Welcome to TORn’s LotR: The Two Towers 15th Anniversary Redu
x of our TT Geeky Observations Lists. Last December (2016), we celebrated the FotR 15th Anniversary Redux of our FotR Geeky Observations Lists. This link will take you to that installment with the explanation of the madness that gives us “the lists!”
With the release of The Two Towers on December 18, 2002, TheOneRing.net’s Movie Discussion Board members continued the fun of gathering geeky observations for our TT list just as we did for FotR and RotK… and eventually for the 3 Hobbit movies; but we have about 11 more years to wait before they get properly reduxed 😉
As it happened with the FotR Geeky Observations List, the TT contributions began with the release of the trailers. We members poured over every frame and every utterance driven by the excitement of anticipating the movie’s imminent release. After we eventually got the extended DVD, we could really scrutinize every moment until the TT list grew to 468 items, with more to add!
Here are some examples of observations (lists do not include pictures):
While Sam and Frodo are sleeping and Gollum crawls down the mountain, their backpacks are on the wrong sides. Frodo is sleeping next to Sam’s backpack and vice versa.
There is a stool to the left of Théoden’s throne that is brought around to his right and used first by Gríma when the Fellowship arrives and then by Gandalf.
Théodred is buried with his helmet placed at his feet, holding his sword and also holding Simbelmynë in his hands. Théodred’s bier is made of shields lying across two long spears.
As with all of the geeky lists, one of the changes I made to the premise of the original list was to exclude any nit-picky or negative items. Considering everything Peter Jackson and the hundreds of people who made these films possible went through to create these three movies at one time… something never attempted before… I just didn’t think it was right. Those observations were for others to collect.
Because these lists are still active and growing all the time, feel free to share your own observations. Find me on the Boards where you can also access all of these links and more in the footer of my posts on The One Ring Forums Message Boards.
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At Comic-Con 2017, our friends at Weta Workshop unveiled one of the most stunning pieces I’ve ever seen. The piece is part of the new Masters Collection, and the character is one we all know quite well: Gollum. This superb piece is a 1:3 mixed media piece with real hair, glass, eyes, translucent skin, clear resin water, and an actual cloth loin cloth. Needless to say this is the best Gollum piece that’s been done. Gollum is limited to only 589 pieces worldwide and comes with a price tag of $1799. Fans that are interested can also use Weta’s handy flex pay system that will help you break this down so you can add this amazing statue into your collections.
Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Weta Workshop’s Masters Collections: Gollum”
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As we approach that season of giving you may be looking for a great item for the Middle-earth fan in your life. Our friends at Weta Workshop have some amazing deals for you that should check any box on any fan’s list. We have deals ranging from 2 for $199 1:6 statues to those fantastic Mini-Epics for only $25. Those are just the tip of the ice berg when it comes to what you will find on Weta Workshop’s Black Friday Page. They also have deals for other properties they’ve worked on if you have a fan that likes something besides just Middle-earth items. Don’t wait too long though as these deals will end on November 27th at 11:59 pm PST.
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Tonight, fans can add another helm to their growing 1:4 helm collection. This time, it happens to be my favorite Ringwraith design from The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.
Khamûl The Easterling might have been the most unique looking Ringwraith we saw during the entire Dol Guldur sequence, and this highly detailed helm by our friends at Weta Workshop gives you the chance to have a closer look at some of that. Limited to only 750 pieces worldwide, I don’t expect this to last long, and then maybe that will lead to a full 1:6 statue of this awesome looking character.
You can pre-order yours now right here for delivery in early 2018.
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It turns out a “Lord of the Rings” TV series isn’t the biggest Tolkien news of the week or the month or the year.
Christopher Tolkien, son and literary heir of J.R.R. Tolkien, resigned from the Tolkien Estate. And his departure changes everything.
Christopher is 93 and just this year edited and published one of his father’s works “Beren and Luthien,” which as even casual Tolkienites know, refers to his parents with the names of those characters adorning their tombstones.
In the preface of the book he writes, “this is (preemptively) my last book in the long series of editions of my father’s writings.” It seems he was planning to retire already. Personally, learning the greatest Tolkien scholar, and a man who has honored his father in an exemplary way, has left the care of his father’s legacy to others feels like reading the end of LOTR where Galadriel, Elrond and the other great elves leave Middle-earth. There is a keen sadness, but admiration and beauty as well.
But even if you aren’t sentimental, he deserves any Tolkien fan’s deep respect. But it bears repeating, this changes everything.
The news reached me by friend Michael Martinez via Twitter on his blog. Martinez has an exceptional mind for Tolkien.
He understood perfectly that Christopher R. Tolkien’s departure signals the end of an era.
“With Christopher’s departure as an officer of the Tolkien Estate (which was incorporated in 2011), the long-awaited “rights frenzy” for Tolkien properties may soon begin,” he wrote.
Yes, and it seemingly has already happened. This is a definite piece of the puzzle of the recent news of the Amazon Video deal. I had heard through rock solid, but not reportable sources several years ago that other members of the estate were much more willing to negotiate J.R.R. Tolkien’s properties while Christopher was far more interested in preserving legacy than money.
