“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.”
~J.R.R. Tolkien
I became a fan of The Lord of the Rings in December 2001 after seeing The Fellowship of the Ring. From there I became a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, the man. Over the course of the last few years I have received numerous volumes written by or about J.R.R. Tolkien as gifts from family and friends and in addition I have collected a number of items related to the films. When it comes to shopping for me, it is safe to say that anything related to the films or books is a sure fire hit! What makes it even more surprising is when I receive something that was not on my radar, was not on any wish list…was something I did not even know I was looking for. Such was the case with the J.R.R. Tolkien Audio Collection.
Last year, for Christmas I believe, Jeff presented me with this item that he had stumbled upon while out on one of his shopping adventures. Needless to say I was very excited to receive it and it was something I did not know existed. Evidently in August of 1952, after 14 years of working on The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien had been despairing of the work ever making it into print, so he decided to make this recording for his friends. This reportedly inspired him to continue working and to ultimately submit his manuscript.
This 4 disk collection comprises selections of those recordings which include readings from The Hobbit, and all three books of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. In addition there is a recording of a poem entitled “The Mirror of Galadriel” that has never before been published. It was edited out of the trilogy before publication.
The second two disks of this collection contain readings out of The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien’s son, Christopher Tolkien. This includes the entire story of Beren and Luthien.
I am immensely pleased with this collection. I would easily award it a 4.5 out of 5 stars. I rate it with this caveat: I consider myself a Tolkien geek. The two cd’s of J.R.R. Tolkien reading have their problems, the biggest of which is the quality of the recordings. While the publisher no doubt took pains to clean them up as much as possible, the audio is entirely too quiet. I had to have the cd player in my truck cranked to the limit and still had to listen very carefully. That is really my only major complaint. This sound issue was not the case with the two cd’s of Christopher Tolkien reading, which had been recorded decades later with much better equipment.
Where this collection shines is in its longer moments. The collection opens with Tolkien reading a long portion of The Hobbit in which Bilbo Baggins first meets Gollum. It was an absolute pleasure to hear J.R.R. Tolkien himself voice Gollum. It was obvious to me that Andy Serkis was able to listen to these prior to voicing Gollum as there were certain vocal mannerisms that Tolkien did that were mimicked perfectly by Serkis. J.R.R. Tolkien has a very commanding voice and listening to these selections made me lament the fact that we don’t have complete recordings of him reading his own work. I didn’t realize just how lyrical Tolkien’s writing was until I heard both him and his son read aloud selections from it. It was wonderful. The shorter selections read by Tolkien are entertaining to listen to as well, but not nearly as much as the longer passages. It is the shorter portions of the CD that would probably only appeal to someone who would enjoy the novelty of hearing Tolkien read. One thing I found really charming about these recordings is that you can hear J.R.R. Tolkien turning pages. These selections, other than The Hobbit, only existed in Tolkien’s written notes and it is incredible to think of him sitting there with these papers in hand that would soon become this enormous, world-changing piece of literature.
Christopher Tolkien’s reading of selections from The Silmarillion are incredible. Although neither of the men did “voices” per se, with the exception of the voice for Gollum, they are both really good, strong readers. The sections from The Silmarillion both tell long, mostly complete passages of stories and so it really was like listening to an audio book. If Christopher Tolkien was the one who chose what portions to read, he chose very well. It was so great listening to the story of Beren and Luthien and then listening to Of the Darkening of the Valinor and Of the Flight of the Noldor. Christopher Tolkien has great command of his voice and of the material and listening to these selections was like listening to very good history channel documentary on the early ages of Middle-earth. Which is exactly what reading The Silmarillion was like for me.
This time of year certainly inspires in me a reexamination of all things Lord of the Rings. This was a fantastic way to stoke the fire for spending some time in Middle-earth.
If you come across a reasonably priced copy of this, I would highly encourage you to pick it up.
But for one lucky one of you, you (sort of) don’t have to wait!
Jeff had found a copy of a different CD featuring excerpts read by J.R.R. Tolkien and given it to me for my birthday. He then later found this longer collection that included all the parts from this CD. And so, he has graciously allowed me to offer this CD, Essential Tolkien, for giveaway for the Once Upon a Time III Challenge. All you need to do to qualify is to leave a comment sharing something about what you enjoy about the Lord of the Rings stories and/or films. It can be a brief comment or something long-winded. I love to make long-winded comments about The Lord of the Rings myself! The deadline for inclusion in this random drawing will be Sunday, March 29th at 11:59 p.m. CST. I will announce the winner Monday morning. I look forward to your comments.
