Crimes Against Tolkienity - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

BeeBombadil · 12-12-2003, 06:42 PM

I was in New Zealand in May and June of this year. It was refreshingly free from the commercial crap that seems to accompany the movie here in the states. People were enormously proud of the films, of Peter Jackson, and of their country, all without seeming arrogant or obnoxious. It seemed that every third person in NZ had worked on the film or knew someone who had. A very funny fellow told us about a friend of his who drove a van of Uruk-Hai to Glennorchy every morning for the film and then home again at night and how he hated looking in the rearview mirror...it freaked him out!<P>There was destruction of natural resources during filming but remarkably little. There was harvesting of wood for Fangorn's construction. NZ Dept of Conservation's laws are very strict and they do a marvelous job preserving NZ's natural beauty. Jackson hired a lawyer whose sole job was to get the permits required for shooting on Dept. land...the poor fellow later said that if he had known what he was in for, he might have thought twice!<P>As for all the crass marketing going on here...leave it. No one's putting a gun to your head to buy any of the action figures, posters or books out there. Just enjoy the movies for what they are...one man's vision of Tolkien's work.

12-12-2003, 06:42 PM	#5
BeeBombadil Animated Skeleton Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Berkeley, CA Posts: 32	I was in New Zealand in May and June of this year. It was refreshingly free from the commercial crap that seems to accompany the movie here in the states. People were enormously proud of the films, of Peter Jackson, and of their country, all without seeming arrogant or obnoxious. It seemed that every third person in NZ had worked on the film or knew someone who had. A very funny fellow told us about a friend of his who drove a van of Uruk-Hai to Glennorchy every morning for the film and then home again at night and how he hated looking in the rearview mirror...it freaked him out!<P>There was destruction of natural resources during filming but remarkably little. There was harvesting of wood for Fangorn's construction. NZ Dept of Conservation's laws are very strict and they do a marvelous job preserving NZ's natural beauty. Jackson hired a lawyer whose sole job was to get the permits required for shooting on Dept. land...the poor fellow later said that if he had known what he was in for, he might have thought twice!<P>As for all the crass marketing going on here...leave it. No one's putting a gun to your head to buy any of the action figures, posters or books out there. Just enjoy the movies for what they are...one man's vision of Tolkien's work.