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!)
Here are some amazing photos from Ringer Spy Bellerophon of tomorrow’s Sunday Times Magazine special edition on The Two Towers. An advertising flier for the magazine that was being handed out in Leicester Square today can be found here: [More]
Update:
This snippet from Ringer Spy Taniwha:
Regarding the photo from the Sunday Times with crew … it looks like Osgiliath to me; the ‘wet set’ on Peterkin St in Taita, as previously seen in the Evening Post photos. You can see these here and here. I was there the day the EP shot those, and read the shoot pages for the day…
And more commentary on that image from Ringer Spy Telcontar:
Firstly, the soldier far left is in Gondorian armour — it looks Elvish, but the shoulder “scales” are seen on earlier Gondor regalia (and notice the Tree on his breastplate). Secondly, the man labeled “Viggo stand-in” is not a stand-in, he’s an Ithilien Ranger (notice similar outfit on Faramir pics). Lastly, and most importantly, the orcs are NOT Isengard orcs — they are Mordor orcs (totally different facial features, clothing, etc). To be fair, we didn’t claim that they were Isengard orcs or Uruks 😉 – Ara
So it may be Osgiliath (since we have no idea what scenes PJ has written there) or Minas Tirith during the siege — although I would doubt that considering the “ruined” look of the architecture. So a battle scene in Osgiliath between orcs, rangers, and soldiers from Minas Tirith? Sounds good to me.
Okay, we’re a little late this week, but better than never, eh?
This weekend we resume our chats with a critical chapter of the The Two Towers …
Book Four: Chapter VIII: The Stairs of Cirith Ungol
The action presents the turning point in the quest to destroy the ring, most notably with Gollum, but also with Frodo affirming his determination to continue irrespective of his chances, and events elsewhere.
Courage is found in many places, and Frodo somehow seems to discover his at Minas Morgul.
Join us this weekend for one or even both of our scheduled chats! Remember, the Hall of Fire is not only for Tolkien scholars but for novices too, and it’s one of the few chances available to talk Tolkien with your fellow fans.
Upcoming Discussions: Nov 16-17 Everything about Palantiri. Nov 23-24 TTT Bk 4 Ch9: Shelob’s Lair
Place: #thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman’s and then type /join #thehalloffire .
Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET]
Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET]
ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
Nerwen writes: F-S film has a very detailed review of the LOTR:FOTR special extended edition at their site and they also have lots of pictures. The review won’t be much of help to anyone who can’t read Finnsih, but I believe people would love to see these pictures.
Since the whole site is in Finnish only, here are the links to the galleries (the pictures are thumbnailed so there are larger versions available):
I woke that morning (Nov 6) to a wet, windy, and very cold grey morning (to my southern American bones), rising two hours early to take a required college walking tour of St Albans. I fell asleep to the strains of the LoTR soundtrack, with Brian Sibley’s new book – signed to myself – beside my bed, after devouring the contents.
And a lovely book it is, with a beautiful sequence of in-depth looks at all areas of the creation and creativity that went into making LoTR into the exquisite film it is. I HIGHLY recommend buying it.
After I escaped St Albans around 2 (no offence to anyone living there, but it was wretched) I beelined directly to Waterstones on Piccadilly street, where my aching and freezing body was welcomed in by two sensations – heat, and Howard Shore’s music. I couldn’t say which I appreciated more.
Since the highlights of the event are detailed in several places already, I simply want to add my own impressions to the mix. I missed the afternoon session with the children, dismayed to learn that I had just missed Andy Serkis. However, I did get to listen in the background during the TOR.n ‘exclusive’ private interview, which was quite enlightening!
The footage of the computer games was astonishing – well done to the artists who created that!
The figurines for the tabletop games were beautifully carved and hand-detailed, and questioning revealed that the figures had to be approved by the actors they portrayed (!) before they went into production. That is true and admirable dedication.
The books were well done – There were two childrens’ books, the first on Creatures, which had small captions on the more exotic races and animals – including a tantalizing snippet on wargs, another on the mumakil (no photos, unfortunately) and more information on the birthing of Orcs.
