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The Guardian Unlimited has something to say about Tolkien production - Lord of the Rings news - J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

June 26, 2000 at 13:48:08

All the media now seem to be catching on to the concerns of Tolkien fans over Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" production in New Zealand. The Guardian Unlimited posted a fairly standard review of the film and the history behind it on June 19.

The article mentions the Beatles' one-time desire to star in a "Lord of the Rings" movie production, as well as Ralph Bakshi's unfinished adaptation.

The article seems to imply (to this reader) that its author disapproves of some of the changes made to the storyline by Peter Jackson's script, but it calls the second installment in the three-volume novel "The Twin Towers". Is this a gaffe?

All the media right now appear to be focusing on the less controversial changes made to the story concerning Arwen and Galadriel and ignoring the more controversial changes involving plate armor on Saruman's Uruk-hai, their spawning, and the complete departure of Tom Bombadil from the story.

Although the enhancement of Arwen's role has inspired considerable debate, the plate armor and spawning of the Orcs have been almost universally condemned and the ommission of Bombadil has led to at least two petition drives and numerous complaints and arguments over the value of Bombadil.

But the media also seem to be focusing more attention on negative fannish reactions, downplaying the overwhelming support for the film production that Xenite.Org and other well-known fan sites have provided over the past couple of years despite our occasional criticisms.