MovieChat Forums > The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) Discussion > The Two Towers as a Western

The Two Towers as a Western

posted 8 years ago by SyphiliticHobbit
6 replies | jump to latest

Recently rewatched the Two Towers and was quite struck by how much it resembles a traditional "Western". Virtuous loners who come to old wooden town (Edoras) who evict the local strongman, only to have to make a lone stand in a fort against enormous odds (shades of the Alamo) PJ even spoke about getting a "John Ford" vista for the Rohan village.

They definitely traverse the more desolate parts of Middle Earth in this film as well. Everything feels like it's on a frontier. Anyway, I feel like it's a lovely perspective that enriched the film for me.

[–] ZakkWyldeMyLittlePony 8 years ago

I had never thought of it that way. Interesting observation.

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath is a Brony

[–] electric_storm 8 years ago

This is actually a great observation. The Warg attack is also presented like an old school Cowboys vs Indians ambush skirmish would be presented as well. And there's a lot of horse back riding across plains. Aragorn has a few gun slinger moments too, suiting up for battle, his reappearance in the doorway at Helm's Deep etc...

[–] MAGolding (1240) 7 years ago

I'm sure that Tolkien enjoyed watching occasional western movies, but your comments might make him spin in his grave!

Tolkien's greatest fandom was as a fan of "northerns", and I don't mean movies set in Canada. He really loved northern European myths and legends, especially Germanic, Icelandic , Scandinavian, and Finnish myths and legends. And if some persons may think that was a rather odd choice of myths and legends to enjoy, we can forgive that quirk because it resulted in Middle-earth.

[–] SyphiliticHobbit (367) 7 years ago

hehe fair enough :)

[–] Volley (3441) 7 years ago

I like it.

Though Rohan is in between Eriador and Gondor, along with Lothlorien and the Misty Mountain Range, so it's not really a frontier, though yes it sure seems portrayed as such in the Jackson movie.

[–] legnadibrom (6520) 7 years ago

westerns don't have CGI