Customer Reviews

The Lord of the Rings Official Movie Guide

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This book gives great insight into the amazing detail that has gone into the production of the "Lord of the Rings" movies, based on J.R.R. Tolkien's bestselling novels. It conveys the incredible dedication, enthusiasm and even fanaticism of all people who have been involved in this project.

Many aspects of the movie-making process are covered, from the script writing to the creation of the costumes, and the reader gets an impression of the unbelievable detail in the design of the many many movie props which were created for the movie. It also describes how many distinguished actors and artists became involved in this project and how even those few who were initially reluctant (like John Howe, who was not sure if such a huge project could succeed) were engulfed by the enthusiasm of the film crew. The book gives the reader a very good feeling of the size of this movie project and what it means to film three movies of epic proportions at the same time. Also, anyone who reads this book will develop a deep respect for Peter Jackson, a director who still cares about the character development, the story line and the actors and who is able to coordinate such a huge project.

This book can only enhance the experience that the Lord of the Rings movies are probably going to be, as it not only gives the reader a "behind-the-scenes" look, but it also shows a lot of detail which the movie-goers will most likely not notice consciously, but which was instrumental in creating a realistic atmosphere.

My only criticism is that the book is too short, as I may have expected even more detailed descriptions of different aspects of the filming process. However, many of these issues are probably better described in making-of specials on TV or on the DVD.

I would recommend this book to any Tolkien enthusiast who is already looking forward to the movies (or later to those who have seen the movies and liked them) and who wants to get more information about the filming process. The many high-quality pictures (which are often funny, for example when you see Peter Jackson next to Gandalf and Saruman) are already worth the price of the book. To those who do not know Tolkien's world yet, I would probably rather recommend the "Fellowship of the Ring Visual Companion", though sooner or later you will want to buy this book as well.

As a long time fan of Tolkien's magnificent novel and as one highly anticipating the upcoming Peter Jackson trilogy, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. And, I would have to say, I was not disappointed! This amazing book offers an extensive and informative background to the making of the trilogy - with specific emphasis on the first film, "The Fellowship of the Ring."

Brian Sibley's book has 120 glossy pages and includes beautiful colored pictures that gives us behind-the-scenes glimpses as well as shots from the film itself. The many topics covered include: "From Book to Script" which covers the process of adapting the complex novel into a series of 3 films; "Speaking the Languages of Middle Earth" - incorporating Tolkien's different languages in the film; "From the Director's Chair" - Peter Jackson's perspective; "The One Ring" and "Of Wizard Beards and Elf Ears" - a look at the props and costumes; "A Workshop of the Fantastic" - WETA's special effects role; "Seeing Tolkien`s World" and "Fantasy to Reality" - artists Alan Lee and John Howe's significant contributions to the film visuals, characters and sets as well as the role of the art department; and, most significantly, "The Fellowship, Friends and Foes" - casting info and an introduction to the principal actors of the first film.

I do have to point out that Tolkien's notable creatures - such as the Balrog and Gollum - are not shown anywhere in the book. I'm sure they were purposely (understandably) omitted to preserve the element of surprise for the first film. It also appears that this book may just be the first of a series by Brian Sibley, primarily since it only covers topics relevant to the first film (for instance, pictures of Bernard Hill who plays "Theoden," Miranda Otto who plays "Eowyn" and other actors and locations from the 2nd and 3rd books are absent in this book). Though it is not explicitly mentioned, I would have to assume that there will be similar movie guides released in 2002 and 2003.

These points noted, I have to stress that this is a thoroughly enjoyable and informative book and I could not recommend it highly enough. This is a book that any Lord of the Rings or film fan should be without!

Perhaps the best movie I've ever seen is the movie adaptation of "Lord of the Rings." This book by Brian Sibley is a gold mine of info on the production and background of the movie -- and the exquisite care taken with every part of it.

