J.R.R. Tolkien

[Hild und hjalmi]

We don't have a dedicated Tolkien thread yet, so I'm starting one. Here's a news story I came across five days ago. I don't see the point of releasing another 'new' JRRT book, but I guess Christopher Tolkien wants scholars of his father's work and committed fans to be able to read more of it.

 

[Megadeth1977]

The same son that will not allow any more films to be made just because he didn't like the hobbit films the prat.

 

[Hild und hjalmi]

The same son that will not allow any more films to be made just because he didn't like the hobbit films the prat.

He doesn't like any of the movies at all from what I've heard.

 

[Megadeth1977]

I think Peter Jackson did a good job with lord of the rings and the hobbit.

 

[Hild und hjalmi]

I think Peter Jackson did a good job with lord of the rings and the hobbit.

Yeah, so do I (about LOTR) --- but he won't be doing any more Tolkien adaptations either, because of the estate, though maybe if he wanted to stick strictly to the text he could ask HarperCollins' permission to adapt it.

 

[Yithian]

I think Peter Jackson did a good job with lord of the rings and the hobbit.

I think Peter Jackson did a good job with lord of the rings. [*Snip*]

The Hobbit films were truly dire.
The first, to be fair, was middling; the second just bad; the last an absolute travesty.

 

[Yithian]

The same son that will not allow any more films to be made just because he didn't like the hobbit films the prat.

That 'prat' has done a huge amount to foster, promote and make available his father's writing.
As a literary executor he's everything a Tolkien fan could hope for and more.

Fanboys craving hack and slash computer games, fake jewellery and plush dolls with which to fill their parents' spare bedroom can jog on.

 

[Megadeth1977]

That 'prat' has done a huge amount to foster, promote and make available his father's writing.
As a literary executor he's everything a Tolkien fan could hope for and more.

Fanboys craving hack and slash computer games, fake jewellery and plush dolls with which to fill their parents' spare bedroom can jog on.

Snob Boo boo.

 

[Megadeth1977]

I think Peter Jackson did a good job with lord of the rings. [*Snip*]

The Hobbit films were truly dire.
The first, to be fair, was middling; the second just bad; the last an absolute travesty.

Boo boo the hobbit was good.

 

[Hild und hjalmi]

That 'prat' has done a huge amount to foster, promote and make available his father's writing.
As a literary executor he's everything a Tolkien fan could hope for and more.

Fanboys craving hack and slash computer games, fake jewellery and plush dolls with which to fill their parents' spare bedroom can jog on.

I think The Hobbit movies are very good if they're seen as Tolkien-inspired action movies and not as actual adaptations of the book. The only good thing about them was the 'Far Over The Misty Mountains Cold' song in the first one, and even that wasn't the whole thing, just the first and second-last verses.

 

[Yithian]

I think The Hobbit movies are very good if they're seen as Tolkien-inspired action movies and not as actual adaptations of the book. The only good thing about them was the 'Far Over The Misty Mountains Cold' song in the first one, and even that wasn't the whole thing, just the first and second-last verses.

Yes, now I recall it--the song was good.

 

[Hild und hjalmi]

Yes, now I recall it--the song was good.

Yeah, and Richard Armitage's acting isn't bad even if he looks and acts nothing like Thorin, who's very different in the book.

Tolkien's character was white-bearded, longwinded, a skilled leader and proud member of the House of Durin. Armitage's Thorin is a black-haired action hero type who's more like Aragorn than Thorin. Still a proud descendant of Durin though.

 

[GNC]

And Thorin never sat down and started singing about gold anywhere in the Jackson movies. Travesty.

 

[Hild und hjalmi]

And Thorin never sat down and started singing about gold anywhere in the Jackson movies. Travesty.

 

[CarlosTheDJ]

Fanboys craving hack and slash computer games, fake jewellery and plush dolls with which to fill their parents' spare bedroom can jog on.

Shadow Of Mordor is a great game. No idea how it fits with canon, but it's a great game nonetheless.

 

[Yithian]

I'm in no way against computer games, but the idea that Christopher Tolkein is at fault for not wishing to franchise his father's writing further irks me slightly.

 

[smokehead]

I can understand Christopher protecting his fathers legacy, for me Jackson took one or two liberties too many with The Hobbit trilogy
I'm no purist, my feeling is that Tolkien was a somewhat prickly author to deal with, indeed I've read if any mistakes were pointed out to him, rather than simply correct them he would spend hours wondering how his characters could have made the mistake.
I think Lord of the Rings is overwritten, forgivably so, he was so immersed in the world he had created there are the constant attempts to cram as much of the histories of his peoples into dialogue, fascinating in itself, but reading any page shows the problems faced by Jackson and his team in translating it into film. I thought they did o.k. with LOTR.
Beren and Luthien is one of my favourites from The Silmarillion, maybe it could be made into a film but I would prefer it if Jackson was kept away. His 'imaginings' are typified by low humour and vulgarity.

