Whilst editing the prologue and trying to restore the prophecy version… Upon looking at the story board early prologue there was a scene with dwarves mining that had a previs animatic amongst a dwarve looking upon a prized jewl.
I have also found alternative music for Saruman looking at the book about moria where he talks about shadow and flame referring to the balrog.
As far as I can tell this scene where Saruman looks at the book was meant to come a little bit later to transition between Cahadras and Moria but also the how could saruman not know that cahadras was too dangerous as he created the storm that made them change course. “Where will you go?” “Will you risk?”
Anyway… So if Saruman does not create the storm… upon the speech “Moria you fear to go into those mines” Is the page showing the gate “the dwarves delved too greedily and too deep” was I think to contain the footage excised from the prologue of the dwarves mining and holding up the jewl but then darkness falls the jewl glistening in flames and perhaps a growl cut to the book “shadow and flames” we see the picture of the balrog.
It is safe to assume this is part of the gadalf tripping up amongst the dwarf runes and the line “instead of going over the mountain we shall go under it” deleted line found in the recent 2022 unreleased scenes video before reaching the walls of moria. In the TTT game Aragorn “we have not heard word from moria in many years” or something like that.
Essentially it’s teasing a monster before we see it and also leaving the viewer unprepared for the watcher in the water monster too. Quite clever really.
The alternate music has been found across 2 game releases the two towers gimli secial feature interview and one of the battle for middle earth trailers.
It is possible that this is an unfinished special effects sequence but it’s so clever in how it repurposes footage from the early prologue it’s definitely worth finishing off amongst other special effects shots that never made the films. Only FOTR seems to miss the odd special effects shot bar the slime balrog from the two towers and this is up there with the crows on the river anduin as “special edition” material. Things we wanted to do before we had the time and budget.
Another battle for middle earth game trailer features dialogue from the deleted Elf coucil meeting in Lorien of Elrond saying “The Shadow is upon us” Arwen “The time is now”
So I think it’s fairly safe to assume that the early prologue when it talked of Gondor… When Gandalf leaves for Minas Tirith to research the ring the transition was to push through the envelope (Peter Jackson)… I imagine then we cut to the map of middle earth and then the soldier on the walls of the city. Music theme of Gondor Gandalf “there are many questions that need answering” so the early prologue small bit parts were meant to be reworked into the film at various points as a format of not wasting shots from the excised prologue material. This I think is a bit of a shame as they obviously even in the extended dvd still cut it for time. A Different tone was likely in this scene and diffetent music.
The bigature shots of Barad-Dur are possibly excised prologue material also without the eye on top. I think it’s fairly safe to assume this was meant to be placed at bag End when Gandalf returns to frodo explaining Gollum and when Frodo offers the ring to Gandalf instead of seeing the guy with the lantern from the ferry being killed we see the black riders bursting out of gates of Minas Morgal.
So as this format was established of using excised prologue material in other parts of the film… What of the elves? Not sure to be honest here, but it may have been earmarked for Lorien and not Rivendell… Legolas costume change is a signal that something is missing. This costume can be seen again in a clip in daylight with falling leaves around him. was it merely a reason to perhaps better establish the high kingdom of elfdom? Anyway that I think solves some of the puzzle it’s snapped into place quite quick once you can see the idea.however there is one thing that all these excised prologue material re-worked by design back in to the film share in common.
None of them were re-instated for a peculiar reason.