Posted on 12/20/2002 10:20:51 AM PST by NYer
The good news is that the connection between Tolkien's faith and Lord of the Rings wasn't lost on director Peter Jackson and his co-writerPhilippa Boyens.
It's well known that Tolkien rejected allegorical interpretations of Lord of the Rings-the notion, for example, that the ring represented the atom bomb. But Tolkien's Christian faith was a different matter. And it's no surprise that his faith found its way into the story.
Tolkien wrote to a friend that Lord of the Rings is a "fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision." When, in both the book and the film, Gandalf calls himself a "servant of the Secret Fire," that fire, Tolkien told a friend, is the Holy Spirit.
The good news is that the connection between Tolkien's faith and Lord of the Rings wasn't lost on director Peter Jackson and his co-writerPhilippa Boyens. They told columnist Terry Mattingly that while they didn't set out to make a religious film, they understood the role that Tolkien's beliefs played in his life and work.
And knowing what he believed, they decided to honor the things "that were important to Tolkien." Thus, they said, "some of the messages and some of the themes" in the films "are based on his beliefs." Principal among these beliefs is the Christian idea that, as Solzhenitsyn once put it, "the line between good and evil runs through every human heart," and it oscillates back and forth.
The cinematic version of Lord of the Rings is more than a story about good versus evil. It's a story that, as Mattingly puts it, offers modern audiences "another chance to understand the timeless roots of sin." Characters wrestle with the evil within them. Even when they seek to do good they must guard against the possibility of doing the right thing for the wrong reasons or in the wrong way.
Director Peter Jackson told Mattingly that "Tolkien's themes really resonate today." That's right, and they're going to keep on resonating. As he put it, "I don't think humans are capable of actually pulling themselves out of these basic ruts."
Exactly-that's why two thousand years ago the Son of God, whom Tolkien worshipped, became one of us. He knew that only by living and dying as one of us could the problem of human evil, the "rut" Jackson spoke of, be overcome.
In some ways, Lord of the Rings, both the film and the book, is what the Church fathers called preparatio evangelica, preparation for the Gospel. It's a story where the characters, while not possessing the fullness of Christian revelation, can nonetheless glimpse this truth. Understanding their world and their thoughts prepares us to understand the fullness of Christian revelation.
So, three cheers to Boyens and Jackson for honoring what was important to Tolkien.
Go ahead and invite a friend to the movies and then out for coffee and conversation. Let's be prepared to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the interest in Tolkien's world, a world that helps us-and our neighbors-better understand why the Word became flesh.
Don't be all that certain.
GKChesterton and Belloc, of whom JRRT was certainly aware, and who were also RC's, knew a great deal about "Mohametanism," and Belloc condemned it as one of the Seven Great Heresies.
I don't know whether she was BS-ing me or if turning the volume up to 11 is a new, official policy for certain motion pictures. If the latter, I suggest taking shooting muffs or ear plugs, or just waiting and renting it.
Oh, you MUST watch these films. They are as far removed from hollyweird as you can get! Each one is an epic that meticulously follows the book ... LOTR fans scrutinized the first (and I would imagine the 2nd) film for anything amiss. They found each to be a rigorous and detailed interpretation of the novels. That is what amazes. The depth of Tolkien's works poses such a challenge in bringing it to the screen. These films are truly brilliant.
A local Hollywood film reviewer said it well .... he never once yawned or batted an eyelash during the preview. The film, as he pointed out, runs one minute shy of 3 hours. That is no mean feat! He also recommends bringing the children - forget the PG13 rating. They will be captivated.
J.R.R. Tolkien
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