AtnZone giving away Weta collectibles

by Michael Martinez, Friday, December 7, 2001

From AtnZone (@N-Zone Magazine): @N-Zone Magazine is continuing with a great contest that you may be interested in entering. @ N-Zone Magazine is giving away collectible Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring busts and statues from the upcoming film. Not only does the highly anticipated film finally open on Dec. 19th but concurrently we will start phase two of our contest in December as well. Every two weeks we will be giving away pieces from Series II in the Sideshow/WETA Official LOTR Collectible Series. No purchase necessary and all are welcome! http://www.atnzone.com/moviezone/guides/lotr/weta.html

America Online launches "Search for the Ring" sweepstakes

by Michael Martinez, Friday, December 7, 2001

THE LORD OF THE RINGS MAKES THE LEAP FROM MIDDLE-EARTH TO CYBERSPACE Locate the Nine Rings of Power Hidden Across AOL’s Web Brands for a Chance to Win Lord of The Rings Movie Memorabilia and Collectibles in the ‘Search for the Ring Sweepstakes’ Innovative Contest Offers Everyone a Chance to Win While Learning More About Hobbit Habits, Dwarf Data and Elf Essentials Mountain View, Calif. - December 6, 2001 - America Online today announced the launch of the Lord of The Rings “Search for the Ring Sweepstakes,” an interactive sweepstakes that brings Middle-earth to life on some of the most popular sites on the Web. The Search for the Ring Sweepstakes gives Web surfers nine chances to enter and win exclusive Lord of the Rings memorabilia and collectibles. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” the highly anticipated first film in New Line Cinema’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, opens in theaters everywhere on December 19, 2001. To bring Web surfers into the world of Hobbits, Wizards, Elves and Orcs, the Sweepstakes takes visitors on a virtual search for the legendary “Rings of Power” that lie at the center of the Tolkien epic adventure. Featured across a number of AOL's popular Web brands -- including Netscape, CompuServe, Moviefone, MapQuest, AOL.COM, WinAmp/Spinner, AIM, and digitalcity.com -- the Sweepstakes relies on "RingMessenger," a custom Screen Name or “interactive agent”(sm) that participants add to their AIM Buddy List, to dispense clues on the location of the hidden rings. RingMessenger, developed by ActiveBuddy, Inc., a leading provider of interactive agent technology, also allows fans to request detailed information about the film and the making of the film. Each week over the life of the contest, ending January 29, 2002, a ring graphic will be hidden somewhere on one of the seven participating Web sites. By adding RingMessenger to their Buddy List, participants will be able to interact with it to receive clues regarding the location of the hidden ring, providing up to nine chances to enter and win. The RingMessenger will also provide exclusive information and insights on the Lord of The Rings trilogy of movies, including links to video clips and interviews with the cast and crew, as well as Lord of the Rings trivia and games. Other Lord of the Rings programming and paraphernalia featured on AOL’s Web brands, such as Netscape.com and CompuServe, include: downloadable desktop images and screensavers, music soundtrack clips (including the new track from Enya "May It Be"), a selection of trailers from the movie, and a Lord of the Rings-themed ‘skin’ for the ICQ client. Also, Mapquest.com is linking to a custom, interactive map of Middle-earth that allows visitors to find out more about the different regions of Middle-earth and the cultures - and creatures - that inhabit them. “This sweepstakes offers consumers a fun and unique way to enter the realm of Middle-earth and to enjoy the exclusive Lord of the Rings content we’re offering across AOL’s network of Web properties,” said Jim Bankoff, President of the AOL Web Properties Group. “This contest and the supporting programming featured across AOL’s Web brands will give die-hard Tolkien fans, as well as the uninitiated, a new way to get closer to the characters and adventure of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.” “America Online has been a great promotional partner for The Lord of the Rings,” said Gordon Paddison, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Interactive Marketing at New Line Cinema. “The ‘Search for the Ring Sweepstakes’ currently featured across AOL’s Web properties exemplifies New Line and AOL’s collaborative efforts to provide one-of-a-kind Lord of the Rings content to the broadest online audience possible.” The sweepstakes is part of AOL Time Warner’s extensive programming and marketing campaign heralding the release of “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.” In addition to special Lord of The Rings programming on AOL’s Web properties, the AOL service is offering a special AOL Keyword: Lord of the Rings area that includes an array of information, previews, behind-the-scenes footage, games, screensavers, fan clubs, message boards and much more. AOL Moviefone Offers Advance Ticketing Additionally, AOL Moviefone, the nation's leading movie guide and ticketing service, began selling tickets to New Line Cinema's “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” on Wednesday, December 3, more than two weeks prior to the movie's December 19 national opening. Moviegoers in most major markets are now able to get showtimes and buy tickets by either visiting Moviefone.com or by calling the AOL Moviefone telephone service, known by familiar local numbers such as 777-FILM. Based on J.R.R. Tolkien's epic novel, “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy will collectively re-tell the story of Frodo Baggins, who battles against the Dark Lord Sauron to save Middle-earth from the grip of evil. In the films, Frodo and The Fellowship embark on a desperate journey to rid the earth of the source of Sauron's greatest strength, the One Ring - a ring of such power that it cannot be destroyed. His extraordinary adventures across the treacherous landscape of Middle-earth reveal how the power of friendship and courage can hold the forces of darkness at bay. About New Line Cinema Founded in 1967, New Line Cinema is the entertainment industry's leading independent producer and distributor of theatrical motion pictures. New Line licenses its films to ancillary markets including cable and broadcast television as well as to international venues. The company, which is a subsidiary of AOL Time Warner Inc., operates several divisions including in-house theatrical distribution, marketing, home video, television, acquisitions, production, licensing and merchandising units. More information about New Line Cinema can be obtained at www.newline.com. About AOL Web Properties AOL Web Properties is an online network featuring some of the most popular brands on the Internet, including Netscape, CompuServe, AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ, MapQuest and Moviefone. The AOL Web Properties network reaches the widest audience on the Internet representing more than 75 percent of Internet audience at work or home. Netscape and Netscape logo are registered trademarks of Netscape Communication Corporation in the United States and other countries. About America Online Inc. America Online, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Time Warner, Inc. (NYSE: AOL). Based in Dulles, Virginia, America Online is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies and e-commerce services.

