I am a huge "Lord of the Rings" fan.
I reread the trilogy and the hobbit every couple of years, and I always find new enjoyment. I have read and re-read The Silmarillion a couple of times now and I think it gets better each and every time. I have enjoyed his unfinished tales, I loved The Children of Húrin, and I have been dying to start The Fall of Gondolin.
I have all the Lord of the Rings movies and yes I did rebuy them each and every time they were released on a new medium, DVD, Blu-Ray, and Ultra HD Blu-Ray.
So I am a fan.
And I am REALLY looking forward to seeing Amazon's new The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
I cannot adequately describe what it is like to see the Two Trees after only seeing them forever in my thoughts. Reminds me of the line from Stairway to Heaven. "In my thoughts, I have seen, rings of smoke through the trees, and the voices of those who stand looking."
I love the Harfoots as proto-ish-Hobbits. I think Morfydd Clark will make a FANTASTIC Galadriel. People complaining about Galadriel wearing armor and fighting obviously know nothing of her history. Before she turns into Cate Blanchet she was a warrior, a rebel and who was the "only woman to stand tall in those days" according to the Unfinished Tales and Silmarillion. She has a dark past full of murder and war.
We have Pharazôn, before he becomes the last King of Númenor. No word yet on whether or not Annatar will appear, but I am betting he will. In fact. I am sure of it. No word on Fëanor though.
Yes, there are certain liberties being taken. But that is the nature of storytelling and I am fine with it.
But yes. I am really looking forward to this.
I call myself a fan of Tolkein as well, albeit not quite to the same level as you - but I'm uncomfortable with the idea of seeing more of his work adapted to the screen. Like you, I've always had to rely on imagination to "see" the Two Trees, the faces of the many characters, the landscapes of the world. Having those imaginings partially but permanently overwritten by the choices of a director isn't something I want, especially after seeing Jackson's efforts in years past.
ReplyDeleteToo each their own though. I hope you enjoy the series.
I haven't read the books in a while but I still have a complete set in shrink-wrap on my shelf. I got it from a discount bookstore over 10 years ago and never opened it.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the tales of the earlier (First and Second) Ages even better than the Third, so I find this quite interesting. I haven't read the Lost Tales, but the Silmarillion, Children of Hurin, and Fall of Gondolin are all great...the last in particular.
ReplyDeleteWould LOVE to see films based on these tales.
But the "rings of power?" It would appear that the subject has been chosen specifically because there's so little written about it (and liberties can be taken). I don't recall the rings factoring greatly into the Fall of Numenor...only three of the Nazgul were Numenorean, and Pharazon was never named as one.
Interesting, as I said. But not as drool-worthy (to me) as a film featuring Feanor lusting after his revenge would be.
; )
I will not be watching The Rings of Power, not because of the quality of the production--it may be good or bad--but because I do not want their vision of Tolkien's work to cloud my own. (I never watched the Jackson films either.)
ReplyDeleteThe production behind The Rings of Power have changed the language describing the show as "inspired by..." rather than "adapted from...".
ReplyDeleteI'm a big skeptic of what will be released in anything close to a derivative from Tolkien.