The other Photo Guide was a largely photo-driven and sequential treatment of the film, which offered yet more hints – the expansion of the battle of Helms’ Deep looks to be a very character-building time for Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. The stills and quotes also hinted broadly at the harsh banishment of Wormtongue, and Eowyn’s and Arwen’s expanded parts in the film.
The two focus books were also very nice – I am broke, so Sibley’s won out for sheer volume of information. It is beautifully written and illustrated by lovely stills, backstage shots, and drawings wherever (and I do mean wherever) appropriate.
The queue for the 6:30 discussion by the authors was amazing. I arrived at 5:30, and there were already six people in line. Lucky seventh! The queue got longer and longer, and discussions raged about everything Tolkien, but mostly the films – and then – DISASTER!!
The fire alarm blared, shattering nerves and ears alike, but the brave (and rather devoted) fans stayed perched in our stairwell until every hope was gone. Then all of us, speakers, techies, and fans alike, swept into the fire escape to face 6 flights of stairs down. I was behind the speakers and one gentleman that I half recognized. His face nagged at my brain, fighting the alarm-numbness.
I am ashamed to admit that I was on the second floor before my poor brain found the light – I was behind Andy Serkis. He was joking and laughing about events during filming – completely relaxed and at ease, despite the hassle.
So, I screwed my courage to the sticking place, and asked him several questions (we were on the ground by this time, and the alarm had shut off – you see how long it took me!) which he answered.
He was extremely polite and friendly, and seemed genuinely interested in my questions. He revealed how difficult the Gollum-movements were, but commented that he didn’t have any trouble with them. Later, while waiting for the elevators, I asked him what he did now (just finished as Iago in Othello onstage) and whether he found it strange working both stage and screen. He didn’t, and commented extensively on how the two complement each other – the rehearsals needed for stage acting helped with the analysis of Tolkien’s characters, and the acting styles changed from stage to screen as well. He confirmed that most of the cast did act in both, and said that Jackson did that on purpose. He praised Jackson’s choice and was very complimentary of his fellow castmembers.
Later, during his ‘speech,’ he revealed how much he had put into his portrayal of Gollum. He had a deep understanding of the character, and his motives and emotional state, even the onset of schizophrenia. Besides all that, we were treated to a full-body recap of Gollum, as Andy showed that the amazing voice was impossible to recreate without having the posture and movements as well. The most intriguing moment was the short dialogue between Smeagol and Gollum, with changing voice and posture – we are all in for a treat in The Two Towers.
Very glad to be in London, Kat the ‘American lady in the robe and dress’ 🙂
We’ve been keeping you up to date with news about Diamond_T’s new cookbook “Regional Cooking from Middle-earth: Recipes of the Third Age”.
The cookbook (which is pictured directly below) is now available for pre-order from the locations she has listed at the end of her letter:
Hello Dear Cousins, Thank you again for your interest in my cookbook. Beginning on November 11th (just in time for those parties and cooking to watch that extended DVD for 9 1/2 hours)… the cookbook will be available! You can walk in or order from the following locations… (the first location will ship anywhere in the world, even if you use checks!) Call and RESERVE YOUR COPY IN ADVANCE!!! I would be very sad if some of you ordered and it was sold out. Make sure that you tell them when you will be in to pick up, or if you want it shipped, be sure to include all of your pertinent information. IF there is a back order, it will only be about 48 hours, and then shipped the same day it is received. It’s $25 US. PA sales tax is 6%. Shipping will vary, but they will go out priority mail unless otherwise specified. We have an excellent order center! Thanks again for your interest, and I hope you love the cookbook as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Many blessings to you and yours this holiday season. All the best, Emerald/Diamond_T
Mandala Books (the one that will ship anywhere) 211 South Craig Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-682-2703
Phantom of the Attic 214 South Craig St. Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412-682-6290 potalert@yahoo.com
Duppstadt’s Country Store (Somerset County, PA) Route 30 East Buckstown, PA 15563 814-754-4400
Pete’s Bookstore (beginning Nov. 12) 212 W. Main St. Somerset, PA 15501 814-443-0931
