New interview with Christopher Tolkien

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

But Lord of the Rings is a Quest, and that's inherently an action based story. Constantly moving on. And without the action of challenges along the way, it would be incredibly boring.

Aye. But.

LOTR was not a kind of story that I read because I was anxious about what happens next. If I want some of that, I'll reread my GoT. The action happens more subtly, peacefully, gently. You're interested about what happens next, but it doesn't have the kind of read-non-stop grip that some other books do. Instead, what gripped me was what is there besides the plot.

Once again, even books without plot still have some kind of plot, unless they are math textbooks or something like that (though even in those you may find many a plot point.... ok, bad pun on analytic geometry). All novels have some kind of plot. But in LOTR, despite its being a Quest, the plot is not what makes it remarquable.

Originally Posted by Lal

To be fair, I think the films did capture the same sense of movement and the same quotient of action as shown in the books. The sweeping panorama shots of the Fellowship moving through the hills are the filmic equivalent of Tolkien spending a few pages on exposition, describing a changing landscape.

That's true. I enjoyed those scenes the most, probably, with only a few exceptions. They have the right feel in them.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

LOTR was not a kind of story that I read because I was anxious about what happens next. If I want some of that, I'll reread my GoT. The action happens more subtly, peacefully, gently. You're interested about what happens next, but it doesn't have the kind of read-non-stop grip that some other books do. Instead, what gripped me was what is there besides the plot.

It gripped me! But it did take me a long time to read, as I started by pinching my brother's books and I had to sneak them out. I took them to school with me and would wait for break time and go and find a hidey hole where I could read them in peace - usually in an old cloakroom that was piled high with old chairs. I'd crawl underneath them and sit amongst a century's worth of spiders and dust, reading. I savoured them (the books, not the spiders), but I was thoroughly gripped.

And yes, it was more than the plot, but the plot did drive it all. I remember first reading about Arwen and thinking "Why is she looking at Strider like that?" and not being satisfied until the end as to why. And feeling really upset when Gandalf fell in Moria.

Originally Posted by Bethberry

It's the landscapes mainly. Check out Nasmith's "At the Falls" and his depictions of Minas Tirith, maybe the cliffs of Rivendell (not the buildings). That's what I can recall; it's been quite awhile since I watched the movies.

I've just had a look and I see what you mean! Check out "The Tower of the Moon" too - the colouring is not the same as in the films but the shape of the valley and tower is the same.

I quite like his Ents, actually. They are like giant, 'twiggy' men, rather than trees with eyes, which is good.

[Mithalwen]

Looking for something else, I found this on the Estate Website regarding the illustration of the Children of Hurin:

"We have always admired the work of Alan Lee, ever since he was commissioned to illustrate The Lord of the Rings at the time of J.R.R. Tolkien's centenary. While preparing the story for publication, Christopher decided that to have the book illustrated from first publication would also underline its essential quality as a story rather than a scholarly work."

For Christopher to have actively wanted Lee's illustration is quite a mark of approval. And the Estate website is surely a fairly reliable source....

[Mumriken]

Lee's work is in a class of it's own. I doubt I would be able to vizualise lord of the rings etc without his artwork. It's so rich and adds to the whole middle earth atmosphere. Here are some of his hobbit artwork, I wonder if the movies have taken inspiration from his work.

http://tolkienilu.chez-alice.fr/epop..._porte_lee.jpg
http://tolkienilu.chez-alice.fr/epop..._troll_lee.jpg
http://tolkienilu.chez-alice.fr/epop..._smaug_lee.jpg
http://tolkienilu.chez-alice.fr/epop...arrock_lee.jpg

[Mithalwen]

I like Lee's work - certainly better than just about anyone's save Tolkien's own and Pauline Bayne's which is a different style - but I don't need them. I find the word pictures quite vivid.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

I like Lee's work - certainly better than just about anyone's save Tolkien's own and Pauline Bayne's which is a different style - but I don't need them. I find the word pictures quite vivid.

I, myself, watched the PJ version of Tolkien before reading the books. At the time I was perfectly satisfied with his interpretation -- I do not feel the same way anymore. I like Alan Lee's artwork. I also like John Howe's. I own four ME maps that were painted by John Howe and they are quite beautiful. Despite this, I find the longer it has been since I watched the films, the more I have a different visual of ME than was shown, and surprisingly, I like mine better. PJ was able to get people on his team that were talented in making the visual ME, but he botched it in the character and scripting department.

Christopher Tolkien has a right to be disappointed. He was there when his father was writing, after all. He probably knows better than anyone else alive what J.R.R.'s vision was for his works. Without Christopher Tolkien, we would know hardly anything about Middle-earth and its history.

[davem]

This is a brief excerpt from a recording made at Church House Bookshop back in 1981, launching the BBC Radio adaptation of Lord of the Rings. Its a short piece, where Brian Sibley goes into the contribution Christopher made to the series, & references the tape recording CT made as a pronunciation guide for the actors.

About 5 seconds of silence before the audio starts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5spIP...ature=youtu.be

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

Looking for something else, I found this on the Estate Website regarding the illustration of the Children of Hurin:

"We have always admired the work of Alan Lee, ever since he was commissioned to illustrate The Lord of the Rings at the time of J.R.R. Tolkien's centenary. While preparing the story for publication, Christopher decided that to have the book illustrated from first publication would also underline its essential quality as a story rather than a scholarly work."

For Christopher to have actively wanted Lee's illustration is quite a mark of approval. And the Estate website is surely a fairly reliable source....

That's good, because it confirms it's the journalist projecting some assumptions rather than CT's own feelings on the matter. One of the things that surely nobody could criticise about the films was the care put into the artwork by Alan Lee and John Howe - their Oscar was truly well deserved.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

It's also worth noting that the Estate *requested* that Alan Lee do Children of Hurin *after* the films- so the notion of petty resentment or blackballing is shown to be another myth.

Note on "upper-class" accents: JRRT himself would be the first to point out that the "Oxford accent" is of very middle-class origin. (To hear a bona fide upper-class accent, listen to some 50s-era recordings of the Queen speaking).