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2002 film by Peter Jackson

The Lord of the Rings:
The Two Towers
Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (2002).jpg

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Peter Jackson
Screenplay past
  • Fran Walsh
  • Philippa Boyens
  • Stephen Sinclair
  • Peter Jackson
Based on The Two Towers
by J. R. R. Tolkien
Produced by
  • Barrie M. Osborne
  • Fran Walsh
  • Peter Jackson
Starring
  • Elijah Wood
  • Ian McKellen
  • Liv Tyler
  • Viggo Mortensen
  • Sean Astin
  • Cate Blanchett
  • John Rhys-Davies
  • Bernard Hill
  • Christopher Lee
  • Billy Boyd
  • Dominic Monaghan
  • Orlando Bloom
  • Hugo Weaving
  • Miranda Otto
  • David Wenham
  • Brad Dourif
  • Karl Urban
  • Andy Serkis
Cinematography Andrew Lesnie
Edited past
  • Michael J. Horton
Music by Howard Shore

Product
companies
  • New Line Movie house[i]
  • WingNut Films[one]
Distributed by New Line Cinema

Release dates
  • v December 2002 (2002-12-05) (Ziegfeld Theatre)
  • 18 December 2002 (2002-12-18) (Us)
  • 19 December 2002 (2002-12-nineteen) (New Zealand)

Running time

 179 minutes[2]
Countries
  • New Zealand[1]
  • Germany
  • United States[1]
Linguistic communication English language
Budget $94 one thousand thousand[3]
Box function $947.5 meg[3]

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is a 2002 epic fantasy chance film directed past Peter Jackson, based on the second book of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The film is the second instalment in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and was produced past Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh and Jackson, from a screenplay past Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair and Jackson. The motion picture features an ensemble cast including Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Bernard Hill, Christopher Lee, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, David Wenham, Brad Dourif, Karl Urban and Andy Serkis. It was preceded by The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and followed by The Return of the King (2003).

Continuing the plot of The Fellowship of the Ring, the film intercuts three storylines. Frodo and Sam continue their journeying towards Mordor to destroy the One Ring, coming together and joined by Gollum, the band'southward former keeper. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli come to the war-torn nation of Rohan and are reunited with the resurrected Gandalf, before fighting against the legions of the treacherous wizard Saruman at the Battle of Helm'south Deep. Merry and Pippin escape capture, run into Treebeard the Ent, and aid to plan an assail on Isengard, fortress of Saruman.

The Two Towers was financed and distributed by American studio New Line Cinema, simply filmed and edited entirely in Jackson's native New Zealand, concurrently with the other two parts of the trilogy. Information technology premiered on 5 Dec 2002 at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City and was theatrically released on 18 December 2002 in the United States, and on 19 December 2002 in New Zealand. The pic was acclaimed past both critics and audiences, who considered it to exist a landmark in filmmaking and an achievement in the fantasy motion-picture show genre. It received praise for its direction, action sequences, performances, and CGI, particularly for Gollum. It grossed $936 1000000 worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of 2002 and the third highest-grossing moving-picture show of all time at the time of its release, behind Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Titanic.[4] Post-obit subsequent reissues, it has, every bit of 2021, grossed over $947 meg.

Like the other films in the trilogy, The Two Towers is widely recognized as 1 of the greatest and most influential films ever made. The pic received numerous accolades; at the 75th Academy Awards, it was nominated for 6 awards, including Best Picture, winning for Best Sound Editing and All-time Visual Effects.

Plot [edit]

Awakening from a dream of Gandalf fighting the Balrog in Moria, Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee discover themselves lost in the Emyn Muil well-nigh Mordor and detect they are being tracked by Gollum, a onetime bearer of the One Ring. Capturing Gollum, Frodo takes compassion and allows him to guide them, reminding Sam that they will need Gollum's help to infiltrate Mordor.

Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli pursue a band of Uruk-hai to salvage their companions Merry and Pippin, entering the kingdom of Rohan. The Uruk-hai are ambushed past a group of Rohirrim, allowing the Hobbits to escape into Fangorn Woods. Meeting Aragorn'due south group, the Rohirrim'southward leader Éomer explains that he and his men have been exiled past Rohan'due south king, Théoden, who is under the control of Saruman and his servant Gríma Wormtongue. Éomer believes Merry and Pippin were killed during the raid but leaves the group 2 horses. Searching for the Hobbits in Fangorn, Aragorn's group encounters Gandalf, who subsequently his fight confronting the Balrog was resurrected as Gandalf the White to help save Eye-earth.

