The Rings Movies Made Frodo & Sam’s Friendship Better By Cutting This Detail
Sam & Frodo’s Friendship Is Beautiful On Screen
Not that their relationship isn’t powerful in the text, but eliminating the confusion of how much of Sam and Frodo’s dynamic is down to a transactional arrangement, or of a servitude that is obligatory by honor, allows their bond to really shine. Sean Astin plays Sam’s devotion amazingly, as someone who has always loved Frodo and therefore cannot let him head towards danger alone — not because of duty but because of love. In turn, Elijah Wood also shows Frodo’s adoration of Sam in his performance, completing the heartfelt rapport of the on-screen duo.
In the darkest moments of the story, they still have each other, even as they head to their probable doom.
Their loving friendship is apparent at almost every moment throughout the latter two movies, where they spend much of their screen time on their own, with only Gollum (Andy Serkis) for company. In the darkest moments of the story, they still have each other, even as they head to their probable doom. They remind each other of happier times but also become closer in their despair. Perhaps the best scenes in their friendship are Sam insisting that he will accompany Frodo and Frodo panicking when Sam might drown, as well as Sam determinedly saying that he will carry Frodo if he must.
Now, Wood and Astin could have potentially played these characters exactly the same way, even if there were a few extra lines of dialogue that established Sam as an employee and the early scene of their night out and Frodo ᴀssuring Sam of his chances with the woman he loves were cut. However, these small things stood a chance of making the audience question the whole thing. Sam is going to do all this for Frodo because he needs to for the narrative to move forward, and Jackson simply granted him a bit more power by shifting the reasons why.
The Movies Cut The Shire’s Classism In General & They Were Better For It
The Hobbits Are Equals & Therefore Their Comradery Is A Main Theme
Cutting this aspect of Sam’s character also inherently changed how the Shire is depicted in the movies when Sam is the only hobbit to represent the Shire’s working class by being a main character. In the books, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin are all essentially hobbit nobility, while Sam is a member of the working class who would likely find employment with these wealthier families. Jackson doesn’t illustrate this hierarchy at all — all four are just citizens of the Shire and close friends. If anything, Frodo and Sam have superiority because they aren’t characterized as tricksters the way Merry and Pippin are in the beginning.
This worked out better for the movies because it allowed the hobbits’ friendship in the face of war to stand out, without implying that there are implicit biases among them. There is a lot to unpack in terms of the social tensions of the Shire in what Tolkien wrote, but Jackson had to prioritize when it came to the movies. For instance, as much as diehard fans might have liked to see a cinematic Tom Bombadil, it’s clear that this would have taken up a lot of screen time without really contributing to the main story.
Ultimately, it was decided that focusing on the bonds between friends was better than introducing a superficial subplot about classism that wouldn’t have been able to really do justice to the issue with limited time. The Lord of the Rings is more remembered for its characters’ friendships and bravery and would never have been able to do as well with this element as other stories have.
The Lord of the Rings
- Movie(s)
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The Lord of the Rings (1978), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
- Created by
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J.R.R. Tolkien
- First Film
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The Lord of the Rings (1978)
- Cast
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Norman Bird, Anthony Daniels, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis, Brad Dourif, Karl Urban, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Morfydd Clark, Mike Wood, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards, Sara Zwangobani, Daniel Weyman, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lenny Henry, Brian Cox, Shaun Dooley, Miranda Otto, Bilal Hasna, Benjamin Wainwright, Luke Pasqualino, Christopher Guard, William Squire, Michael Scholes, John Hurt
- TV Show(s)
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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
- Character(s)
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Frodo Baggins, Gandalf, Legolas, Boromir, Sauron, Gollum, Samwise Gamgee, Pippin Took, Celeborn, Aragorn, Galadriel, Bilbo Baggins, Saruman, Aldor, Wormtongue, Thorin Oakenshield, Balin Dwalin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Nori, Dori, Ori, Tauriel, King Thranduil, Smaug, Radagast, Arondir, Nori Brandyfoot, Poppy Proudfellow, Marigold Brandyfoot, Queen Regent Míriel, Sadoc Burrows
