Focus on the spectacular “Return of the King” sequence where Legolas, using his agility and a few arrows, manages to annihilate a gigantic Mûmakil, as well as all its occupants.
A nice tightrope walk act on a chain in the depths of Moria, a rodeo on the head of a cave troll, a little demonstration of surfing on a shield at Helm’s Deep or even a shot capable of killing around thirty people. single arrow enemies …
In The Fellowship of the Ring and in The Two Towers – the first two installments of the Lord of the Rings trilogy – the bravery sequences during which Legolas shines with his precision, his agility and his audacity are not lacking.
It was therefore logical that in The king’s return – third opus and true apotheosis of the saga – the Elf is once again in the spotlight for a last acrobatics, even more spectacular than the previous ones.
Thus, during the gigantic Battle of the Fields of Pelennor, the one that the Dwarf Gimli sometimes nicknames “Doré Pointu” throws himself without hesitation in the assault of a colossal oliphant, which he manages to kill in one minute flat, regaining the earth. closes by sliding quietly on the trunk of the beast.
But how was this impressive piece of bravery, totally absent from JRR Tolkien’s work, conceived?
“If this sequence saw the light of day, it is only because the antics of Legolas in the first two films impressed the public”, admits filmmaker Peter Jackson, in the film’s audio commentary.
“But he hadn’t done anything in The Return of the King yet. After shield surfing in Helm’s Deep and troll climbing in The Fellowship of the Ring, we were missing a feat of Legolas. had been such success that it was necessary to reserve something for him in this film. I saw nothing other, in view of the context, than to give him a Mûmak. That’s how this sequence was born. “
Metropolitan FilmExport
As also explained by the New Zealand director, still in the audio commentary of The Return of the King, Orlando Bloom, interpreter of Legolas, was very little used on the scene in question, which required only one day of shooting, and which was almost entirely created in synthetic images:
“Weta graphic designers produced an animated sequence before Orlando arrived in New Zealand”, explains Peter Jackson.
“There are only a few shots on the whole sequence where it’s really him. So everything was shot in one day. We didn’t have an extra day because he was already shooting Ned. Kelly in Australia. Or was he already going to leave to shoot Troy? I forgot. He couldn’t stay more than 3 days. We had the pint contest the first day, something else the next day and this scene on the last day. It was planned very carefully. “
Even today, Legolas’ assault on the oliphant remains among the memorable moments of the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
(Re) discover our special video on Legolas …
