Customer Reviews

The Lord of the Rings (BBC Dramatization, Consumer Edition)

5 star:		(103)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought the audio-cassette edition of this years ago, before the days of CD and online shopping, and I've long been hoping that it would one day be released on CD. It really is a magnificent achievement - the thought, planning, respect and sheer professionalism that have gone into creating this is simply remarkable. What a contrast to the execrable Mind's Eye edition ! The BBC version is not a complete reading of the book, but rather a (judiciously) abridged and compact dramatisation. Having said that, it's still very long. It's like listening to a really good, long (13 hours!) film of LOTR with your eyes closed. The atmosphere and feeling of the book has been captured wonderfully, with great, stirring performances from internationally-known and respected actors like Ian Holm, Michael Horden and Robert Stephens. The music and songs are haunting and dramatic, and the sound effects are so authentic that you really feel like you're there with the Company on its quest to destroy the ring. Even the packaging is of the highest quality, another thing the people that made the Mind's Eye version should take note of. The CDs come in a very nicely designed box with artwork, maps, and other information. Quite a few people have been asking which CD edition to buy - if you want an amateurish, cartoon-style version this isn't for you. If, however, you are looking for excitement, intelligence, humour, a sense of wonder, and faithfulness to the spirit of Tolkien's masterpiece, then the BBC edition shouldn't disappoint.

I'm writing this review because all of the reviews currently listed under this item refer to the books and not to the Radio Dramatisation. I'm assuming that anyone interested in this production is already familiar with either the books or the film of Fellowship of the Ring. Firstly, this is a superb production and is far superior to the Minds Eye production which you may have seen in a wooden presentation case. Although the presentation of this product could have been more attractive (and was in it's initial CD incarnation) it is still a "must have" item for any Tolkien fan. The cast is comprised of some of the BBC's finest actors including Ian Holm, John LeMesurier, Michael Hordern and Robert Stephenson. Ian Holm is particularly brilliant in his tortured and beautifully realised descent into despair. The production values are second to none and in some ways surpass the Peter Jackson film simply by allowing your imagination to fill in all the details. Peter Woodthorpe is stunning as Gollum\Smeagol and sets a very steep challenge for Andy Serkis to rise to in the forthcoming Two Towers movie.

Naturally, this is an adaptation and as such is abridged, but the only notable omissions are Bombadil, The Old Forest and the Barrow Wights. Some of the music may not be to all tastes (I personally dislike the Eagles proclamation of Saurons defeat) but all of it is beautifully orchestrated and delivered. Highlights for me would be William Nighy as Sam singing a part of the fall of Gil-Galad and his song in the tower of Minas Morgul. Gimli's recitation of "In Moria, In Khazad Dum" has wonderful emotion and resonance and Bilbo's last song is a beautiful and heartbreaking accompaniment to the scene at the Grey Havens.

Miranda Richardson's Galadriel has great power and she handles the temptation of the ring masterfully. Likewise Eowyn's challenge to the Lord of the Nazgul is amazingly powerful.

The main problem in a radio production is in finding a natural way to describe visual scenes without clumsy "Look Frodo, It's a big walking tree..." lines. This is handled very well for the most part particularly in the Battle of Helms Deep. Brian Sibley's decision to use the Minstrel of Gondor to tell the tale of the Battle of Pelennor Field is less successful but I found that after the first sitting I started to quite enjoy the effect.

I hope this short review has been enough to convince you that this is a very worthy addition to any collection and I hope that it appears in the correct section when you look for reviews of the Radio Play.

As a side note, although it is good, the BBC production of the Hobbit does not reach the heights that this production does, primarily due to poor choice of music style and a less than charismatic Gandalf.

I admit it. I'm a Tolkien addict. I've read the LOTR books at least 4 times, seen all the Peter Jackson films, and I have listened to this radio adaptation more times than I can count. In fact, as good as the films are (and they are, for the most part, very good) this radio version is in many ways superior. True enough, it lacks the stunning visuals of Jackson's films, but this leaves listeners free to imagine the fantastic creatures and landscapes of Middle Earth for themselves--to create theater for the mind.