Gandalf leads the trio to Rohan's capital, Edoras, where Gandalf frees Théoden from Saruman'due south control. Aragorn stops Théoden from executing Wormtongue, who flees. Learning of Saruman's plans to destroy Rohan with his Uruk-hai army, Théoden evacuates his citizens to the fortress of The Hornburg at Helm's Deep. Gandalf departs to find Éomer and his followers, hoping they will fight for their restored king. Aragorn befriends Théoden's niece, Éowyn, who becomes infatuated with him. When the refugees travelling to Captain'due south Deep are attacked by Saruman's Warg-riding Orcs, Aragorn falls from a cliff and is presumed dead. He is plant by his horse Brego and rides to Captain's Deep, witnessing Saruman's ground forces marching to the fortress.

In Rivendell, Arwen is told by her father Elrond that Aragorn will not return. He reminds her that if she remains in Eye-globe, she will outlive Aragorn by thousands of years, and she reluctantly departs for Valinor. Elrond is contacted by Galadriel of Lothlórien, who convinces him that the Elves should honour their brotherhood to men, and they acceleration an army of Elves to Helm's Deep.

In Fangorn, Merry and Pippin encounter Treebeard, an Ent. Convincing Treebeard that they are allies, they are brought to an Ent Council, where the Ents decide not to take part in the coming war. Pippin asks Treebeard to have them in the direction of Isengard, where they witness the deforestation caused by Saruman's war endeavour. Enraged, Treebeard and the Ents tempest Isengard, trapping Saruman in his belfry.

Aragorn arrives at Captain's Deep, bringing word that Saruman's army is close and Théoden must set for battle despite beingness vastly outnumbered. The army of Elves from Lothlórien arrives, as does Saruman's army, and a battle ensues. The Uruk-hai alienation the outer wall with explosives and during the ensuing accuse kill the Elves' commander, Haldir. The defenders retreat into the go on, where Aragorn convinces Théoden to meet the Uruk-hai in 1 terminal accuse. At dawn, as the defenders are overwhelmed, Gandalf and Éomer arrive with the Rohirrim, turning the tide of the battle. The surviving Uruk-hai abscond into Fangorn Forest and are killed by the Ents. Gandalf warns that Sauron volition retaliate.

Gollum leads Frodo and Sam through the Dead Marshes to the Black Gate, merely recommends they enter Mordor by another route. Frodo and Sam are captured by Rangers of Ithilien led by Faramir, brother of the late Boromir. Frodo helps Faramir catch Gollum to salve him from being killed by the Rangers. Learning of the One Band, Faramir takes his captives to Gondor to bring the ring to his father Denethor. Passing through the besieged city of Osgiliath, Frodo tries to explain to Faramir the true nature of the ring, and Sam explains that Boromir was driven mad by its ability. A Nazgûl nearly captures Frodo, who falls nether the ring'southward ability, fortunately Sam saves him and reminds him that they are fighting for the good all the same left in Centre-earth. Impressed by Frodo's resolve, Faramir releases them. Gollum decides to betray Frodo and reclaim the Ring by leading the group to "Her" upon arriving at Cirith Ungol.

Cast [edit]

Like the other films in the series, The 2 Towers has an ensemble cast,[6] and the cast and their respective characters include:

  • Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins: A young hobbit sent on a quest to destroy the One Ring, the burden of which is becoming heavier.
  • Ian McKellen as Gandalf the White: An Istari wizard who fell fighting a Balrog and has now returned, more powerful than ever, to finish his task.
  • Viggo Mortensen equally Aragorn Elessar: The heir-in-exile to Gondor's throne who has come to Rohan's defence.
  • Sean Astin as Samwise Gamgee: Better known every bit Sam, Frodo's loyal hobbit gardener and companion.
  • Andy Serkis as Gollum (voice/motion capture): A wretched hobbit-like[vii] animate being originally known as Sméagol Trahald, who owned the Band for v centuries and at present guides Frodo on his quest.
  • Billy Boyd equally Peregrin Took: Better known as Pippin, a hobbit mistakenly captured past the Uruk-hai.
  • Dominic Monaghan every bit Meriadoc Brandybuck: Improve known as Merry, a distant cousin of Frodo'south who is mistakenly captured along with Pippin by the Uruk-hai.
  • John Rhys-Davies as Gimli: A dwarf warrior and one of Aragorn'due south companions.
    • Also voices Treebeard: The leader of the ents, who is roused to anger later on seeing that Saruman had decimated a big part of Fangorn Forest.
  • Orlando Bloom as Legolas Greenleaf: An elven archer and one of Aragorn's companions.
  • Bernard Hill as Théoden: The Male monarch of Rohan, who is nether Saruman's spell until Gandalf heals him and then he can lead his people once more than. Kevin Conway was offered the role only he declined.[eight]
  • Christopher Lee every bit Saruman the White: An Istari wizard waging war upon Rohan and devastating Fangorn Wood, who allied himself with Sauron in the previous flick.
  • Hugo Weaving equally Elrond: The Elven-Lord of Rivendell who expresses uncertainty over his girl'south dearest for Aragorn.
  • Miranda Otto as Éowyn: Théoden's niece, who is in dearest with Aragorn. Uma Thurman was offered the office just turned it down and later regretted information technology.[9] [10]
  • David Wenham every bit Faramir: A prince of the Stewards of Gondor and captain of the Ithilien Rangers, who captures Frodo, Sam and Gollum.
  • Brad Dourif every bit Gríma Wormtongue: An agent of Saruman at Edoras, who renders Théoden incapable of decisions, and desires Éowyn.
  • Karl Urban as Éomer: Théoden's nephew and previous Chief Marshal of the Riddermark who was exiled by Gríma.
  • Liv Tyler as Arwen Undómiel: An elven princess of Rivendell and Aragorn's true dearest.
  • Cate Blanchett as Galadriel: The Elven-Queen of Lothlórien, who discusses Middle-earth's future with Elrond.
  • Sean Bean every bit Boromir: Faramir'south older brother and a fallen fellow member of the Fellowship who appears in flashbacks since his decease, more prominently in the film's extended edition.
  • Craig Parker every bit Haldir: The leader of the Lórien Elves sent by Elrond and Galadriel to defend Helm'southward Deep.
  • John Leigh equally Háma: The loyal doorwarden of the Gold Hall and a majordomo of Théoden.
  • Bruce Hopkins as Gamling: Théoden'south primary lieutenant and a skilled member of the Royal Guard of Rohan.
  • John Bach as Madril: Faramir'south closest adjutant, who informs him of boxing preparations.
  • Nathaniel Lees as Ugluk: The leader of the ring of Uruk-hai who kidnapped Merry and Pippin.
The post-obit appear only in the Extended Edition
  • John Noble as Denethor: The Steward of Gondor and Boromir and Faramir's father.

In the Battle of Captain's Deep, Peter Jackson has a cameo appearance as ane of the men on meridian of the gate, throwing a spear at the attacking Uruk-hai. His children and Elijah Forest'south sister cameo as young refugees in the caves behind the Hornburg, and Alan Lee and Dan Hennah also cameo as soldiers preparing for the battle. The son of a producer's friend, Hamish Duncan, appears as a reluctant young Rohirrim warrior. Daniel Falconer has a cameo as an Elvish archer at the battle.[11]

Comparison to the source material [edit]

The screenwriters did non originally script The Two Towers every bit its own pic: instead, parts of information technology were the conclusion to The Fellowship of the Band, the start of two planned films nether Miramax.[12] Nonetheless, equally the ii films became a trilogy under New Line, Jackson, Walsh and Boyens shuffled their scripts. The Two Towers was the most difficult of the Rings films to make, having neither a clear kickoff nor end to focus the script.[13] Yet, they had a clear conclusion with making the Battle of Helm's Deep the climax, a determination affecting the whole story's moods and style.

The most notable departure between the volume and the flick is the structure. Tolkien'due south The 2 Towers is split into two parts; one follows the war in Rohan, while the other focuses on the journeying of Frodo and Sam. The moving picture omits the book's opening, Boromir's death, which was used every bit a linear climax at the terminate of The Fellowship of the Ring. Too, the moving picture climaxes with the Battle of Helm'due south Deep, while the book ends with the Fellowship going to Isengard and Frodo'southward confrontation with Shelob, scenes which were left for the moving-picture show adaptation of The Return of the Male monarch. This was done partly to fit more closely the timeline indicated by the book.