“The Road goes ever on and on down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, and I must follow, if I can, pursuing it with eager feet, until it joins some larger way where many paths and errands meet. And whither then? I cannot say.”
~J.R.R. Tolkien
I love Sam. He’s my favorite. Which is odd because I tend to not like Frodo. But those sections still have me hooked because of good-old-Sam.
I want this! Such a cool idea…
haha, Becky, how interesting that you love Sam. I never get it, to be truthful. Sam actually annoyed me a lot more than he entertained me. In the movies, anyway. I don’t remember finding him so annoying in the books but it has been years since I read the books, so I am afraid the movies have often replaced the books in my memory!
As to my likes… I love Treebeard! I was sooo excited to see them, the Ents, come to life on the screen. It probably wasn’t exactly what I expected for them, but it didn’t disappoint me that much either.
In the books, one of my favourite characters was Eowyn. I was hoping for more from her in the movies, but I can also understand why she wasn’t explored that fully.
I like a lot of stuff…
Gotta admit, I love Sam from the films as well. I think Sean Astin in real life is annoying, but I thought he gave the character a lot of heart and emotion and made him very heroic in the films. It is funny though because the bulk of the Sam and Frodo parts after the Fellowship splits are not my favorite parts of the film. By and large I could skip over most of them. I know that is just because those parts of the film are so depressing and dark, which is exactly how they should have been. The films do a good job of portraying the drudgery of their trek to Mordor and the way the Ring continues to weigh more and more heavily on Frodo. Excellent filming, but I’m just not in the mood to watch those parts as much as I am the other characters.
Oh, the whole Sam and Frodo story after the breaking the Fellowship gets to me every time–more so in the books than the movie. The ending of The Two Towers is one of the most devastating endings I can ever recall reading in a book. Frodo alive but captured, Sam with the ring–could it get more scary?
And my favorite character in the series in Faramir–he’s one of my literary crushes. A scholar and a soldier who gives the king his due when the time comes–and he ends up with the awesomest female charater in fantasy literature. (I was *not impressed* with Peter Jackson’s version of Faramir. David Wenham looked the part and performed the role fine, but it was written all wrong. Grumble, grumble, grumble.)
Teresa: Faramir seems to be one of the main characters people complain about in the film in comparison to the book and I can certainly see why fans would be upset. I do agree with why Peter Jackson changed his character when he (PJ) talks about the fact that on film you cannot promote the idea that the ring is all powerful and could corrupt anyone and yet have Faramir act like he did in the book where he wasn’t influenced by it at all. I was glad they extended Faramir’s role in the extended editions of the movie because in that version of the film he seems like a much more noble and interesting character and you get to see some growth and change in him. I also really enjoy seeing the scenes with him and Boromir. Though brief they really did a good job of conveying the love these two brothers had for each other. It is also very powerful to see how messed up Denethor is in his relationship with Faramir. I haven’t watched LOTR since Fringe came out. I’m going to have an admittedly hard time watching the scenes with Denethor in them now and not picturing him milking a cow! 😉
I’m sad that the constraints of filming didn’t allow more of Faramir’s time in the halls of healing and Aragorn’s healing role to be shown more. That was an incredible part of the book. As it is, the films are pretty darn long in their extended versions and yet they would have been twice as long if they had tried to include everything.
The year before last when we finished watching the trilogy, I read the sections about Aragorn’s role as a healer and read Faramir and Eowyn’s story in the halls of healing to my wife and daughter. They are both such great sections of the book. I love watching the films more now that I have the book knowledge there, it fleshes things out so much more and adds so much to the experience.
I can see why Faramir is one of your literary crushes, he is definitely a great character.
This sounds awesome! And you’re giving away a copy of the other cd! Nice! What do I love about LOTR? can I just say everything? :p Tolkien created a world that was unique for it’s time and still remains that way today. He accomplished something that has been proven to not be very easy…create an epic fantasy that someone can fall in love with…that’s totally unique and has a certain feeling about it…where the characters are one’s that you love and cherish. So much epic fantasy loses that sense of wonderful characters that come alive…they become more about the quest than character depth. Tolkien found the perfect balance between the two. LOTR is a series that I just want to hug. Middle Earth is a place that I would kill to inhabit. His world just seems so real, his characters so moving. Seriously, I could go on forever. If we’re talking specifics, one thing I love about LOTR is Rivendell…seriously, can I just live there and have a beautiful elven wife????