One of the many strengths of this production is its extended running time--13 1-hour episodes for the radio series versus three 3-hour movies. This allows for greater character development and, more importantly, greater fidelity to what Tolkien actually wrote. The producers rearrange, compress, and eliminate certain events to make for a smoother narrative flow on radio, but they do not omit anything essential to the plot and, unlike Jackson, they DO NOT add anything to the book. Jackson adds an extended bloody battle with Wargs and a dream sequence to "The Two Towers" that are not in the original. As a result, he has to change the ending of the film, and, in my opinion, lessens its emotional impact. The producers of the radio version wisely avoid this kind of tinkering.

The producers of the radio version use more of Tolkien's original dialogue, which has a much higher and more exalted sound to it than most of Jackson's phrases. Ian Holm's radio Frodo is much more robust than Elijah Wood's film version, seeming to discover a nobility and courage that not even he knew he had. Wood's responses to crises for Frodo seem to be limited to screaming, passing out, and falling on his backside. The radio version treats Merry (Richard O'Callaghan) and Pippin (John McAndrew) with the respect and affection they deserve, rather than simply using them for comic relief, as Jackson seems to do. Other standout cast members in the radio production include William Nighy as Sam and Peter Woodthorpe as Gollum, both superior to Sean Astin and Andy Serkis, their film counterparts. Michael Hordern gives Ian McKellen a run for his money as the radio voice of Gandalf. Only Robert Stephens, the radio voice of Aragorn, comes up short compared to the movie's Viggo Mortensen. Unlike the movie's conflicted and self-doubting Aragorn, Tolkien and the radio version portray Strider as absolutely sure of his identity and destiny, and give him an air of supreme self-confidence. Unfortunately in Stephens's performance, what is meant to sound like regal self-assurance and a kingly air of command come out dangerously close to pomposity and arrogance. Mortensen's more restrained, quiet Aragorn who rises to greatness as a result of his trials, is a welcome improvement.

In short, if you want a real Tolkien experience, read the books, listen to this audio version, and see the movies, in that order. You can listen to the audio version while doing the dishes or driving to work. Doing those things while reading the book or watching the movie could be dangerous :-).

The BBC dramatization of the Lord of the Rings is quite a different experience from the recent motion pictures. If you know what to expect, this 13-CD BBC version is quite good. It is closer to the books, probably because it is a little longer than the movie trilogy and is focused on the story-telling and therefore spoken words, many of them from the original books. The BBC version again skips the Old Woods/ Willow-man/ Bombadil/ Barrow Wight material (as did the first film), but otherwise is more complete, and its adherence to Tolkien's original plot is fairly tight. The actor who portrays gollum did an excellent job with his speech mannerisms. Indeed all the actors did an excellent job. The BBC radio version also includes more of the songs and poetry in the original books. In a few places the choral music seemed a little old-fashioned or stuffy (for me) and hard to clearly understand, but the harmonies seemed generally appropriate for the songs being sung. The sound effects are simple but effective. A few of them were a little disappointing to the modern ear. An example is the lack of any battle sounds at Helm's Deep, only a few spoken exchanges and narrator summaries. (They could have at least rounded up a few metal objects to bang together a little more!) The journey home, scouring of the Shire and Grey Havens wrap-up after Mount Doom takes up an entire episode, which was a pleasant surprise since they did not skimp on even this part of the story. I was sad when the last CD was finished, just as when finishing a good book. If you are a Tolkien fan, and are looking for an experience of Tolkien's words and story that is closer to the original books than the recent films, this is an excellent listening experience. It would also be a good warm-up for someone who wants to experience the original version, but to whom the books appear a little daunting due to their length.

By the way, don't be confused by the reviews on this page. Most of them seem to refer to other (print) editions, not to the BBC radio version, oddly enough.

A few minor quibbles aside, this BBC radio presentation (in thirteen one-hour episodes) is a magnificent adaptation of Tolkien's masterpiece.

The cast is superb; interestingly, it features prominent connections to both film versions of the story. Ian Holm, who plays Bilbo in Peter Jackson's films, here makes a fine Frodo, only occasionally betraying the fact that he is perhaps a little too old for the role. Meanwhile, Peter Woodthorpe builds interestingly on the conception of Gollum that he first presented in Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated version. Woodthorpe's characterization is wonderfully effective, giving full expression to the pathos, the menace, and the humor of this extraordinary and complex character. With all due respect to Andy Serkis, Woodthorpe's portrayal here is, for me, the definitive Gollum.