The book begins with background information on, well, "Lord of the Rings" the novel; it then proceeds to the events leading up to Peter Jackson getting the budget and green light to make a movie trilogy - the bulk of which was shot in one big lump, not spaced a few years apart. Then a chapter on the choosing of New Zealand as an ideal shooting country, and the artists they hired to help them; then to the cast of characters and how they were hired. (Elijah Wood's story is particularly memorable)

We then have a one-page brief bio, filmography, and clips of interviews for each cast member (even Marton Csokas, even though he has one line in the whole movie). Then it's an extended talk on the stunning special effects -- including how they shrunk 5'6" actors down to child-size, and Orlando Bloom's memorable description of fighting a CGI troll; about how they made Hobbiton and the Shire look like hobbits had lived there for hundreds of years; the weaponry and armor of Middle-Earth, including the stunning Elf plate armor; costuming, why Frodo's outfit is different from the other hobbits, the nightmares of costuming Gandalf, and why Legolas and Gimli are polar opposites; the effects of wizard beards and hobbit feet, and a great deal more!

There are utterly delightful pictures sprinkled throughout it -- some never made it to the screen, though (Galadriel lecturing Arwen in Lothlorien, hobbits herding sheep, and Frodo sitting in a tree with a pipe). Most of the best pictures include Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortenson and, of course, the man at the helm. One particularly memorable pic has Jackson sprawled in front of the four laughing hobbits.

This is overall a warm and insightful movie guide, a must-read to know anything about what happened behind the scenes!

If you can't wait one more minute for the movie, I recommend having this book FedExed to help you get through the remaining days. It's got solid content (which includes some film spoilers, so be warned) and images you won't have seen in magazine articles or other publicity. It's very much from the actors' perspective. I particularly enjoyed the revelation of in-character asides between Viggo and Orlando, tucked into the text: when Viggo casts aspersions on the overly-excellent grooming of the Elves, Orlando's comeback is, "Oh yeah? Well, I'm going to live forever. Got that? Live Forever!"

The sole disadvantage is that after reading it, I can't wait one more second for the movie.

Quite a few long term Tolkien readers were ill at ease at the thought of putting his masterpiece on film. How could a work of such majesty ever translate to film? Would it not inevitably be a shallow and weak travesty? Brian Sibley's Official Movie Guide will go a long way towards setting such fears at rest.

My first emotion as I read the Guide was relief that so much care had been taken by the designers and director. Hobbiton was built a year before it was needed in order to let the paths and plants settle in for a more natural look. Copies of the books were read to pieces as each scene was planned, and Tolkien's own words were used in many cases.

Secondly, I was happy to see that the actors were mostly long time Tolkien fans themselves. These are people who love The Lord of the Rings almost as much as I do, apparently. They care about their characters and the story. Their pictures and interviews reassure me that this is not just another part in another film, but something which demands their best work.

While I will still watch the film with some concern that some of Tolkien's magic will be missing, at least this book lets me know that Peter Jackson and his cast and crew have done their utmost to catch it all.

This book is well-researched and well-written; the author interviewed most of the people who were important to the production of Peter Jackson's film of "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." However, I suspect that much of the information in the book will already be familiar to regular readers of the websites devoted to the production of Jackson's LOTR trilogy. For those who are first being introduced to J.R.R. Tolkien's world by the release of "Fellowship" in movie theaters, however, this book will provide a fascinating, detailed look at how Jackson and company brought Tolkien's book to life on the screen. The photographs in the book are also very nice; I'm especially fond of those of Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, which show that the movie's hairstylists have superbly captured Tolkien's textual descriptions of Galadriel's lustrous, golden hair. I also love the title-page photo, a two-page, moody closeup of a thoughtful Peter Jackson.

One slight annoyance is the book's title, since it covers the production of the first film, "The Fellowship of the Ring," not the entire trilogy, "The Lord of the Rings"; apparently, similar books will be published for each of the two subsequent films.