Chris: Yes! I give you permission to dwell in Rivendell and have a beautiful elven wife…provided you invite me to the wedding.
You are so right in your assessment of what Tolkien accomplished. As I said, I was amazed at how lyrical some of the Tolkien passages are as I became aware of that fact listening to both Tolkiens read from his works.
Oh, that’s a fantastic set.
I have to admit, my love of The Lord of the Rings is deep, abiding and constant. 🙂
I read the books … sorry, I mean, I devoured the books when I was 14 or 15, reading my older brother’s copies. The Lord of the Rings led me to the whole fantasy genre _ much to the disgust of my older brother, a diehard science-fiction reader to this day. He said the Lord of the Rings was a one of a kind, when I asked him about it.
My favourite character in the books was Legolas. He was so… otherworldly. My first literary crush, to borrow a phrase.
Strangely, though, Sam reminded me of my Dad. I still have no idea why, except maybe for the fact they were both die-hard, dedicated gardeners. Every time I read the books, I see my Dad as Sam.
I’ve always been a reader, but The Lord of the Rings were the first books to move me on a different, deeper level.
Honestly, right at the end, where Sam comes back from farewelling Frodo, and just says “Well, I’m back” after everything? So incredibly moving.
And I love the movies. I’ve watched them … and watched them … and yes, I get a bit … chesty when I think _ this was made by a Kiwi! A Kiwi who started out digging Dambusters trenches as a kid in his parents’ backyard.
I’m going on a bit, but I can’t help it. I’m sorry.
Friends of mine and I gathered to watch the Oscars the year Return of the King won everything. To hear all of those Kiwi accents, to have that body of work acknowledged … it was memorable, to say the least. So we started entertaining ourselves with rugby cliches:
“It was a game of two halves”
“All credit to the opposition”
“We’d like to thank the ladies for the lovely spread”
Heh. That was fun.
Although I did have to forgive Peter Jackson a fair bit:
– casting Sean Bean as Boromir. Mr Sean Bean is a fine actor. But Boromir is described in the books as physically huge. And Mr Sean Bean isn’t.
I didn’t miss Tom Bombadil, or the Barrowights, but I did miss the Scouring of the Shire. I think that could have been amazing. Of course, it would have meant the last film was something like seven hours long, so I totally understand why it was left out; I just think it’s a shame, because that’s when I felt that Merry and Pippin especially came into their own.
Um. Er. Ahem.
That’ll do. Gosh, I do go on, don’t I?
Maree: No apologies needed. Going on and on about LOTR is what I love. If you need further proof, click on the “Children of Hurin” link in my blog roll and see the long ongoing conversation that some of us had for awhile about the subject. 🙂
I’m glad they left out Tom Bombadil too. The character and that part of Fellowship does nothing for me. I was cracking up when Neil Gaiman mentioned his dislike of the character on the Colbert Report the other night.
That whole end scene with the hobbits would have been really amazing to see. That is also something I read aloud to my wife and daughter after our last extended edition movie fest. I felt like they needed to hear that part of the hobbits’ tale.
Oh no, where’s the Sean Bean love? 🙂 I am wondering what it would have been like psychologically for the viewer, though, if they picked an actor who was physically larger than Viggo as Aragorn? I think it might have been hard to establish Aragorn as the leader that he was if there was Boromir were somehow a more physical presence onscreen. I might be way off base with that, but it is just a though. But beyond the size, he just does such an incredible acting job. I feel like bawling my eyes out every time those arrows strike! I love the way they filmed that part with the sound and everything.
A bunch of us got together as well for that Oscars and it was by far my favorite ever just because I was so happy for these movies to get their just due.
No need to apologize for being proud of the Kiwi either. I admire Peter Jackson something fierce, even more so after reading Brian Sibley’s biography of him last year. It isn’t all a “rah-rah” biography and as such it makes Peter Jackson very human and very easy to relate to and as such makes these movies the miracle that they are. I highly recommend that book. You can find my review here if you are interested:
http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.com/?p=971
My favorite character in the books and the movie is Gandalf. Ian McClellan was just the icing on the cake! Next favorite character in the movies was Frodo just because of the incredible facial expressions of the actor whose name i have mentally misplaced (but it’ll come back to me the minute i hit “submit comment”.) He portrayed the effects the ring was having on Frodo PERFECTLY!!!! Plus the movies (and New Zealand) are sooooo physically stunning.
