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)
Christopher Lee, who plays Saruman, adds that men of genius, intellect and power who take the dark path – like Saruman -- will always require their opposite to take them on. "Tolkien places Gandalf in opposition to Saruman – two sides of the same coin," says the actor. "Here you have the universal conflict between good and evil, and the powers behind those two elements. That will have a relevance for every audience, everywhere, because we all know, or have heard of, such people and conflicts in our world."
"I think The Lord of the Rings will live forever because it’s truthful," adds executive producer Mark Ordesky. "And because the issues it deals with will be pertinent forever. It doesn't matter what generation and what age is experiencing it. The story will always have something relevant to say to that audience."
Over the centuries, clearly human archetypes appear and recur throughout Greek, Roman and Norse mythologies, from Eastern and Judeo-Christian ideologies to the works of William Shakespeare. The human truth contained in these experiences is what makes them universal, not the time or place. "Myth – just like religion – is dead unless you keep reinvigorating and reapplying it," says Viggo Mortensen. "I think that what Tolkien did with some of the elements from the sagas and Celtic legends that I know and love was to forge something new, reinvent a lot of these archetypal stories and characters for his generation. Now, Peter Jackson is doing that for ours."
Against the vast, sprawling canvas of war is an intensely human story. "It was about inner courage and about close friendships and about the possibility of wisdom somewhere in the world, by defeating the forces of stupidity and evil," reflects McKellen. "I think the story goes on being relevant not necessarily because of its subject matter but simply because of the brilliance by which it is told, and Peter Jackson’s film is also the work of a brilliant storyteller. That’s why these films are as popular as the books have been and continue to be."
"Like Tolkien, Peter is taking us on a journey that is as big as our own history," adds Weta Workshop’s Richard Taylor. "It is an historical document to some degree. But in all history, there are intimate and heartbreaking stories. Love, hate, viciousness and jealousy fuel the world and ultimately create the history that has come from the writings of Tolkien. And Peter, in turn, has filmed these characters and these moments that give the story the intimacy that it so deserves."
Each individual journey taken by the characters of The Return of the King, the losses they suffer, the sacrifices they make, continue to resonate in today’s world. "There is not an easy or permanent answer to the troubles of today or tomorrow," says Mortensen. "A sword is a sword, nothing more. Hope, compassion and wisdom borne of experience are, for Middle-earth as for our world, the mightiest weapons at hand."
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