The famous trilogy, based on Tolkien's book, is the largest and most iconic project in the history of world cinema. Millions of fans who watch their favorite movies dozens of times share their impressions and create fan clubs. And one of the most interesting questions for every fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy is "Where was the movie filmed?" Selection of territories for film sets- an amazing story, accompanied by many problems and joyful events.
Difficulties encountered before filming
Peter Jackson, a resident of New Zealand, was first introduced to the fictional world while watching a cartoon based on a book. Then he was only 17, but it was this moment that gave him confidence that he would become a director and would definitely make a film based on Tolkien's work.
And Jackson became a director. At first he made films only in home country. But The Lord of the Rings was 95% financed by the United States, which created difficulties. Perhaps the investors did not know what the director was capable of, or perhaps they did not believe in success, but only $ 70 million was allocated. And when the producer came to New Zealand with a check, then upon his return he said that at least twice as many investments would be required.
At that time, the book was divided into two films. Peter has already prepared a script for each of them. But the sponsors decided that only one film needed to be made, cut out a lot of scenes, removed some characters. Jackson refused to film on such terms. However, Peter did not plan to retreat, he rewrote the script for 2 whole years, invested a lot of effort and money.
New producer and film company
Jackson was looking for new partners for almost a month, he came to film companies and showed scripts, as well as several already filmed videos, getting rejected again and again. But one day he was lucky, he met Mark Ordeschi, and he agreed to become a producer. It is not entirely clear to whom then luck smiled more, the director or the film company.
Mark offered to shoot not 2, but 3 films, otherwise all of Peter's ideas simply won't fit. In addition, Tolkien himself divided his book into three parts. Jackson set about rewriting the script, and a few months later it was ready. The filming of the group began 4 years after Peter began to implement his long-standing idea for the film adaptation of the book "The Lord of the Rings".
Where the film was filmed: panoramic beauty and the green Shire
It is possible to answer exactly where The Lord of the Rings was filmed only superficially - in New Zealand. In fact, there were an infinite number, and it is impossible to say which part of the landscape made the most of the film.
The most attractive is the Shire - a quiet place in the Waikato region. Despite the fact that the shooting ended in 2000, today this place has not lost its popularity at all. Here everything has been preserved the same as it was during the work on the film, all the scenery was left for tourists. You can see a huge tree under which Uncle Bilbo turned 111 years old, and the Baggins' house.
Queenstown - resort town, which is distinguished by its ideal beauty. This was noticed by Jackson and he filmed many panoramic scenes here. In the film, this area is Lorien, a magnificent elven forest. By the way, here Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) was injured. Resting from work, he decided to go surfing. As a result of hitting the water, his face was very swollen, even the make-up artists could not hide it. But the shooting did not stop, Peter decided to shoot Viggo only on one side, less swollen.
Functional Waiau River and Geographic Center of New Zealand
Not far from the town of Queenstown lies a colorful plain. The battle between the orcs and the soldiers of Rohan was filmed here. The plain belongs to the national park. She meets twice - during the second scene here Gandalf rides a horse in Minas Tirith.
The River Anduin that appears in every part of the trilogy is the Waiau. This is where the ring lay until Gollum discovered it. This river was the boundary between light and darkness, of course, until Sauron was destroyed. Crossing the Waiau, Arwen saves Frodo from the Nazgûl. And also a raft with the body of Boromir is launched along the river. In a word, this place is full of nostalgic memories, which is why it is so loved by tourists.
The town of Nelson also has a location where The Lord of the Rings was filmed. This is the geographical center of New Zealand, which has a magical charm. It is likely that this is why Peter cast the ring of omnipotence here in his film. A helicopter tour takes place in this city, which shows tourists the hard-to-reach sights of the Lord of the Rings painting.
Where the film was filmed: the lifeless plains of the outskirts of Mordor and other gloomy places
Watching a movie, it's hard to imagine that all the variety of natural landscapes, from the green Shire to the terrifying gates to Sauron's lair, are located in New Zealand alone. This is true, and most of the dark scenes were filmed in Tongariro Park.
Filming of The Lord of the Rings took place near the Orodruin volcano. Here Isildur first destroyed Sauron, but could not cope with the curse of the ring and put it on his finger. Here is the Fire Mountain - the final place of Frodo's nightmare. Gollum, along with the ring, plunges into the lava, destroying the border between darkness and light.
Another rather gloomy place in the filming is Lake Te Anau. This is the Dead Marshes, where Frodo falls under the power of the dead. Perhaps Te Anau is the only place, where there were no computer graphics, since it actually completely copies the description from the book.
Cast members
With some guest actors, Jackson had difficulties, but luck was always on his side. For example, the performers of the roles of Frodo and Sam are Americans, but the director wanted to see only British in the hobbits. Therefore, two other short little men had to bring them closer to him for several months. English culture, correct accents.
The role of the elf Arwen was originally written for but before filming she became pregnant. Liv Tyler did a great job with the character. Perhaps even better than Thurman would have done.
The actor who was supposed to play Aragorn was too young. The future king is wiser and older. Then, right during the filming, Peter invited Viggo Mortensen, with whom he had never worked before. At first he was refused, but the situation was corrected by the son of the future Aragorn, who literally idolized the book "The Lord of the Rings". Where the film was filmed, what kind of work was ahead, what the fee would be - all this went by the wayside for Wiggy. He immediately boarded a plane and set off on his journey.
Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davies were born for their roles. They not only perfectly got used to the images, but also played in such a way that it is impossible to imagine someone else in their places.
Associated with wizards Interesting Facts. who got the role of Saruman, would like to take the bright side. Moreover, he was blessed for her by Tolkien himself, with that Christopher was personally acquainted. As soon as he found out about the filming, he immediately rushed in, because he was perfectly versed in the work of the writer. Now it no longer mattered to him which wizard he got. Unlike Lee, Ian McKellen (Gandalf) had never read Tolkien and had no idea what he was about to play.
And, of course, Andy Serkis is the real star of the movie. Gollum in his performance was perfect. A lively character and surprisingly correctly conveyed emotions - that's what the actor managed to do.
Interesting incidents on the set of the film
Such a large-scale project was obliged to be accompanied by funny and amazing stories. For example, some of the injuries that were received by the actors during the filming ended up in the frames of the film. Gandalf hit his head several times on the low ceiling of the hobbit dwelling. In one of those scenes, he actually got hit. But it was so believable that the director decided to leave the scene. Also, Aragorn, when he went out into a clearing with a bunch of burnt orcs, had to kick an iron helmet in a rage. They filmed several takes, but the actor managed only when he broke two toes on his foot. He fell to his knees and called for help without losing his role. Viewers can also see this unique frame in the film.
Another interesting event happened to Sean Bean, who played Boromir. The fact is that he had to get to the location of the filming of The Lord of the Rings by helicopter. And he has flights on a similar technique. Resting himself, he told the project workers that he would rise on his own, on foot. This was done in a couple of hours, and the cast watched with delight how the brave Boromir climbed the rocks, although this was not required by his role. The descent was even more difficult, it took almost 3 hours. Undoubtedly, this day was one of the most difficult in the life of Sean.
Another, no less fascinating, story is the creation of Gollum's juice. Initially, Andy Serkins came to the place where they filmed The Lord of the Rings, only to voice a unique creature. But the entire film crew decided that computer graphics were not capable of giving life to the character, human participation was needed here. As for the voice acting, the actor imitated the sounds that his cat made when it coughed up fur. But such a voice literally tore his throat. To cope with the pain, a drink made from honey, ginger and lemon was created.
Conclusion
It is impossible to convey the fascination of the stories associated with the place where they filmed The Lord of the Rings. Photographs of characters against the background of endless green plains or panoramic shots of some of the most beautiful scenes, gloomy and terrifying rocks where Frodo and his faithful Sam passed, or beautiful elven forests - all this contains New Zealand. And, perhaps, the dream of every fan of the cult trilogy is to visit this amazing country in which favorite characters come to life.
For fans of the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" and the prequel to it under the general name "The Hobbit" it is not necessary to talk about who Tolkien is. As well as the fact that the shooting took place in New Zealand - in the homeland of the director, Peter Jackson. But do fans of Hobbit adventures in Middle-earth know about Tolkien tourism? Let's go in order.
After the enchanting success of the trilogy about the destruction of the Ring of Omnipotence and the many adventures that befell the main characters, New Zealand has become a place of pilgrimage for Tolkien fans. Since most of the filming of the picture took place either on the territory of nature reserves or on the territory of private farms, all the scenery (except for Hobbiton) was demolished. Now we remind you of the shootings that took place here are the stories of the guides, their thick folders with photographs from the film sets, and in some places the remaining iron crutches that could not be pulled out. But locals found a gold mine and began to actively earn money by offering tours of Tolkien's Middle-earth. This is how Tolkien tourism was formed - the most unusual view tourism.
If you still decide to go on a journey in the footsteps of the hobbits in New Zealand, then most likely your adventures will begin in Auckland - the country's largest city, which is located on the North Island. If you move south from Auckland, you can visit all the known locations where the Lord of the Rings filming took place. To help respectable fans of the Tolkien universe, we have compiled a visual map showing these very places. Well, let's go on an unexpected journey through modern map Middle-earth 🙂
Matamata City or Hobbiton
The village where Bilbo, Frodo, Sam and their friends lived is located on the territory of the private farm of the Alexander family, so you will have to fork out a little for a visit to the famous hobbit village. But it's worth it!
Welcome to Hobbiton!
View of Hobbiton
The colorful world of Tolkien's hobbits will open to you in all its glory. You can walk along the streets of Hobbiton, see the very famous Bag End mink with the door ajar (you can’t approach the mink itself, a very valuable decoration), take pictures near the yellow door of Sam’s mink, enjoy the fabulous landscapes of the Shire, and also visit the most famous tavern in Middle-earth - "Green Dragon", where you will be poured a hobbit pint of local beer. And this, of course, is not all, but you will tell us about the rest when you yourself touch the world of hobbits from the Shire.
Mink Bag-End
Mink Sema
View from the hobbit mink :)
The interior of the tavern "Green Dragon"
Healthy! The Hobbiton Movie Set organizes tours of the Hobbiton set.
Mordor - national park Tongariro
The Tongariro Reserve includes three active volcanoes: Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu. The largest of them is Ngauruhoe, but this mountain is not visible in the film. The fact is that Ngauruhoe is a shrine for the local Maori, and out of respect for their traditions, Peter Jackson refused to shoot this peak. The scenes on the slopes of Orodruin were filmed on the slopes of the Ruapehu volcano, and the mountain itself was drawn using computer graphics.
Volcano Ngauruhoe
Tongariro Game Reserve
Stone views of Mordor
Did you recognize the scene from the movie?
