"Be kind to the Polar Bear, When in the wild, leave him there." First line of "Ursus ...
"Be kind to the Polar Bear, When in the wild, leave him there." First line of "Ursus Maritimus" written by myself, see my poetry opinion if you want to read the whole thing.
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LORD OF THE RINGS; THE TWO TOWERS.
On the 18th. of December I made a thirty mile or so journey to see the Two Towers. The second part of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. The venue was the cinema at the Wyeside Arts Centre in Builth Wells. It was a three hour epic and carried a 12A certificate which means children under 12 have to be accompanied by an adult. I paid in advance for the tickets, all seats were sold out at about £5 each. There were quite a few children present and the action in the film kept their attention throughout, as with all the audience who seemed impressed by the film. This film was directed by Peter Jackson, a New Zealander, I am told there was considerable directing input by two others, Fran and Philippa someone or other, though the massive publicity involved handled mainly by Peter Jackson. I've read the book by Tolkien more than once before. My companion had read it again recently and remarked that this section of the story had been changed considerably to make the film. For my part I couldn't remember that much detail and thought the story was told much as it was in the book. I would add that it was a very fine adaptation that has been awaited a long time by those who read Tolkien's work. I was in Spain in 1969, just before the moon landing and my 21st. birthday when I saw a book on the beach where someone had left it. The pages turned over in the light warm breeze as though for an invisible reader. I investigated and couldn't find anyone. The book was Lord of the Rings
and it was from that time I read and re-read it. I went to see the first film, the semi-cartoon effort, and was impressed, but the work as a whole was never finished. The first film of this trilogy, "The Fellowship Of The Ring", I thought set very high standards, including scenic effects and special effects of monumental stature. I found I was not disappointed in this second film and eagerly await the third. The action started from where Gandalf the Wizard (Ian McKellan) had plunged, apparently to his destruction, down an abyss with a Balrog, an extremely evil and dangerous being fighting for the forces of evil pursuing the ring bearer (Frodo the Hobbit played by Elijah Wood)) and his companions. The fantasy world created by Tolkien involves hobbits, dwarves, elves, wizards, humans, orcs and various other creatures. This story tells how a powerful, evil magic ring of power is taken by a relatively unknown creature, a hobbit, to be cast into the fires of the most evil place, Mount Doom. This would neutralise the forces of evil abroad who are calling for the ring to augment their power. The evil wants to destroy all good and all humans to boot. The ring can grant invisibility but every time its power is used the bearer becomes more tainted by it. A previous user of the ring, Gollum, has become a slithering vicious being pathetically seeking to reclaim his "precious." The group had fought through the Dwarvish Mines of Moriah, against goblins and orcs. Legolas (Orlando Bloom) is an elf whose archery skills are supernaturally accurate and swift, Gimli is a dwarf who wields an axe and Aragorn is a mortal taught by elves. The film starts from the point where the three separate groups of the select few with a mission to save the world, (Middle Earth),meet adventures. There is much fighting in the film, battle scenes depict most enormous armies being marshalled by Saruman(Christopher Lee) with the forces of evil, ultimately being controlled by Sauron, another evil wizard. Most of the fighting is about the defence of Helmsdeep where the Horse people of Rohan make their last stand. Several episodes run concurrently, jumping here and there to different parts of the action. We see Frodo and Sam on their journey who detect they are being followed by Gollum. Gollum the river Hobbit, once called Smeagol, corrupted by the ring and a loathesome slave to it, forever trying to get it back. He is discovered and Frodo asks him to lead them to Mount Doom where it is intended to dispose of the ring forever to undo it's evil. Gollum's character is computer generated but the effect is very subtle. A real actor (Andrew Scrkis) initially works through all the physical positions and the computer generation uses all that information to create the imagery. The other two Hobbits (Merry played by Dominic Monahan) and Pippin (played by Billy Boyd) are seen in thecapture of Orcs, then escaping to a wood (Fanghorn Forest) where they meet Treebeard, (Voiced over by the same person playing Gimli, John Rees-Davies) (computer generated) an Ent, or herder of trees. Gandalf's rebirth as "Gandalf the White" is discovered. The elf, dwarf and man meet Riders of Rohan. We see the settlement of Edoras where the leader of Rohan ( King Theoden, played by Bernard Hill) has fallen under the spell of evil. His advisor, Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif), controls him and is destroying him for Sauron and Saruman. Gandalf breaks the spell. All of Rohan leave for Helmsdeep where they intend to make a stand against the evil. So the scene is set for a fight against an enormous enemy bred for the conflict. (Orukuy) Meanwhile Frodo and Sam have been captured by another tribe of humans, the brother of Boromir, Faramir(David Wenham) leader of the men of Gondor. Frodo shows signs of having been got at by the power of the ring but struggles on with Sam (Sean Astin) his faithful companion. Gollum's behaviour manifests as a schizophrenic struggle which draws laughs from the audience and also some pity. Scenically the background of New Zealand, where most of the film is taken, is stunning and no wonder tourism has risen there as a result, by all accounts. The town of Edoras in Rohan was built as a film set in its entirety in the wilderness and is a masterpiece of authenticity. Treebeard ,who I always imagined as being absolutely enormous and not so spindly least impressed me. Still, the trees rising up in battle against the evil was superb special effects. The romantic theme again focuses on Aragorn.(Vigo Mortensen) This time the Rohan chief's niece (Aowen played by Miranda Otto) fancies him while he gets flashbacks to his relationship with the Elvish lady Arwen (Liv Tylor). We also see Elrond, Arwen's father, (Hugo Weaving) admonishing his daughter for desiring a mortal, and Galadriel (Cate Blanchet) telling some of the story in extremely sophisticated elf fashion.
A good story, magical creatures, breathtaking locations, panoramic battle scenes, incredible special effects; for me this film has got everything. For the purists who know the book so well and carried the tradition for many years there may be some failings. Who can make a film without adapting the book a bit? Who needs Tom Bombadil anyway? It takes three hours and every second is full of interest. Suitable for everyone. I've already seen it again and found it worth seeing twice. I can happily go again.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Action/Adventure - Director: Peter Jackson - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Andy Serkis
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
The Fellowship has broken, but the quest to destroy the One Ring continues. Frodo and Sam ... more
must entrust their lives to Gollum if they are to find their way to Mordor. As Saruman's army approaches, the surviving members of The Fellowship along with peopl...
The Two Towers continues to follow the fortunes of the members of the now divided ... more
fellowship with Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John-Rhys Davies) helping to restore some order to the land of King Theodon (Bernard Hill) ...
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Dec 31st, 2002
(Feb 1st, 2003)
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