Peter Jackson has created one of the most amazing feats in motion picture history. He simultaneously filmed 3 major motion pictures at the same time, and when he is done, will have created at least a 10 hour magnificent movie extravanganza unequaled by any other filmaker in all time.
I really hoped that this book would give me some feel of that.
It didn't.
If you know NOTHING about the books, the actors, the characters, the scenes, the sites, or the creators, you will like this book. If you know ANYTHING about LOTR (read interviews online, etc,) you will be VERY disappointed. There is nothing here that I didn't already know. This is thin, trite, candy. There is nothing of substance here.
However, being a huge LOTR fan, I had to own this book. There are a couple of decent photos, one being a hand drawn description of the differences in height of the all the characters (trolls, hobbits, elves, etc). I have not seen this anywhere else. Also, descriptions of Sir Ian McKellan's complaints, and then modifications, to his costume, were enthralling. Again, this is the only place I've seen this kind of honesty. Otherwise, all information can be found in other places.
To sum up, if you are a total Middle Earth newby, or a total Middle Earth die hard, buy it. If not, skip it.

"The Lord of the Rings Official Movie Guide" is a book that covers the making of the motion picture trilogy based on the wonderful books by J.R.R. Tolkien from A to Z. This is the first book of this kind that I have read from cover to cover an I found this work to be thouroughly enjoyable. Brian Sibley, the author of this great guide, did a great job of finding and researching all of this information and did an even greater job by writing it all up in fun, easy to read articles next to gorgeous photographs.

The articles presented in this work cover everything from a biography of Peter Jackson, the director of the trilogy, and how he was inspired as a young boy to one day be a moviemaker. There is also a biography of J.R.R. Tolkien. The book then delves into information about the sets chosen for these films and why and how New Zealand was such a great choice to do the filming of the pictures at. Then there are biographies of each actor that had a main part in "The Lord of the Rings" motion picture trilogy. Then we learn about costumes, make-up, prosthetics, swords, props, and many more things that made up his film. Within all of this information there are great quotes from the actors that were received from interviews by Brian Sibley. The photographs in this book are gorgeous and Brian Sibley was also able to get some original drawings of Middle Earth from artists like John Howe and Alan Lee put into the book.

"The Lord of the Rings Official Movie Guide" is great for a lover of "The Lord of the Rings" movies or books. With great writing and pictures this is fun to look at and read. This book can be read very quickly and easily while being enjoyed. All in all, this is a great book that a fan of the movie or books would enjoy. Purchase this book and you'll experience the motion picture trilogy that you have seen and loved.

Happy Reading!

I really like this book, I just wish it contained more pictures. And maybe more about the filming and process of movie. It had several pages about the director and his filmography, which could have been used to tell more about the actual movie it was about. I've read the books and seen the movie several times. And as a fan of both I wanted to see more pictures of them filming, and more in detail with the actors. I would have especially liked to have more interviews and quotes from the actors. I hope this review was helpful, and with or without what it lacked I would still highly recommend it to anyone interested in the movie or books.

There are lots of pretty pictures here and some interesting stories with the actors and the creativity that went into the mind-bogglingly massive production. There also is some talk of the crafting of an unwieldy 1,000-page plus story into something that would work in three three-hour epics, and good explanations of the level of detail that director Peter Jackson demanded. This is a guide for fans, equivalent to a program that you would get at a sporting event, and is written with nary a negative word about anybody.

You won't find out about the warring that must have gone on behind the scenes in the 15-month shoot -- somebody else will have to write that opus -- and the firing of the original Aragorn after two weeks is glossed over as "creative differences."

Much of the verbiage is lame, PR-drivel quoting actors and others working on the project saying how great the books are, how wonderful Peter Jackson is, etc. I know how great the books are; you don't need to tell me, or at least not over and over and over again. In journalism school, you are taught that you should show, not tell. This is more tell, not show.
One welcome exception is some beautiful photos/illustrations showing how the scenes were created to match the visions of illustrators John Howe and Alan Lee.
There is also clearly an element of not wanting to spoil the movie, too -- the author is careful not to give away too much of the plot, beyond the basic outlines that you will find in any review.

All in all, this makes a great keepsake of the movie, just so long as you realize that it has been scrubbed thoroughly by the PR folks.

Enjoy!