Rivendell - Kaitoke Park
In this park, episodes were filmed in the land of the elves, the Anduin River and battle scenes on the Izen Fords (in the upper reaches of the Hutt River). Now only commemorative plaques and wooden posts with elven inscriptions remind of the filming of The Lord of the Rings in this park (Rivendell from The Hobbit was completely filmed in the studio). But the atmosphere of the elven forest in this park is very strong.
Edoras is the capital of Rohan or Mount Sunday.
Palace of King Rohan - Meduseld, you will not find here. After filming, all the scenery was dismantled and the mountain acquired its former appearance. But, almost every guide to Middle-earth, in addition to interesting stories, still has a number of Mediterranean props in stock: swords, masks, various costumes. An interesting photo shoot is guaranteed!
The Bruinen River and the Gates of the Argonath
Remember the two huge stone statues on the border of Gondor that depicted the two sons of Elendil - Isildur and Anarion? Have you forgotten the scene of Frodo being pursued by the Nazgûl, where Frodo managed to cross the Bruinen River, but the Nazgûl did not? These and many other equally breathtaking scenes from The Lord of the Rings were filmed in the Queenstown region.
Dead Marsh - Lake Te Anau
Not far from Lake Te Anau, Peter Jackson filmed a scene with Frodo on the Dead Marshes (where Frodo falls under the spell of the dead, and Sam saves him).. This place is called Kepler's marie. According to tourists, this place absolutely falls under Description of the Dead Topey from Tolkien's book.
Article material: henneth-annun, tranio.travel, Hobbiton Movie Set
Hobbiton - city of hobbits, was built for movie "The Lord of the Rings" and has become a popular attraction New Zealand.
When Peter Jackson, director of the famous blockbuster "The Lord of the Rings", flying over one of the islands matamata in New Zealand, I saw these places, I immediately realized that they are ideal for the film adaptation of the Hobbit village. Already in March 1999, he began to prepare a settlement for hobbits to begin filming by the end of the year!
Hobbiton was built on the territory of a private sheep farm. Its owners are three brothers, two of whom live there, and the third in Matamata - small town 20 minutes drive, nestled in green hilly agricultural countryside.
What Peter Jackson liked the most here is the amazing beauty of nature and the absence of a hint of civilization. Thus, an American film company acquired the central piece of the farm and built the city of Hobbiton there for the filming of the cult film The Lord of the Rings.
Usually directors create cardboard scenery for their films, or draw them on a computer. But Peter Jackson decided to make solid scenery.
As you know, the New Zealand army was involved in the filming. The soldiers were building a 1.5-kilometer road to Hobitton, where special earth-moving machines and many other equipment were driven. 37 holes were dug for houses on the slopes, and the rooms themselves were decorated with wood and plastic. Barberry fences were made, small gardens were planted, which were tenderly cherished during the winter.
On the roof for the mill went thatch from reeds from a farm nearby. Artificial leaves brought from Taiwan were stuck on old withered trees. For a whole 9 months, 400 people worked daily to transform this place into the famous Hobitton, located in Middle-earth!
After filming the trilogy, the location was abandoned. The scenery was removed and for some time there were empty eye sockets. By 2011, only 17 out of 37 houses survived. The only guests there were groups of tourists and numerous herds of sheep.
However, with the creation of The Hobbit, the scenery was again updated and this time left for the delight of tourists.
In the process of creating the Hobbit, the number of buildings increased several times and was left almost in its original form for the amusement of tourists.
At the request of the American owners, local farm workers take care of all the animals that inhabit Hobbiton, and unique garden. From a fairly large cafe along the road with a prominent sign that says "Hobbiton", a bus runs several times a day. The town is comfortably located by the lake, and if you look around, there is no civilization anywhere nearby. At the entrances to Hobbiton, sheep are all around, hills are common things in New Zealand.
After the release of the film, the pilgrimage of fans began to the farm - the owners were extremely unhappy that people began to come to them with a request to show them where the film was shot. Thus, the idea arose to create a tourist route to Hobbiton in order to somehow streamline the flow of uninvited tourists and free the owners. The idea turned out to be successful - currently the farm is visited by about 300 people a day. The Hobbiton tour costs 50 New Zealand dollars and takes about three hours.
Peacefully grazing sheep make a peculiar addition to this pastoral landscape. And of course, for fans of the film and the book "The Lord of the Rings" this place is full of special charm. A little imagination - and you can see how Gandalf and his wagon ride along the narrow path winding among the hills, singing a song, how Bilbo's old friend comes out to meet him from the house on the very top of the hill, how they smoke pipes, looking at the valley below from lake...
Tourists are given mixed fodder, you can feed tame sheep. In the same place nearby you can see how the sheep are sheared, you can feed small sheep with milk.
About 30% of visitors to Hobbiton have never read books, and have not seen films either. There are such statistics.
Not only children, but also many adults come here, dreaming of walking along the same paths as their favorite characters from the movie "The Lord of the Rings".
Now Hobbiton is a museum, as a permanent exhibition and attraction for movie fans!
The Lord of the Rings, an epic novel and the most famous work of the fantasy genre in the world, has millions of fans in all countries. For half a century, fans could enter the magical world of Middle-earth only in dreams. But things have changed since the early 2000s. Director Peter Jackson, a native of New Zealand, filmed a film trilogy based on Tolkien's book in his homeland, and those wishing to plunge into the world of hobbits, elves, dwarves and orcs rushed to look for places shown on the screens. The Lord of the Rings has since become a New Zealand brand.
