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Posted on 12/02/2003 1:54:43 PM PST by Cathryn Crawford
Edited on 04/29/2004 2:03:31 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Reuters) -- Thousands of ecstatic fans cheered "The Lord of the Rings" at the world premiere of the final installment of the award-winning movie trilogy.
Like a victorious general at the front of his army, home-grown director Peter Jackson led stars from "The Return of the King" for five km (3 miles) through central Wellington on Monday, flanked by characters clad in armor and on black horses.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
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For example, the horrible Ed Burns flick "Ash Wednesday." I'm sure his agent pushed this as something that would make Elijah into a Leonardo Di Caprio (Leo had the good sense to turn down this vomitous script). THIS MOVIE SUCKED LIKE A HOOVER!!
Sounds like your children lucked out. Tell them we're all very, very envious.
Considering how cold it is here I'm even envious of your sunburn.
It's been interesting as the rollout of this premiere progressed. Helen Klark took total political proprietorship of it... traditionally, all political parties in Parliament would be invited to a State dinner, but with LOTR, not the NATIONAL Party. Xao Helen said she funded certain aspects of it and opened doors, as if she did it from her own pocket or the Labour Party's funds. Anything the Labour government did was via NZ taxpayer money - what she's done is typically what Mugabe or Castro would do... wipe out opposition from view. The MMP system means she can't quite match them and govern alone though.
Is Jackson really getting a lot of flak or unpopularity for the huge tax break he finagled for LOTR's production?
Anderton seems really put out by it. Or is that just the usual Labour disdain for losing tax revenue? Does anyone else really care?
I made that last post before your last one...
My understanding was that Jackson negotiated the tax breaks with English - Shipley's government, not Clark's, obviously. Clark didn't take power until November of '99.
So what does she have to claim credit for - and does Anderton feel differently?
I can't help but feel that she loves the LOTR publicity and wishes to bask in its glow but hates the idea that it cost the government coffers any money.
In fairness, Klark has given tax breaks to the film industry just as she gave $NZ280m to "the arts" during her first term. She's smart enough to realise that tourism will spin a return that should cancel out the tax credits. You can't buy advertising for a country the way this trilogy has given NZ such a profile. In a land of government handouts, who's going to worry about another one, especially where there's a possible payback?
I think if the relevant people want to see The Hobbit made, it will be made.
As I understand it, Saul Zaentz owns the rights to The Hobbit as he does LOTR. SO if Zaentz and New Line want to see it made - and I'll bet they do - I imagine the legal issues can be easily sorted out.
And PJ won't be able to resist.
I am not sure what to expect of the tone. It may be a little more PG than LOTR but perhaps not quite as children-oriented as the book. I would also expect more than a few nods to LOTR. Gimli, Legolas, and Aragorn (as a lad of 11) were all alive at the time, and I would not be surprised to see a cameo or two. And to see Ian McKellen and Hugo Weaving make encore performances.
I know enough to say this is the most publicity GodZone has gotten in the States since the nuke flap back. And this is much better publicity than that, yes?
Most Americans are barely aware it exists.
If it weren't for 9/11 I think you would have seen even more tourism.
,,, she cancelled the order for F-16s before she scrapped our Airforce, so there's no worry for her about breaching a contract/good faith but with LOTR, she's probably thinking it will be seen in France, so that and the fact that she's Minister of Arts and Heritage makes crap look like raspberry jelly for LOTR coming to fruition.
,,, it's not just Soros who's presently buying the $NZ. A lot more Americans are coming down here now, buying up businesses and houses. I think attendant anxiety in the US may have contributed to that development more than the scenery in LOTR.
,,, no problem at all if they're conservatives.
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