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Is 'Lord of the Rings' the U.S. vs Iraq, Etc.?
Newsday ^ | 12-23-2003 | James P. Pinkerton

Posted on 12/23/2003 1:16:33 PM PST by ownZero

Is 'Lord of the Rings' the U.S. vs Iraq, Etc.?
James P. Pinkerton
December 23, 2003
What's the real meaning of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"? The filmmakers' intent may not be clear, but the film's reception is clear enough: Audiences love it. Which is a clue that the outward expansion of U.S. power, like the film itself, has yet to run its course. Some say that the author, J.R.R. Tolkien, who published his "Rings" trilogy in the 1950s, was thinking about World War II when he created his saga of good vs. evil. Others argue that the "Rings" are a parable of environmental depredation. Yet it's easiest to believe that Tolkien was simply creating his own religious-themed myth, complete with a fall, and a redemption. And, oh yes, a crusade. In the latest film, Aragorn, the mightiest character, offers up a neo-Shakespearean war oration, including the words, "Men of the West, fight!" What American will fail to get the hint?

(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...


TOPICS: TV/Movies
KEYWORDS:
Did this guy see the same film I saw? The Hobbits and the Fellowship didn't go off seeking glory, they reluctantly did what needed to be done. Had they appeased Sauron or did nothing they would have been sealing their fate. Any fans here follow his argument? He makes some interesting points but the films and books are what they are. He is bending them to fit his point of view just as much as that of the people he writes about.
1 posted on 12/23/2003 1:16:34 PM PST by ownZero
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To: ownZero
He's living in some futurist BS.. if anyone takes the time to examine Tolkien, the Triology has nothing to do with WWII .. either. Tolkien was a Christian and the triology is about good vs evil but there is other factors as well.
2 posted on 12/23/2003 1:19:35 PM PST by Zipporah
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To: ownZero
[The film's] overwhelming message is, war is good. Peaceful life in the Shire is OK, but fighting for Middle Earth is ennobling.

Ummm... no. The film's message is that sometimes you have to fight whether you will it or not, and that when your civilization is threatened everyone, great and small, has a stake in the outcome and a part to play. Oh, and, war can get you killed in nasty ways.

Just try to imagine Peter Jackson saying war is ennobling. Puh-lease.

3 posted on 12/23/2003 1:30:03 PM PST by redbaiter
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To: 2Jedismom; 300winmag; Alkhin; Alouette; ambrose; Anitius Severinus Boethius; artios; AUsome Joy; ...

Ring Ping!!
There and Back Again: The Journeys of Flat Frodo

Anyone wishing to be added to or removed from the Ring-Ping list, please don't hesitate to let me know.

4 posted on 12/23/2003 1:31:26 PM PST by ecurbh (There's gonna be a hobbit wedding!)
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To: ownZero
I saw this magnificent part, and I hope others pick up on it, as well:

John Rhys-Davies, who plays Gimli, was asked by the Christian webzine Looking Closer to assess the impact of Tolkien's religious faith - he was Catholic - on his books. Rhys-Davies answered, "I think that Tolkien says that some generations will be challenged. And if they do not rise to meet that challenge, they will lose their civilization."
The actor went on to pinpoint the challenge. He recalled his own father telling him, a half-century ago, "There is not going to be a World War between Russia and the United States. The next World War will be between Islam and the West . . . And you will see it in your lifetime."
Now this fight has come to the West, he continued, and the West must fight back. "True democracy comes from our Greco-Judeo-Christian-Western experience. If we lose these things, then this is a catastrophe for the world."

Ah, I knew the fighting spirit of the Dwarves would never let us down.

5 posted on 12/23/2003 1:34:18 PM PST by Old Sarge (Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Kickin' Kwanzaa!)
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To: Old Sarge
Saw it for third time today.. Each time the good over bad is the clear cut major image.. and although each viewing clarifies small points, the pride & excitement of seeing the eagles, seeing the good win & seeing the character of the heroes makes me strongly thing "coalition"
6 posted on 12/23/2003 2:37:54 PM PST by DollyCali (Spell Button: to cast a spell on recipient of post)
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To: Old Sarge
Saw it for third time today.. Each time the good over bad is the clear cut major image.. and although each viewing clarifies small points, the pride & excitement of seeing the eagles, seeing the good win & seeing the character of the heroes makes me strongly thing "coalition"
7 posted on 12/23/2003 2:38:18 PM PST by DollyCali (Spell Button: to cast a spell on recipient of post)
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To: ownZero
Is 'Lord of the Rings' the U.S. vs Iraq, Etc.?

Given that it was written 50-some years ago, I gotta say no, it isn't.
8 posted on 12/23/2003 2:46:25 PM PST by Xenalyte (I may not agree with your bumper sticker, but I'll defend to the death your right to stick it)
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To: ownZero
Sometimes, a movie (or a book), is just a movie (or book).

Commentators on the left and right both ought to stop short before proclaiming anything as an endorsement of their philosophy.
9 posted on 12/23/2003 4:35:10 PM PST by StoneColdGOP (McClintock - In Your Heart, You Know He's Right)
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To: Xenalyte; ecurbh; HairOfTheDog
Given that it was written 50-some years ago, I gotta say no, it isn't.

Well, yes, and technically speaking, Tolkien drew mainly from his experiences in WWI for some themes.

But as modern-day metaphor, I would have to say that the war in Iraq is only parallel to the battle for Helm's Deep. We haven't gotten to the modern-day battle for Pelennor Fields just yet.

10 posted on 12/23/2003 5:35:00 PM PST by Ramius
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To: ownZero
Tolkien made clear that LOTR was not an allegory for WWII or anything else. Nevertheless, the thrust of the myth he created is an affirmation of traditional Western values and culture. Many parallels may be found between events in the LOTR and the struggle with Islamofascism. We should not be ashamed to take inspiration in our struggle from our myths. That's what they are there for.

I wish their had been more Denethor/Sauruman types in LOTR as examples of the enemies within your own culture. It is apparent that our current battle is one on two fronts--with those who wish to overthrow Western civiliazation from without, and those who wish to undermine it from within.

11 posted on 12/23/2003 8:19:39 PM PST by Faraday
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To: Faraday
That was one of the problems I had with the movie: in the books, Denethor is a wise but ultimately misguided and tragic hero and, in the movie, he is merely a buffoon to be shoved aside.
12 posted on 12/28/2003 5:48:20 PM PST by Chi-townChief
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