One of the most spectacular scenes in THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING, the third part of the trilogy, is the Battle of Pelennor Fields. The army of Sauron threatens Minas Tirith but the city is defended by the forces of Rohan and Gondor.
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| The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 0:42:33 |
The battle was filmed in the spring of 2000 which took 32 days. More than 1500 people, in front of and behind the camera, and 250 horses were present during filming. The armies appear to be much larger on the screen because a large part was added digitally. Unfortunately, the city of Minas Tirith does not really exist, it is a scale model. All scenes inside the city were shot in the studio.
In reality, Pelennor Fields is a vast farmland near the town of Twizel in the middle of New Zealand's South Island. The private land is fenced but open to the public. There is a small parking lot on Glen Lyon Road.
Pelennor Fields first appears when Faramir (David Wenham) and his men ride from Minas Tirith to the city of Osgiliath. The location is recognizable by the Ben Ohau Range mountain range in the background.
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| The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 1:31:03 |
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| Ben Ohau Range, Twizel, 12 January 2020 |
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| The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 1:31:03 |
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| Ben Ohau Range, Twizel, 12 January 2020 |
Against the backdrop of snow-capped mountain peaks, King Théoden of Rogan (Bernard Hill) orders his army to attack the army of orcs. During our visit there was almost no snow left.
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| The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2:32:54 |
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| Ben Ohau Range, Twizel, 12 January 2020 |
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| The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2:34:11 |
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| Ben Ohau Range, Twizel, 12 January 2020 |
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| The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2:35:01 |
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| Ben Ohau Range, Twizel, 12 January 2020 |
The extended edition on dvd was used for the screenshots.
Screenshots © New Line Cinema/Wingnut Films