My favorite scene is when Pippin & Gandalf light the watchfires to call Gondor to the aid of the White City, that was magnificent!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the audio collection. You can’t know how excited I was when I found it because I didn’t know it was out there at the time either. Now I’ll have to hit you up in the future to borrow it. 🙂
It’s funny back when I read the books as a 7th grader my favorite character was a minor wizard named Radagast. He was dressed in brown and more in tune with the animals I believe. I haven’t reread the story since then but he has always stuck with me. I also really liked Strider and Gandalf in the novels. I still can picture Aragorn as Strider in that tavern. So very cool and mysterious. The movies made me love the characters of Eomer and Gladrial a lot more as well.
SG Taylor: Ian was great as Gandalf, wasn’t he? The casting for him could not have been more perfect. And he is such a great character in the novels as well. I like how mysterious he is and how you just know there is so much more going on with his character and his past, etc. that we just don’t know about.
That seen where the light the fires is really beautiful and powerful, isn’t it?
Jeff: I’m glad you found them. I am sad that the winner of the other CD won’t be getting the Christopher Tolkien stuff too, because that is the most excellent part in my opinion. I just can’t bear to part with mine though! Ha!
I’ll never know what I would have thought of the characters if I hadn’t seen the film first. I do know that the film encouraged me to struggle through some of the opening parts of Fellowship which, to me, really bog down for awhile before everything picks up. Part of me wishes I had that childhood experience with them but the other part wouldn’t trade this experience that I have had. I am really happy with the films and feel that the books then flesh out a world and characters, good and bad, that I grew to love because of the movies. I know the way the films looked, both in using New Zealand as a backdrop and in the way that old ruins were incorporated and a sense of history, also significantly influenced how much I connected with The Silmarillion.
I discovered The Hobbit when I was 14 years old, browsing in a bookstore in Chelmsford, MA (said bookstore is no longer there, unfortunately). I can remember asking my Mom if she’d ever read it since it came out when she was a girl and she said she didn’t like books like that. I found that hard to believe! I feel in love with Bilbo, his adventures and BagEnd. Then a million years went by and LOTR: Fellowship came out as a movie. I rolled my eyes and said…nerdy nerdy omg I so do not want to see this movie, whatEVER! Meanwhile, I was completely taken with the Harry Potter books & movies. So when my best friend from high school, Pat, who had been with me at that bookstore in Chelmsford and who had also fallen in love with Tolkien, asked me if I wanted to go to the movies, I said sure…wanna see Harry Potter? And she said yes. So I was standing in line to buy the ticket…and I said one for Harry Potter. Pat said, nonono, we’re going to see LOTR! I was like…noooooooooo I don’t want to see that, but there’s no stopping Pat. So in we went…I figured I could snooze. We sat through the previews (which I love, btw) and then the movie started with that lovely voice over. From that very second…I was intrigued. Then…BILBO! Bilbo, out of my imagination, out of the pages of The Hobbit, RIGHT THERE ON THE BIG SCREEN and WHAM! I sighed…Bilbo! And then sighed…BagEnd! And then, the movie was over or so it seemed. Ahhh…LOTR:FOTR…now my favorite movie of all time.
Janet: you crack me up! I’m glad that Pat forced you into seeing this. I cannot imagine a fan of Harry Potter thinking that LOTR would be nerdy! 😉
when the return of the king was sweepig the academy awards in every category it was nominated in (like 13 of them) and someone who accepted the award for a diffferent category said in their acceptance speech. “im just glad the lord of the rings wasnt nominated in this category.”
these books always have been and always will great books and favorites o fmine.
My reason might be a little bit of a cop out but the thing I love most about the books is that I haven’t read them yet, or even seen the movies. That’s right, I’m a complete Lord of the Rings virgin. I’m so looking forward to diving into this series for this challenge 🙂
I have not read the books myself but LOTR was really an inspiration for my oldest child now 19 to read more books. He is not an avid reader by any means but he did read all 3 volumes. That is huge! For a Christmas gift, one year, we bought him the collector’s edition that is bound in red (leatherish) which led him to reading the trilogy again.
I really should read them myself…as a personal challenge.
