The Lord Of The Rings Archive News Page 3
A press release from Multi Media Arts
THE REAL MIDDLE-EARTH
Narrated by Sir Ian Holm
A brand new documentary film that uncovers the real places that inspired
The Lord of the Rings
Available on DVD and VHS
Britain’s newly crowned favourite book, The Lord of the Rings, is also the most popular work of fiction ever created. It introduced the world to Gandalf, Frodo and Aragorn, but arguably the book’s true star does not utter a single word.
It is Middle-earth – The Lord of the Rings’ unforgettable setting – that remains Tolkien’s greatest achievement.
In The Real Middle-Earth, Sir Ian Holm (Fellowship of the Ring, Alien, Chariots of Fire) narrates a fascinating exploration into a world that, although imaginary, seems so real we pore over its maps and contemplate the journeys made from one place to another.
Was there a shire to inspire the Shire? What shaped the darker and more troubled lands beyond its borders? How did European languages fuse in Tolkien’s mind to create words that evoke extraordinary places and heroic adventure?
The quest for The Real Middle-earth takes us to England’s West Midlands, to Warwick and Oxford, to the ancient Lancashire school where Tolkien visited his son John, to Saxon burial sites and the real Dead Marshes, otherwise known as the battlefields of the Somme.
We hear why The Lord of the Rings could be described as a great war novel, and why it’s imaginary cultures and conflicts still have powerful lessons for the 21st century.
The Real Middle-earth is only available online.
CONTACT DETAILS
For more information or to request a review copy contact Nazir Kauser:
Tel: + 44 (0)161 374 5515
Email: therealmiddleearth@mmarts.com
December 7, 2003 ‘Lord of the Rings’ Hobbit Hero Still Fears Ring
BERLIN (Reuters) – Elijah Wood, who plays the diminutive hero of the “Lord of the Rings” epic which climaxes later this month, is still in awe of the magical golden ring he guarded in the film.
Speaking ahead of the European premiere of the “Return of the King” finale to the “Rings” trilogy, the 22-year-old American said he keeps the golden prop ring at home in a box.
“I won’t wear that, oh no,” he told journalists in Berlin. “I keep in with the symbolism of the character. It’s the only thing about the character that will live on. I keep it away.”
Wood, who was so desperate to get the part that he made a special audition tape for director Peter Jackson, said it would be hard to move on from such a momentous project.
“The first time I saw the last hour of the movie I was in hysterics, crying, sobbing,” he said. “It is sad that it’s all kind of over but at the same time there is a real sense of accomplishment now.”
Wood, who started his career as a child actor, said he is coming to terms with fame and does not disguise himself.
“I live in New York now, I go on the subway, I walk around the streets. I don’t want to stop living my life because people recognize me. It doesn’t bother me too much,” he said.
September 17, 2003 Taking a break with a Rings monster
England is truly under the spell of the Ring, the LotR exibition in London has attracted a record smashing number of visitors!
Lawrence Makoare, who played a terrifying warlord in the Lord of the Rings films, has spent the morning under hot lights promoting the films’ exhibition at London’s Science Musuem.
August 12, 2003 Lord Of The Oscars?
Peter Jackson might want to clear off his mantel. The director of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, which has already grossed more than $1.8 billion worldwide, is finishing part three, “The Return of the King,” and even without seeing a frame, Hollywood insiders consider it the front runner for a best-picture statuette—and Jackson for best director—come Oscar time.
No surprise: the first two films were both nominated. What’s remarkable is that in an industry known for vicious battles for Academy Awards, many people who plan to compete against Jackson’s film secretly want him to win. “I’m such a fan of his,” says a studio head with a film sure to be up against “LOTR.” “I’ve been waiting for the Academy to reward him for his nine-hour movie.”
March 25, 2003, The Lord of the Rings – The Return of the King?
This is it. The grand finale, the showdown, the big finish to one of the most adored film trilogies since the original series of Star Wars films. Which, naturally, makes it a certifiable event. While Jackson and co. are trying to hold back their surprises (and any book deviance) – despite the ravenous attention of the website geeks – Professor Tolkien can give us some guidance to what awaits us when Frodo’s quest reaches its dramatic conclusion.
The full weight of Weta’s technical achievements will come to bear on a storyline infused with battle scenes, hoards of creatures and potentially stunning new locales. The next big CGI question mark, after Gollum and Treebeard, hangs over the arrival of Shelob, a giant spider who attacks the ringbearer, contained within a labyrinth of dark tunnels that should feel far more confined and claustrophobic than the Moria sequences of film one. While for the rest of the Fellowship it’s the toil of battle. The siege of Minas Tirith – where the massed ranks of Sauron’s army, led by head Nazgul The Witch King, will take on the seven-tiered white city – looks set to be the series’ crowning glory. By comparison Helm’s Deep should look like a brownie convention.
