Weta - Lord Of The Rings - Boromir At Amon Hen

Called to Rivendell by a dream, Boromir joins the Fellowship of the Ring as a representative of Gondor. Shortly after the first round of shooting had been completed, we in the movies’ crew were treated to a special screening of some key scenes that Peter Jackson had edited together with a temp. score. Taking turns, each department crowded into the private Camperdown Cinema adjoining Weta Workshop, a small but magnificently appointed theatre decorated with sculpted balustrades and a proscenium arch upon which creatures from past Peter Jackson movies danced in sculpted relief. By this point some of us had been on the project as much as three years, but this was the first time we were going to see something close to finished. The anticipation was electric!

The lights dimmed and excited chatter died away, the quiet dark of the theatre wrapping us all in its embrace, and we all held our breath! Suddenly our faces were illuminated by the bright hills of the Shire, following Gandalf as his cart wound its way through narrow green-swathed lanes toward the Hill, and smiles appeared everywhere. Sir’s Ian Holm and McKellen embraced upon the doorstep of Bag End; Frodo and his friends hid from the relentless Ringwraiths and sought shelter in Rivendell; the Fellowship climbed the snowy slopes of Caradhras and softly tread the melancholy emptiness of Moria. In what seemed like no time at all, twenty minutes had passed, and we were in the woods of Parth Galen, watching in horror as Boromir fought off waves of savage Uruk-hai in defence of Merry and Pippin. Arrow after arrow struck him and he fell, the Hobbits taken. We’d only met Sean Bean’s Boromir a scene or two ago, but the power of his portrayal, the anguish of his struggle, the poetry of his fall, set to the heart-breaking melodies of Braveheart in the temp. score, captured us all.

Moments later it was over, and as the lights came up again there wasn’t a dry eye in the cinema. We all knew right then that this was going to be something truly special. Fantasy films had tended to be a bit clunky or cheesy in the past. There was a certain awkwardness which kept audiences from engaging, and it was in the backs of all of our minds, an ever-present niggle up to that moment that perhaps this was going to be the same. Some of us familiar with Tolkien’s writings had dared to hope: the subject matter was so strong, but after numerous attempts to adapt it in the past it was said to be unfilmable. Now that hope had come true. It would be a year before audiences all over the world would see it, but we knew as we left that cinema, that we were on the journey of a lifetime! Dimensions:
(W x H x L) 28.5 cm x 30 cm x 20.5 cm
Weight:
4.718 lbs (2.14 kg)