This island nation continues to experience a boom in everything related to the Lord of the Rings. In 2004, just after the last part of the trilogy was filmed, this type of tourism brought $320 million into New Zealand's treasury. And recently, gold coins with the image of the heroes of the film were offered to be used as a means of payment.
It is expected that there will be even more people wishing to visit New Zealand: in December, the world premiere of the prequel "The Lord of the Rings" - "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" will take place. And then there will be two more films. All of them will describe the events of Tolkien's novel "The Hobbit, or There and Back Again".
Getting to New Zealand is not easy. From Moscow to Auckland The largest city countries) can be reached by plane via Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Dubai, Los Angeles, Delhi, Paris, Sydney, Singapore and other cities. The journey takes an average of 30 hours. Air tickets are sold at different prices, you can count on about 1 thousand dollars. Visa and medical insurance are also paid.
Usually a tourist in New Zealand does not have to think long where to spend the night. In major cities, there are many hotels that meet international standards. Also, hotels can be found in picturesque places in nature. There are motels along the way to the cities. Hostels are popular, many prefer to stay in the houses of New Zealand families ("homestay") and. And of course there is big choice rental houses. If the night caught you by surprise in the middle of the forest, you can pitch a tent. This is allowed wherever there is a prohibition sign "No camping". There are also designated camping sites in national parks, there are also paid places.
The Lord of the Rings tours last two to three weeks. You can use the services travel agencies or . In the latter case, there will also be no problems, as the locals are friendly and always ready to help.
Agencies offer different rates, most often the cost of the tour varies from 5 thousand to 10 thousand dollars, depending on the number of tourists and the season. The most convenient way to get around is by car.
The journey begins in Auckland. There is nothing remarkable here that would be associated with the "Lord of the Rings", but this is the largest city in New Zealand, which is home to more than a quarter of the total population of the country. In the vicinity there are 48 extinct volcanoes, preserved in the form of mountains, lagoons, lakes and islands. In the city, you can rent a car and hit the road.
The further route passes through such places: Wakaito, Rotorua and Taupo lakes, Tongario, Mount Ruapehu, Wellington, Kaitoke, Nelson, Punakaiki, Franz Josef Glacier, Collingwood, West Coast and the fjords, Te Anau, Queenstown, Mount Cook, Christcher, and the Kepler marie. Some of them were actually filmed, others are just interesting sights along the way.
Hobbiton - Wakaito
The path from Auckland leads south, the suburbs gradually give way to rural landscapes, and in two hours you will find yourself in the middle of the pastures of Wakaito. Green gentle hills will immediately remind you of Hobbiton - the village where Bilbo, Frodo and their friends lived. And there really is a similar village here. The town of Matamata received a second baptism after the filming of The Lord of the Rings and is now called Hobbiton. A sign was put up on the main street, announcing to tourists that they were now in the world of halflings. Here you can feed the animals on the farm, visit all the corners where the film was shot, look into the holes of the hobbits (although most of the dwellings are dummies), have a bite to eat at the Shire’s Rest cafe and buy souvenirs.
Mordor - Tongariro
After that, you should go further south, to the lakes of Rotorua and Taupo. Having been there, you should definitely visit the Tongariro National Park, which became the location for the filming of Mordor. This park is characterized by great natural diversity: grassy meadows, forests and quiet lakes are interspersed with desert plateaus. In the ski resort of Fakapapa they filmed the Gorgorot plateau and the Emin Muil highlands, in the resort of Tukino - the slopes of Orodruin (Mountain of Doom), in the Rangipo desert - the Black Gates of Mordor.
Mount Doom - Ruapehu
There are even active volcanoes in Tongariro. One of them, Mount Ruapehu (translated from the Maori language - “thundering abyss”), appeared in the form of Mount Orodruin. At its foot, Isildur overthrew Sauron and put on his finger the Ring of Omnipotence, around which the plot of The Lord of the Rings unfolds.
Orodruin is the only active volcano in Middle-earth. Here is how J. R. R. Tolkien describes it: “Sam looked at Orodruin - a mountain of fire. And from time to time, furnaces far below its ash cone heated up and with a loud roar and noise threw streams of red-hot lava from the cracks on the slopes of the mountain. Some flowed down the great canals to Barad-dûr, others carved their way through the rocky plain until they cooled and lay like twisted dragon carcasses vomited up by the tortured earth.
The Shire, Bree, Troll Grove, Old Wood - Wellington Region
Usually tourists stop by Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, and see its main attractions. Many episodes of The Lord of the Rings were filmed in the area: the outskirts of the Shire, Bree (on the site of an old military base), Troll Grove, old forest, Helm's Gorge, Minas Tirith and more. An hour's drive from Wellington is the wine region of Martinborough, and on the way there you will meet the Hutt River, on the banks of which the hobbits left their boats.
Rivendell - Kaitoke
In the south of the North Island, not far from Wellington, is the Kaitoke Regional Park, where scenes were filmed in the land of the elves, the Anduin River and battle scenes at the Fords of Isen (in the upper reaches of the Hutt River). For the filming of Rivendell, Kaitoke was chosen because of the variety of landscapes: there are forests, valleys and a river. With the help of CGI, the filmmakers managed to make it look like the place Tolkien described: “Sam led him (Frodo) down several long corridors and down stairs with many steps and through a garden over a steep river bank. Here, on the threshold facing east, sat his friends. The valley below them was covered in shadow, but it was still light here, and the light reflected off the distant mountains. The air was warm. The sounds of flowing and falling water were heard loudly, the evening was full of the smells of trees and flowers, as if summer had lingered in the garden of Elrond.