 

[ramonmercado]

I'm in no way against computer games, but the idea that Christopher Tolkein is at fault for not wishing to franchise his father's writing further irks me slightly.

I have visions of him being hounded by mpbs of gamers.

 

[Peripart]

The same son that will not allow any more films to be made just because he didn't like the hobbit films the prat.

I don't think it's "just" because of that. After all, I recall that he wasn't 100% happy with the LOTR films either (despite appearing in one of them, handing out weapons!), but he and the estate still consented for the Hobbit films* to be made. And as for the future, if the existing films were difficult translations from the written version, then most of Tolkien's other work would prove even less suited to filming.



*Which I quite enjoyed, despite being keenly aware that they went on far too long. Unlike some here, I found something to enjoy in all 3 Hobbit films, but someone could do a 3-4 hour cut of them to produce 1 enjoyable film, which bore some relation to the book.

 

[CarlosTheDJ]

I watched all three Hobbit films - and I can remember absolutely nothing about them, except for the closing shot of one instalment, which was of Smaug breathing fire at the camera.

 

[titch]

I think it was a grandson that appeared in one of the movies. I liked the lord of the rings movies, fellowship was the best and they lost quality as they went on, i wanted to walk out of the 2nd hobbit movie, and when you consider i watched "first knight" and the 3rd highlander movie without feeling like that, that shows how much i detest the hobbit movies (although i have never watched the last one)

I first read the hobbit in my early 20's, and was captivated.The lord of the rings followed right after, well there was a pause by the bridge of khazad dum, i have never been so desolate on reading a book as i was at that point, and i only continued when my best friend gave me a spoiler, after all these years i still love lord of the rings and read it at least once a year.


The Silmarillion i struggled with at first, it was a ceaseless procession of names and places and only the occasional story kept my interest, but after a few readings it all clicked into place and now i think it is my favourite book.



For me tolkien was an amazing story teller, Patrick o'brian is my favourite author, his writing is superb, but the lord of the rings and the Silmarillion are my favourite books...if that makes any sense.

 

[skinny]

Patrick o'brian is my favourite author, his writing is superb

Why thank yu. I maded every effort, just for yu.

The first Hobbit film was made memorable by, as always, Blanchett, Lee and McKellen. That scene, the council of the wise, is superlative, after which the franchise descends into deplorability. I only very recently sent all my copies to the Bin. Humphries and all.

 

[Mythopoeika]

Skinny, you are Patrick O'Brian and I claim five pounds.

 

[GNC]

To think we could have had a LOTR movie starring The Beatles back in the 60s if things had worked out (or otherwise).

 

[Shady]

I thought the animated LotR was not too bad and i actually quite enjoyed The Hobbit game

 

[Swifty]

I thought the animated LotR was not too bad and i actually quite enjoyed The Hobbit game

Do you mean the first one on the Sinclair Spectrum ? .. it was good but if you typed in instructions like "F**k Gandalf" well .. it would let you off the first time but if you kept swearing in '81 -'82 or whenever it was, it would shut the game down ! .. I remember that ! .. (and f**k Gandalf btw) ..

 

[Shady]

ZX spectrum, yea, and i got sick of Gandalf sodding off everytime there was a problem, so i followed him everywhere he went and it helped, the first time i played my mate said, climb in the box, so, i did, i had to jump up and down to kill myself so i could restart the game

 

[Swifty]

ZX spectrum, yea, and i got sick of Gandalf sodding off everytime there was a problem, so i followed him everywhere he went and it helped, the first time i played my mate said, climb in the box, so, i did, i had to jump up and down to kill myself so i could restart the game

You would have saved yourself some time dropping a few F bombs instead but that was then and this is now ..

 

[Shady]

Well, I never thought of that at the time , I was a good girl

 

[smokehead]

I keep promising myself an atlas of Middle Earth, someone must have produced one. Together with a pack of coloured drawing pins I could attempt to follow the geography.
Perhaps it's online. Cool prospect.
I'm hoping the improvement and lower costs of CGI could do the book justice.
Perhaps an online provider could fund a series, it is by nature episodic and may appeal as a prestige project without the inevitable box office demands of cinema.
I believe Daniel Day Lewis turned down Aragorn, twice. Shame. For me he would be a great Feanor.