War and Rumors of War
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

New Line Cinema
Film Essay by Rose Pacatte, FSP
December 7, 2002

It is a time of grave peril for Middle Earth. Saruman (Christopher Lee), the corrupt wizard who dwells in the Orthanc Tower, in Isengard, has joined forces with Sauron of the fortress Barad-dur in the dark lands of Mordor. Their army - 10,000 strong - has a single purpose: to destroy the world of men. Saruman is the "tower" that embodies cosmic malevolence, and Sauron is the "tower" that represents personal evil.

At the center of the second and central three-hour installment of Peter Jackson's ambitious and awesome cinematic interpretation of J.J. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, is, of course, the ring of power that corrupts all who possess it.

As The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers opens, we find the seven remaining members of the fellowship of the ring split into three groups: the hobbits, Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin), are joined by a schizophrenic creature, Gollum (Andy Serkis), whom Frodo allows to live in order to guide them to Mordor so the ring can be destroyed; the human Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), the archer-elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and the dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) arrive at the besieged kingdom of Rohan whose king has fallen under the spell of Saruman's power; and two more hobbits, Pippin (Billy Boyd) and Merry (Dominic Monaghan), spend almost the entire film in the branches of an Ent named Treebeard, who walks and talks to the hobbits about the destruction of the forests while it literally carries them in its branches through the woods.

Thus The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers has three main character groups (and several sub-groups) whose parallel journeys form the threads of the narrative. The story has two major themes, that are at once entwined and that struggle against each other: the utter evil and depravity of war and the fact that good is worth fighting for. This is not the only duality found in The Two Towers. There are other pairs of conflicting ideas, either within an individual or a group. To identify them is part of what makes the experience of going to the deepest part of darkness in Middle Earth The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, so extraordinary and fascinating.

The above description is, of course, utter simplification of a complex, gloomy, violent tale of mythic proportions. Any one review or essay could never do justice to Tolkien's story or Jackson's film. You have to see it (or read it) for yourself.

It is almost impossible to keep track of all the characters in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. At one point I lost track of the reborn wizard, Gandalf the White (Sir Ian McKellen, who used to be the Grey before he perished in The Fellowship of the Rings). It wasn't until he reappeared almost at the end of the film that I realized he'd left an hour before. There are many new characters and relationships introduced in the film, as well as places, especially the refuge, Helm's Deep. There is so much going on at any given moment that the viewer has to wait for the film finish to sort it all out, never mind trying to link this film to the previous The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. And even then, the interested-viewer-turned-devout-fan of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, book or film, needs the third part to achieve a sense of satisfaction, finality or closure. I can hardly wait (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is scheduled to be released in December, 2003.)

Gollum, (Andy Serkis) formerly known as Smeagol, personifies dualism in the story. He is the most interesting (and perhaps essential) character in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers because "they" both still exist within the body of this strange creature. The conversations between Gollum's past persona and his present self offer the viewer fodder for thought about temptation and conscience; "they" also provide a modicum of comic relief (added to that provided by the good dwarf Gimli) in an otherwise grim and intense film. Smeagol was once a bearer of the same ring now carried by Frodo. Because he desired to possess the ring, he was corrupted by its power. He has fallen from grace and become an abusive child, a kind of Jar Jar Binks (Star Wars) character, according to actor Andy Serkis who plays Gollum. Gollum is now torn by temptation to possess the ring and his growing fondness for Frodo. After all, Frodo has saved him from destruction at the hand of Sam, the faithful and loyal companion, who suspects that Gollum has evil intentions. Does he?

Fantasy aficionados will relish the animated incarnation of the Ents, the mobile tree-shepherds that offer thoughtful commentary about care for the earth, a Tolkienian theme that the filmmakers remain totally faithful to. Special effects enthusiasts will be wowed over and over again by the battle scenes made up of computerized Orcs, which were generated and controlled by a specially developed software program called "Massive." Each figure has its own artificial intelligence that allows it to "choose" its own response. Howard Shore's musical score is integrated so well with the visuals that they become a seamless whole. His melodies evoke suspicion, fear, dread, doom and finally, hope.

But what about the moral of the story? Is there one?

