Aunt Dora Baggins from the TORn discussion boards recently bought the Two Towers Photo Guide.
For anyone who doesn’t mind MAJOR SPOILERS, this seems to be the book: it includes practically a scene-by-scene overview of the whole film.
One does note, though, that it doesn’t conclusively list either the ending or the beginning … at least, I’ve received no mention of plunges or anything like that.
There’s are more than 100 photographs included – all of them straight from TTT, and nearly half of them new!
I’d also like to thank everyone who has been sending in information about the Photo Guide and Visual Companion, your e-mails are read and appreciated.
It feels like we’ve received a billion e-mails over the last few days about the Visual Companion, the Photo Guide, The Making Of The Movie Trilogy. You may have read my previous post about some of the spoilers in the Visual Companion here. You also may have read some of the equally interesting Topps Cards spoilers that Xoanon posted here.
Dora writes: Last night I bought the Two Towers Photo Guide and also the Visual Companion at Barnes and Noble. The Photo Guide is subtitled “The Illustrated Story from the Epic New Line Cinema Film”.
It begins with Frodo having nightmares about what has happened to him in FOTR; this must be the way they fill in the background.
Then we see Pippin and Merry in the hands of the orcs. Then Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas find the leaf brooch, and meet Eomer.
The Uruks are attacked by the Riders, and Merry and Pippin escape, chased by Grishnakh and rescued by Treebeard. Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas meet Gandalf in Fangorn. Gandalf summons Shadowfax.
Frodo, Sam and Gollum are in the Dead Marshes. Flashback to Smeagol killing Deagol. Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas enter Edoras.
Wormtongue ‘comforts’ Eowyn for the death of Theodred. Gandalf frees Theoden, who literally throws Wormtongue out. Saruman sends the Dunlendings and Wild Men to burn the villages of Rohan.
Theoden decides to evacuate his city to Helms Deep. Aragorn turns Theodred’s horse free. (The horse is named Brego and is battle-shocked.)
Gollum leads Frodo and Sam to the Black Gate. They see an army of Easterlings marching out. Grima returns to Saruman and tells him Theoden will send refugees to Helms Deep. Saruman sends his orcs to attack.
Elrond calls a council of elves in Lothlorien. He tries to convince the elves to take part in the fight. He confronts Arwen about her decision to stay in Middle Earth with Aragorn.
The refugees are attacked by warg-riders. Frodo and Sam are captured by Faramir, who vows to take the Ring to Minas Tirith and complete Boromir’s quest. Merry and Pippin go to Entmoot. The refugees arrive at Helms Deep.
Theoden tells Eowyn that Aragorn fell to the warg riders. Aragorn is badly wounded but alive. He struggles to his feet and finds the horse Brego has come to rescue him. He rides to Helms Deep and tells Theoden that thousands of Uruk Hai are coming. There are only three hundred defenders. Legolas feels betrayed by his people.
Faramir takes Frodo and Sam and Gollum to Osgiliath. Sam convinces him not to take the Ring, and to let them go. Faramir leads them to the old sewers where they can elude the orcs. From his tower, Saruman watches the Ents destroy Isengard’s defenses.
After the battle at Helms Deep (which the picture book kind of skips), Gandalf says, “The Battle of Helms Deep is over. The Battle for Middle Earth is about to begin. All our hopes now lie with two little hobbits, somewhere in the wilderness.
The Visual Companion has more about Helms Deep. In a blinding lightning storm, 10,000 Uruk Hai arrive at Deeping Wall. The defenders watch from the wall. Eowyn and the refugees retreat into the caves. Explosives blast a hole in the wall, and Aragorn is thrown off the wall.
The Uruk Hai assault the gates with a battering ram. Kind Theoden leads a heroic charge out the gates. Eomer arrives with 2000 cavalry. The orcs are trapped and flee to the entrance, which they find blocked by Ents and Huorns. (No mention of Arwen. Whew!)