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Posted on 01/04/2004 1:39:22 PM PST by quidnunc
The following column, which first appeared in February, 2002, is modified and republished here because of the recent release of the third movie — "The Return of the King" — in Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
In monumental scope, the big screen is introducing many to J. R. R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings." The movie versions of "The Fellowship of the Ring" (vol. I) and "The Two Towers" (vol. II) were overwhelming, and generous representations of the book. As movies go, they chalked up some of the biggest global box-office sales ever.
Tolkien groupies picked nits about the "Fellowship" and "The Two Towers" (as they will about vol. III "The Return of the King"), but by and large rejoice in the films. Others, some deeming the work science-fiction, won't see the Tolkien movies, let alone read the books, because they are not into fantasy, the unreal, or — darkly — the occult. So the debate goes hotly on, as it has since the book "The Lord of the Rings" first appeared in 1954, as to what the story really is.
Tolkien, of course, knew. Yet others have had great trouble resolving whether it is allegory, myth, fable, heroic legend, creative fantasy or epic religious tale.
A British professor of philology, Tolkien's first love was linguistics, words and the study of cultures through their languages and literatures. His particular area of interest was Anglo-Saxon history. As one who read deeply in fable, legend and myth, Tolkien was well aware of ring-quest tales predating even the pyramids and Babylon. He read Pliny, who wrote of the blood feud over a ring between Drusus and Caepio that led to the Social Wars, which ended in the Roman republic's collapse.
Profoundly religious (he was instrumental in the 1931 conversion of his friend C. S. Lewis from atheism to Christianity), Tolkien was steeped in biblical tales such as, tellingly, Solomon's ring. He read extensively in Norse mythology (Odin, Sigurd, the Volsunga saga), and drew heavily from Arthurian and Carolingian legend and German romance. He understood Wagner's effort to restate the German "Volk" identity through German ring-quest legends (Siegfried), yet resented the distortions in Wagner's linking of art and myth — distorted further by Hitler at about the time (1937) Tolkien began "The Lord of the Rings."
There was something else. As Tolkien authority David Day has noted:
"Although the Celts were the older civilization in Britain, it was the Anglo-Saxons who were the dominant race from whom the British inherited most of their language and consequently most of their culture. ... ([A professor of Anglo-Saxon,) Tolkien frequently expressed his desire to restore the mythology and literature of Anglo-Saxon Britain between the time of the Roman retreat in 419 and the Norman Conquest in 1066. With the notable exception of 'Beowulf' and a handful of poem fragments, the ruthless obliteration of Anglo-Saxon culture by the Norman conquerors was nearly absolute."
So Tolkien set out to capture Britain's lost Anglo-Saxon mythology. He created an epic struggle between good and evil (the dark lord/wizard Sauron vs. the white wizard Gandalf). The story draws from Odin, Arthur, Charlemagne and Sigfried. It hints at the quest for the Holy Grail. It has magic swords, some of them broken — and maybe Christ, and a host of others.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at timesdispatch.com ...
Just watching Disks 3 of Fellowship of the Ring that came with an extended version of the first LOTR release.
Peter Jackson comments at some length on their consideration of this character.
However, in the end, they determined that Tom's part in the story did not contribute overall to the plot. The writers also had to most difficulty with an appropriate prologue.
I would recommend the extended version (4 DVDs)for all of the background that went into this epic event.
Down at the Withywindle collecting lillies for his lady?
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