This character’s death was originally WAY more gruesome on The Rings of Power

This character's death was originally WAY more gruesome on The Rings of Power

As a fan with a penchant for epic fantasy and a soft spot for gruesome details, I must admit that the recent episode of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” left me both enthralled and slightly queasy. The brutal death scene of Mirdania, albeit toned down for television, was a stark reminder of the harsh world J.R.R. Tolkien created.

In the latest installment of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” titled “Fated to Perish,” we witness a thrilling sequence of events. Adar, leading his horde of orcs, lays siege to the Elven city, Eregion. Meanwhile, Sauron exerts his influence over the city’s leader, Celebrimbor, within its fortified walls. The combat is intense and tragic, resulting in a few supporting characters meeting their end. At one juncture, the venerable Mirdania (Amelia Kenworthy) tumbles from a wall, meeting a grim demise on the ground below.

1) We didn’t have a close relationship with Mirdania, but the initial portrayal of her death was excessively harsh. As it turns out, there were even more brutal scenes initially planned. Stunt coordinator and second unit director Vic Armstrong revealed to SlashFilm that the original death scene of Mirdania was significantly gruesome, as Director Charlotte Brändström had requested. He responded, “Give me some really gruesome bits!

So I had [Mirdania] thrown off the roof, you see her go down and hit the ground, there’s a really good shot, and you see this orc chop her. And then he holds up her whole shoulder and arm and starts drinking the blood. But they deemed it a bit too gory, which, I can’t understand why, of course. [laughing]

Initially, when I learned that a graphic death scene in this tale had been toned down for television, I assumed that “The Rings of Power” was being overly cautious. I silently wished for more gore. However, the gruesome image of Mirdania’s torso being dismembered so orcs could drink her blood from her open chest was a sight that left me speechless. Good heavens! Such violence would be intense even for “House of the Dragon,” let alone the relatively mild setting of “The Rings of Power.” It seems wiser to tone down that particular scene.

If ordinary folks overheard a conversation at a café about what I was proposing – something along the lines of ‘Let her tumble down the wall, then dismember her, with the shoulder detaching, including the dress on her sleeve, and the blood flowing’ – they would surely think you’re utterly insane. But that’s the type of thinking that comes naturally to us who engage in such activities. Armstrong chuckled.

This character's death was originally WAY more gruesome on The Rings of Power

How Morfydd Clark uses her athleticism on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

When Armstrong isn’t brainstorming methods to dismember elves, he’s collaborating with actors such as Morfydd Clark (Galadriel) to ensure their portrayals are as authentic as possible, especially during action sequences. It seems that Clark excels naturally at this. As Armstrong shared with ScreenRant, “In season 1, she was maturing into a woman like Galadriel. And in season 2, it begins with that thrilling horse chase I directed, where she’s pursuing to obtain the ring and more, which we filmed in Windsor Great Park, right beneath the Queen’s castle there, and across all of Berkshire.” “She’s terrific now.

We taught her to ride on season 1, and she’s really confident on a horse now, and she looks very queen-like on a horse. And then, into the battle scenes and the fight scenes, she flows, she’s a wonderful athlete. She won’t believe it, and I keep telling her this, but she is an incredible athlete. She’s got great body control, great balance, got a dancer’s balance. You can turn and do things and still keep in character and deliver her lines.
She’s an absolute joy to work with, and anything you want to do action-wise, she’s up to do it. Training on season 1, we had her underwater, dragging her on her back with cables underwater for 15-20 minutes with a breathing apparatus in between shots. And she’s up for everything like that, and a real team player. So, it’s wonderful to see her developing as the show’s going on, into a really great queen.

In the television series, “The Rings of Power,” the character of Galadriel departs significantly from the tranquil, otherworldly queen portrayed in J.R.R. Tolkien’s original “Lord of the Rings” books and Peter Jackson’s films. However, since the show is set millennia before the events of the main story, elves being immortal, it seems Galadriel has ample opportunity for growth and development.

The Rings of Power” is set to air on Prime Video this Thursday, October 3.

2024-09-30 21:41

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