Mystic Steel Tolkien art contest to end soon

by Michael Martinez, Friday, December 7, 2001

Kevin from Mysticsteel.com here...Just a reminder that our "Tribute to Tolkien" art contest is coming to a close. All entries must be received by December 9, 2001. Voting online will start on the 10th. We have had a wonderful response from some amazing artists. If you haven't already seen the entries, please do...Good Luck from all of us at Mystic Steel! http://www.mysticsteel.com/

Modern Humorist exploits...er, explores television hobbit pseudo-history

by Michael Martinez, Friday, December 7, 2001

Long spoken of in hushed tones by geeks, network executives and elves, NBC's 1972 'Lord of the Rings' holiday special has been rediscovered, and we have the screen grabs. Frodo Baggins' Holiday Fun Time Sing-Song Hour The long-lost "Lord of the Rings" holiday special http://www.modernhumorist.com/mh/0112/frodo/. The page is a wonderful spoof of television history and all the attention currently being directed toward Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" movies. "The Fellowship of the Ring", the first of three live-action movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, premiers in London on December 10 and begins its worldwide run on December 19.

Tolkien biographer forgets 'Art or Cash', tells media Tolkien would have hated movies

by Michael Martinez, Wednesday, December 5, 2001

LONDON (Reuters) - J.R.R. Tolkien would have hated the forthcoming Hollywood adaptation of his magical ''The Lord of the Rings,'' but millions of movie-goers around the world are unlikely to agree, Tolkien's biographer said Wednesday. Michael White, whose book about the Oxford professor and creator of the trilogy set in the mysterious Middle Earth comes out this week, predicted the film would even out-sell fantasy flick ''Harry Potter (news - web sites) and the Sorcerer's Stone.'' ''The Harry Potter film has broken the box office records,'' White said in a telephone interview. ''But I am going to put my head on the block and predict that 'The Lord of the Rings' will just pip it.'' ''The Fellowship of the Ring,'' the first in a trilogy of films based on Tolkien's best-loved novels, premieres in London Dec. 10 amid intense hype over its box office potential. Read the full article here. In discussing the prospect of a film adaptation in his letters, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote in letter 198 (to his publisher Rayner Unwin) on June 19, 1957: "As far as I am concerned personally, I should welcome the idea of an animated motion picture, with all the risk of vulgarization; and that quite apart from the glint of money, though on the bring of retirement that is not an unpleasant possibility. I think I should find vulgarization less painful than the sillification achieved by the B.B.C." He was referring to the first BBC radio adaptation, produced by Terence Tiller and broadcast in the United Kingdom in 1956. The film adaptation Tolkien was discussing in his letter never occurred. The script with which he was presented, written by Morton Grady Zimmerman, received no praise from Tolkien, who said in letter 297 (written to Rayner Unwin on April 8, 1958): "I should say Zimmerman, the constructor of this s-l, is quite incapable of exerpting or adapting the 'spoken words' of the book. He is hasty, insensitive, and impertinent." Further on in the same letter, Tolkien wrote: "I feel very unhappy about the extreme silliness and incompetence of Z and his complete lack of respect for the original (it seems willfully wrong without discernible technical reasons at nearly every point)." When reviewing the Zimmerman script for Forest J. Ackerman, who made the original film proposal, Tolkien