10 Behind-The-Scenes Screw-Ups That Created Iconic Movie Moments

1. The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers €“ An Ill-Made Flag Prop Provides A Great Metaphor For Rohan

Lord of the Rings - Edoras

If you know anything about Lord of the Rings, you€™ll know that Peter Jackson and his prop-masters were able to bring Middle-Earth to life spectacularly well €“ everything was extremely well realised down to the smallest detail, including giving every Orc different armour telling the story of their lives and what caste they were in.

However, having a knack for world-building doesn€™t exclude you from making the occasional mistake or having the odd faulty prop, and LOTR was no exception. Yet this being LOTR €“ where everything that Jackson touched turned to gold €“ even the negatives ended up becoming positives.

Case in point, the Rohan flags in Edoras. Early on in The Two Towers, Rohan is having a bad time of it €“ King Theoden has been possessed by Saruman, his son Theodred is dead and Eomer, the only man capable of stepping up to the plate, has been banished. Distraught, Eomer€™s sister Eowyn steps outside and look wistfully upon a vista in the sort of dramatic shot movie directors love. When she does, the flag next to her comes off the pole and flies off. A perfect metaphor for Rohan€™s downfall, you might think.

You€™d right, but you€™d also be wrong if you thought it was in any way intentional. What had actually happened was the flag had been poorly attached and flew off in high wind, yet Jackson loved it so much he kept his accidental vignette in the film, even having it drop near Aragorn in the very next scene.

So there's my list €“ do you know any I've missed? Feel free to comment!

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Durham University graduate and qualified sports journalist. Very good at sitting down and watching things. Can multi-task this with playing computer games. Football Manager addict who has taken Shrewsbury Town to the summit of the Premier League. You can follow me at @Ed_OwenUK, if you like ramblings about Newcastle United and A Place in the Sun. If you don't, I don't know what I can do for you.