Movies News Talk
Director Loni Peristere of House Of The Dragon has clarified the cinematic inspirations behind season 2, episode 7, "The Red Sowing," opening scene. After learning that the shipwright has become a dragonrider, Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy) faces Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty) on a beach with their respective dragons behind each other. The first caution Rhaenyra and Addam show develops to a triumphant ending in which Addam pledges his allegiance to Rhaenyra and she realizes that her scheme to locate new dragonriders who are not trueborn Targaryens may be realistic after all.
When staging the tense opening scene between Rhaenyra and Addam, Peristere told Vanity Fair he got ideas from many classic Western films and their stars. He described how the Western inspirations helped to graphically depict the dynamics between Rhaenyra and Addam as they first met. The director also spoke on how these clichés were modified for the fantasy series' setting.
Peristere said, "That opening shot comes from classic Western clichés. This is Sergio Leone, Eli Wallach, and Clint Eastwood. Dragons instead of weapons at their holstered position. Rhaenyra the queen is this guy instead of a shot two men out in the middle of a barren desert scene? Still, both of them carry weapons. For me, the sensation of that opening shot was, how do I evoke traditional cinematic language—the large epic wide view that puts two cowboys against each other—and also pull out that dragon level of epic?"
Though at first tense, Rhaenyra and Addam soon discover common ground and unity that shows how closely their stories line-up in several respects. As Rhaenyra is a trueborn Targaryen and Addam is the bastard son of Corlys Velaryon, both have Valyrian blood running through their veins; this blood is crucial in claiming their respective dragons. More importantly, Rhaenyra and Addam are people with great power thrust upon them that questions society's expectations and breaks through boundaries.
From a basic shipwright to a dragonrider, Addam challenged the long-held belief that only trueborn Targaryens could claim a dragon. With Rhaenyra's claim to the Iron Throne challenging Westeros' patriarchal basis, Viserys Targaryen chose his daughter over his brother Daemon and son Aegon. Though they did not actively pursue the authority they were given, Addam and Rhaenyra boldly embraced the responsibility and kept their bravery by facing all the accompanying difficulties.
The approval and love of their fathers also greatly affects House Of The Dragon characters. Addam wanted to be known by Corlys all his life, and at last he got that when the Hand of the Queen congratulated him on becoming a dragonrider. Rhaenyra wanted to know whether Viserys truly changed his mind about his heir during his last hours, partly because she had to know her father died fully loving and approving of her, so creating more similarities between her and Addam. Alicent visited King's Landing earlier in House of the Dragon season 2.
About 172 years before the events of Game Of Thrones, House of the Dragon chronicles the ascent of the Targaryens, the only family of dragonlords to withstand the Doom of Valyria. Milly Alcock and Emily Carey first starred Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower before Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke, who play the older versions of the characters, took front stage. Matt Smith (Prince Daemon Targaryen) and Paddy Considine as Rhaenyra's father, King Viserys Targaryen, also feature in the series.