wrote in letter 210: "Z....has intruded a 'fairy castle' and a great many Eagles, not to mention incantations, blue lights, and some irrelevant magic (such as the flaoting body of Faramir). He has cut the parts of the story upon which its characteristic and peculiar tone principally depends, showing a preference for fights; and he has made no serious attempt to represent the heart of the tale adequately: the journey of the Ringbearers. The last and most important part of this has, and it is not too strong a word, simply been murdered." Nonetheless, in letter 202, written to his son Christopher Tolkien on September 11, 1957, Tolkien said: "But it looks as if business might be done. Stanley U. & I have agreed on our policy: Art or Cash. Either very profitable terms indeed; or absolute author's veto on objectionable features or alterations." Tolkien reiterated the Art or Cash later in life, after the Ackerman deal had fallen through, and he sold the film and merchandising rights for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit to United Artists in the late 1960s. Would Tolkien have "hated" the adaptation, as Michael White alleges? We'll never know. But in letter 194, written to Terence Tiller on November 6, 1956, Tolkien asked: "can a tale not conceived dramatically but (for lack of a more precise term) epically, be dramatized -- unless the dramatizer is given or takes liberties, as an independent person?" Was he then so intolerant of the liberties that a dramatic presentation may require, or was he merely infuriated by one misguided attempt to bring the book to the silver screen? Peter Jackson's first of three films based on The Lord of the Rings, "The Fellowship of the Ring", premiers in London on December 10, and begins a world-wide run on December 19. The three movies, filmed together, cost in excess of $300 million US. Significant divergences from the original story have been noted on numerous fan sites, but if the viewing audience perceives that the journey of the Ringbearers is central to the trilogy, Tolkien's priority may have been realized despite the dramatic liberties taken with the story.

5-day special LoTR series on Discovery Canada

by Michael Martinez, Wednesday, December 5, 2001

From Canoe: Docu series on 'LOTR' to air on Discovery Channel TORONTO (CP) -- The Discovery Channel will air a five-part series beginning Dec. 13 about J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and the film based on the classic trilogy. From Dec. 13 to 19, the day the film opens in theatres, the show (at)discovery.ca will broadcast a special series with host Ivan Semeniuk. The shows will document different aspects of Tolkien's creation. The Dec. 13 episode examines Tolkien's many hand-drawn maps of the mythical Middle Earth, Dec. 14 is an anthropological examination of races in the books, Dec. 17 looks at the Elf language Tolkien created, Dec. 18 considers the science and magic of Middle Earth and Dec. 19 reveals some of the special effects used to finally make Tolkien's world come alive on the big screen. The series is accompanied by Exploring Middle Earth, an interactive Web site that explores Tolkien's creative universe (www.exn.ca).

E! Online talks to Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens

by Michael Martinez, Monday, December 3, 2001

E! Online's Force of Hobbit has posted its December update. The main article is an interview with screenwriters Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens.

Download the Moria sequence from "Fellowship of the Ring"

by Michael Martinez, Sunday, December 2, 2001

Thanks to Tolkien-Movies.Com for the heads up on this link. Ain't-It-Cool-News has made the Moria battle sequence available for download here.

