The Fellowship of the Ring vs. The Lord of the Rings
The Envelope, Please

The Two Towers

The Most Challenging of the Three
A Tear for the Ents

The Return of the King

Return of the Return?
Creating a Successful Return of the King

Lord of the Rings in General

Changes for the worst?
Top Ten Great Movie Moments (to be)
In the Land of Myths Where the Shadows Lie




My favorite Tolkien movie sites:
TheOneRing.net
Tolkien Online - The One Ring™
Ringbearer
Lord of the Rings/Hobbit Movie Fact/Rumor Roundup

About these essays: Hopefully these writings won't label me as arrogant or naive in the reader's mind. It should be remembered that I have an incredible respect for everyone involved in a project as large any film being produced, and more so than usual for the Lord of the Rings. Furthermore, as I am not making these movies and others are, I won't ever state that I could have made better films (even if I were foolish and conceited enough to believe such a preposterous notion).

I also understand that films are made by real people with real problems of practicality. Thursday has an annoying way of showing up every week for even the best producer, and when having to deal with timetables, budgets, and the fact that God double crossed us all by making us fallible, it's sometimes a wonder that a timeless sanctuary of greatness such as the The Wizard of Oz can be made.

But being an entertainer in various formats (including writing and film-making) I find converting a book to film fascinating in and of itself. Converting Tolkien's masterpiece to film is an even more interesting situation to me- because I've always found the Lord of the Rings to be incredibly visual and conducive to a large audience experiencing the sights and sounds together. Who will ever forget Gandalf's fight with the Balrog, or Merry and Pippin being reunited with Aragorn and Gandalf in the one place everyone was trying to avoid? Who will not stare wide-eyed as Gandalf and the Lord of the Nazgul standoff at the broken gates of Minas Tirith? And who will not cry as Frodo and selected companions depart at the Grey Havens?

I love to deal with story telling problems. And converting a novel to a film presents many. It's always easy to look at a finished product and find faults, but I find it much more interesting to look ahead, and try to find the pitfalls and possibilities before they are reached. While it may seem as if I (arrogantly) believe that everything I say is fact and indisputable let me assure you: that is not true. It's always easier to be more bold when you aren't really spending any money (and you aren't answerable for faults) with a project.

On a final note, let me just add that Peter Jackson has been aware of many of these situations for quite some time- and I'm sure he's dealt with them in his own way already. I think in the end, after giving the matter so much thought, it will be a joy for me to see his own solutions to the thorny situations I have described.

I wish him well.



Other Writings by J.W. Braun:
The Blockbuster Hit Movie (that will never be filmed) A New Moon
The Incredible Sequel: The End of the Beginning
Coming Soon: The finale of the trilogy: The Return for Revenge