An explosive moment from The Battle of Helm’s Deep from the filmThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towershas been reinterpreted in a new toy art image by photographer Robert Day. The image, posted to Day’s97 Parsecs Photography Instagram account, features one of Saruman’s Uruk-hai just before it blows a hole in the Helm’s Deep fortress, in the film’s climactic battle.
Day is one of the best toy photographers on the internet, as his amazing work takes off-the-shelf action figures and captures them in epic poses with detailed dioramas. While his focus is often onStar Wars,Godzilla, andIndiana Jones, Day took a diversion intoLord of the Ringsfor one photo project, after he picked up a figure of one of his favorite characters from the films, the Berserker Uruk-hai. He explained in his post why he wanted to create the image:
Though I don’t have any other orcs available to create a full Helms Deep scene, I still thought I’d do something inspired by it (which is probably my favorite movie battle).
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The result is a jaw-dropping image, which looks like it was taken from the film itself:
The image recreates the scene in which the Uruk-hai, carrying a torch, ignites a crude explosive in a culvert along the Helm’s Deep outer wall. Day accentuated his image with a pile of skeletons and moody lighting. For added dramatic effect, Aragorn’s sword and Gimli’s ax are included in the pile of carnage at the creature’s feet.
The Battle of Helm’s Deep: The Turning Point ofThe Two Towers
As the middle film ofThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy,The Two Towerstakes a dark turn in the story, as Saruman’s (Christopher Lee) army of orcs rampages throughout Middle Earth. Their attacks force King Theoden (the late Bernard Hill) to move his people to the ancient fortress of Helm’s Deep to make a final stand. Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), as well as an army of elven warriors, join Theoden to hold off the advancing orc army.
While it initially seems Helm’s Deep will be able to hold off the orcs, the Berserker Uruk-hai’s attack manages to set off the gunpowder planted at the base of the fortress wall, creating a breach that allows the orcs to overrun the Keep. Day’s image recreates the charge of the Uruk-hai perfectly.
What Are the Two Towers in Lord of the Rings?
The title of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is rather ambiguous. What exactly do the two towers in the books represent?
The explosion turns the tide of the battle toward the orcs, but just when all seems lost, Gandalf (Ian Mckellen) andEomer (Krl Urban)arrive with the Riders of Rohirrim. The horsemen charge and defeat the orcs, stopping Saruman’s plans for a time.
The Two Towerswas nominated for six Academy Awards in 2003, including Best Picture. It won two Oscars, for Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects.
The Lord of the Ringstrilogy is available to stream on HBO Max.