Tolkien family divided on films

by Michael Martinez, Sunday, December 2, 2001

LONDON (AP) - The family of writer J.R.R. Tolkien is divided over the film version of the Lord of the Rings, a newspaper reported Sunday. The Independent on Sunday said 77-year-old Christopher Tolkien, one of the late author's children, won't see or talk to his eldest son, Simon Tolkien, because Simon Tolkien supported the filming of the epic fantasy. The film is due to open later this month, and two sequels are expected to follow. Simon Tolkien, 42, a lawyer, said he has been excluded from the family's business affairs because of his support. Christopher Tolkien has played a major role in overseeing the Tolkien legacy and reportedly disliked earlier attempts at bringing the stories to the screen. "My father has refused to have anything to do with me or my son, who is 11, for three years, and he has rejected all requests to have a meeting. As long ago as 1999, it was my view that we should take a much more positive line on the film and that was overruled by my father. Following that, I was excluded from the board of the Tolkien company," Simon Tolkien was quoted as saying. J.R.R. Tolkien sold the film rights for Lord of the Rings in 1968 for 10,000 pounds, the equivalent of $14,500.

Do Elves dream of eclectic sleep?

by Michael Martinez, Sunday, December 2, 2001

J.R.R. Tolkien devoted a lot of time and thought to determining what it means to be an Elf. He described the Elves in Letter 144 as representing "Men with greatly enhanced aesthetic and creative faculties, greater beauty and longer life, and nobility -- the Elder Children, doomed to fade before the Followers (Men), and to live ultimately only by the thin line of their blood that was mingled with that of Men, among whom it was the only real claim to 'nobility'." But what does all that mean? In Letter 73, Tolkien mentioned as an aside that the Elves represent "beauty and grace of life and artefact". In Letter 153 Tolkien wrote: "Elves and Men are represented as biologically akin in this 'history', because Elves are certain aspects of Men and their talents and desires" and "they have certain freedoms and powers we should like to have, and the beauty and peril and sorrow of the possession of these things is exhibited in them...." Sorrow and regret are commonly associated with the Elvish nature. The Elves acknowledge these feelings as easily as we acknowledge hope and desire. When Frodo met with Gildor Inglorion in the Shire, Gildor said, "The Elves have their own labours and their own sorrows, and they are little concerned with the ways of hobbits, or of any other creatures upon earth." That is a very curious thing to say, for it it contrasts deeply with the picture that others paint of the Elves, such as Gandalf and Treebeard. Gandalf tells Frodo that some of Sauron's greatest foes remain in Rivendell, the Elven-wise, lords of the Eldar from beyond the Sea. When other Elves have fled from Middle-earth, and while some are still only lingering as Gildor's folk do, a few of the Eldar hold steadfast to the purpose of opposing Sauron. And Treebeard tells Merry and Pippin that it was the Elves who first woke up the trees, and taught them to speak. The Elves were once curious about everything, and they wanted to know as much as they could about the world in which they themselves had awakened. Read the full article here

Christian media intensely interested in "Lord of the Rings"

by Michael Martinez, Sunday, December 2, 2001

Christian magazines have found God in J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings'. They are not so sure about whether Harry Potter is the devil. Focus on the Family with Dr. James Dobson has a special section devoted to Magic & Morality: Harry Potter -- Lord of the Rings. The magazine's December issue carries the latest in a series of articles about the two sometimes controversial films based on often controversial books. Stories within stories: Finding God in 'The Lord of the Rings' opens with a retelling of the famous evening J.R.R. Tolkien spent with his friend C.S. Lewis, when Tolkien encouraged Lewis to take another look at Christianity, thus setting one of the 20th century's greatest Christian writers on the path to deep philosophical introspection and renown. Jim Ware, author of the article, recounts how he mentioned to someone at a Renaissance Festival that he was collaborating on a book about Christian reflections in the Tolkien masterpiece. "The Lord of the Rings", the other person replies. "Isn't that a pretty pagan book?" If that is truly the perception of the world at large, then the Tolkien family has found an ally in the Christian media, who will strive to set the record straight about J.R.R. Tolkien's deep religious convictions and devotion to Catholicism, as well as his profound impact upon modern Christian thought. Writing for FaithWorks, Craig Bird's article asks: Will fantasy fans grab the Ring?. It's not quite like asking whether Heinlein fans grok science fiction, but the headline poses a challenging question. "The Lord of the Rings is going head to head with Harry Potter for the hearts," the article begins. "...minds and wallets of a new generation of fantasy fans. Is the Tolkien classic harmless fantasy, evil sorcery or veiled gospel?" Bird canvasses Tolkien fandom for the broadest description perhaps seen to date in any publication addressing the upcoming films and their impact. But he seeks out a variety of Tolkien commentators who have looked at the Christian aspects of the story. These writers are not just writing fluff pieces. "Middle-earth is full of battles and conflicts," Ware observes. "--images of the spiritual war in which we are engaged as Christians. We're not talking generic good vs. evil here. The evil in Tolkien's universe is personal. It takes shape as an enemy who relentlessly hounds and pursues his prey." Bird notes Tolkien's own admission of Christian influences upon the story, and he highlights an attempt to argue for the redemption of Orcs by a clergyman: So when British priest Euan Marley recently addressed the Oxford Tolkien Society (and speaking of the adversary's nasty foot soldiers in The Lord of the Rings) asked "Can Orcs be saved?" it was not idle speculation but meaningful theological exploration. As Tolkien himself explained, every writer making an imaginary world "wishes in some measure to be a real maker" and to address the ultimate questions of "the Christian story," such as redemption. "It has long been my feeling (a joyous feeling) that God redeemed the corrupt-making creatures" -- that is, the Orcs. Peter Jackson's Orcs may not be redeemable, but many Tolkien fans have certainly asked whether the Orcs could indeed be redeemed. Tolkien himself wrote of them that they were "fundamentally a race of 'rational incarnate' creatures, though horribly corrupted, if no more so than many Men to be met today." The Christian media is not daunted by the movies, nor by Tolkien, and they are also asking the hard questions. Some Christians, at least, grok Tolkien.

