We have a long way to go, and there is time ahead for thought.
 | |
| Scene from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | |
| Sauron Defeated | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Scene | 71 |
| Events | The One Ring is destroyed Sauron is defeated |
| Characters | Sam, Frodo, Gollum, Sauron, Gandalf, Aragorn, Merry, Pippin, Legolas, Gimli |
| Previous | The Crack of Doom |
| Next | The End of All Things |
Sauron Defeated (scene) is the fifty-sixth scene of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and the seventy-first scene of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (extended edition).
Synopsis
Having reclaimed the One Ring, Gollum cradles it with joy, seemingly unaware that he is falling into the fires of Mount Doom. As he is consumed in the furnace, Frodo hangs onto the precipice of the Sammath Naur. Sam struggles to reach Frodo, who looks down into the furnaces below. "Don't you let go!", Sam cries, and with an effort, Frodo clasps his hand.
The ring sits on the surface of the furnace for a short time before being unmade in the fires. Immediately, Sauron howls, and the armies of Mordor flee from battle at the Black Gate. The tower of Barad-dûr crumbles, and the Eye of Sauron shrinks into nothingness, before sending a shockwave across the land. A look of realisation dawns on the face of Gandalf who gazes towards Mordor with tears in his eyes, and Merry shouts Frodo's name in jubilation. The Towers of the Teeth collapse, and the land surrounding the Host of the West disintegrates.
But as Mount Doom undergoes a huge eruption — spewing vast amounts of lava into the air and destroying the nearby Nazgûl — the celebrations of the members of the Fellowship of the Ring are cut short as they fear Frodo's fate. Gandalf, Aragorn, and Gimli look on in concern, and Pippin weeps for Frodo.