The pivotal roles of Gandalf and Aragorn are both superbly played by Royal Shakespeareans Michael Hordern and Robert Stephens. Their performances could scarcely be bettered. William Nighy, an actor who, on the evidence of his work here, deserves to be far better known in this country, is excellent as Samwise, nicely delineating the character's growth from a simple gardener into a truly heroic figure. The other hobbits are also very well played. Further standouts in what is truly a first-rate cast include Peter Howell as Saruman, David Collings as Legolas, Andrew Seear as Faramir, Jack May as Theoden, and Peter Vaughan as Denethor.

Brian Sibley's adaptation of Tolkien's masterpiece is as good as any we are ever likely to encounter. With the exception of the the Old Forest/Tom Bombadil/Barrow-Downs loop (which, let's be honest, is not likely to be missed too keenly), all of the major plot threads are preserved intact. Better still, Sibley and his co-writers have presented the tale largely in Tolkien's own words, taking much of the dialogue and narration verbatim from the books. In a few places, especially early on, Sibley does deviate from Tolkien's text - not by changing the story, but rather by staging scenes which are only hinted at in the books. Not surprisingly, these are among the production's weaker moments. The Ringwraiths, in particular, suffer from their extra scenes; the dialogue (and, in some cases, the voices of the actors playing them) makes them rather too solidly human, and they lose some of the spectral menace that Tolkien sustained so beautifully by keeping them mainly in the shadows. But these brief additions are nearly all confined to the first two episodes, and do not detract much from the overall impact of even these installments. After Episode Two, nearly every scene comes directly from Tolkien. Apart from a handful of misjudged moments, everything comes off quite splendidly, and overall the adaptation is really as good as anyone could have wished. Among its many delights, perhaps the most unexpected of all is that the destruction of the Ring takes place around halfway through Episode Twelve - leaving fully an episode and a half for Tolkien's long and very satisfying denouement.

Stephen Oliver's music is lovely and effective, and there are some particularly fine settings of Tolkien's own poetry ("Bilbo's Last Song," interpolated into the Grey Havens sequence, is especially beautiful). The sound effects are generally fairly good, though they could have been used less sparingly in places; however, this economy allows the marvelous cast to come through that much more clearly, so it is difficult to object.

On the whole, this is an intelligent, exciting, and superbly acted dramatization of "The Lord of the Rings." It is unquestionably a must-have for all Tolkien fans. One final word of warning, however: please do not confuse this brilliant BBC adaptation with the abominable American version produced by The Mind's Eye. The latter adaptation, which was apparently aimed at developmentally challenged toddlers, is to be avoided at all costs.

I remember reading the The Lord of the Rings many times when I was in middle school, and have seldom re-visited the trilogy since then. I also remember listening to parts of the original BBC version of the story on public radio. With the release of the original BBC version to CD, I have been able to re-capture the images and feelings I experienced when first reading the trilogy. The BBC version is masterfully produced and directed, if a bit meledramatic at times, and tells the story that can be enjoyed at home or on the road while making a long drive. Listening to the BBC audio version has sparked my interest in Tolkien and LOTR once again, and I plan to re-read the entire series of Tolkien novels and share them with my kids. My kids (6 and 4) enjoy listening to the CD's in the car and prefer them over listening to music.

This is a BBC radio production that goes back about 20 years and is now presented on 13 CDs. It is a very good production of LOTR, and reminded me of what a good radio production is -- good actors, combined with dialog, sound effects, and accompanying music that let you follow the story and visualize it in your mind. Although it is 13 hours long, it mostly goes by quickly. The books are of course very long and detailed, and the BBC adaptation is quite compact and faithful to the book -- very little of the action is left out. One nice feature of the recording is the use of a narrator who both moves the action along and also provides many of Tolkein's fantastic word pictures of the world of LOTR.

The acting is very good in the series -- I particularly liked Ian Holm as Frodo and Robert Stephens as Aragon. The sounds effects are mostly very good -- lots of hoofbeats for the black riders, swords clanging, water running, etc. Most of the time, it is very clear who is speaking, though occasionally voices get lost in the melee. There are some songs and poems included in the set -- some people may find these tiresome, in that they do sometimes slow down the action.

Each CD is about an hour long, and the set is nicely packed as 3-4 CDs into folders that fit into a book. Each folder provides background on Tolkein and the LOTR and includes a short summary of the plot for the each disk within the folder. The disks all have 5 or 6 bands, so it is possible to pick up the story again if you take the disk out of your CD player (e.g., your teenagers want to listen to something else).

