LaWise writes: Swiss film director Marc Schippert is currently filming a LotR spoof movie called The Ring Thing. The script is by Christoph Silber, who was co-author of the script to ‘Good Bye, Lenin’. The story is more or less the following: The Dark Lord Sauraus (meaning “PigOut” in German) wants to cover all of Middle Earth with Fondue. The bank clerk Friedo is turned into a hero without wanting to be one, because he falls through the toilet of an airplane into an adventurous world of fairytale in the middle of the Swiss Alps and has to save Middle Earth from the boiling, yellow cheese-fluid. The film will be in Swiss cinemas as of 9th December 2004. [More]
Month: August 2004
Ted Nasmith has confirmed that he will be signing copies of his new illustrated edition of the Silmarillion at Forbidden Planet, 179, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR on September 15th from 5.30-6.30. This new edition of Tolkien unsung masterpiece will include 28 previously unseen Nasmith illustrations. If you are unable to attend the signing but would like to receive a copy, please call 020 7420 3666 and the shop will be able to reserve you a copy.
We hope to see you there!
More on the new revised and illustrated Silmarillion…
The Silmarillion
Revised and Illustrated edition
J. R. R. Tolkien
Illustrated by Ted Nasmith
A beautifully presented revised and reset edition of The Silmarillion, illustrated by celebrated Tolkien artist Ted Nasmith – designed to match and complement the illustrated Lord of The Rings
J R R Tolkien’s SILMARILLION is the core work of the Middle-earth canon. It is in this dense and often neglected masterpiece that the entire cosmology for the background for THE HOBBIT and, particularly, THE LORD OF THE RINGS is documented.
This revised and reset volume contains fabulous tales of heroes and monsters, and the history of the Elves and of the Silmarils – the magical jewels produced by the Children of Iluvatar, or Elves (humans being the Younger Children of Iluvatar); it tells of the creation of Middle-earth, and the coming of Men into the world; it chronicles the early battles between good and evil, forces of light and dark, which foreshadow the great conflict with Sauron, the Dark Lord, in LORD OF THE RINGS.
These tales of Middle-earth were published posthumously in 1977. Tolkien worked on THE SILMARILLION all his life – long before THE HOBBIT or LORD OF THE RINGS – and his son and literary executor Christopher Tolkien edited the material he left behind into its current form.
With the close collaboration of Christopher Tolkien, THE SILMARILLION has now been completely reset, using the Second Edition text, and redesigned and repackaged to complement the stunningly illustrated hardbacks of THE LORD OF THE RINGS and COMPLETE GUIDE TO MIDDLE-EARTH, providing the reader with a definitive text.
Furthermore, acclaimed Tolkien artist Ted Nasmith has been commissioned to provide 28 breathtaking new paintings, making this new illustrated edition of THE SILMARILLION the most sumptuous and desirable ever published.
‘How, given little over half a century of work, did one man become the creative equivalent of a people?’ The Guardian
‘Demanding to be compared with English mythologies… at times rises to the greatness of true myth’ Financial Times
‘A creation of singular beauty… magnificent in its best moments’ Washington Post
Ted Nasmith has contributed to a range of illustrated works including The Tolkien Calendar, the Complete Guide to Middle-earth, Realms of Tolkien and Tolkien’s World.
The lineup just keeps growing. The latest addition to the LOTR-cast-shudded Fellowship Festival is none other than Karl Urban! Get your tickets while you still can… [Fellowship Festival website]
John Cook writes: Just an email to say I’ve posted a new Lord of the Rings cartoon. This one has Elrond presenting a dodgily reforged sword to Aragorn. Check it out here!
Ian McKellen has signed up to provide the voice for the magical character Zebedee in Pathe’s movie version of the U.K. children TV classic The Magic Roundabout. He joins a voice cast that includes Robbie Williams, Jim Broadbent, Ray Winstone, Kylie Minogue and Bill Nighy. [More]
Sad news this morning as TORN learns that Peter Woodthorpe, who brough Gollum’s voice to life in the BBC radio presentation and animated version of The Lord of the Rings, has died. According to monkeyheaven.com Woodthorpe had not been too well for a while. He was 72.