One notable change in plotting is that in the moving picture Théoden is possessed by Saruman, whereas in the volume he is only depressed and deluded by Wormtongue. Afterwards, in the film, Théoden is however unsure of what to practice, and flees to Captain's Deep. In the book he rides out to war, but ending upwards besieged when he considers helping Erkenbrand. Erkenbrand does not exist in the films: his graphic symbol is combined with Éomer as the Rohirrim general who arrives with Gandalf at the moving-picture show's terminate. Éomer himself is present during the entire battle in the volume.

On the style to Helm's Deep, the refugees from Edoras are attacked by Wargs. The scene is perchance inspired by ane in the volume cut from The Fellowship of the Ring where it is the Fellowship who battle them. Here, a new subplot is created where Aragorn falls over a cliff, and is causeless to be dead; Jackson added it to create tension.[14] This scene as well resonates with a new subplot regarding Arwen, where she decides to leave Centre-earth after losing hope in the long-term possibilities of her honey. In the book, Arwen's role is primarily recorded in the Appendices, and she is never depicted equally because such an act.

A larger change was originally planned: Arwen and Elrond would visit Galadriel, and Arwen would accompany an ground forces of Elves to Helm's Deep to fight aslope Aragorn. During shooting, the script changed, both from writers coming up with better ideas to portray the romance between Aragorn and Arwen, as well equally poor fan reaction.[thirteen] [15] The new scene of Arwen leaving for the West was created, and the conversation scene remains, edited to exist a flashback to a conversation between them in Rivendell, on the evening before the Fellowship'due south deviation.[xiii] A conversation between Elrond and Galadriel in Lothlórien was edited to exist a telepathic one.[16] Nonetheless, ane major change (already filmed) remained that could non exist reversed: the Elven warriors fighting at Captain'due south Deep, although Jackson and Boyens found this romantic and stirring and a reference to how, in the Appendices of The Return of the King, Galadriel and the Elves of Lothlórien, and Thranduil of Mirkwood were starting time attacked past an army out of Dol Guldur in Mirkwood, and then after counter-attacked and assaulted the fortress itself.[13]

Another alter is the fact Treebeard does non immediately decide to become to war. This adds to the tension, and Boyens describes it every bit making Merry and Pippin "more than baggage".[14] Here, the Hobbits bear witness Treebeard what Saruman has done to the forest, prompting his determination to deed. Some other structural change is that the Hobbits meet Gandalf the White early on, explaining why the Hobbits do not react to his return when they meet him again following Isengard's destruction. This was explained in the book by Gandalf arriving at Isengard in the center of the dark to talk to Treebeard.

The filmmakers' decision to leave Shelob for the third picture show meant that Faramir had to become an obstacle for Frodo and Sam.[xiii] In the book, Faramir (like Aragorn) quickly recognises the Ring every bit a danger and a temptation, and does non hesitate long before letting Frodo and Sam go. In the film, Faramir first decides that the Ring shall go to Gondor and his begetter Denethor, as a style to prove his worth. In the film, Faramir takes Frodo, Sam and the Ring to the Boxing of Osgiliath—they do non go there in the book. Jackson winks to readers with Sam's line, "By all rights we shouldn't even be here, but nosotros are."[ citation needed ] After seeing how strongly the Band affects Frodo during the Nazgûl attack, Faramir changes his heed and lets them become. These changes reshape the volume's contrast between Faramir and Boromir, who in The Fellowship of the Ring attempted to take the Ring for himself. On the other mitt, (which can be seen only in the film's extended version), information technology is actually their father who wants the Ring and urges Boromir to go it, while Faramir only wants to prove himself to his father. Boyens contends these plot changes were needed to keep the Ring menacing. Wenham commented on the DVD documentaries that he had not read the book prior to reading the script, so the film'due south version of Faramir was the Faramir he knew. When he later read the book and noticed the major difference, he approached the writers about it, and they explained to him that if he did say "I wouldn't pick that thing up even if it lay by the wayside", it would basically strip the 1 Band of all corruptive power.[13]

The pregnant of the title itself, 'The Ii Towers', was inverse. While Tolkien considered several possible sets of towers[17] he somewhen created a last comprehend illustration[18] and wrote a note included at the cease of The Fellowship of the Ring which identified them equally Minas Morgul and Orthanc.[nineteen] Jackson's picture names them as Orthanc and Barad-dûr, symbolic of an evil alliance out to destroy Men that forms the film's plot signal. The movie depicted Saruman openly presenting himself outright as Sauron's servant, whereas this association was non explicitly stated in the novel (and indeed analysis past Gandalf and Aragorn in the chapter "The White Rider" stated that there was a rivalry instead, as Saruman was afraid of the prospect of beingness at state of war with Sauron, if Rohan and Gondor fell).

