When The Return of the King was released on December 17, 2003, there was a sense that the journey we had shared with these characters for two full years was approaching its end. The road had grown heavy, marked by sacrifice, exhaustion, and the weight of battles fought both outside and within. Unlike the beginnings in theContinueContinue reading “Walking the Long Road to Mordor: Remembering ‘The Return of the King’”
Tag Archives: fantasy-and-film
Observing an Anniversary: ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ (2012)
Long before dwarves knocked on Bilbo’s round green door, I had already walked the edges of Tolkien’s map in my imagination. That little book, The Hobbit, was the kind you read as a child and then reread as an adult, discovering new corners of courage every time. Today I’m marking the anniversary of The Hobbit:ContinueContinue reading “Observing an Anniversary: ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ (2012)”
Observing an Anniversary: ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ (2013)
I first walked into Middle-earth in the mid-70s through a brand-spanking-new paperback copy of The Hobbit. Bilbo’s unexpected adventure was playful, sharply drawn, and rooted in a storyteller’s wink. Decades later, Peter Jackson invited us back again, but with a different tone, different scale, and (for many of us) a different set of expectations. Today I’mContinueContinue reading “Observing an Anniversary: ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ (2013)”
The Hobbit That First Opened My Door to Middle-earth — Celebrating the 48-Year Legacy of Rankin/Bass’ Hobbit
I met Bilbo Baggins when I was thirteen years old, standing in the hallway of DeRidder Junior High. The library door carried a poster that stopped me in my tracks. A curious, round fellow stood in his front doorway, pipe in hand, sending smoke rings lazily into the air. The art looked like watercolor washedContinueContinue reading “The Hobbit That First Opened My Door to Middle-earth — Celebrating the 48-Year Legacy of Rankin/Bass’ Hobbit”
Observing an Anniversary: Ralph Bakshi’s The Lord of the Rings (1978)
I first stepped into Tolkien’s world through a boxed set of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings sometime in the mid-70s. Taking on the larger-in-scope-and-theme Lord of the Rings was daunting, but I made it through and was captivated by the characters and the story. Today I’m marking the 47th anniversary of a film that left a mark onContinueContinue reading “Observing an Anniversary: Ralph Bakshi’s The Lord of the Rings (1978)”