[LoTR] You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet! and Jackson & Woods on Return of the King (two articles)

The One Ring.Net ^ | 12/1/02 | Demosthenes

[HairOfTheDog]

I don't think that is what he means at all about the end... I am picturing a dramatic end like the end of FoTR.... Skypilot's description above, or something.

I thought Sam's speech was a little more exposition than was needed... I know already why we fight, but I tend to be forgiving about that. Sam's actual pep-talk speech in the book is full of references to first and second age elven heros, pretty abstract references to names and such... but no less high-brow.

[BradyLS]

TORN had screen captures of McKellan's "one man play from SNL. The range of expressions while also convenying gender and age were nothing short of amazing.

[amicus]

Gollum has nipples. They are noticeable in several scenes during the movie -- maybe in the Dead Marshes. Don't ask why I noticed them, because I don't know. But I did. And they're there.

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Gollum has nipples.

I am relieved to learn that! They were not obvious in the pictures HairOfTheDog posted back in #6, and I haven't been back to see the movie since my first viewing. I'm going again tomorrow though, so I will watch for them!

Thanks for the confirmation! :)

[Capriole]

I keep wondering how much they paid Carville to portray Gollum so skilfully. Perfect casting for the nassty little ssssneak, yessss.

[Capriole]

Speaking of horses, I notice that the vast majority of horses used in these movies are either Lusos or PREs (they're hard to tell apart, blasphemy though it is for me to say so). There aren't huge numbers of these baroque horses in New Zealand so I wonder if they were shipped in from Portugal or Spain. Does anyone know where they came from and who trained them? They were very good quality for the most part.

[HairOfTheDog]

Shadowfax is an Andalusian... I agree, they used good horses, and there was some good training shown.

The official site had the name of the trainer at one time. The farm may have a site... too busy to look now!

http://www.lordoftherings.net

[Capriole]

Shadowfax is an Andalusian

You're right, at least one of the horses who portrays Shadowfax is either Lusitano or PRE (that's the official term for an Andy, and it's short for the Spanish term "pura raza espanol," or pure Spanish breed). He's a cutie-pie, too--his facial expression is very cooperative.

[HairOfTheDog]

I was just so pleased when I learned they were going to go to the trouble of training him to ride at liberty.

The stallion that they used is named Demero... His days are numbered now, he has Melanoma.

You might be interested in this... It talks about the training of the horses quite a bit.

American Humane Association Movie Review - Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

You may notice that the film did not receive AHA endorsement (the "No animals were harmed" endorsement) they could run in the credits. I was interested to know why because I do care about humane treatment of service animals.

Although they grumble about a few things, the reason they didn't endorse it is mostly political. As a film being made in New Zealand, the AHA wasn't invited on set. They want to supervise all films, not just American ones. The NZ Humane Association WAS on set though. It is a power play.

[cheeky]

Damn straight it was a power play. I know the people who trained the horses and there is no way they'd be involved in any abuse of the animals.

Yes Demero was an Andalusian stallion. He was about 16hh, light grey, and about 16 years old. Unfortunately I use the past tense as he passed away in July this year due to a melanoma (cancer) on his stomach. Despite an operation, the cancer eventually overtook him. He was a lovely horse, and will always be immortalised in film. "Return of the King" will be the swansong for this beautiful horse. (Hopefully, his legacy will continue, as a 13hh Welsh x English Riding Pony mare is suspected to be in foal to him. Demero's owner Mark Kinaston-Smith is hoping for a 14.2hh pony with "really stunning movement". Fingers crossed!)