I did read the Hobbit. That was a real good book. I am hoping my girls will pick up the Hobbit to read one day soon.
One more thing, this year, at Christmas, we Read JRR Tolkien’s Letter’s from Father Christmas. I know we will be reading these letters every Christmas… loved the letters.
I’ll be short: Eowyn. I adore her. Especially because Tolkein was not setting out to write a good female character (hence Arwyn), and yet Eowyn totally rocks. (Even in the book; she’s more awesome in the movies…)
I have always been an avid reader as far back as I can remember. My brother, a few years older than I, read the hobbit and never got any further. This book sat in my parent’s basement and collected dust for many many years. As a child or young teen they did not have the arrays of books then that they do now. I have had never read a “fantasy” novel in my life. I remember when I had no book to read I would run downstairs and look at the cover and read that back only to put it back down again to collect more dust. One day I was desperate for something to read so I trudged to the basement and picked The Hobbit up one last time. From that point forward I could not put the book down and owned all three of the remaining books before I had finished The Hobbit.
J. R. R. Tolkien became a staple in my life, at time when I felt, as a teen I had nothing (emo stage I guess). He gave me hopes, dreams, laughter, fear, heartbreak and love amid a world in which I felt I had none.
I devoured my first “series” of books ever in my life and had read just about everything I have gotten my grubby hands on from Tolkien since that day. It opened me up to a new world of fantasy, mystery and many more genres. It was a crucial turning point in my life and to the day it never seems to fail that some sort of Tolkien is carried with me each and every day of my life.
But Carl please don’t make me pick a favorite part of the series, it’s like asking what my all time favorite song is. Too many parts to choose from!
Melissa: Eowyn is fantastic, isn’t she? And Miranda Otto was a fantastic casting choice. Gotta admit I like Arwyn as well but I’m sure that is completely to do with the view I have of the character from the films that I took with me when I read the books for the first time.
Deanna: Ooooo…I want one of the leatherbound editions. I already have the trade and hardcover versions with illustrations by Alan Lee, but I’d love the large leatherbound version as well. I know, I’m ridiculous. I have the book of Tolkien’s letters which, I believe, includes these. I have read some of it but have not read the father Christmas letters. May have to steal that tradition from you for this coming Christmas.
Lu: Well I definitely envy you the event of experiencing them for the first time. They are definitely amazing if you give them both a chance. I certainly think Fellowship of the Ring, the book, stumbles somewhat in the early third of the book, but after that I feel like everything picks up and just gets better and better. And I have no objectivity anymore as far as the films go. I just think they are the most incredible films ever made.
Meaghan: Ahhh…I remember that now that you say it. I suspect everyone was feeling that way on that particular evening.
Jamie: I feel your pain. I cannot pick true favorites either as I like so much about both the books and the films.
That is a great story that you shared! How cool that these books had such an incredible effect on your life. I imagine that many of us who love books can relate to that in one way or the other, but how awesome that Tolkien did that for you. Did you ever talk to Cathy about Tolkien when she was here? She was a HUGE geek about it, going waaay back. You can obviously borrow my cd’s since you are so close (down the hall?) if you want to. And, get back to work!!!
I actually had a t shirt prainted that says “Hobbit Lover” after seeing the films! I first read LOTR when I was around 14 and have enjoyed re-reading it numerous times. I was never taken with The Hobbit as a child but loved it when I went back to it last year. I am currently slowly making my way through The Histories of Middle Earth edited by Christopher Tolkien and have enjoyed The Silmarillion, The Unfinished Tales, Tales from the Perilous Realm and Roverandom (such a fun story about a flying dog – highly recommended). I love the way Tolkien transports you to another realm and that he spawned a whole Fantasy genre.
http://templelibraryreviews.blogspot.com/2009/03/once-upon-time.html
I am sorry I am linking you here, but this is a recent post and you will spot the link easier. I finally announced my offivial participation in the challenge. 🙂
Anyways I am so excited about this collection. Silmarillion is the most wonderous book I have ever had the pleasure to read and reread and reread and then forget the scope of its greatness and return once again… So many good memories discovering the early stages of the world and its castle, myths and magic. *sigh*
Carl — your view of Arwyn is completely the movie. When I first read the book, I was totally put off by her (all she does is sit around, sew, and look pretty to inspire Aragorn. Puh-lease.). But, I do like Liv Tyler’s Arwyn. She (especially in Fellowship) is pretty awesome herself.