Edoras - Mount Sunday
The next attraction is Mount Sunday in Canterbury. To get there, you have to make a big jump to the center of the South Island. The two parts of the country are connected by a ferry service for passengers and cars. On the way to Canterbury, you can visit the cities of Collingwood, Picton and Nelson, see pristine beaches, breathtaking mountain peaks and crevices. Mount Sunday is significant because in the film Edoras, the capital of Rohan, was located here, along with the palace of Meduseld, where King Theoden lived.
Argonath and Bruinen - Queenstown region
Some end their journey by stopping at Christchurch, just east of Edoras, but true Tolkien fans go further south. In the vicinity of Queenstown, they filmed the Rohan Refugee Crossing, the White Mountains, the Eregion Hills, the Misty Mountains, an overnight stay in Ithilien, Argonath, Bruinen and more.
The Bruinen River scene took place in Skippers Canyon. In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Arwen, along with Frodo, escaped the pursuit of the Black Riders by driving them into this body of water. Nearby, in the area of the Twelve Mile River, an episode called "The Overnight in Ithilien" was filmed, when Frodo, Sam and Gollum watched the battle of Faramir's warriors from Gondor with enemies from Harad. The difficult passage through the Misty Mountains actually took place in the Southern Alps. The stone statues of the kings of Gondor were "placed" on the Kawarau River, but the statues themselves were drawn using computer graphics.
Dead Marsh - Marie Kepler
Farther south lie the swamps where they filmed the scene in which Frodo falls under the spell of the dead and Sam saves him. These are the so-called Kepler mari, located not far from Te Anau, the largest lake in the South Island. The depth of the swamps reaches almost 5 m. Marie Kepler is really similar to the description of the Dead Marshes from Tolkien's book: “On both sides and in front lay wide swamps, stretching south and east in a dim half-light. Mist rose in curls from dark, fetid pools. Heavy fumes hung in the air. The only green was the foam of pale algae on the dark, dirty surface of the gloomy water. Dead grasses and rotting reeds rose in the mist like ragged shadows of a long-forgotten summer.
To go back, you can get to Queenstown, and from there by plane - to Auckland. The same way can be done by bus or car.
All the same, the magic of cinema exists, and accordingly, when this magic is exposed, it's interesting. Interesting? We go further along the bones ... that is, according to the films.
One of the most expensive film projects in the history of mankind is "The Lord of the Rings" - an impressive symbiosis of the works of the Englishman JRR Tolkien and the New Zealand director Peter Jackson. The shooting of this trilogy was overgrown with legends even before the release of its first part. Therefore, we should understand - what is the "Lord of the Rings" in the most general approximation?
The full reckoning hasn't been done yet, but we all already know that the film is worth around $300 million. The fact is that New Line Cinema allocated 130 million for filming, but the special effects ate about the same amount. To work on the film, the director's company WETA Workshop created about 50,000 items of shooting equipment - weapons, armor, costumes and jewelry. In this regard, thanks to the formation should be given to the designer Ngila Dickinson. Supervising the work of fifty tailors, she managed to turn ordinary actors of the 21st century into quite convincing elves, orcs and hobbits. In total, she created 150 clothing options for each race of Middle-earth and more than three hundred different wigs for the actors of the first plan and extras.
The number of the film crew reached 120 people - technicians, illuminators, make-up artists, artists, stuntmen, pyrotechnicians and other apprentices of Hollywood wizards.
The script for the film was written by 4 people: Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Stephen Sinclair and Philippa Boyens. It took about 4 years to work on it. The final document occupied 138 typewritten sheets.
Principal photography for the trilogy took 274 days. The New Zealand government provided the film crew with significant tax incentives, and also allocated several units of the National Guard to help in the construction of scenery and participate in extras.
The film involved more than 20 main protagonists and about 20,000 extras, equipped with hundreds of different models of melee weapons. 5520 machine hours were spent on creating special effects, and the total volume of processed video information reached 32 terabytes.
Recall that the first part of The Lord of the Rings, entitled The Fellowship of the Ring, was released on December 19, 2001. It grossed $313 million in US box office plus $860 million worldwide. In addition, "The Fellowship of the Ring" received 13 nominations for "Oscar", but in the end received only 4 awards.
The second part - "Two Towers" - was published on December 18, 2002 and brought its creators 340 million in the US and 919 million in other, less civilized countries. It should be noted that at the moment the film is in 4th place in the ranking of the most box office films planets. "Two towers" are second only to " Star Wars", episode 1 (3rd place - 922 million) and the first-born "Harry Potter" (2nd place - 968 million). About the first place - see the text in the margins.
imperfection human nature, multiplied by the inquisitiveness of our mind, make their inexorable adjustments to the film marketing process. The best philosophers and sexologists of the planet claim that normal people more often interested in what is in front than behind. So the question of what's in store for Lord of the Rings 3 makes any reminders of the content of the previous two films per se irrelevant.
