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)
In guilt or perhaps madness, Denethor sends Faramir into a fight he can’t win – to lead troops into battle against the Orcs in the fallen city of Osgiliath. And Faramir willingly goes. "Faramir is very straightforward and not political at all," comments Wenham. "His father distrusts him, in a way. He has put Faramir in the excruciating position of doing something that doesn't come naturally to him. He’s being forced to lead an enormous group of men into very difficult and harsh circumstances. Yet Faramir loves and trusts his father, and essentially rides to his death in obeisance to win his father’s approval. He realizes there’s no hope in going back into Osgiliath, but he would gladly give his life for the future of Gondor, and for Middle-earth."
"It's a waste, a foolish act," comments Boyens. "Yet the act itself is enormously heroic. It is being driven by pain and suffering of this young soldier who is trying to gain a father's love. Gandalf says to him, ‘Your father does love you, and he's going to remember it before the end. So don't throw your life away.’ Within the context of war, futility often springs from very personal causes that people play out with other people's lives."
The two kingdoms of Rohan and Gondor have spent a lifetime in uneasy co-existence. Yet as both fall under siege, combining their resources and power becomes their only option for survival.
As Rohan and Gondor ultimately join together against their common, and overwhelming, enemy, so does an unlikely trust spring out of the hardships experienced by Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), a Dwarf, and Legolas (Orlando Bloom), an Elf. Though they set out on the quest in opposition, as they rely increasingly on each other for both survival and companionship, they form a bond that transcends race and prejudice. "At our best, we, like the Fellowship, realize individually and collectively that peaceful co-existence can be achieved only through vigilance and conscious compassion," says Viggo Mortensen. "Compassion for oneself and others, especially for those determined to do us harm. An effort to identify with others leads to an understanding that there is no absolute difference between us."
"To me, the characters in this film exemplify the positive aspects of life," reflects director of photography Andrew Lesnie. "It’s not necessarily promoting one particular ideology, religion or philosophy, but saying that you accept that there are differences in the world and you are prepared to embrace those differences. If enough people manage to approach the world in a positive, loving way, you may actually change the nature of the human race on a regular basis. And this story is an example of a group of people who triumph by following that aim."
The presence of hope may level the playing field between Sauron’s massive forces and the coalition united against him. Yet even Gandalf recognizes that this monumental quest on the shoulders of a small Hobbit carries little more than a "fool’s hope" of success.
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