10 Awesome Deleted Scenes That Should Have Made the Cut

6. Saruman's Death - Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxvf6-_m2oo Here's the deleted scene on this list that probably caused the most pronounced and highly-publicised outcry, as Saruman's final scene in the Lord of the Rings trilogy was unceremoniously cut by Peter Jackson close to the film's release. The scene in question, which was restored for Jackson's absurdly comprehensive home video release, has Saruman taunting Gandalf from the top of Isengard, before Grima Wormtongue launches him to his surprisingly graphic death. Lee once said that he'd "never forgive" Jackson for eliding this scene even though the two are on speaking terms now, and frankly, we're with Lee on this one. The scene is crucial to the story's narrative framework; otherwise, why bother building him up at all in The Two Towers? In the film's theatrical cut, we find out about Saruman's demise through a single line of fielded-out dialogue, and one thinks Jackson could have cut down on a few seconds of pause here and there to make way for this relatively brief but important scene. More cynical viewers will argue that this scene was cut to give fans an even greater incentive to pick up the Extended Edition home video release, but we'd like to think Jackson has a little more integrity than that (we say as he prepares to release The Hobbit in 3 instalments, hmmm).