Customer Reviews

The Lord of the Films: The Unofficial Guide to Tolkien's Middle-Earth on the Big Screen

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Oh, I know many people, other than "Ringers", will find this book delightful.
But for Ringers... WOW!... for us, this book is a real treasure. So much information...WONDERFUL 'behind the scenes' stuff ... hours and hours of delightful discoveries that will add to my enjoyment ( and yours, I'm sure ) each time we watch the films. J.W. Braun did his homework, and we are grateful recipients of this absolutely FUN romp through our favorite movies, the films of Middle Earth. Now, along with reading and re-reading LOTR, I'm going to be reading and re-reading Lord of the Films. Thanks, J.W.

This is an excellent book every fan of the LOTR films will love. I thought I knew everything about The Lord of the Rings, but Braun did his homework and the result is page after page of "Wow, that's cool, I didn't know that" info. Throw in lots of cast and crew photos and interviews, and you have the icing on the cake. While the book could be longer (it's about 220 pages), it's definitely a must have for any LOTR fan."

I was pleasantly surprised by Lord of the Films. J.W. Braun takes you by the hand and guides you through all three films with love and a sense of humor; you can tell he loves what he does!

You'll like this book whether you're a hard-core Tolkien fan or if you've never read The Lord of the Rings but just like the films. This book is a must-have!

This book added greatly to my enjoyment of the LOTR films, which I watch once a year. After reading J.W. Braun's collection of fascinating anecdotes and tidbits, I'm treating myself to another trilogy viewing soon -- with The Lord of the Films in hand.

Excellent job, J.W.!

As a fan of both LotR and trivia, this book was right up my alley. In addition to the plethora of interesting facts about the creation and impact of the three films, Braun's writing was entertaining and humorous. Reading the book made me remember all the things I love about the LotR story (both the book and the films) and want to revisit both!

A wonderful collection of facts, anecdotes, interviews and trivia for LOTR fans. I really enjoyed it! I didn't realize there were so many things I STILL didn't know about the making of the films. Kudos to the author for what must have been a long and grueling process of researching this book.

I bought this book after seeing the The Lord of the Rings trilogy for my fifth time and realizing, like Gollum's precious, that I needed more. The Lord of the Films: The Unofficial Guide to Tolkien's Middle-Earth on the Big Screen is a quick and fun read brimming with movie trivia. While I enjoyed reading it, I have to admit I was a bit disappointed.

First, the good. If you love the movies, you'll probably learn a few interesting tidbits from The Lord of the Films. These range from bloopers to special effects to legal disputes behind the film. For example, even after watching all of the "making of" extras on the DVDs, I never realized that Kate Winslet and Sean Connery had been asked to be in the film (as Eowyn and Gandalf, respectively). Mercifully, they both said no, allowing us to enjoy the performances of Miranda Otto and Ian McKellan. The book is written for a wide range of audiences, so even diehard LOTR fans will probably learn something. It also includes some interesting interviews (including one with Zac the Orc) and trivia games at the end.

Unfortunately, The Lord of the Films is organized more like a factoid/trivia collection than a historical narrative of the film production. Each fact only receives a sentence or two. This is unfortunate, because some of the issues merit a longer discussion. I really would have enjoyed learning more about where and why the films departed from the book. Some of the changes in the movies work well. For example, I really like how the movie incorporates the Arwen-Aragorn love story from the Appendix. Other changes proved silly. For example, whose dumb idea was it to have Denethor jump off Gondor in flames in Return of the King (in the book, he dies in a funeral pyre)? While these are mentioned in The Lord of the Films, much more could have been discussed. I certainly understand how much of a challenge it must have been to fit all of this information into 220 pages. Nonetheless, if there is a revised edition, I think there is certainly some material that could be cut (such as the comments of moviegoers) to make more room for the more important issues.