And yes, Miranda Otto is an absolutely perfect Eowyn.
I should also say that I liked Alan Lee as the art director (I have the trilogy in hardback with his illustrations, and it’s marvelous how uncanny they are to the movie version…), but that’s not really Tolkien, is it?
Wow!
I did not know about these audio recordings. We used to listen to a recording of Peter Ustinov reading “The Hobbit” complete with very German sounding goblins and orks. I’ve never found another copy of that even doing extensive internet searches.
I grew up on The Lord of the Rings – my mother was pregnant with me when she first read it, and my brother used to read it to me as a bed time story. Quite a scary bed time story. One of my favorite passages is where Frodo and the other hobbits first meet Strider in the Prancing Pony. Or that scene in the Mines of Moria where Pippin is lying awake, and watches Gandalf keeping watch, quietly smoking his pipe.
Why is that such a comforting thought? To be lying there in that terrifying place surrounded by dark tunnels, wrapped in your blanket, watching a fierce old man sitting there on guard, thinking and smoking his pipe?
Carl _ I have read Brian Sibley’s biography and I loved it. It came in as a review book to work, and I snaffled it straight away. Reading about everything Jackson went through to get _ not just LOTR made but all of his other movies too _ I think is truly inspiring. 🙂
Masha: I don’t know, but that does sound very comforting indeed. You were raised right! Indoctrinated by Lord of the Rings in the womb! Kudos to your mother!
Isn’t it amazing that books are one of those things that can be so timeless and be shared like that? You have that shared experience with your mother. That is just too cool.
Melissa: I think Arwen is much like a lot of what makes Tolkien’s work so thought provoking and powerful. Yes, she doesn’t have a lot of presence and maybe that is because Tolkien couldn’t write good women roles…I have no idea. But her role in the grand scheme of things, even as inspiration to Aragorn is so big. I like her character so much because in the book and in the film the thing that strikes me the most is the decision she makes for love which will result in her spending a long, long time alone in sorrow and mourning. With just a few lines indicating that idea Tolkien is able to stir up this vision in your head about just what it would mean for one of the elven kind to make that decision. I love the grand scheme of his work.
And you need make NO excuses for bringing Alan Lee into the discussion. That man is a MASTER! I have been a fan since way back in the late 80’s when my wife bought me a book called Castles that featured his art. I was so thrilled to see his involvement in the films. His art is just stunning, and to see it literally brought to life by the set designers was a real treat.
Others may disagree, but Alan Lee is Tolkien to me! 🙂
Harry: No problem, I’m glad you included the link. I’ll get your name and link added to the list.
The Silmarillion is exactly what you describe. There is so much there that it can easily be revisited again and again and new things can be learned.
Rhinoa: I eventually want to get around to reading Christopher Tolkien’s histories. With his work on The Silmarillion and Children of Hurin I have grown to respect him and his continuation of his father’s legacy so much. As I said, it was such a pleasure to hear him read this work. It was obvious that he had a real command of it. I want to read Unfinished Tales at some point as well. I have Tales from the Perilous Realm that I hope to get to for this challenge. I also plan to pick up The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, the newest J.R.R. Tolkien book to be released, that comes out in May. Details here:
http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/870-The_Legend_of_Sigurd_and_Gudrun.php
Maree: It is one of the best if not THE best biography I have ever read. Of course being attracted to the subject matter certainly helps. I was thrilled when I did my review and Brian Sibley himself came by the blog and commented. Wow!
And and and … okay, I promise I’m not stalking you Carl. But every time I come back to check the comments, I remember something else. I did love Sean Bean as Boromir. I just expected someone more physically imposing. Jackson, however, quite rightly traded that aspect for great acting.
And Alan Lee is something in the way of a genius. I have his Lord of the Rings sketchbook.
Enough from me. Patrick has learned how to climb …
“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”
~J.R.R. Tolkien
I first read these lines of his when I was fourteen years old; I have loved The Lord Of The Rings ever since.
Bellezza: I love those lines. I suspect there are many of us who do. It certainly is powerful.
Maree: Stalk away! I certainly don’t mind if Bean wasn’t what you expected. As I said, I got off easy with the films because not having read the books before seeing them made me have no comparison expectations.
Isn’t that Lord of the Rings sketchbook awesome? I love the way it is designed and the art is, of course, fantastic.