Newsweek reviews "Fellowship of the Ring"

by Michael Martinez, Saturday, December 1, 2001

A ‘Ring’ to Rule the Screen Peter Jackson’s fierce, imaginative movie takes high-flying risks and inspires with its power and scale By David Ansen NEWSWEEK Dec. 10 issue — First, let me tell you where I’m coming from. Before I saw “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” I didn’t know the difference between an orc and an elf, or what Middle-earth was in the middle of. This review is coming to you from a Tolkien-free zone. I went in to Peter Jackson’s movie—the first of a trilogy—with no preconceptions. I came out, three hours later, sorry I’d have to wait a year to see what happens next in Frodo Baggins’s battle against the Dark Lord, Sauron, and thinking a trip to the bookstore to pick up “The Two Towers” might be in order. THE MOVIE WORKS. It has real passion, real emotion, real terror, and a tactile sense of evil that is missing in that other current movie dealing with wizards, wonders and wickedness. Jackson’s fierce, headlong movie takes high-flying risks: it wears its earnestness, and its heart, on its muddy, blood-streaked sleeve. The actors look deep into each other’s eyes and swear oaths in quasi-Shakespearean language that could, were it not for the utter conviction with which it is played, topple over into the ludicrous. After a dark and stormy prologue that explains the history of the ring, we meet our hero, Frodo (Elijah Wood), and his mentor, the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), in bucolic Hobbiton. This first half hour is shaky: you might feel you’ve been dragged to a Renaissance Faire where diminutive hobbits cavort with less than contagious jollity. One-hundred-eleven-year-old Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm), the current possessor of Sauron’s ring, passes it on to Frodo and unknowingly puts the boy’s life in danger. Read the full article here

Upcoming LoTR television specials

by Michael Martinez, Saturday, December 1, 2001

From Ain't-It-Cool-News via TheOneRing.Net: LORD OF THE RINGS PREVIEW TNT (:10) The making of the upcoming movie "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" Fri. 12/7, Sat. 12/8 and Sun. 12/9 @ 10:50 pm / 9:50pm CST (*Airs immediately following THE MATRIX.) PASSAGE TO MIDDLE-EARTH SCIFI (1:00) Interviews with cast and crew spotlight the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" Sun. 12/9 @ 8pm / 7pm CST Mon. 12/10 @ 1am / 12am CST Mon. 12/10 @ 10pm / 9pm CST Mon. 12/10 @ Midnight / 11 pm CST MAKING THE MOVIE: LORD OF THE RINGS MTV (:30) Elijah Wood stars in the film Mon. 12/10 @ 10pm / 9pm CST Tue. 12/11 @ 5pm / 4pm CST From TheOneRing.Net: Sam writes: The cover of the December 2001 issue of National Geographic magazine is a banner advertising a segment for the National Geographic Explorer television program, called "NG Beyond the Movie: Lord of the Rings" to air on Sunday, December 16th 2001.

