Master of the Rings: The Unauthorized Story Behind J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings"
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Master of the Rings: The Unauthorized Story Behind J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings"
This documentary examines the social and cultural underpinnings of the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, in an attempt to understand the work's phenomenal success and influence. The program looks for answers in the author's sources of inspiration, from the folk legends of Norway to the field of linguistics of which Tolkien was a lifelong student. It finds that the deep chord the story strikes owes its resonance to the author's use of archetypal imagery and language. Many examples of these recurrent themes and images are given, with readings from the work and other literature. Interviews with the book's illustrators, the brothers Hildebrandt, speak to the power of the imagery in the classic story. Scholars, Tolkien's children, and the author himself provide insight into the mythic themes and the spell they have cast over the vast readership of The Lord of the Rings.
| Release : | 2001 |
| Rating : | 6.3 |
| Studio : | |
| Crew : | Director, |
| Cast : | |
| Genre : | Documentary |
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Reviews
What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.
I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.
A story that's too fascinating to pass by...
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Last year I bought a most interesting multimedia package called "Master of The Rings". The set contained a DVD containing the documentary of the same name about Tolkien and "Lord of The Rings", an audio DVD with music by Rick Wakeman, inspired by LoTR, and finally a booklet containing artwork by well-known illustrators, the Hildebrandt brothers.The documentary is, as another user commented, surprisingly interesting, even after repeated viewing. Don't expect feature film production values here, but nevertheless this is a well-made documentary, featuring lots of people, ranging from literary critics and Tolkien historians over musicians and graphic artists to even military instructors - all discussing Tolkien and LoTR, and the influences his work has had.Meanwhile, we are also given a summarized version of the whole LoTR story, the Fellowship's journey illustrated with a CGI 3D map of Middle Earth.Also, there are a minutes of old footage showing an interview with the man himself. A nice addition indeed, although it's a pity he is virtually unintelligible (he tends to mumble a lot).Apart from the main documentary (about 80 mins long, IIRC) there are a number of shorter extra bits, like talking-head interviews with people like Rick Wakeman and others, and a few videoclips by "Mostly Autumn", a folk-rock band making music often inspired by LoTR.All in all, this is great stuff for anyone interested in Tolkien and his work. The audio CD and booklet are a nice bonus.
I have read all tolkien books, The Lord of the Rings 3 times. Seen all the cartoon tolkien movies, and seen the 1st two Rings movies Peter Jackson has created. I was at Wal Mart the day after Christmas and saw a bucket $4 DVD's. AMong em was Jaws, The Exorcist, Presumed Innocent , others and Master of the Ring. Being a Tolkien fan I bought it. The 1st time i watched it I would give it 5/10 but for some reason i wanted to watch the 80 minute feature again and again and aaaaaagain. It has the whole story is sort of interesting and hearing Tolkien talk is Hilarious. He talks exactly exactly exactly like Ozzy Ozbourne. Well its a great DVD for $$$$$$$$$$$$$ I give it 6/10 on entertainment but 13/10 for enjoinment for the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
