A Tolkien Bio-pic?

[Elmo]

Would the estate be able to block it even if it didn't contain copyrighted material? I'm not sure but haven't their been biographies of Tolkien that the estate didn't endorse? You know the ones that talk about how much of a grumpy sod he apparently was

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Elmo

Would the estate be able to block it even if it didn't contain copyrighted material? I'm not sure but haven't their been biographies of Tolkien that the estate didn't endorse? You know the ones that talk about how much of a grumpy sod he apparently was

they might not be able to block the programme but they can block access to a lot of documents and so they would be limited to stuff already in the public domain and the memories of those people who would agree to be involved.

Well the biography and the letters in particular show that he was not always sweetness and light - far number of moments in the letters which could be Gandalf at his grumpiness but he was also clearly devoted to his children in the many affectionate letters - let alone the legacy of the stories he wrote for them.

It is a lot to expect great artists to be also perfect human beings - it is a lot ot expect of anyone! However while we do not expect the media to present people as Holbein did Anne of Cleves, we expect "warts and all" - but sometimes the media only want to show us the feet of clay, and that is why it would be understandable if authorisation were not forthcoming.

[Tuor in Gondolin]

I don't see why such a project couldn't be done, and done well.
Consider the Tolkien bio bit in FOTR extended dvd disc 3, and
the way the Biography series covers just about anyonne.

It would make an interesting Ken Burns type documentary,
perhaps not just JRRT, but featuring the Inklings in a mid-20th
Century British literary context.