Ultimately, The Lord of the Films is a fun factoid book about the film, but it isn't a definitive account of the making of the movies. That gap remains to be filled. The book is also not a substitute for watching the bonus features on the DVDs, which are actually quite interesting. However, The Lord of the Films is worth a quick read and would probably make a nice small Christmas gift for any LOTR fan.

For the record, I am a mildly fanatical "Lord of the Rings" fan, both movies and books.

So unsurprisingly I was overjoyed to find out about "The Lord of the Films: The Unofficial Guide to Tolkien's Middle-Earth on the Big Screen." It wasn't quite what I expected, since it's not so much a guide as a collection of Tolkienian trivia and behind-the-scenes information about the moviemaking process -- but it's still a thoroughly enjoyable, highly informative read.

J.W. Braun gives some lavish backstory to the making of the movie trilogy and the stuff that came before it, such as Bakshi's disastrous half-finished cartoon version. He also inserts some nice interviews with people involved in production: artist Paul Lasaine, makeup artist Vance Hartwell, "Zac the Orc," and design artist Daniel Falconer.

Each of the three movies is subdivided into important scenes and stretches of the narrative, and each of these chapters is filled with fascinating facts. Every chapter starts off on a light note with "What the Big Folk Were Saying" -- in other words, the weird and funny stuff that people in the theatres said ("Someone tell that thing his comb-over isn't working"), and there are fun little side-chapters that list various stuff about the movie (the worst merchandising toys! Easter eggs! The animated versions!).

The meatiest part is "What the Wizards Know," which is basically every piece of movie trivia Braun could dig up -- connections to the books, omitted scenes, changes from the original books, cut footage (Eowyn delivering a baby), significant cameos, clever tricks (Isildur's voice is actually Hugo Weaving's), production changes, casting that wasn't (Vin Diesel auditioned for Aragorn, and Russell Crowe declined the role), production tidbits (Shelob's webs were quite, erm, flammable), and so on.

There's also "What the Elvish Eyes and Ears Have Noticed," which are key changes (Merry and Pippin almost getting eaten by a tree in "Two Towers"), translation notes (Arwen calls Elrond "Daddy" at one point), and notable details in the film (Elrond doing paperwork). And finally there's "The Foolishness of a Took," which is basically nitpicking -- some are logistical errors, and some are basic production snafus (vanishing barrels!).

And just to round out the book, Braun tacks some extras onto the ending -- recurring themes, a list of important birthdays, an FAQ, and an enormous trivia game a more dedicated fan MIGHT be able to crack. I tried, and failed miserably.

J.W. Braun obviously adores both J.R.R. Tolkien's books and Peter Jackson's movie adaptations, because anyone who didn't couldn't have generated this detailed a book. He basically crams the entire book with details about both the production and the result of the moviemaking, and even though some have been revealed ad nauseam (Elijah Wood's audition tape) it's a treat to read some of the trivia that AREN'T as well known.

Braun also has a nice breezy style that lends itself well to the book. While most little info-nuggets are revealed in a straightforward, factual manner, he does offer opinions on some of the stuff ("Okay, so I just happen to be a Gríma/Éowyn shipper. Is that wrong? Don't answer that").

There are a lot of books on "Lord of the Rings" (both books and films), and "The Lord of the Films: The Unofficial Guide to Tolkien's Middle-Earth on the Big Screen" is a great addition -- as addictive as a Ring and as fun as a hobbit.

This book is a fun collection of facts about the Lord of the Rings films, with many tidbits you might not know. It gives a little history, trivia, bloopers and more, all told in an easy-to-read style. The author is clearly a fan with a sense of humor. If you enjoyed the movies, you'll love this book.

What I love about this book is how much fun it is to read - not dry at all - while at the same being very informative. Braun has somehow managed to capture every little detail you could ask for from The Lord of the Rings films and has ingeniously organized it to prevent readers from being overwhelmed. The photos, interviews, and illustrations (and games and puzzles and on and on) are all fun and well organized in their own right too. It's simply a great book all around.