If the Movie had been Directed by Someone Else - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Birdland · 05-06-2002, 09:06 PM

Oooooh! John Huston! "The Man Who Would Be King" is one of my favorite movies, with one of my favorite actors. But for some reason I can't picture Sean Connery as one of the character in LoTR. Certainly not Gandalf. Perhaps Theoden. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Well, I was thinking more in terms that MOST films are fantasy when you get down to it.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Well that's why they call it the Dream Factory, Lost. But Tolkien's work does fit into a certain catagory, and up until the late 70s, I don't think most studios were capable of seeing the potential of attempting to film the book. LoTR was published in 1955, but who do we have showing an interest in it? Walt and Ringo. The take by most studios and producers seemed to be that it was either a 'kiddy book", or a Magical Mystery Tour, that would be filmed with the appropriate "Puff the Magic Dragon" references to keep it up-to-date. No wonder Tolkien didn't want anyone touching his work! What was needed was a generation of film makers who had been exposed to the Golden Age of Science Fiction and Fantasy, and could look at work as serious fiction.It would be interesting to know who else besides the Beatles and Disney inquired into doing the book, but I doubt that you would find too many "serious" film makers. At least not in America.[ May 07, 2002: Message edited by: Birdland ]

05-06-2002, 09:06 PM	#15
Birdland Ghastly Neekerbreeker Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: the banks of the mighty Scioto Posts: 1,751	Oooooh! John Huston! "The Man Who Would Be King" is one of my favorite movies, with one of my favorite actors. But for some reason I can't picture Sean Connery as one of the character in LoTR. Certainly not Gandalf. Perhaps Theoden. <P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Well, I was thinking more in terms that MOST films are fantasy when you get down to it.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Well that's why they call it the Dream Factory, Lost. But Tolkien's work does fit into a certain catagory, and up until the late 70s, I don't think most studios were capable of seeing the potential of attempting to film the book. <P>LoTR was published in 1955, but who do we have showing an interest in it? Walt and Ringo. The take by most studios and producers seemed to be that it was either a 'kiddy book", or a Magical Mystery Tour, that would be filmed with the appropriate "Puff the Magic Dragon" references to keep it up-to-date. No wonder Tolkien didn't want anyone touching his work! <P>What was needed was a generation of film makers who had been exposed to the Golden Age of Science Fiction and Fantasy, and could look at work as serious fiction.<P>It would be interesting to know who else besides the Beatles and Disney inquired into doing the book, but I doubt that you would find too many "serious" film makers. At least not in America.<p>[ May 07, 2002: Message edited by: Birdland ]