The Quotable "Two Towers" Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Released in December 2002, "The Two Towers" - based on the second volume of J.R.R. Tolkien's novel "The Lord of the Rings" - is a powerful, visually stunning film of truly epic proportions, with a running time of 179 minutes. Though criticized by purists for a number of significant deviations from Tolkien's original text, it is not only memorable for its many action sequences, but also for some deeply moving scenes, as well as a welcome sprinkling of humour. The quotes I have chosen for this quiz are listed in the order they appear in the film.

In the first quote, the Three Walkers - Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) - are in pursuit of the band of Uruk-hai who abducted the hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) at the end of "The Fellowship of the Ring". During the trio's long, tireless trek through the wilderness, Aragorn spots a leaf-shaped brooch, a gift from Lady Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), lying in the grass. He and his companions thus surmise that Merry and Pippin (who had intentionally dropped the brooch) may still be alive.

The next quote is part of a longer speech by the traitor wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee), addressed to the Dark Lord Sauron, with whom he is communicating through a palantír, a seeing stone. The speech is presented as a voiceover while Orcs are shown toiling in the pits of Isengard. In one of the following scenes, Saruman orders his Orcs to cut down and burn the trees of the forest of Fangorn - a fatal mistake on his part.

The Three Walkers have entered Fangorn while searching for the hobbits. Gimli - who, as a Dwarf, is not a fan of woods - comments on the stuffy, somewhat menacing atmosphere of the forest. Legolas' response hints at the anger of the trees towards Saruman and anyone else responsible for hurting them. Shortly afterwards, the three meet with Gandalf (Ian McKellen), reborn as Gandalf the White after his fight with the Balrog of Moria.

After leaving the forest, Gandalf and his three companions ride to Edoras, the capital of the kingdom of Rohan. There they find King Théoden (Bernard Hill) possessed by Saruman, and in thrall to the wizard's henchman, Gríma Wormtongue (Brad Dourif). Gandalf boldly steps towards the throne and proceeds to exorcise the king, forcing Saruman to depart from him. Following this exorcism, Théoden regains a more vigorous, youthful appearance.

As Rohan is threatened by Saruman's impending attack, Théoden orders the people of Edoras to evacuate the city and head for the fortress of Helm's Deep. Before their departure, Aragorn surprises Éowyn (Miranda Otto), the king's niece, while she is practising with her sword. The young woman, who is strongly attracted to him, states that she is a fighter, not afraid of pain nor death: what she fears is feeling useless and being ultimately forgotten, without any chances of proving her mettle.

In the meantime, Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) are attempting to reach Mordor with the help of Gollum (Andy Serkis), the former owner of the One Ring. While camping in the beautiful but deserted region of Ithilien, Gollum brings two rabbits to Sam, who sets about cooking them - to Gollum's horror, as the former hobbit only eats raw meat or fish. In fact, Sam's praise of potatoes and their many uses leaves Gollum unimpressed.

Shortly afterwards, the three travellers are surprised by the Rangers of Ithilien, led by Faramir (David Wenham), the younger son of Denethor (John Noble), Steward of Gondor. The Rangers take the two hobbits to their secret hideout, the Window of the West, while Gollum manages to escape. During a tense confrontation, the true nature of the hobbits' quest is revealed: in a major departure from the book, Faramir is tempted to get hold of the Ring to prove to his father that he is as worthy of respect as his deceased brother Boromir (Sean Bean).

After escaping from the Uruk-hai into Fangorn Forest, Merry and Pippin meet Treebeard, the leader of the Ents. When the ancient beings, at the end of an interminable meeting, declare they do not intend to get involved in the war against Sauron, the two hobbits are disheartened. However, they soon realize there is no way back for them, as even their peaceful home country will be inevitably drawn into the conflict.

To stoke the Ents' anger against Saruman and lead them to take action against the wizard, Merry and Pippin ask Treebeard to take them south, towards Isengard. There the old Ent sees the remains of many trees, felled and burned by Saruman's Orcs to feed the furnaces of Isengard. In his wrath, Treebeard issues a powerful call to arms to his fellow Ents, who start marching towards Saruman's stronghold.

At the end of the climactic battle of Helm's Deep, when everything seems lost for the small band of Rohirrim and their friends, Aragorn asks Théoden to ride out with him to face the enemy. At sunrise, Gimli blows Helm's horn, while Aragorn, Théoden, Legolas and their men ride out of the keep to meet the Uruk-hai. At that moment, Gandalf, mounted on his faithful horse Shadowfax, appears on top of a hill overlooking the fortress, along with Éomer and other warriors of Rohan - turning the battle in the Rohirrim's favour.

In one of the movie's last scenes, Frodo, Sam and Gollum - finally set free by Faramir - are walking through the woods, heading towards Mordor. Sam wonders whether they will ever become the subject of songs or tales, and start praising Frodo's heroism. Frodo replies with the words in the quote, which Sam at first does not take seriously. However, Frodo's words will prove true more than once during the hobbits' harrowing journey through the Black Land.