Production [edit]

Production design [edit]

When Alan Lee joined the project in late 1997, Helm's Deep was the get-go construction he was tasked to design. At 1:35 scale, information technology was one of the starting time miniatures built for the pic, and was part of the 45-minute video that sold the project to New Line. It was primarily drawn from an illustration Lee had once done for the book, though the curved wall featured in the picture was proposed by fellow illustrator and designer John Howe. Used in the flick for wide shots, Jackson as well used this miniature to plan the battle, using 40,000 toy soldiers.[20]

Helm's Deep, a pivotal part of the picture'due south narrative, was built at Dry Creek Quarry with its gate, a ramp, and a wall, which included a removable section as well equally the tower on a second level. A i:4-scale miniature of Helm's Deep that ran 50 feet (fifteen one thousand) wide was used for forced perspective shots,[21] as well as the major explosion sequence.[20]

The film explores the armies of Middle-world. John Howe was the bones designer of the evil forces of Middle Earth, with the Uruk-hai being the first ground forces approved past Jackson. Howe too designed a special crossbow for the Uruk-Hai characters, which was pregnant considering it did not crave external tools to rearm. This blueprint was the realization of a 16th-century manuscript.[ citation needed ] As well created were 100 Elven suits of armour, for which emphasis was placed on Autumnal colours due to the theme of Elves leaving Center-world. Two hundred and 50 suits were likewise made for the Rohirrim. The designs for Rohan were based on Germanic and Anglo-Saxon patterns, with near of the weapons designed by John Howe and forged by Peter Lyon. Each sword took three to half-dozen days to make.[22]

The exterior of the Rohirrim's capital of Edoras, including its thatched roofs, took six months to build on Mountain Sunday. The interior of the buildings doubled as offices and tiffin halls. The interior of the Hall of Edoras was filmed at Stone Street Studios with tapestries designed by Lee, and Théoden's wooden throne was partly created by his girl.[21] Hill endured heavy make-up for the possession scene where his peel was pulled back and released for increased wrinkles. Dourif shaved off his eyebrows and put spud flakes as dandruff in his hair for unnerving consequence.

Through Frodo and Sam's story, the film also provides a look at Mordor and Gondor. Barad-dûr is fully seen in a tracking shot, a design which Howe called a mockery of Gothic Cathedrals. He and Lee created the Black Gate (though a typo in the script made the miniature into two[20]) and Osgiliath, a ruined city reflecting London during the Blitz or Berlin in 1945.[23] The set on a backlot was based around a bridge and reused some of Moria.[21]

Chief photography [edit]

The hill known as Mount Sunday, in Canterbury Region, provided the location for Edoras

The Two Towers shared main photography with The Fellowship of the Ring and The Render of the King. The trilogy was filmed between 11 October 1999 and 22 December 2000. The scenes which take place in Rohan were shot earlier in the production, during which fourth dimension Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davies' stunt double Brett Beattie sustained many injuries. Mortensen broke two toes when he kicked an Orc helmet while filming the scene in which he, Legolas, and Gimli detect the remains of the Uruk-hai and assertive Merry and Pippin to be dead (a shot which is included in the film). Furthermore, during filming Flower roughshod off his horse and croaky three ribs, and Beattie dislocated his human knee. These injuries led to the actors suffering 2 days of pain during the running sequence in the first act of the film, leading Jackson to jokingly refer to them as "The Walking Wounded."[23]

The filming of the Battle of Helm's Deep took approximately iii months, with nigh of the nighttime shots handled by John Mahaffie. Some injuries were sustained during the filming of the sequence, including Mortensen chipping his molar, and Bernard Colina's ear getting slashed.[23] The sequence besides features 500 extras, who insulted each other in Māori,[24] and improvised scenes such as the Uruk-hai stamping their spears before the first of the battle.[23] Nonetheless, there was alleged annoyance among the film'due south crew for the strength of the gates, which were claimed to be too reinforced during the Battering Ram scene.[21] Mortensen greatly respected the stunt team, and caput butted them often as a sign of that respect.[24]