Ahhh Tolkien…
A brilliant man. And to think.. he wrote Fantasy! Yet many other brilliant authors don’t consider Fantasy writing that’s worth reading.. Irony.
ANyway.. I remember well reading the Hobbit for the first time. I was an adult with 2 sons, lived in Florida at the time. My brother kept after me to read this fabulous book called The Hobbit. At the time I didn’t read much or often.. mainly for two reasons..raising kids, and I didn’t have money of my own to buy things that were not absolutely necessary.
So.. I started this little paperback book and couldn’t put the damn thing down! I went around the house reading nonstop. I vacuumed with one hand and held the book in the other..reading. I cooked with one hand, stirring so nothing burned… and read with the other. No sooner would Bilbo get out of some sort of trouble, then he was back in trouble again! I had to keep reading to see how he got out of trouble all the time!
My world would never be the same again.
I still did not read “a lot” because money was always an issue, and “mom” was bottom of the list. I let that honor go to Carl and the Once Upon a Time challenge!
Tolkien really did it for me. He opened the door and someone inside opened the flood gates! I’ve read mainly fantasy ever since.
I’m not writing this to enter the contest though… just wanted you to know what Tolkien means to me. :o)
“…very good history channel documentary on the early ages of Middle-earth. Which is exactly what reading The Silmarillion was like for me.” Ah, now I get why Annie loves The Silmarillion so much! Documentaries on the history channel rank nearly as high as books on her list of favorite things. 🙂
Please don’t enter me in the contest. As much as I now adore the movies and books, I’m sure there are many would derive far more enjoyment from this audio. But here’s just a couple odds ‘n’ ends anyway:
*First of all, which you already know, YOU are responsible for my love of LOTR! I’ve explained all this to you before so I won’t bore you with it again, but bottom line–before you, the thought of ever reading this scared the living daylights out of me.
*I’m with Becky–I think Sam is definitely my favorite character. In the book anyway. In the movie, it’s hands down Legolas…but that’s purely a hotness factor. Frankly, it bothers me a bit that Annie also finds Legolas so irresistible (just kind of an “ewww factor” realizing you and your 11-year-old daughter can crush on the same person, even if it is “just a character”).
*Because of LOTR movies, we must have “second breakfast” most days the boys are not in school. (Boys have not actually watched the movies, but have seen bits ‘n’ pieces…the idea of second breakfast definitely caught their attention!)
*Because of the LOTR movies, I’ve gotten less sleep than I otherwise would have. Not because the movies kept me up watching them, but because both boys have had nightmares about Gollum.
*I always have to be “doing” something, like crocheting or knitting, while I watch a movie. It’s why I’ve always preferred watching a video instead of going to the theater. I have never been able to just sit and watch. That is until I sat down to watch these movies with Annie. Then I found I couldn’t possibly do anything else but sit riveted to our small screen. For me, that was an incredible experience!
Me again. I swear, I could rival you Carl, on long-winded LOTR discussions.
Anyways. Have you read the LOTR Location book by Ian Brodie?
It gives a very comprehensive account of all the locations used in the films _ Brodie and his son even suited up as extras!
See, what you did was, you tapped into one of my most favourite things ever. You’re in real trouble if you ever write a post about cats.
Maree: Ha, no worries there. While I definitely love all animals and am not in any way anti-cat, I certainly do not anticipate writing about them any time soon. (Now watch, next week will be an all-cat week for some reason).
I have not read that book by Ian Brodie, but a few months ago I stumbled across mention of it and added it to my Amazon wishlist. I really want that one!
And as I said before, you are welcome to be as long-winded as you want. Have you checked out the Children of Hurin link yet? I’d love for you an anyone else that wants to do so to continue those discusssions as well. You don’t have to have read the book, the comments went far afield of the book long ago!
Debi: Believe me, I consider it a great honor and thrill that I was able to introduce the LOTR films to your family. It is the kind of moment we all long for, to open up one of our favorite worlds to someone else. I try to do that anyway with my blog and especially with challenges, but I get a special thrill, as I’m sure we all do, when I know that I’ve made that personal connection and passed my love of something on to someone else.
Sorry your boys had nightmares for awhile. Gollum can do that. I only hope when they are older that remembrance doesn’t keep them from wanting to watch these incredible films.
I love that Annie loves The Silmarillion. I remain convinced that it would be the minority of LOTR fans that would love The Silmarillion, but maybe I am way off base with those thoughts. However, I find it very cool that a pre-adolescent girl could fall in love with such a detailed text. She is a special kid.
