Tolkien on Film: Essays on Peter Jackson's the Lord of the Rings. [Paperback]

Janet Brennan Croft (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2005

This collection of essays addresses various aspects of Peter Jackson's film adaptations of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings including scriptwriting and the creative process, the place of the films in cinematic history, gender roles in the films and the books, wisdom and councils, hobbits and heroism, fan culture and fanfic, the use of Tolkien's languages in the films, and other issues.

Editorial Reviews

Review

I read it with real interest. -- Verlyn Flieger, author of Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien's World

These essayists are truly critical so as to discern how the films both succeed and fail. -- Ralph C. Wood, author of The Gospel According to Tolkien

This collection has much to offer and sets the bar for Tolkien/Film studies to come. -- Anne C. Petty, author of One Ring to Bind Them All: Tolkien's Mythology

About the Author

Janet Brennan Croft is author of numerous scholarly journal articles as well as War the the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien (Greenwood 2004). She is Head of the Access Services Department at the University of Oklahoma.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Mythopoeic Pr (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1887726098
• ISBN-13: 978-1887726092
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,050,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Author of _War and the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien_ and _Legal Solutions in Electronic Reserves and the Electronic Delivery of Interlibrary Loan_; editor of _Tolkien on Film: Essays on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings_ and _Tolkien and Shakespeare: Essays on Shared Language and Themes." Edits the journal _Mythlore._

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant and balanced, August 15, 2006

By 

J. Bongiorno (NY, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tolkien on Film: Essays on Peter Jackson's the Lord of the Rings. (Paperback)

This highly recommended title explores Tolkien's Lord of the Rings vs. Peter Jackson's film adaptation of it. The several essays chosen by the editors are all very convincing and well-researched. They're also immensely enjoyable to read for those who've read Tolkien and seen the film (or vice versa) and love to compare the two. The editors were also careful in presenting a balanced view, for both pros and cons are represented (sometimes even within the same essay.) And there are even some essays on Tolkienian fan-fiction (and slash) that's proliferated on the net. Truly an engrossing study of Tolkien's work and Jackson's successes and failures in adapting it! I hope a second volume is being considered...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on the book/film contrasts, August 6, 2007

By 

John S. Lawrence "myths man" (berkeley, ca United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tolkien on Film: Essays on Peter Jackson's the Lord of the Rings. (Paperback)

I found this book enormously helpful in figuring out what I had seen and how the material had been adapted for the screen. The authors of this book have a deep knowledge of the Tolkien texts and they have also viewed the films and DVDs very carefully. The assessments are balanced, well informed, and not likely to be surpassed as a commentary on the transformation.

4.0 out of 5 stars A good overview of the negatives, and positives, of Jackson's Tolkien trilogy, August 21, 2011

By 

Coffeechick (Chapel Hill, NC USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Tolkien on Film: Essays on Peter Jackson's the Lord of the Rings. (Paperback)

Fans of both the books and the films will enjoy these essays--the problems of depicting some of Tolkien's saga; the good and bad choices made as to how to tell the overall story; the baffling changes Jackson made. Those familiar with both books and movies will enjoy reading these well-argued essays, and those only familiar with the movies (quite a lot of people, these days) will perhaps appreciate how Tolkien constructed an entire world that's worth looking into via the novels. The movie fans will realize that there may be quite a lot they're missing by sticking with the movies alone...