A fearless heroine
Inspired by a battle recounted by Tolkien in the Appendices of Lord of the Rings, The Rohirrim War takes place 183 years before the events of Peter Jackson’s films. If the latter was not involved in this project, nor his co-writer Fran Walsh (even if they are both credited as executive producers), this film nevertheless fits perfectly into the continuity of the cult trilogy of the filmmaker New Zealand. At the helm, we find its producer Philippa Boyens. While, in the role of narrator, Miranda Otto reprises her character as Lady Éowyn, niece of Theoden, king of Rohan.
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By highlighting the young Hera, The War of the Rohirrim develops a character present in Tolkien’s work, but in the background, never named, except as “the daughter of King Helm”. She becomes the central figure here, a warrior fighting for her kingdom, for her people, but also for her independence and her freedom as a woman. Enough to bring a rather unexpected feminist touch to the rather masculine universe of Lord of the Rings.
Classic animation
This ambitious animated film was entrusted to the Japanese Kenji Kamiyama. Former protégé of Mamoru Oshii at Production IG studios — where he notably worked on the cult Jin-Roh, the Wolf Brigade by Hiroyuki Okiura in 1999 and directed the series Ghost in the Shell —, the filmmaker has real know-how.
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And the aesthetic choice made is quite daring. If the settings play the card of realism (and fidelity to Jackson’s aesthetics in the description of Middle-earth), the characters are drawn and animated in the old-fashioned way. A thousand miles from the 3D animation now in vogue, the film gives itself a little manga feel.
The result is a cartoon full of lyricism, featuring epic battles, while making the connection with Lord of the Rings. And this by recounting another battle of Helm’s Deep (named after the king that we discover here), before that which will oppose Saruman and the Rohirrim in The Two Towers…
Le Seigneur des Anneaux: La Guerre des Rohirrim/The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Animation Of Kenji Kamiyama Scenario Phoebe Gittins, Arty Papageorgiou, Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews (based on The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien) Musique Stephen Gallagher With the voices of Gaia Wise, Brian Cox, Miranda Otto, Luke Pasqualino, Christopher Lee… Duration 2h14
