Ep. 33 - Howard Shore's 'Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'
Film Music Fridays • Documentary, Fantasy, Music, 22-May-2020
Justin Freer talks about Howard Shore’s second massive, epic, and beautiful score to The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, directed by Peter Jackson in 2002, based again on the second volume of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Justin discusses two scenes in this episode, one utilizing an interesting instrument called the hardanger fiddle, with the second using a boys choir soprano solo over one of the more beautiful shots used in the film.
Many considerThe Two Towers as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. The film received numerous accolades; at the 75th Academy Awards, it was nominated for six awards, including Best Picture, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing, winning two: Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects.
Howard Shore has composed the scores for over 80 films, and has won three Academy Awards for his work on the first trilogy, with one being for the original song "Into the West", an award he shared with Eurythmics lead vocalist Annie Lennox and writer/producer Fran Walsh, who wrote the lyrics. He is also a consistent collaborator with director David Cronenberg, having scored all but one of his films since 1979.
In addition to his three Academy Awards, Shore has also won three Golden Globe Awards and four Grammy Awards.
Where to watch: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-two-towers/
Up Next in Film Music Fridays
-
Ep. 32 - Howard Shore's 'Lord of the ...
Justin Freer talks about Howard Shore’s massive, epic, and incredible score to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, directed by Peter Jackson in 2001, based on the first volume of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
Many consider the film to be one of the most influential films...
-
Ep. 31 - Benjamin Wallfisch's 'Hidden...
Justin Freer talks about Benjamin Wallfisch’s beautiful and subtle score to the 2016 American biographical drama film Hidden Figures, directed by Theodore Melfi. It was chosen by National Board of Review as one of the top ten films of 2016 and was nominated for numerous awards, including three Os...
-
Ep. 30 - Alfred Newman's 'Airport'
Justin Freer talks about Alfred Newman’s fun and jazzy score to the 1970 American air disaster-drama film, Airport, directed and written by George Seaton. Alfred Newman, considered to be one of the most prolific composers in movie history, won nine Academy Awards® and was nominated 45 times. He ...