Woods and Astin were joined by Serkis on 13 April 2000.[25]

Special effects [edit]

Equally with The Fellowship of the Ring, Jim Rygiel served as the visual furnishings supervisor for The Ii Towers, while newcomer Joe Letteri joined the visual effects squad to supervise Andy Serkis's move capture performance in the cosmos of the character Gollum. During the product of The 2 Towers Weta Digital doubled their staff[26] of 260.[27] In total, they would produce 73 minutes of digital effects with 799 shots.[26] The film would feature their beginning challenge in creating a boxing scene, also as creating two digital characters who needed to human action rather than be a set piece, unlike the previous film's Cave Troll and Balrog.[22]

Gollum

Weta began animating Gollum in late 1998 to convince New Line they could achieve the effect. Andy Serkis "played" Gollum past providing his voice and movements on set, equally well every bit performing inside the motion capture suit later on. His scenes were filmed twice, with and without him. Originally, Gollum was set to solely be a CGI graphic symbol, but Jackson was then impressed by Serkis' audience record that they used him on prepare as well.

Gollum'due south CGI model was also redesigned during 2001 when Serkis was cast as Sméagol, Gollum's former self, so as to give the impression Andy Serkis as Sméagol transforms into the CGI Gollum. The original model can still be glimpsed briefly in the kickoff motion-picture show. Over Christmas 2001, the crew proceeded to reanimate all the previous shots accordingly inside two months. Another problem was that the crew realized that the cast performed amend in the takes which physically included Serkis. In the stop, the CGI Gollum was rotoscoped and animated on top of these scenes.

Serkis' motion capture was mostly used to animate Gollum'due south trunk, except for some difficult shots such every bit him crawling upside downward. Gollum's face was animated manually, often using recordings of Serkis equally a guide. Gino Acevedo supervised realistic skin tones, which took four hours per frame to render.[28]

While the novel alludes to a division within his heed, the motion picture depicts him as having a divide personality. The two personas—the childlike Sméagol and the evil Gollum—are established during a scene in which they argue over remaining loyal to Frodo. The two personalities talk to each other, as established past contrasting photographic camera angles and by Serkis altering his phonation and physicality for each persona.

Treebeard

Treebeard took between 28 and 48 hours per frame to render.[26] For scenes where he interacts with Merry and Pippin, a 14-foot-tall puppet was built on a bicycle. Weta took urethane moulds of tree bark and applied them to the sculpt of Treebeard to create his wooden peel. Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd sabbatum on bicycle seats concealed into Treebeard'southward hands to avoid discomfort and were left lone on set sitting in the puppet's hands during breaks. The puppet was shot against bluescreen.[22]

Score [edit]

The musical score for The Ii Towers was equanimous, orchestrated, and conducted by Howard Shore, who also equanimous the music for the other two films in the series. While the scores for its predecessor and sequel won the University Honor for All-time Score, the soundtrack for The Ii Towers was not nominated. Initially there was confusion over the score'due south eligibility due to a new dominion applying to sequels, but the academy did declare it eligible.[29]

The score features The London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Voices, The London Oratory School Schola and several vocal and instrumental soloists, including soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian, and Irish fiddler and violinist Dermot Crehan, who also performed on the Hardanger fiddle, which is used in this film in conjunction with the various Rohan themes.

The funeral song Éowyn sings during her cousin Théodred'southward entombment in the extended edition is styled to exist a traditional vocal of the Rohirrim, and has lyrics in their language, Rohirric (represented by Erstwhile English). The vocal does not appear in the book, and the tune is a variation upon a theme of the rímur Icelandic folk tradition; it can exist heard as function of rail 7 in the 1999 recording of a musical version of the Edda by Sequentia.[30]

The soundtrack was recorded at Abbey Road Studios. The soundtrack has a picture of Peter Jackson (barefoot), the composer, and 2 producers crossing Abbey Road, referencing The Beatles' album of the same name.

