Underplayed Gems

The Lord of the Rings (1978)

The Lord of the Rings poster
Directed by
Ralph Bakshi
Genre
fantasy film, adventure film, sword and sorcery film
Country
United Kingdom, United States, Spain
Runtime
2h 12m
Rated
PG
Rating
6.6 of 10 from 1,060 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A fellowship of hobbits, men, an elf, a dwarf, and a wizard sets out to destroy a powerful ring created by an evil lord. This animated film uses a rotoscoping technique that blends live-action and animation. The story ends without a complete resolution.

epicfantasticaladventurousdarknostalgicunfinishedexperimentalvisually unique

What happens

The Lord of the Rings is a 1978 animated epic fantasy film directed by Ralph Bakshi from a screenplay by Chris Conkling and Peter S. Beagle. It is based on the novel of the same name by J. R. R. Tolkien, adapting from the volumes The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. Set in Middle-earth, the film follows a group of fantasy races—Hobbits, Men, an Elf, a Dwarf and a wizard—who form a fellowship to destroy a magical ring made by the Dark Lord Sauron, the titular main antagonist. Bakshi encountered Tolkien's writing early in his career. He had made several attempts to produce The Lord of the Rings as an animated film before producer Saul Zaentz and distributor United Artists provided funding. The film is notable for its extensive use of rotoscoping, a technique in which scenes are first shot in live-action, then traced onto animation cels. It uses a hybrid of traditional cel animation and rotoscoped live-action footage. The Lord of the Rings was released in the United States on November 15, 1978, and in the United Kingdom on July 5, 1979. Although the film received mixed reviews from critics, and hostility from disappointed viewers who felt that it was incomplete, it was a financial success. There was no official sequel to cover the remainder of the story. However, the film has retained a cult following and was a major inspiration for New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson’s adaptation of the story. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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