Production Companies New Line Cinema, WingNut Films, Lord Dritte Productions Deutschland Filmproduktion GmbH & Co. KG (in association with), The Saul Zaentz Company (licensor) (d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises)
Éowyn (Miranda Otto) and Merry (Dominic Monaghan) are left behind at the Rohan outpost of Dunharrow – Éowyn, because she is female, and Merry, because he is a Hobbit. "Éowyn is very dissatisfied with her role as a female in the land of Rohan," comments Jackson. "She has a warrior spirit. She wants to defend her people. She wants to defend her uncle, who is the king, about whom she is fiercely passionate. So, we see her in a rather devious way sneak off to battle; and, of course, she must confront the true horrors of battle once she’s in the thick of it."
Éowyn’s kindred spirit and companion into battle is Merry, who is likewise transformed by this war. "To see war from his eyes is just horrific," comments Monaghan. "To see Merry in that situation, covered in blood, sweat and tears, and living the terrible reality of war is really traumatic. But in Merry’s heart he has every bit as much of a right to be there as anyone else. He’s fighting for the same things they are – to save his friends and to save his world."
At a crucial moment in the battle, their unexpected courage and fierce loyalty help turn the tide against their enemies.
"In film three, a huge part is the conflict between fathers and sons," comments Boyens. "Just as Gollum's schizophrenia is buried in the story and you have to dig it out, you have this story of fathers and sons."
In The Lord of the Rings, the actions of every father come back to rest at the feet of his son. Likewise, sons or daughters are often put into direct opposition with their parental figures. Éowyn’s surrogate father, Théoden, forbids her from going to war. Yet she ultimately plays a critical role in his army. And Théoden himself is haunted by his own son’s death while Théoden was under Wormtongue’s poisonous influence.
In his love for Arwen and desire for her to stay with him, Aragorn is in direct opposition to the will of his surrogate father, Elrond, who raised him. This conflict comes to bear in Aragorn’s fated decision to ride to the Paths of the Dead, for it is Elrond who must reforge the Sword of Kings (Narsil) and essentially give Aragorn his blessing to use it. And Gandalf, who is very plainly a father figure to entire Fellowship, sends his vulnerable "son," Frodo, on the most brutal and unforgiving mission -- to destroy The Ring in Mount Doom -- yet cannot come to his side when Frodo direly needs him.
But perhaps the most prominent and heart-wrenching relationship is that of Denethor (John Noble) and his sons, Boromir (Sean Bean) and Faramir (David Wenham).
Denethor, who is charged with watching over Gondor in absence of its King, is despondent over the death of his favorite son, Boromir, and believes that Faramir, his only surviving son, has failed him by not taking The Ring for Gondor when he had the chance. "Boromir was Denethor’s favorite in the sense that he was a mirror of his father," says Noble. "He was a strong warrior and a born leader; whereas Faramir was more introspective and academic perhaps in the image of Gandalf. The death of Boromir was unbearable for Denethor. It was as if he’d been killed himself."
Movie Database
In Theaters