It is so fun that your kids picked up on ‘second breakfasts’. We have done that before on days when we are watching the movies. It is hard for me because I usually don’t have ‘first breakfast’, so to eat twice in the morning is a real challenge for me.
Deslily: I so enjoy hearing people tell stories of how Tolkien opened up this world of fantasy for them. It is a real testament to his devotion to his craft, his interests, etc. that he was able to write something that has reached across so many generations. I’m also glad that the Once Upon a Time Challenge has helped further encourage your fantasy reading. Although I apologize for any costs that you may have incurred because of it! 😉
Carl, if it’s not too presumptuous, I can get that for you. It’s on Trade Me here for way, way less than it’s on Amazon! I’m more than happy to get it and post it to you, you’ll LOVE it, trust me.
oh no.. some nice man bought me 3 books!
btw: as for the movies… no one or nothing can top Gandalf (Ian) when he faces the Balrog! “You Shall Not Pass!”… (that was one ticked off sorcerer!!)
Well, I definitely have to say that I Love Lord of the Rings! 🙂 J.R.R. Tolkien had an absolutely amazing imagination, and who’d a thought that it was hard for him to write! Crazy! 🙂 He is one of my all time favorite authors, definitely…and his characters are so genuine!
Taylor J. Beisler
http://www.eloquentbooks.com/ArintSaratir-WarriorsLight.html
http://www.taylorbeisler.com
Maree: Not at all, that would be great. Let me know what I owe you.
Deslily: That is a great moment! That is one of the scenes I rewatch frequently. That Balrog is so cool. And all I can say is, beware of men bearing books!!! 😉
De nada, Carl. You can pay it forward if you like. 🙂
Email me at maree_jane30@hotmail.com with your address and I’ll get on to it.
Oooh, the Balrog scene is one of my favourites, but the scene that always always always makes me cry, no matter how many times I’ve seen the movies, is at the end of Return of the King, when the hobbits are about to bow to Aragorn and he says “My friends, you bow to no one” and everyone bows to the hobbits. See, I’m welling now, just thinking about it and I only watched the movies a little while ago!
That is so wonderful of you Maree. Thank you so much. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am. I’m sure my eventual review of the book will do a much better job of that! Bless you for your generosity!
And those two scenes, as well as many others, make me well up every time too. The coronation scene that you mention most of all. I feel sobs well up when I see that part of the film. It is even more powerful if you’ve spent the entire day watching all three extended editions in a row!!!
I loved all of the hobbits, but especially Frodo and Pippin. When I first read LotR, I was expecting more dwarves (and maybe Bilbo!) because of The Hobbit, and so was surprised when it turned out to be quite a different sort of adventure. I loved it all the same. My favourite part? There are too many, really, but pretty much any scene with the Ents is shiny to me. 🙂
Gandalf, Godlovehim, has to be the most completely useless wizard of all time…and yet he’s the wizard who opened up a thousand new worlds to me, and for that I love him to death 🙂
I loved the books when I read them years ago, but my love for the films is on a whole different level. I adore them. I have not yet been able to watch Return of the King without sobbing like a child for … oh, the final two-thirds of the movie.
To me, Tolkien’s writing has the majestic, somewhat remote quality of timeless myth. It was the films that put real flesh and blood on the characters for me and made me fall in love with them.
Carl, I remember Peter Jackson talking about how Ian McKellen based his performance of Gandalf on some old film clips of Tolkien himself. Did you detect any of Gandalf’s speech patterns in Tolkien’s readings?
Felicia: It is funny that you mention Ian McKellen because, although I didn’t mention it, he definitely mimics Tolkien. At one point in one of the recordings I found myself smiling as I realized this.
“remote quality of timeless myth” is a great way to describe his work, particularly The Silmarillion. I find it both remote and yet engaging, although that may have as much to do with reader interest as anything else.
Eoz: oooo…kay… Not sure I would agree with the ‘useless’ idea but all opinions are respected so I’ll leave it at that. As for loving him to death, I’m with you all the way on that one!
Marineko: Extra points for bringing Firefly slang into the conversation! 🙂 I completely understand, it is really hard to pick favorites, as one would expect from a work that has inspired and enchanted readers for generations.
wow – too cool!
and i agree with you. hearing him turn the pages must just be amazing for the exact reason that you said! wow.