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August 19, 20 casting calls in South Canterbury for Lord of the Rings films - Lord of the Rings news - J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

August 08, 2000 at 18:49:21

Tolkien Online brought our attention to an article on Stuff today about the scouting of the town of Twizel.

The location, based on a single picture provided with the article, seems to be ideal for filming the exterior scenes in Gondor's battles. The Battle of the Pelennor Fields is almost sure to be included in the third movie, "The Return of the King", but it remains to be seen whether Aragorn's trip through Lamedon (the mountain vales on the south side of Ered Nimrais), Dor-en-Ernil (possibly a part of the fief of Belfalas), and Lebennin (the land of five rivers which includes Lossarnach, where Denethor sends the majority of Minas Tirith's people for safety) will be included.

Aragorn's journey is important to the literary storyline because he recruits an army of dead warriors from the Second Age who have waited thousands of years to redeem their broken oath of service to Isildur and Gondor. With the aid of these ghosts, Aragorn overwhelms two powerful forces of Haradrim and Corsairs at the town of Ethring and the riverport city of Pelargir. Seizing the ships at Pelargir, Aragorn then transports thousands of soldiers up the river to help relieve the siege at Minas Tirith, and he sends many thousands more marching along the west bank of the Anduin to reinforce the city after it's been freed of the most immediate threat from Mordor.

The waterline near Twizel looks like a good location to serve as Anduin's bank for either the Pelargir or Pelennor Fields scenes, if they are to be included in the cinematic storyline.

The Stuff article, reprinted from The Timaru Herald, says many casting calls will be held in South Canterbury, including one at "the Mackenzie District Council office at Market Place, Twizel, on August 19" and another at "the Roncalli College Hall in Timaru" on August 20.