FIGHTING EVIL NEVER LOOKED SO GOODViggo Mortensen, Elijah Wood and other cast members discuss the attraction
of the Lord of the Rings trilogy

MOVIE HYPE IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD. IT CAN RAISE EXPECTATIONS FOR AN
upcoming film to a fever pitch, or it can tear an offending franchise to
shreds if moviegoers are dis-appointed. For all those fans of J.R.R
Tolkien's fantasy-thriller Lord of the Rings, director Peter Jackson's epic
cinematic trilogy of Tolkien's creation delivered. Not only has the movie
defied expectations; it has been widely embraced by legions of dedicated
fans. Jackson's final installment, Return of the King, also did not
disappoint.

What makes Rings the ideal fan film is the dedication to detail, explains
Gregg Schwenk, the executive director of the Newport Beach Film Festival
and fan.

"Obviously they took this material very seriously," Schwenk says. "Whether
or not the cast and crew were fans to begin with, they probably became fans
during the process of making the film." Like Tolkien's heroes, Jackson
shouldered a huge responsibility.The movie took seven years to complete.

The unprecedented simultaneous production of three feature films not only
cost New Line Cinema more than $300 million but also placed the careers of
cast and crew in the hands of a somewhat unknown directorial talent.

But actor Viggo Mortensen, who plays leading man Aragorn, was up for the
challenge. After getting his feet wet in movies such as G.I. Jane (the
misogynistic drill sergeant) and in a Perfect Murder (alongside Michael
Douglas), Mortensen threw on the body armor, moved to "Middle Earth" and
became Aragorn. As the sword wielding defender of hobbits everywhere, he
appeals to everyman's desire to uphold honor, as well as every woman's
fantasy to hold him.

Although often described as reserved and shy by other reporters; he is
quite sincere and obviously not predisposed to international adoration. For
Mortensen, the story was a modern morality play, teaching humans love can
conquer evil.

"Tolkien's story starts with struggle," Mortensen says."There are layers of
it to peel off; many secrets, magic, deceptions. But I think that the most
important aspect is how it shows that even smallest and most powerless
person can make a difference. There is a heroic element, but love plays an
even greater part. I think that fans of both the book and the film get that
from this story."

It's the characters that touch the audience as they meet their struggles
head-on, and why the book and the movie have sustained popularity,
Mortensen maintains.

"[Jackson's] version focuses our attention on the personalities that make
up the fellowship while they are on this incredibly difficult journey. In
the end, the fellowship is what gets the characters through the
difficulties," Mortensen says. "In the end, the friendships endure and the
peace grows. This is a story about that kind of love."

Elijah Wood, who plays the indefatigable hobbit Frodo, agrees. "It's a
wonderful story about fellowship and meeting hardship,"Wood says."I mean,
who can't help but love a story like that. We just had to do a good job of
letting our emotions run, let them flow into our characters and show a
little soul."

Yet, while fans (and cast and crew) may be unanimous in their love for the
films, the literary debates surrounding the novels have not been undivided.

Ever since the first printing of the novels, literary critics have either
demonstrated love or loathing. For "Middle Earth," it seems, there is no
middle ground.

In 1956, the American poet and literary critic W.H. Auden congratulated
Tolkien for "elevating modern literature" and suggested that, in some
respects, the story surpassed even Milton's Paradise Lost. But later that
same year, critic and social commentator Edmund Wilson shot back that
Tolkien had "indulged himself in developing fantasy for its own sake" and
of creating "essentially a children's book which has somehow gotten out of
hand… dull, ill-written and whimsical."

More than 100 million copies of Tolkein's Lord of the Rings have been sold,
proving it has become the ultimate expression of the heroic journey. The
story is about justice, a quest for humanity and love. The work has
influenced a wide swath of American and European cultures and spawned the
fantasy fiction genre. Despite the work's immense popularity, for many of
the literary elite it's a black mark on modern literature – a bad dream.

A 1996 poll of readers conducted by a major London bookseller ranked Rings
as "the book of the century."The masses have embraced Rings even though it
demands the full attention of readers.

"The fan base for this film, and of course the books, is very smart,"
claims John Rhys-Davies (Gimli)."These are people who have at least got the
IQ that enables them to read the book and comprehend its monstrously
complex story. That's a pretty remarkable test; it's a bloody big book.The
demand on the fan is considerable and the fact that they keep coming back
and that they love this story so deeply counts for something."

Maybe some academics don't think so, but Rings does appear to fulfill the
emotional qualities of what qualifies as good literary art. The story
opens, in the first installment, in the pastoral environs of 'the Shire'
where Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) is celebrating his 111th birthday. After the
party, Bilbo bequeaths what appears to be a simple gold band to his young
cousin Frodo (Wood). But their wizard friend, Gandalf the Grey (Ian
McKellen), is alarmed by spiritual currents conjured by the seemingly
simple ring. He quickly realizes that it is the legendary "One Ring"
created to enslave all of Middle Earth.

To ensure enduring peace, the Ring must be destroyed and this can only be
accomplished by taking it deep into the evil land of Mordor where it can be
pitched into the bubbling lava pits of Mount Doom whence it came.
Symbolizing the ordinary man caught up in extraordinary times, Frodo
volunteers to undertake the awesome task and is accompanied by some friends
– the fellowship of the ring.Together they take on a perilous journey beset
by a myriad of tribulations, least of which is that the Ring itself is very
much alive with evil.



Jackson gives us several epic battles that are greater in intensity than
the movie Braveheart and almost as gruesome as the film Saving Private
Ryan. Aside from an exquisite display of costuming, sets, and props, the
story (as is the book) is full of details. For instance, you may notice the
use of Tolkienesque terms like 'elven' and 'dwarve' – which is of vital
importance (so say fans). There's the whole language of 'Elven' and the
veritable gazetteer of locations that dot the realm of Middle Earth: the
Shire, Rivendell,Tirith Mordor, Isengard, Fangorn forest, Emyn Muil,
Gondor, Mordor, and the Misty Mountains.

The book's nuances are clearly the stuff of fan-magazine forensics, but
Jackson knew if he was to succeed in the minds of fans he had to accurately
portray Tolkien's fantasy world.

Orlando Bloom, who portrays the sharp-shooting elven archer Legolas,
marveled at the film's looking glass quality.

"Everything that is in that movie is real; as genuine to the books as it
could be. Tolkien created a world that you can really believe in. It's so
detailed, it's layered with so much history, and Pete wanted the fans to
imagine that they are buying a first-class ticket to Middle Earth," Bloom says.

­ Ray Wyman, Jr
© Copyright 2003 Brentwood Magazine