We are at the beginning of The Two Towers, the second part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, adapted from the work of JRR Tolkien and directed by Peter Jackson. After escaping a horde of Uruk-hai who have taken them hostage, two hobbits Mary and Pippin seek refuge by sinking deep into the ancient forest of Fengorn.
There they meet Treebeard, an ancient Ent (a kind of tree that can talk and move). Gandalf’s friendly creature, which allows them to find shelter in its branches, will play a crucial role in the War of the Ring.
Gifted with a deep and cavernous voice, underlined by a deep inspiration that perfectly evokes his great age, Treebeard is voiced by one of the main actors of the saga: John Rhys-Davies, known for his role as the dwarf Gimli in Peter Jackson’s film. Movies.
Indeed, the British actor (soon to be seen again as Salah in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Fortune) revealed in an audio commentary for The Two Towers that the New Zealand filmmaker had urged him to play the character:
“When Peter asked me to do the woodpecker sound, I said, ‘Yes, of course.'”He said, adding that the challenge was daunting.
“I didn’t realize what a risk we were taking. It’s easy to imagine a tree that talks and walks, but it had to be funny to see it. Everyone was going to laugh. That would destroy the credibility of the film. How does Ant speak? He has no lungs. So I tried to inspire myself in the sentence with an unnatural I brought it to places so that the character seems to speak not while exhaling, but while inhaling. (…).”
John Rhys-Davies, still on audio commentary for the trilogy, also explained that the special effects team was heavily inspired by his performances to create Ent’s appearance:
“The Treebeard designers were inspired by my performance. The way I voiced Ent helped them find the character’s attitude. His joy, anger, etc. were voiced by Treebeard, what I said was recorded and then reused by the technical team To create character movements.
You should also know that the casting of the two characters (Gimli and Treebeard) with the same actor is respected in the French version of the film, with Belgian actor Vincent Grass providing the voice of the dwarf and Ent.
(Re)discover all the hidden details of The Two Towers…
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
