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the lord of the rings:
the two towers
Pippin (Billy Boyd) and Merry (Dominic Monaghan) meet Treebeard. |
Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), meanwhile, were captured by the fearsome Uruk-hai at the end of the first film. Escaping from their captors, they flee into Fangorn Forest, despite reports that it is haunted, and meet up with Treebeard and his fellow Ents (see below). |
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Gandalf…
Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen), the elderly wizard who guided the Hobbits in The Fellowship, was apparently killed in the Mines of Moria two-thirds of the way through that first film. But he returns astride Shadowfax, a snowy stallion. “Gandalf is immortal,” explains McKellen, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in the first movie.
“But he returns a changed Gandalf, brought back not as Gandalf the Grey but now Gandalf the White. It’s quite clear from the book that he’s got renewed vigour. He returns with a clear aim in view; focused, like a Samurai; and dedicated to the job at hand, which is to provide overall leadership to the Fellowship.”
Elrond, Arwen and Legolas…
Elven princess Arwen (Liv Tyler). |
The King and Queen of the Elves of Rivendell and their trusty archer know that their people are doomed, yet Legolas (Orlando Bloom) fights on alongside the humans of Rohan. “It’s a sad time, a parting time for Elves,” says Hugo Weaving, who plays Elrond. “They know that their time on this
Elven warrior Legolas (Orlando Bloom). | earth has come to an end and they must make way for the rise of Man.” |
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Saruman…
The wizard (played by Christopher Lee) who has crossed over to the dark side has bred a lethal mutant army of Orcs. They now threaten the Rohan fortress of Helm’s Deep, while Saruman has used the sinister Wormtongue to corrupt Theoden, King of Rohan. Otherwise, however, Saruman essentially plays a backstage role in The Two Towers.
Aragorn and Gimli…
Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), also known as Strider, the brave human warrior who befriended the Hobbits and helped them with their quest, and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), the dwarf, begin the action of The Two
King Theoden (Bernard Hill) and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) inspect the Rohan troops. | Towers as they try to rescue Merry and Pippin from the Uruks. Later, Aragorn helps inspire the people of Rohan to fight back against Saruman - and finds himself strongly attracted to Eowyn, the Rohan princess.
“Aragorn is given more responsibility, like the others in the Fellowship,” comments Mortensen. “He knows that he needs to step up and do not only what Boromir [the other human warrior, played by Sean Bean, who died at the end of The Fellowship] expected of him, but what Elrond, who has been like a father to him, and Arwen expect of him; and, most importantly, what he knows to be his calling.”
Theoden, Eowyn, Eomer…
and Wormtongue…
Theoden, King of Rohan, home to the human aristocrats of Middle Earth, has been corrupted by his adviser Wormtongue (Brad Dourif), who is in the power of Saruman. “He has been virtually a zombie,” says Bernard Hill, who plays Theoden. “He has been eaten away by the poison of Saruman, put there by Wormtongue.” The latter character is finally thwarted by Gandalf, resulting in the desperate last stand at the Rohan fortress of Helm’s Deep, probably the most memorable set of The Two Towers - a massive castle built against a towering mountain range.
“Helm’s Deep is a large stone fortress set in a narrow, rocky gorge,” says director Jackson. “It’s not a strategic castle: it’s actually a refuge. It’s where the people of Rohan go for protection in times of war. But, in this particular instance, the Uruk-hai, led by Saruman, are intent on killing every man, woman and child in Rohan, so they set a huge army against this fortress.”
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