Release [edit]

Domicile media [edit]

VHS and DVD

The Two Towers was released on VHS and DVD on 26 Baronial 2003 in the Us. The date was originally intended to be a simultaneous worldwide release, just due to a depository financial institution holiday weekend in the Uk, some British outlets began selling DVDs as much as four days before, much to the ire of the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland distributor, Entertainment in Video, which had threatened to withhold accelerate supplies of subsequent DVD releases.[31]

As with Fellowship, an extended edition of Two Towers was released on VHS and DVD on 18 November 2003 with 45 minutes of new material, added special furnishings and music, plus 11 minutes of fan-club credits. The runtime expanded to 235 minutes.[32] [33] The iv-disc DVD set included iv commentaries forth with hours of supplementary material.

In August 2006, a limited edition was released on DVD, and included both theatrical and extended editions on a double-sided disc along with all-new bonus material.

Blu-ray

The theatrical Blu-ray version of The Lord of the Rings was released in the The states in April 2010.[34] The individual disc of Two Towers was released in September 2010 with the aforementioned special features as the consummate trilogy release, minus digital copy.[35]

The extended Blu-ray editions were released in the US and Canada in June 2011.[36]

Two Towers was released in Ultra HD Blu-ray on 30 November 2020 in the Great britain and on 1 December 2020 in the United States, along with the other installments, including both theatrical and extended cuts.[37]

Reception [edit]

Box office [edit]

The 2 Towers opened in theaters on eighteen Dec 2002. During its opening 24-hour interval, the film grossed $26 million, making information technology the second-highest opening Wednesday, behind Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.[38] It earned $62,007,528 in its opening weekend in the US and Canada, becoming the 5th-highest opening weekend of that yr, behind Austin Powers in Goldmember, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Spider-Man.[39] The film then fabricated $101.five million during its v-day Wed opening.[40]

Outside the U.s.a. and Canada, The Ii Towers made $99.4 million from 25 territories during its opening weekend, which made it the highest international opening weekend.[41] [42] The combined total opening weekend gross increased to $189.9 million, making it the highest worldwide opening weekend of all time. The motion-picture show would hold both records until 2003 when they were given to The Matrix Reloaded and its successor The Matrix Revolutions respectively.[43] [44] The 2 Towers fix opening day records in Frg, Republic of austria, Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Sweden and Norway, besides as a unmarried-day record in Denmark. It and then made opening weekend records in the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Mexico, Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, Germany and South korea.[45]

The film went on to gross $339,789,881 in North America and $596,899,854 internationally for a worldwide total of $936,689,735 against a budget of $94 million.[3] The 2 Towers was the highest-grossing film of 2002 worldwide.[46] Box Function Mojo estimates over 57 million sold tickets in the US in its initial theatrical run.[47]

Through re-releases in 2003, 2011, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021, the film has grossed an additional $2,761,484 in the United states and Canada, and $8,043,876 overseas for a combined total of $10,805,360. This brings overall earnings to $342,551,365 domestic and $604,943,730 international for a worldwide total of $947,495,095.[48]

Disquisitional response [edit]

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, The Ii Towers holds an approval rating of 95% based on 255 reviews, with an average rating of 8.50/ten. The website'southward critics consensus reads, "The Ii Towers balances spectacular action with emotional storytelling, leaving audiences both wholly satisfied and eager for the final chapter."[49] Metacritic, which uses a weighted boilerplate, has assigned the film a score of 87 out of 100 based on 39 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[l] Audiences polled past CinemaScore gave the film an boilerplate grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, a course upward from the "A-" earned by the previous film.[51]