Yahoo! Internet Life seeking best Tolkien fan sites

by Michael Martinez, Friday, November 30, 2001

Angela Gunn has set online Tolkien fandom against itself by inviting 25 Web sites to compete for the title of 'Best of ...' for several categories. Xenite.Org's Parma Endorion: Essays on Middle-earth Web site has been nominated for Best site for Serious Tolkien fans ("This is what happens when scholarship meets fanaticism"). Parma Endorion is the first collection of essays published on the Internet by Xenite.Org founder Michael Martinez. The first Parma Endorion went up in late 1996 on a long-lost small ISP account in New Mexico, but it was soon moved to the newly created Xenite.Org domain in early 1997. Parma Endorion has, in fact, been recognized by researchers, teachers, librarians around the world as a leading online resource of information on J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. In 1997, the Parma Endorion Web site generated more email than all other Xenite.Org sites combined -- mostly from people asking how to circumvent the anti-printing measures the original site had implemented. Completely overwhelmed by the positive response to the content of the Web site, a revised edition was posted in 1998. These pages may now be printed out for personal use. A third edition of Parma Endorion, to be issued as an eBook, has been in preparation for a year. It will include fan art from selected artists around the Web, and a Spanish-language translation is expected. The original Parma Endorion essays have been translated into Polish, Italian, and French. Vote for your choice of best site in several categories. Voting lasts until around the end of the year 2001. Michael Martinez also writes a regular column for Suite101 on Tolkien and Middle-earth. And he served as the founding director for Dragoncon's highly successful Tolkien and Middle-earth fan track in 2000 and 2001. Martinez has published a collection of essays, Visualizing Middle-earth, and he is currently working on a new, much more comprehensive and definitive book-length project detailing the pseudo-history of Middle-earth.

Fox runs 'Quest for the Rings'

by Michael Martinez, Thursday, November 29, 2001

Four years ago rumors began spreading across the Internet that someone was going to make a movie based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. When fingers soon started pointing at Peter Jackson, who was then best known for "Heavenly Creatures" and "Meet the Feebles", his loyal fans tried to assure everyone else that Peter would treat the material with great respect. Finally, after years of spy reports, leaks, and official semi-revelations, the world got to see its first major glimpse of the movies in the Fox special "Quest for the Rings". Ian McKellen opens the dialogue on behalf of the movie's cast with frank observations about the momentity of both making the movies and the quest which lies at the heart of the story which inspired the movies. 30 minutes is just too little time to do jutice to the years-long project which has encompassed the efforts of thousands of people from around the world, some of whom gave of their time and effort freely, for no reward other than the satisfaction of merely knowing they were a part of something big. Karl Urban, who plays Eomer in the second and third movies, told an audience of enwraptured fans and future viewers in the summer of 2000 that he would have been happy to win the role of "third spear bearer from the left", and that he would have taken the role for free. Fortunately for the tall actor, he won a more prestigious role, and a contract. The special covers some of the basics well-known to millions of Tolkien fans around the world. We are told about Tolkien's career as a professor of "ancient languages and mythologies" at Oxford University. The narrator also corrects a long-outdated statistic, informing the audience that more than 100 million people around the world have read The Lord of the Rings, doubling the 50 million figure that many news reports have cited over the past few years. The 50 million count was officially announced in 1992, when Tolkien's publishers celebrated what would have been his 100th birthday with special editions of the Tolkien books. The documentary is liberally sprinkled with scenes from the movies, as well as behind-the-scenes footage. Actors Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins), Sean Astin (Sam Gamgee), Billy Boyd (Peregrin Took), Christopher Lee (Saruman), Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Liv Tyler (Arwen), Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), and Cate Blanchett (Galadriel) talk about how they perceive the project, what they do with their time off, and how much they enjoy working for Peter Jackson. Jackson himself talks about how much the project means to him, and what he hopes to accomplish with the movies. He wants to thrust the viewing audience into the story itself. The documentary closes with the much-discussed battle in Moria between the Fellowship of the Ring and Orcs, who bring a cave troll with them. The scene unfolds differently from the book, but due to time constraints, it should be expected there will be some compression of the story. Also, Jackson's dramatic goals undoubtedly mandated some changes in the layout of Moria. Peter Jackson's "The Fellowship of the Ring" premiers in London on December 10 and begins showing around the world on December 19.

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