The music for the third part of the film is made by the same Howard Shore, winner of the Oscar and Grammy awards. This means that the soundtrack of The Return of the King will be about the same as in the previous two parts. Some surprise will be the appearance of Ann Lennox from the Eurythmics. This already rather middle-aged owner of a golden gramophone will perform her own song in the third series of the film. new song"To the west". In addition, The Return of the King's musical content will be slightly diluted with Ranny Fleming's clear soprano and Sir James Galaway's poignant Irish flute.
A careful look will find in this film a number of significant coincidences and analogies that make us believe in invisible connection between a prim English professor and a reckless New Zealand director. Thus, there is a widespread opinion that the few female characters in The Lord of the Rings were written by Tolkien rather vaguely. Fran Walsh, the director's assistant and his constant wife, once admitted to reporters that during the filming of the film she very often had to come up with her own personalities and behaviors. female characters trilogy.
Another curious fact that journalists procrastinate: Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf) is one hundred percent gay. He led the 32nd San Francisco Gay Parade and, if rumors are to be believed, several times unsuccessfully tried to seduce Lord of the Rings co-star Orlando Bloom (Legolas).
By the way, about filming. New Zealand photojournalists who were constantly spying on the film crew of The Lord of the Rings said that Jackson uses only women in the roles of orcs. The fact is that ordinary orcs differ from their fellow Uruk-hai in a very modest growth. It would be too expensive to reduce each orc using a computer, as was done with hobbits. It can be made easier. yellow contact lenses, false teeth, a little makeup, dim lighting - it costs only a few hundred dollars, but it completely blurs the fragile line between the average woman and fabulous monster. Thus, we can easily trace the evolution of the unintentionally disparaging attitude towards women in The Lord of the Rings from the beginning of the 20th century (Tolkien) to the present day (Jackson).
Let's return to the third part of the film. Filming was, to put it mildly, not easy - after all, on December 17, 2003, we will be shown one of the most impressive battle scenes throughout the history of cinema. According to Australian actress Miranda Otto (Eowyn), the battle on the fields of the Pelennor - the central moment of the third part - was filmed on an unprecedented scale. For comparison, here are the numbers: in the battle for Helm's Deep, about 10,000 simulated orcs and Uruk-hai participated. There will be 200,000 of them outside the walls of Gondor, bigger and more vile than before.
Miranda's armor, which she wore during filming, weighed over 10 kg. After several hours of riding and brandishing a sword, the girl began to think that Joan of Arc knowingly tried to finish all her battles as quickly as possible.
Viggo Mortensen real life completely different from King Aragorn. Quiet and shy, he hates conflict, is a sharp critic of the Bush administration's handling of Iraq, and in free time draws pictures and writes poetry. Viggo remembers shooting material for the third part of the picture with a mixed feeling of nostalgia and relief. Under the armor of the actors there was a special protection, softening an accidentally missed blow with a fake sword or spear. According to Viggo, this did not always help.
New Zealand actor Karl Urban (Eomer) gave some details of the filming of the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. According to him, 500 horses were involved in the extras. When the cavalry went on the attack on a conditional enemy, the trembling of the earth was felt even by cameramen who were standing at a decent distance from the "battlefield". From the experience of filming horse battles, Karl learned one important rule for himself - never eat before jumping into the saddle. Otherwise, you will be painfully ashamed later, the film crew will have real fun, and the horse that has been soiled by your breakfast will be offended and unpleasant.
Filming for the last part of the trilogy was carried out in the mountains of Ruapehu and Tongariro (Mordor), as well as in the Southern Alps (Anduin River). Here the director ran into an unexpected problem - on the highlands flooded with bright sunshine, the actors quickly lost their noble pallor of the face and became like the Venetian Moors. There were no blacks in Tolkien's Middle-earth, so the make-up artists had to urgently buy sunblock from a nearby ski resort.
Another surprise waiting film crew in New Zealand, was very small. The local species of midge (the so-called sandfly) did not see any gastronomic differences between good elves and bad orcs. As a result, these bloodsuckers attacked in whole flocks both the defenders of Gondor and the army of Sauron. The computer magic of The Lord of the Rings receded before the onslaught of harsh reality. Make-up artists invented new swear words and asked for an increase in salary - after all, the repellant, actively used by the actors, constantly spoiled their complex makeup.
Nosy paparazzi were able to figure out that filming " roads of the dead", which Aragorn will follow in the last part of the trilogy, were conducted in Lial Bay Park near Wellington. In general, Wellington's landscapes were actively used throughout the film: Isengard was filmed in Wingate, and Rivendell was filmed near the Hutt River.
After the shooting of the film was completed, the actors enthusiastically began to plunder the working equipment. For example, Orlando Bloom took as a keepsake his elven bow and cracker from the last take. Dominic Morgan (Merry) took with him a pair of hairy false legs, a Rohan sword and the same "cracker". Other participants in the film project also did not remain offended. If you look at the real market value of these things, it becomes clear that each of the actors received a whole bunch of bucks in their hands, bypassing the accounting department. For example, the original rings from the filming of the film were sold at auctions for 4-5 thousand dollars apiece.
Peter Jackson's work on The Lord of the Rings was a national event for New Zealand. A good example of this is the following fact: the British Royal Mint received an order from the New Zealand government to develop several series of coins dedicated to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Estimated denomination of coins - from 10 dollars to 50 cents. They will be in free circulation as a regular means of payment.
The most random thing in this life is our birth. It is affected by dad's hormones, mom's periods, and uncontrollable accurate forecasts the mutual desire of different sexes to get to know each other better.