This is a set worth having, particularly at the price ... is selling it at (think of it on a per-disk basis). It tells the story in a very enjoyable way and will (hopefully) send you either back to the books or to the books if you haven't read them. A definite buy.

This is a terrific dramatization of the epic Lord of the Rings. All of the actors give true, heart-felt performances. Especially note-worthy is Peter Woodthorpe's interpretation of Gollum, truly frightening and pitiful; Ian Holm's Frodo, heart-breakingly felt; William Nighy's Sam Gamgee, very funny; and Michael Hordern's Gandalf, strong and commanding.

The background sounds; birds singing, horses stamping their hooves, hobbit feet tramping in the woods, even the sound of the wind in the trees will make you feel as though you were right in the middle of it. I especiallly enjoyed Tolkien's poems set to original music, very inspiring!

Be warned that this is an abridged version, the Tom Bombadil, Old Forest chapters are deleted, as well as, a few passages here and there. However, it doesn't take away from the sheer impact this will leave you with.

It helps to read the books, but it's not necessary to enjoy this particular adaptation. Enjoy!

I have owned a copy of this remarkable BBC radio dramatization of the Lord of the Rings for probably 15 years, and still remember its appearance on National Public Radio over twenty years ago. I read the books thirty years ago. I have loved the movies.

I feel I'm qualified to answer the question: "Is hearing this worth it?" "Do I really need to own this?"

You need this. The books are wonderful (and unlike all other versions are of course "unabridged"). However, how often can you read them? The movies are wonderful, however again how often can you find the time to commit to watch them. Plus, everything is "invisioned" for you. This is a work of imagination! Shouldn't you use your own imagination?
This radio drama sits in the pleasant middle ground. You can use your mind to see what your ears hear. This is a portable experience, you can take it with you, and multi-task while you're experiencing it.

Artistically, this production is as wonderful as the movie production, and has a more quiet charm. You have high quality actors in top form (Michael Hordern, Robert Stephans, Ian Holm to name a few). You have quieter music (chamber strings and harp mostly) You have more of Tolkien's own lyrics and poetry. You also have more of Tolkien's original plot, the Scouring of the Shire is not in the movie.

I will restate what other reviews have said: "Stay away from the Mind's Eye version!" Unfortunately, only the BBC really knows how to turn out high quality, aurally detailed radio drama. (Well, so does ZBS media, but that's another story.)

One of the chief concerns any fan of a written work has is the adaptive process undergone when the work is translated into an audio, film, or stage presentation. What will be there, and what will have been ommitted? Will the spirit of the work be maintained and key elements of the written work be left intact? These concerns are compounded by the fact that so many books have made transitions to other media, particularly to film, with less than stellar results. Some of the results have been so poor as to make readers apprehensive to explore these literary translations for fear of having their author's carefully painted pictures and emotions torn asunder by someone else's "unique" interpretation of the written words.

Without a doubt however, the BBC audio adaptation of Tolkien's "The Lord of The Rings" delivers the most complete rendition of Tolkien's written work bar none, with superb writing, outstanding voice acting, and a wonderfully rich audio environment upon which the actors paint the story of the Fellowship's adventures and quests. To the delight of the Tolkien afficionado, you will find very little removed from the narrative work; the hobbits' encounters with the Elf Gildor Inglorion, Tom Bombadil and Goldberry, and the Barrow Downs come to mind. However, I believe you will find the tapestry of the written work to be very little if at all diminished by these exclusions. All other characters and encounters are treated here with exceptional attention to detail, and the motivations and activities of the characters are re-created in an excruciatingly authentic manner, if such can be said of a work of pure imagination. For the most part, readers' mental pictures of various characters and events from the book will find them faithfully and satisfyingly rendered in sound in this edition. The wisdom of Gandalf, the innocence of Frodo and Sam, the timelessness of Galadriel, and the honor and majesty of Aragorn: all are offered up to the listener in this drama absolutely without fault.

For fans of the written works, this is THE audio adaptation to own and enjoy. For listeners of radio dramas with an interest in the fantasy genre, whether you are familiar with Mr. Tolkien's works or not, this radio play is an excellent addition to your collection, and should provide many hours of pleasant, immersive listening. You can expect little more from a well-executed audio drama, and the BBC's version of "The Lord of The Rings" delivers.