Myth Meets Real Life (Lord of the Rings and the Present Crisis)

Breakpoint ^ | Dec 16, 03 | Charles Colson

[SLB]

Tomorrow, The Return of the King, the final chapter in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, opens in theaters across the country. At the press event earlier this month in Los Angeles, the cast and crew reflected on the experience of making the films: the friendships, camaraderie, and hardships.

The film, of course, has a great message, but one cast member added a powerful—if politically incorrect—perspective of his own. He talked about how the crises and challenges depicted in Tolkien’s mythical world might help us cope with those we confront in our world today.

John Rhys-Davies, who plays Gimli the dwarf, told writers that “the older I get, the more certain I am of the presence of evil” in the world. Such a declaration by itself sets Rhys-Davies apart from many in the entertainment industry. But the British actor didn’t stop there. He said that Tolkien was “basically saying” that there are “times when a generation may be challenged. And if that generation does not rise to meet that challenge, you could lose an entire civilization.”

According to Rhys-Davies, this message has a “huge resonance for today.” For someone who, as he put it, believes in “Judeo-Greek-Christian-Western civilization,” recent developments, especially in Europe, are a “catastrophe.”

The civilization that has given us “democracy, the equality of women, the abolition of slavery . . . and the right to true intellectual dissent” is under assault—specifically, Rhys-Davies noted, under assault by radical Islam. Instead of resisting that assault, parts of the Western world—and here, he’s referring to Europe—are committing cultural suicide.

Rhys-Davies pointed to demographic trends in Europe here, in some cases, the majority of children being born are the children of Muslim immigrants. While it’s politically incorrect to notice this fact, it’s folly to ignore the cultural implications.

The actor also expressed his support for the war in Iraq. He called it “extraordinary” and called Americans “the most optimistic people in the whole . . . world.” He noted that no one believed that you could democratize Germany and Japan after World War II. Now, we’re trying to do the same in the Middle East .

Now, views like these don’t exactly endear Rhys-Davies to many of his fellow actors. As he put it, he takes a “lot of stick” for his views. Still, the benefits of Western civilization are so great that the alternative isn’t some multicultural paradise. It’s darkness. In Tolkien’s language, it’s the Orcs, Uruk-hai, and Sauron.

These are strong, but necessary words. Our culture is hesitant to use the word evil, refusing even to recognize what’s at stake in places like Iraq. Nowhere is this refusal more adamant than in the industry of which Rhys-Davies is a part. Yet, not a single one of Rhys-Davies’s critics—those “giving him stick”—would dream of giving up the benefits of Western civilization. They’re not willing to pay the price for its defense, beginning with the acknowledgment that it’s under attack.

But that price must be paid. As the trailer for The Return of the King tells us, “there is no freedom without sacrifice.” Tolkien understood that, and so does the man who brought his heroic dwarf to life on the big screen.

[SLB]

FYI

[sauropod]

Funny how Colson didn't mention the drivel coming out of Viggo Mortenson's mouth at the CANSWER rallies, or the long and uncalled for anti-war rant on the latest box set, nor about how the guy that played Gandalf thought Sam and Frodo's relationship was a good thing for "gay rights."

[kb2614]

Cool!!

[Paul Ross]

Eeeeeewwww! That is going to keep me from ever looking into the 'extras' menu items on my DVDs....

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

Good paralells between LOTR and present life.
Important to realize Islam is only Saruman and his orcs. There is still another wave coming after them.

Stronger and even more evil.

But hey, Hillary makes a great Grima Wormtongue.

[general_re]

It's a "silver lining" thing, I guess. Besides, Viggo "GI Jane" Mortensen will be lucky if he has half the career that John Rhys-Davies has had, since he's not even half the actor that Rhys-Davies is - of all the performances in those movies thus far, Viggo's is clearly the weakest. He is adequate, at best, and I don't think the hype about him becoming a major-league leading man is likely to pan out. Ian McKellen, on the other hand...well, sometimes you gotta separate the politics from the profession ;)

[af_vet_1981]

Funny how Colson didn't mention the drivel ...

Chuck is trying to focus on the fact that at least one of the actors "gets it."

"There is good in this world, and it's something worth fighting for".

"There are other forces at work in this world, Sauropod, besides the will of evil. John was meant to play the Dwarf, in which case, you also were meant to watch the movie, and that is an encouraging thought."

[af_vet_1981]

But hey, Hillary makes a great Grima Wormtongue.

No, you have it wrong. You obviously haven't seen the third movie yet. Did you forget Cirith Ungol ?

[Alouette]

Myth Meets Real Life

SARUMAN

ORCS

THEODEN

HELM'S DEEP

EOWYN

[joesnuffy]

Its a nice tribute to a good guy actor...what a pleasant change from what screed most of them excrete..
Gimli...you da dwarf

[Alouette]

GRIMA WORMTONGUE

[ShandaLear]

I attended a small, conservative religious college in the early 1980s to pursue a degree in Sociology/Cultural Anthropology. Over time I began to notice a constant theme in the education I was getting. All cultures were worthy of honor, respect, preservation, tolerance...all of them but my own. That was the start of my journey into conservatism.

In the college like the one I attended 20 years ago, the cultural suicide referred to in the article above was beginning to simmer. It is true that even the smartest people in the world are capable of being utter fools.

[RayChuang88]

Ian McKellen, on the other hand...well, sometimes you gotta separate the politics from the profession ;)

You're forgetting that McKellen was trained as a Shakespearean actor and has a long history of excellence doing Shakespeare plays. That means McKellen is an extremely highly-accomplished actor to start with.

By the way, McKellen is actually not very comfortable talking politics, because he very well knows that bringing up the issue of homosexuality (he's openly gay) may not play well in many parts of the world. He'd rather talk about being an actor--and I don't blame him. :-)

[general_re]

That's basically what I meant - McKellen is a brilliant actor, in the classical mold of actors. Which means you pretty much have to separate his lifestyle and other baggage out from his profession, or you'll wind up missing what is, for the most part, an excellent body of work. His turn as Richard III is probably the finest portrayal of that role ever committed to film, IMO.

[sauropod]

I understood what Chuck was doing. I also understand spiritual warfare. 'Pod

[sauropod]

yep!1

[sauropod]

I would have used the palestinian "spokeswoman" -- what was her name - Hanan Ashrawi?

[carton253]

I thought you might be interested in this article.

BTW, did you hear that the New York Times named Return of the King as best picture of 2003. They raved about it and said that it puts the other two to shame. When are you going to see it?

[carton253]

Don't even mention her name. She is infuriating. How many lies can that woman spew in a minute?