The most natural thing in this life is our death. The neurotropic rabies virus has the shape of a rifle bullet, and the amino acid sequence of the glycoprotein of this virus is similar to snake venom neurotoxin. Explosive bullets with a cross-shaped tip or an empty head, as well as Indian visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar fever), are called the same - dum-dum. We will all die someday. Try to dispute it.
But immortality is quite achievable. First you need to understand that the door to eternity is within ourselves. Between accidental birth and inevitable death.
To get there, you need a key. For each person, it looks different - a wooden cross with nails, a button for controlling nuclear missiles, or a portrait of a stupidly grinning Mona Lisa.
The most humane key to immortality in the 21st century is an angular gilded figurine hidden in the belly bag of a modern version kangaroo by Bertrand Russell.
So - will Peter Jackson get his long-awaited "Oscar" for best director third part? Will he become the official immortal lord of The Lord of the Rings? The answer to this question will be given on the rarest day julian calendar- February 29, 2004 at the Academy Awards ceremony, which will be held at the Kodak Hollywood cinema.
It can be assumed that the worldwide collections of the last part of the trilogy - "The Return of the King", which premiere is scheduled for December 17, 2003 - will significantly exceed those of the previous two tapes. Given that The Lord of the Rings was filmed as a single picture (three parts at once), we have full right sum up the final currency return from all three series.
That calculation takes The Lord of the Rings past the crazy $3 billion mark (including the projected third installment). This amount is almost twice the world box office "Titanic", which ranks first in terms of rental fees in the world - $ 1.8 billion. In addition, it exceeds the fortune of Osama bin Laden by 10 times, and minus the budget of the Vatican, it is equal to the costs of the UN for the maintenance of all its peacekeeping missions in 2003. On average, each inhabitant of the Earth will pay 50 cents or 15 rubles for watching The Lord of the Rings...
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was nominated for thirteen Oscars, finishing third among films in terms of the number of nominations received. In March 2002, the film won four Academy Awards (marked with an asterisk "*"):
Best Picture………………………….…."Lord of the rings, Brotherhood of the ring"
Best Director ………………………. ….Peter Jackson
Best Supporting Actor………………Ian McKellen (Gandalf)
Best Screenplay (Adapted) ...... Writers Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens,
Peter Jackson
(*) Best Director of Photography………Andrew Lesnie
Best Art Direction….…Grant Major (production designer)
Dan Henna (set decorator)
Best Costumes……………………………Njila Dixon and Richard Taylor
Best Editing ……………………………..John Gilbert
(*) Best Makeup……………………………..Peter Owen and Richard Taylor
(*) The best music……………………….…..Howard Shore
Best song …………………………….…. “May It Be”, authors of music and lyrics: Enya,
Nicky Ryan and Roma Ryan
Best Sound………………………………….Christopher Boes, Michael Semanick, Gethin
Creag and Hammond Peak
(*) Best Visual Effects…………Jim Rigil, Randall William Cooke,
Richard Taylor and Mark Stetson
AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE AWARDS:
Movie of the Year …………………………………… “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
Digital Effects Specialist of the Year..Jim Rigil
Production Designer of the Year……………….Grant Major
The film was nominated for thirteen British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards, winning five (marked with an asterisk "*"):
(*) Audience Award ……………“The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
(*) Best movie……………………….…..."Lord of the rings, Brotherhood of the ring"
(*) Best Achievement in Visual Effects…Jim Rigil, Richard Taylor,
Alex Funky, Randall William Cook, Mark Stetson
(*) Best Makeup / Best Hair……..Peter Owen, Peter King, Richard
Taylor
(*) David Lean Award for Directing ….Peter Jackson
Anthony Esquita Award for Music for the Film…Howard Shore
Best Cinematography………………..Andrew Lesnie
Best Costumes……………..……………….Njila Dixon
Best Editing ………………..……………...John Gilbert
Best Leading Actor………………...Ian McKellen
Best Art Direction………Grant Major
Best Screenplay (Adapted)…….Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens, Peter
Jackson
Best Sound…………………………………...David Farmer, Hammond Pick,
Christopher Boes, Gethin Krieg, Michael Semanick, Ethan Van Der Ryn, Mike Hopkins
When I first saw these photos with skulls, I was taken aback - HOW? Where? But then I watched the extended director's cut and everything fell into place. Wow, I saw and learned a lot of new things. Almost an hour of the film was missing from the film version. Some moments were remembered purely from the book, but in the extended version - here they are - everything is filmed!
Now let's take a walk through those forests where it was all filmed!
In the north of the South Island of New Zealand, in the Golden Bay area, there are wonderful forests where director Peter Jackson filmed his Lord of the Rings trilogy, namely the elven part called Dimrill Dale.
Well, more about filming and filming locations.
There is hardly a person who has not heard about the fabulous hobbits. Someone is familiar with them from the books of D.R. Tolkien, someone found out about them by looking movie lord of the rings, which was filmed by director Peter Jackson based on the famous trilogy.
When reading books, everyone has their own images of heroes and places where events take place, and cinema offers not to burden the reader's imagination, and to see the heroes of the novel as the director presented them. But from this, the story of the adventures of the hobits amazes us no less. And the point here is not so much in special effects, but in the amazing views of New Zealand, which turned into a fantasy Middle-earth during the filming of the film.
