Subject: Review: Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The (2001)

From: Aahz <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 18:17:42 -0000

[Warning: mega-spoilers for both versions of _Lord of the Rings]

Comparison of

_Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring_ 
(2001, live action, directed by Peter Jackson)

versus

_Lord of the Rings_
(1978, animated, directed by Ralph Bakshi)

Reviewed by Aahz, [email-masked], copyright 2002

After watching Jackson's LotR, my primary and I watched Bakshi's version
on DVD.  Where I was moderately unhappy with Jackson originally, now I
think that Jackson truly squandered his opportunity.

Before I start ripping Jackson to shreds, let me start with the one thing
he did right: visually, Jackson has it all over Bakshi.  The Jackson
version is just plain beautiful, Jackson does a good job with characters
(particularly given that he had to find live actors) and a brilliant job
with their costumes, Jackson's scenery is compelling, the settings (most
notably the Shire) are just plain Right, and the Balrog is magnificent.

I do like the visuals in Bakshi, don't get me wrong.  I think Bakshi
overall did better with the look of the hobbits and Boromir, and I like
Bakshi's conception of the Riders better.  But I'll happily concede the
visuals to Jackson because I can condemn him on so many other grounds.
(Historically, many reviewers have disliked Bakshi because of the
rotoscoping, but I like it.)

Where Bakshi does better: despite a shorter run length and covering 1.5
books (to Jackson's one book), Bakshi manages to cram in much more of
Tolkien's dialog and writing.  Credit for this I think is due
particularly to Peter Beagle, who co-wrote the screenplay.  Beagle has
more than earned his own chops as a fantasy writer who cares about
language, and this care is evident in the way that he pushes as much of
Tolkien into Bakshi as can possibly fit.  One technique that Bakshi uses
is to have character dialog or book narration during travel sequences.

There are three critical points where Bakshi's variation absolutely
trumps Jackson in creating the feel of the book: when Merry/Pippin make
clear that they're going with Frodo to Rivendell, when Frodo confronts
the Riders at the ford, and the council at Rivendell.  But all through
Bakshi, my primary and I were going "YES!" whenever we heard some
important bit of Tolkien that Jackson cut.

Then there's the problem of Jackson ADDING material.  I'm not fond of
giving Arwen so much screen time (Bakshi replaces Glorfindel with
Legolas), but it's a compromise for modern sensibilities that I can live
with.  The parts that bug me the most are the council at Rivendell (that
shouting match disgusts me) and the scene where Frodo drops the ring and
Boromir picks it up.  Jackson gives Saruman too much screen time; the
schoolboy brawl between Saruman and Gandalf is at best undignified.  The
troll scene in Moria takes even more too much time and isn't particularly
faithful, either.

Finally, Jackson sees fit to completely remove the singing (yes, Jackson
has a chorus in background, but you can't ever actually hear the words,
which is what counts).

Oh, and let's not even talk about stupid little bits in Jackson, like
Sting glowing when Glamdring doesn't, or when Frodo is visible on the
river when he leaves the Fellowship (instead of being invisible).  So
many times when just following Tolkien would be as dramatic, Jackson
futzes with things (e.g. the sequence where Boromir argues with Frodo
over where to go with the ring).

Bakshi does cut some bits that Jackson puts in.  The Shire sequence is
much shorter, and Farmer Maggot is completely chopped.  Bakshi doesn't
show the Moria lake monster getting disturbed.  Several other bits of
scenes are also abbreviated or chopped (no entrance or departure to
Lothlorien, for example).  And Bakshi makes a boo-boo when Glamdring
breaks in the fight with the Balrog.

All in all, Bakshi has problems, but if you want to see a movie that's
relatively faithful to half of the books, it's your only choice.  Bakshi
is proof that it is possible; I'd dearly love to see a movie based on
Bakshi's script with the Bakshi problems remedied.

                      --- Aahz  <*>  (Copyright 2002 by [email-masked])

Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6                 http://www.rahul.net/aahz/
Androgynous poly kinky vanilla queer het Pythonista   

Opinions are free.  Go ahead, take one.

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