One does not simply watch The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). Particularly if one is The Unenthusiastic Critic.
This week we're establishing Nakea's familiarity with, and tolerance for, the high-fantasy genre (and discovering that both are pretty limited). Then, we're sitting down for her introduction to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien, as we watch the first film in Peter Jackson's hugely successful and critically acclaimed trilogy. Will Nakea develop a hobbit habit? Or would she rather throw her wedding ring into Mt. Doom than endure another minute of this?
It's all about the journey this week, as we meander through a conversation about the importance of eating eight meals a day, the value of crappy wizards with great hair, and how everything you need to know about handling an all-powerful magic ring can be learned from Biggie Smalls.
Program
0:00: Prologue: from the animated "The Return of the King" (1980)
0:59: Cultural Osmosis: Pre-Viewing Discussion
26:31: Interlude: Original Trailer
28:37: The Verdict: Post-Viewing Discussion
1:12:42: Outro and Next Week's Movie
1:14:26: Outtake
Notes and Links
—Movie Reviewed: Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (dir. Peter Jackson, New Line, 2001)
—Prologue: "Where There's a Whip, There's a Way" from The Return of the King (dir. Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr., Rankin/Bass, 1980)
—Article Referenced: "Hobbits and Hippies: Tolkien and the Counterculture," Jane Ciabattari, BBC.
—Find additional episodes, leave a comment, or make a donation at unaffiliatedcritic.com.
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—"Warm Duck Shuffle" by Arne Huseby is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
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1 thought on “THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001)”
Composer Howard Shore's scores for the three "Lord of the Rings" films, taken together, are among the most highly regarded in film music history and have broken into the classical music realm, their thematic development rivaling that of Wagner's "Ring" cycle. I've seen the screenings where an unscored copy of the film is accompanied by a full orchestra, chorus and soloists performing the complete work live. It's a different experience.