Waikato
The small town of Matamatu in the Waikato region has now become a place of tourist pilgrimage, which is called Hobbiton in guidebooks. And this is no accident, because the surroundings of this settlement turned into the Shire in the film, from where Frodo Baggins set off on his dangerous journey. Waikato, with its idyllic countryside and green hills, heather and small farms, is the most the best way suited the role of the calm Shire, who long years served as the home of Bilbo and his nephew Frodo.
The scenery for the film is still preserved in these places. And if you find yourself here, then you will have the opportunity to walk along the paths at the “Sack-on-the-Cool” - the Baggins' hole, as well as see with your own eyes a huge tree, which had tents pitched for all Bilbo's relatives and friends who came to the holiday his 111th birthday. Those who decide to head to the coast, near the port of Waikato, will find the slopes of Mount Wrap, with the ruins of the watchtower of Amon Sul. It was here that one of the Black Riders wounded Frodo with his phantom sword.
Wellington
The capital of New Zealand is Wellington. The second most populous city in the country, distinguished by its special beauty and intimacy. Tourists and locals come here to wander through the countless parks and squares, admire the views that open from the mountains and hills, and, of course, visit the places where film Lord of the Rings. Filming in the vicinity of the city lasted for three whole years.
After filming, Wellington, with its surroundings, immortalized itself as a fabulous Middle-earth. We see the scenery that surrounds the city in the scene where Frodo, Pippin, Merry, and Sam hide in the forest from the Nazgûl. Near Wellington, they filmed the lands of Rivendell, the Dunherg gorge and the black tower of Orthanc, the citadel of Saruman. And if you go through the hills of Wairarapa, you will reach the gloomy peaks of Pitangirua and go out onto the Path of the Dead, it was along it that the path of Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas passed.
Queenstown
Unique nature, that's what distinguishes the unique resort town of Queenstown. The magnificence of this corner of New Zealand was also appreciated by the filmmakers. And the bulk of the panoramic scenes were filmed here.
Near Queenstown, in the film, Lorien is located - the land of dreams, or the forest in which the elves live. There is also a crossing over the river Bruinen, where Arwen defeated the Nazgûl.
Deer Park Heights National Park is located near Queenstown Airport. On its expanses, the battle of the Rohans was filmed, making their way to Helm's Deep with the orcs, and along them, the wizard Gandalf rode on Whitemane to Minas Tirith.
Nelson
Nelson is located on the northern coast of the South Island. The main tourist attraction of which is that it is here that the geographical center of New Zealand is located. Tourists are reminded of this, in addition to guides and guidebooks, by a memorial plaque installed here.
But movie lord of the rings gave the city an extra charm. After all, it was in Nelson that beer was brewed for the Prancing Pony tavern, the Ring of Omnipotence was made, and many other details were created, which together created an unforgettable image of the magnificent Hobbit saga.
From the city, you can book a helicopter tour of hard-to-reach filming locations. As, for example, to the hill on which the warriors of the Fellowship of the Ring hid from the crows - the spies of Saruman and where later, having got out of Khazad-Dum, they mourned the death of Gandalf. Or to the forest through which the hobbits and Aragorn passed after their departure from Bree.
Canterbury
Canterbury is the largest region of the South Island. In a film by Peter Jackson on the Canterbury Plains, stretching from the coast Pacific Ocean to the Southern Alps, the Rohan city of Edoras is located with the golden palace of King Theoden - Meduseld.
The filmmakers did not choose this place by chance: the plains of Canterbury abut against the mountains and this creates a real kingdom of calm and majestic nature, remote from the bustle of the world.
fiordland
Perhaps the most picturesque corner of New Zealand is Southland - it is in the south-west of the country. This is the real kingdom of the fjords of the Tasman Sea. The Fiordland National Park is also located here, where you can meet the rarest representatives of flora and fauna.
The Hutt River, which flows between the Te Anau and Manapouri lakes in the Southern Alps, is what unites the real Fjorland and the cinematic Middle-earth. In the film, she turned into the Anduin River - along which the warriors of the Fellowship of the Ring sailed from Lorien. Tourists have the opportunity to repeat the journey of heroes: for this you can rent a motor boat - Te Anau. Heading upstream, you can see the known to all fans of the novel, the Misty Mountains.
Mackenzie
The highest point in the country - Mount Cook (Mount Cook) is located in the Southern Alps, on the lands of Mackenzie County (Canterbury region).
It is here that fans of the film The Lord of the Rings can firsthand see the panoramas familiar to them from the battle scene of the warriors of Rohan and Gondor with the hordes of Sauron on the Pelennor Plain.
For more immersion in the atmosphere of filmmaking, you can go to the town of Twizel, from where the excursion to the high-mountain station begins, where the battle for Minas Tirith was partially filmed.
Ruapehu
For "sweet" you can go to the active volcano Ruapehu: Peter Jackson "filmed" it in the role of Orodruin - the Fiery Mountain, from the flame of which the Ring of Omnipotence appeared and in which, in the end, the Ring of Omnipotence disappeared. Here you can visit the place where Frodo and Sam caught Gollum in the movie.
A small walking route runs through many places familiar to us from the film. So, not far from the volcano, you can go to the Ohakune River, in which Gollum fished during a halt on the road to Mordor.
Those who are lucky enough to be here in winter (summer in Europe at this time) can diversify their experience by visiting Ruapehu, located in the area, famous among lovers active rest ski station. The truth about the places in the hotel should be taken care of in advance, because the New Zealanders are a sports people, and in season, places on ski resorts in short supply.