Similar its predecessor, The Two Towers was released to universal disquisitional acclaim. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the moving-picture show three stars out of iv, describing information technology as "one of the most spectacular swashbucklers always fabricated", and stating "It is not faithful to the spirit of Tolkien and misplaces much of the charm and whimsy of the books, but it stands on its own as a visionary thriller".[52] Nev Pierce for the BBC gave the movie four stars out of v, and wrote that while it lacked "the first film'due south wow-factor", it surpassed The Fellowship of the Ring "in terms of wit, activeness and narrative bulldoze". Pierce described Gollum as "the offset conceivable CG character" and the Boxing of Captain'southward Deep equally "one of the finest, most expansive combat sequences ever filmed".[53] Writing for The Observer, Philip French described The Two Towers equally a "stunning visual epic". French commended the boxing scenes and the visual style of the picture show, relating it to the paintings of "Caspar David Friedrich, the Pre-Raphaelites, Art Nouveau illustrations for children'due south books, and the apocalyptic biblical landscapes ... of the Victorian visionary John Martin". He concluded the review looking forrard to the release of the final chapter, writing "This is likely to exist happier, more decisive and infinitely more satisfying than anything that will happen to our world in the next 12 months."[54] Joe Morgenstern for The Wall Street Periodical lauded the narrative construction of The Two Towers: "Elaborate preparations are required for the payoff in this installment -- the massing of troops plus much individual struggle as splintered groups of the Fellowship make their separate means toward the defining battle of Helm's Deep ... Still these preparations count as payoffs too ... Seldom has a popular entertainment set up its stage and then advisedly or evocatively, with such lavish respect for its audience." Morgenstern also highlighted the digital effects and the battle scenes, and said of the series "The Lord of the Rings continues to stake its singular merits on picture show history; it's a gift of epic proportions."[55] In his review for the Evening Standard, Alexander Walker wrote that the Battle of Helm'due south Deep was "probably the greatest battlepiece composed for the screen since Eisenstein'due south Ivan the Terrible", and that with The Two Towers the trilogy had accomplished "a purple proportion, chivalric and quixotic, earthly and magical, an feel that reaches beyond the dimensions of the cinema screen and somehow reflects the global unease of the globe in the first years of the 21st century".[56]

In his review for Newsweek, David Ansen commended Jackson's management of the battle scenes, writing "Few people tin phase a battle -- and the eyepopping siege of Helms Deep is one of the most spectacular you lot'll always meet -- with such sweep and clarity that the carnage doesn't seem an oppressive end in itself". Ansen also praised the complexity of the character of Gollum, commenting "While everyone else in Tolkien's myth falls neatly into the camps of Good and Evil, the self-lacerating Gollum is at state of war with himself. In an epic drenched in medievalism, he's the dangerously ambiguous vox of the modern."[57] Caroline Westbrook, for Empire, gave the moving-picture show five stars out of five, and wrote "It may lack the starting time-view-thrill and natural dramatic shape of Fellowship, but this is both funnier and darker than the showtime moving-picture show, and certainly more than activeness-packed. An essential component of what is now destined to be among the best motion-picture show franchises of all fourth dimension." Westbrook lauded Jackson's ability to atmosphere the spectacular scenes "with some heartstring-tugging moments - peasants despondent as they are forced to carelessness their villages, Aragorn and Arwen'southward troubled relationship, and, of course, the render of Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen, superb equally ever), one of the film's most powerful, memorable images that may well leave Band devotees a fiddling misty-eyed."[58] A less enthusiastic review was written in The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw, who had already written a mixed review of The Fellowship of the Ring.[59] Bradshaw gave The 2 Towers three stars out of five, affectionate it as "a very watchable, distinctive, if over-extended FX spectacle". However, he commented that the film could not be taken as "a serious evocation of good and evil", and dismissed the subject as "lots and lots of interminable nerdish nonsense".[60]

The Battle of Helm'due south Deep has been named by CNN as 1 of the greatest screen battles of all fourth dimension,[61] while Gollum was named as the third favourite computer-generated film graphic symbol by Entertainment Weekly in 2007.[62]

Accolades [edit]

  • Academy Awards[63]
    • Winner: Best Visual Effects (Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook and Alex Funke) and Best Audio Editing (Ethan Van der Ryn and Michael Hopkins).
    • Nominee: Best Picture (Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair and Peter Jackson, producers), Best Fine art Direction (Fine art Direction: Grant Major; Set Decoration: Dan Hennah and Alan Lee), Best Moving picture Editing (Michael J. Horton) and Best Sound (Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges and Hammond Peek).
  • British University Motion-picture show Awards: Best Costume Design, Best Special Visual Effects, Orange Film of the Twelvemonth (voted on by the public)
  • Empire Awards: Best Pic
  • Grammy Awards: Best Score (Howard Shore)
  • Hugo Awards (Earth Scientific discipline Fiction Club): Best Dramatic Presentation — Long Form
  • 2003 MTV Picture show Awards: All-time virtual performance (Gollum)
  • Saturn Awards: Best Fantasy Film, Best Costume (Ngila Dickson), Best Supporting Thespian (Andy Serkis)

American Film Establish Recognition [edit]

  • AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:
    • "My precious." – #85

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External links [edit]

fraireprons1970.blogspot.com

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings:_The_Two_Towers