Product Details

• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Delta
• DVD Release Date: November 2, 2004
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00067BC54
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #254,177 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

In a house in Oxford lived a remarkable man called J.R.R. Tolkien who told stories that thrilled the world. To this very day readers and film audiences are enjoying his magnificent epic THE LORD OF THE RINGS and, although everybody has heard of Tolkien’s writing, very few people could tell you much about the man responsible for creating the best loved magical creatures that have become household names.

This program will give you a real insight into the man behind the legends of THE LORD OF THE RINGS, and the people and places that shaped his unique literary genius. From the rolling English countryside to the sooty streets of Industrial Birmingham, the dreaming spires of Oxford to the World War I trenches of the blood soaked Somme; this is the story of the quintessential English College Professor who made epic mythology and legend accessible to one and all.

LEARN THESE AND MORE FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT TOLKIEN AND HIS INSPIRATIONS FOR HIS GREAT LITERARY WORKS : * The huge cult status of The Lord Of The Rings did not fully evolve until some years after Tolkien’s death. * Gamgee (as in Sam Gamgee) came from a local word meaning cotton wool. * The inspiration for Gandolph was a postcard picturing a mountain spirit with a long white beard, wide-brimmed hat and long cloak. * Tolkien was inspired by Andrew Lang’s The Red Fairy Book. * Greek and other mystical languages fascinated Tolkien, so he studied the history of linguistics while at Oxford. * One of his literary companions was C.S. Lewis, author of The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe.

COLOR - 60 MINUTES

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great, but only for hard core Tolkien fans, January 27, 2005

By 

I-Zombie "iz" (Right Behind you) - See all my reviews

This review is from: J.R.R. Tolkien and the Birth of The Lord of the Rings (DVD)

I bought yhis DVD because I own just about everything that is commercialy available on DVD. I will admit while it was very insightfull I was a bit dissapointed. It is not so much of a story of the Lord of the Rings but a very in depth biography of Tolkien with quite a bit of time centered around his years as a Professor.

Buy this if you are a die hard tolkien fan, avoid it if not as it may bore you.

4.0 out of 5 stars Biography of JRRT, January 17, 2010

By 

JAG 2.0 (IN United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: J.R.R. Tolkien and the Birth of The Lord of the Rings (DVD)

If you are a Tolkein fan or someone who would like a video highlighting JRRT's life, you will probably enjoy this documentary. I know I did.

This DVD is a bio of the man himself and the experiences that shaped his life as well as influenced his writing. I found the story of how he and his wife met and fell in love to be both touching and instructive of understanding Tolkein as a romantic who would write stories that had a romanticism that is beloved by many despite being out of favor in the modern world.

The video chronicles his early childhood, his youth in the english countryside from which "The Shire" and its Hobbits derive. The DVD shows the heartbreak he and his brother felt when orphaned and how their guardian, A Roman Catholic priest, was very much a father-figure for the boys. The DVD continues with his life as a student trying to enter Oxford, his service in WWI, his years teaching at Oxford, friendship with fellow romantics such as CS Lewis and his writing. It also shows his later life as a reluctant celebrity.

There are little tidbits of information that any Tolkein fan will find interesting. When Tolkien was a youth, the farming family that employed his brother took them both on a walking tour of Europe. In Switzerland, the gret mountains seemed to stir his creativity. For years after, he kept a little postcard with a mountain spirit on it which he had written "origin of Gandalf". In Birmingham, there are two towers JRRT would have seen each and every day as he walked. The origin of "the Two Towers" perhaps?

This video is not perfect. The musical score, for some reason, sounds like a collection of dirges. The video contains footage of telephone booths and other random shots that have little to do with the subject. The narrator was just OK.

On the whole, for the price, I found it a good bio of the man and the influences in his life that helped produce his stories. I do reccommend it.