[Lostgaeriel]

Hi Child of Eru!<P>Thanks for your comments on George Lucas. I think you’ve nailed it. Looking forward to your continued discussion when you’re done studying for your exam.<P>Hi again Birdland!<P>I like 'The Man Who Would be King', too. Lots of elements in common with LOTR - as a film. Sean Connery as Theoden? Yeah, that might work. Obviously he favoured Bogey! As Aragorn?! <P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> But Tolkien's work does fit into a certain catagory, and up until the late 70s, I don't think most studios were capable of seeing the potential of attempting to film the book. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Oh. Gee. Is The Lord of the Rings a ‘fantasy’ book? For 30 years I’ve never thought of it that way. Honest. I always thought of it as just fiction. Period. Books labelled ‘science fiction’ or ‘fantasy fiction’ always made me suspect that it might be ‘inferior fiction’ since they needed that crutch. (I read mostly non-fiction.)<P>I always thought of it as a possible movie. A big, long, action-packed movie with Robert Redford as Aragorn. (Swoon!) So, if in the past most directors, producers and studios overlooked The Lord of the Rings as a property, it was because they had blinders on – they pigeon-holed – categorized – assigned a genre to everything. It’s not enough to think ‘outside the box’; think with no boxes at all. Did I say that? Sorry.<P>Hey Stephanos! <P>Can't say that I've ever seen David Lynch's work - previews never really appeal to me - I don't get it, I guess. I'm not familiar with Russ Meyer, and I'm tired of doing all the work of looking up the info. so come back and elaborate if you want.<P>Hi NinjaFerret!<P>Yeah, Hitchcock would have story-boarded to the nth degree. And the framing of the shots would be amazing - works of art in their own right. Would he have tried for a segment of uncut action as in 'Rope'? Just to show off his skill? I think PJ shot the teapot scene in Bag End just to show off the seamlessness of the Hobbit-size / Gandalf-size effects. I agree, too, that smart directors know how to hire experts and delegate.<P>Hi there Lush!<P>I was waiting for someone to mention Steven Spielberg. Not my favourite for some reason. Strange, 'cause I like most of the films of his that I've seen. (Hated Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I'd be afraid his version of LOTR would be like that.) Maybe there's something in his work reaching my subconcious that bugs me. Too perfect? Maybe. Envy of his genius? Probably. But he has the credentials for LOTR. You're probably right about the casting - too mainstream, too big name, too predictable, too expensive.<P>Hi Cimmerian!<P>Well, I had never considered Rowan Atkinson as a director for LOTR. Probably because he has only one directing credit (Comic Relief, 1986). He’s an actor/writer/producer - pretty much in that order. When I started the topic I just assumed we’d be talking about other KNOWN and PROVEN directors! (Don't assume!) But hey, if anyone wants to tell us how their cousin Bob, the plumber, would direct the movie, by all means! <P>Perhaps you were really impressed by Black Adder directors Martin Shardlow, Mandie Fletcher, and Richard Boden? And FYI: The actor who portrays Baldrick is Tony Robinson. Tim McInnery plays Percy. And I have no idea who the character ‘Flash’ is, so I can’t tell you the actor’s name.<p>[ May 09, 2002: Message edited by: Lostgaeriel ]