The settlement between Warner Bros. and the Tolkien Estate settled an $80 million lawsuit July 3. Part of the statement the studio released at the time was unusually upbeat for an entity that just paid out big money:
“The parties are pleased that they have amicably resolved this matter and look forward to working together in the future.”
The future mentioned in that statement is this week and beyond, and it was obviously in the works then. According to a U.K. government website, Christopher resigned on Aug. 31. One would expect formal resignations of this nature take time to manage legally, so it also was in the works for some time I suspect. What I wouldn’t give to have been in the room for that passing of the torch.
So in quick fashion, after the seismic change, the estate has sold the television rights for book “The Lord of the Rings.” Warners paid the court dispute so there would be a relationship moving forward and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos rewarded both entities handsomely.
Another important thing to note here, and another piece of the puzzle, is that the television rights to “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings” were NOT sold when J.R.R. Tolkien sold the movie rights in 1969. Those rights were for motion pictures. TORn staffer and author Kristin Thompson informed our staff about this. She has first-hand documentation and as author of “The Frodo Franchise,” knows this stuff as well as anybody. And obviously you can and should buy her book on Amazon.com. I believe another TORn news article is expected on just this point.
This explains why the estate was so involved in the Amazon deal; they were selling something. It also explains why Middle-earth Enterprises was absent from the latest news. (Correction: This originally said Tolkien Enterprises, a name previously used that is not correct. The story has been updated.)
But the bigger ramifications of all this are far greater than a multi-season Amazon series. The new leadership of the estate seem much more willing to deal Tolkien properties than Christopher was and this confirms my well placed sources.
This opens up Tolkien and Middle-earth as possible franchises in the same way that Harry Potter’s world is a place you can visit at Universal Studios or that Disney will soon have a Star Wars area. There are few properties in the world that can be talked about in the same way as Middle-earth. Warner Bros. see the value and so does Amazon.
That doesn’t mean the Tolkien Estate will move toward making the rights to “Beren And Luthien” available but it does mean my wish to produce “The Silmarillion” as HBO series is slightly less impossible than it was before. That is what has changed really. Things once impossible are now possible.
The estate may elect to only allow more content based solely on “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” Or they may carefully cultivate the entire library.
Because of the depth of J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium, there is a virtually endless fountain of material. As Martinez points out in his blog, what will be produced is essentially fan fiction. As Disney has expanded the Galaxy far-far away, and HBO is planning its growth of George R.R. Martin’s Westeros world, so too could Amazon and Warner Bros expand Middle-earth.
Much of that possibility rests with the estate but just Appendix A in “The Lord of the Rings” offers a wealth of content. The imagination soars with possibilities.
This will no doubt anger many fans and delight many others, as the Amazon deal already has. Some don’t want to see the compromise of the author’s vision. Funny enough, this also seems to have a whole new batch of fans upset because they don’t want Amazon’s product to compromise Peter Jackson’s vision of Tolkien’s vision.
The officers of the Tolkien Estate still count among their numbers Tolkien’s youngest child Priscilla Tolkien and other grandchildren in the family.
This is over-long already but a final word on Christopher Tolkien’s departure. Here is a man who is a treasure, and who carries in his heart and mind the voice and essence of his father. The significance of his departure cannot be over stated.
I close with another poignant passage he wrote about his father in the preface of his final contribution to the Tolkien legacy, “Beren and Luthien.”
“In a letter to me on the subject of my mother, written in the year after her death, which was also the year before his own, he wrote of his overwhelming sense of bereavement, and of his wish to have Luthien inscribed beneath her name on the grave. He returned in that letter … to the origin of the tale of Beren and Luthien in a small woodland glade filled with hemlock flowers near Roos in Yorkshire, where she danced; and he said: ‘But the story has gone crooked, and I am left, and I cannot plead before the inexorable Mandos.’
Thank you Christopher Tolkien. We are going to miss you and your strength and determination to contribute to and preserve the legacy of your father.
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Last night our friends at Weta Workshop presented collectors with another goodie we can add to our collections. Fans now have the chance to add the Rivendell Guard’s Helm to the growing relaunched 1:4 helm line. Limited to 750 pieces worldwide, this helm isn’t going to last long; and as you can see by the picture, the paint/detail on this piece is really fantastic. Weta also announced one of their fun announcements from Comic-Con has arrived. That’s right! The Mini Epics are here, and the video below even gives you a look at the packaging for these awesome little figures. If you have a loved one who might be interested, these little vinyl figures would make for a pretty fantastic stocking stuffer.
Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Weta Workshop’s Rivendell Guard’s Helm and Mini Epics”
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x of our TT Geeky Observations Lists. Last December (2016), we celebrated the FotR 15th Anniversary Redux of our FotR Geeky Observations Lists. This link will take you to that installment with the explanation of the madness that gives us “the lists!”
There is a stool to the left of Théoden’s throne that is brought around to his right and used first by Gríma when the Fellowship arrives and then by Gandalf.
