Microphones in Middle-earth...the BBC Lord of the Rings

[Mithalwen]

I love that too and combined with hearing Brian on the radio the otherday, your post ahs reminded me it is high time we get this going again. My bad

I have had "the battle of the Pellennor fields" in the car (you know what I mean!) for months now and it is amazing that it doesn't lose it's impact. I keep thinking how good Theoden, Eomer and Eowyn are, wince every time Frodo takes his frustration out on Sam and feel slightly sick at teh death of the fell beast. Maybe it is the better speakers in the car but I never realised just how squelchy it was.

[Sauronbaggins]

Hello there fellow Tolkienites
This is my first post on this humble board, after having followed your discussions for some time.
As a fan of the radio series and Tolkien overall, i have a few questions for the board and Brian
My first question is to Brian, what would you say was the best review you read that pertained to the radio series, and what was the worst, my personal favourite being the "What's Sibleys next crime, drawing a moustache on the Mona Lisa?"
One other question, do you think the radio series is faithful to the true psychological horror of Gollum. I think the film succeeds in showing how horrific it must be to be Gollum, a skinny miserable psychotic schizophrenic drug addict, who's good side is continually shunned by the evil side of his nature, but who ultimately becomes the unwitting saviour of Middle-earth and succeeds where Frodo fails, what do you guys think ?

[davem]

Well, I return to this thread not to continue it - sadly personal commitments intervened & I wasn't able to continue running things & no-one else was able to take over. I'm back now just to point out that the latest issue of SFX magazine http://www.sfx.co.uk/page/sfx?entry=latest_issue has a very nice four-page spread on the series with at least one pic I haven't seen previously, showing the actors playing Merry, Legolas, Treebeard, Gimli & (I think) Pippin. Very positive review, but I'm not sure it includes any new info (well not new to readers of this thread & Brian's brilliant article on his site. Still, for fans of the series its a nice memento.

[Lalwendë]

It also has a picture of Ian Holm looking younger and uncannily like Martin Freeman, which is most interesting seeing as I'm still lobbying for him to do Bilbo in The Hobbit, when they get around to casting the film.

Oh, and a review of a book which may infuriate fellow haters of Tolkien-rip-off-writers

[Mithalwen]

Ah well I have listerned ot Mount Doom about 5 times this week so.... I should really do something about this ...

[John Johnston]

The BBC radio adaptation is the definitive version of the story for me, this has been a very interesting thread to read so far, I hope it continues.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

I've recently been listening to the BBC recordings with a completely different aspect in mind. Those who know me won't be surprised that it involves the use of music - music as a narrative element, more specifically. I first listened to the whole German radio play, which uses music completely differently and has a style that is totally divergent from that of the English version.

I really like Stephen Oliver's compositions for the play. He manages to use instrumental music quite sparingly, mostly for introductions and transitions, and keeps it brief there. It rarely underlies narrative and dialogue, leaving the words to work their magic on their own. Most importantly, the melodies he wrote for numerous poems are frequently memorable and enjoyable to sing along, an aspect that is sadly missing in the German version, which has rather nondescript melodies.

For those interested in this aspect, there will be a chapter on the music of the BBC dramatisation in the upcoming book on music in Middle-earth, written by a musician who knows it well, having performed in the Cambridge Society's production of it.