There are two new minor characters to finally enter the fray: Boromir’s father and Steward of Minas Tirith (John Noble), ostensibly the current ruler of the land of Gondor who has been driven mad and The Mouth of Sauron (Bruce Spence from the Mad Max movies). This deformed human is basically the bad guy’s PR, who confronts the army of good with some desperate news. And, it seems likely, we’ll get also a glimpse of the head kahuna himself, Sauron.
February 18, 2003, Dissed by the Oscars?
Andy Serkis’ computer-aided performance was one of the best things about “The Two Towers.” But the Academy isn’t ready for digital actors.
New Line Cinema hoped that Andy Serkis, the human actor whose talents were tapped to guide the computer-generated performance of the pitiful wretch, Gollum, in “The Two Towers,” the second installment of the epic “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, would be nominated by the Academy. And while Gollum’s performance is nothing short of breathtaking, earning praise from critics as the most impressive aspect of the altogether overwhelming “Towers,” it was not clear whether audiences or Academy members were prepared to see Oscar honors go to an actor whose face they have never seen. Is Hollywood ready to acknowledge and honor digital performances, or even human-digital hybrids? This year, the answer seems to be a resounding no. When the nominees for best supporting actor were named on Tuesday, Serkis was not among them.
Even to those who believe that Serkis gave an Oscar-worthy performance, the decision doesn’t come as much of a surprise. New Line, and the “Rings” production team, recognized the difficulty they faced in gaining a nomination for Serkis’ Gollum, whom audiences might be tempted to mistake for an improved descendant of “Star Wars'” much-reviled Jar-Jar Binks. “Rings” executive producer Mark Ordesky has explained in interviews that, unlike the other synthespians audiences have encountered, “Gollum is groundbreaking, because he’s not only CGI, but is actually a performance-based character. He’s not comic relief, he’s not an antic. He really is a major dramatic character.”
January 26, 2003 Will Serkis’ Gollum be lord of the Oscars?
For one who has not dusted off the Tolkien books to reread, seeing this film twice was worthwhile.
We begin with the Fellowship from the previous film now splintered into three separate groups. Hobbits, Frodo (Wood) and
sidekick/bodyguard Sam (Astin), soon find themselves lost on their way to Mordor.
The quest is compromised by the
computer-enhanced creature, Gollum, played marvelously by actor Andy Serkis, whose haunting hiss and mannerisms
inspired the animators. It’s a performance so scene-stealing, it is being rumoured he’s up for an Academy Award nomination.
January 15, 2003 RotK Pictures!!!
TTT is out for a mere 3 weeks, and New Line already started to distribute RotK promo material. 12 pics from the closing chapter are out there, 4 of them have been posted by several sites. Check out Gandalf, Gollum, Sam and… The King!
January 9, 2003 Three ‘Ring’ Serkis
Why ”LOTR”’s Gollum seems so real. The voice and movements of actor Andy Serkis bring the creepy computer creation to life by Adam Duerson.
He sounds like a creep. He moves like a ghoul. So even though Andy Serkis doesn’t actually appear in the ”Lord of the Rings” trilogy, the 38-year-old British actor is still generating buzz as the human model for the CG-eye-popping character Gollum. Here’s how Serkis and director Peter Jackson created the loathsome creature by mixing real-life acting and digital wizardry.
GUIDED BY VOICES The Tolkien trilogy paints Gollum as an inhumanly skinny creature with eyes and teeth that would be nearly impossible to replicate with makeup and prosthetics. That’s why Jackson opted for creating Gollum digitally, rather than attempting a live-action performance. Even so, he started with a human voice. After auditioning many actors, he chose Serkis (”24 Hour Party People”) who had instant command over Gollum’s dialect. (The actor describes the inflection as a cross between an involuntary Tourette’s spasm and a cat coughing up a hairball.) In fact, Gollum’s voice also defined his appearance. To get the right sound, Serkis simultaneously acted out Gollum-like gestures. ”The physicality and the voice were one,” he explains. ”Being hunched over… certainly affected how my voice came out.” Watching Serkis in action, Jackson cast him to provide the movements too.
January 6, 2003 The Two Towers Nominated for 7th Golden Satellite Awards
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers has picked up 8 nominations from the 7th Golden Satellite awards for motion picture.