J.R.R. Tolkien never wanted his book to be interpreted as an allegory or religious parable to teach a lesson. He is telling us a story, not teaching us a lesson. It could be said that The Lord of the Rings is a myth, a huge over-arching story that organizes or explains how we might understand life. The thoughtful viewer (and/or reader) could very well begin to explore the meaning of the trilogy by questioning the vast text itself, which, as screenwriter Philippa Boyens recounts, the cast and crew referred to and revered as a "bible" during filmmaking. It is important to note that director Peter Jackson reiterates that the reason for making the films was not to "teach a lesson" but to interpret Tolkien's work visually.

Tolkien's own experience as a soldier in World War I and living through World War II, as well as his Catholic imagination (and study of the language and literature of Old Icelandic and English), certainly contributed themes to his myth-making. Tolkien is a verbal artist whose imagination bears witness to the terrible consequences of war and the possibilities of hope. Filmmaker Peter Jackson and his team bring Tolkien's words to life through their own extraordinary aesthetic vision.

If there is no "moral of the story" per se, what do we have? What are some of the themes that emerge from this myth? It depends greatly to what the viewer "brings" to the movie. For me, the principles of Catholic social teaching, whether intended or not by Tolkien, are implicitly or explicitly present. These ideas form a helpful lens for the faith community to view and then talk about The Two Towers:

• Concern for the integrity of creation - This theme is essential to Tolkien's work. Treebeard the Ent, Pippin and Merry give voice to Tolkien's intense sadness at the destruction of nature for the sake of "the machine" and prompt us to ask what we can do to help preserve the forest, that actor Billy Boyd, who plays Pippen, calls "the lungs of the world."
• The dignity of the human person - Whether in the form of humans or hobbits and their relationships, or even for the unfortunate Gollum, in its darkest moments, The Two Towers celebrates human dignity. Why is this principle so important in modern societies? What is "Gospel" about human dignity?
• The common good - If Middle Earth is to survive, its citizens must put aside personal interests and ambitions in the struggle to overcome the power of evil. Is there such a thing as "good" power, or is this an oxymoron? What is power?
• Solidarity - The themes that characterize the relationships between humans, elves, dwarfs and hobbits (races, cultures, creeds, age) are those of "friendship, loyalty, trust and love." All of these equal empathy and generate the respect that creates community. How does the film present or embody these traits (even though Tolkien was limited by his own all-white and almost all-male perspective?)
• Subsidiarity - This means that no higher level community should strip another community of their capacity to see, judge and act on their own behalf. This conflict between communities is at the heart of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
• A preferential option for the poor - Although the effort to amass material goods is not evident in the film, the small ones of Middle Earth, the weak and the peaceful, are marginalized by the powerful war mongers who initiate conflict and seek only more power over them and the entire earth. These are the powerless, the power-poor, the oppressed. What would an option for the poor mean in Middle Earth? What does it mean today?
• Universal distribution of goods - How can Middle Earth's citizens survive without the means to do so? What does war have to do with access to the means of survival? How has war destroyed the natural resources? What has happened to the Shire, to Rohan, and Gondor? What does justice mean to a person who is hungry?

Avid film-goers will make comparisons between The Two Towers and other fantasy films as well as science fiction movies that depict the cruelty and chaos of war. The movie that The Two Towers most reminded me of is James Cameron's 1991 Terminator 2: Judgment Day. If you watch it again, note themes like the destruction of the environment; the incursion of the machines and technology permitted by people who do not consider consequences; the process of dehumanization brought about by war and the worship of technology; the physical, moral and ethical conflict/dilemma between the violence of oppressors and violence of those who seek to preserve the good. The Two Towers and Terminator 2: Judgment Day are not so very different at all and worth the reflection of mindful and caring people everywhere.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is not a fairy-tale but an epic myth set in a fantasy world about survival against oppressors. It would be too easy to say it is a tale about good vs. evil, although it is that. Can good and evil exist within the same person or society at the same time? At what cost? How do we discern what is right and just? What are we to do?

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is about war, its causes and its consequences. Rumors of war and stories of man's inhumanity to man exist in fantasy, literature, scripture, history, computer games, the American family and the daily news. War is hell whether it's in the past, the future, or the present.

Yet there is a glimmer of hope that gives the hobbits and their companions courage. The alternative is just not acceptable. What are they to do? What are we to do?

Director Peter Jackson's gigantic realm of Middle Earth is almost too big a yard to play in for the uninitiated visitor. Be sure to rent the DVD or video of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring that was released in 2001 if you haven't already seen it, or you will be condemned to wander Middle earth in a muddle. Better yet, see the DVD again, and visit www.LordoftheRings.net to review the action and characters before getting in line to experience The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. You won't be sorry.