Tolkien researcher John Garth is the author of Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth. Michael Martinez, who describes it as “a great biographical portrait of a young man who sees his world divided between life and death” chats with the author over on Xenite.org about how Tolkien’s experiences of war might have influenced his fiction.
An excerpt:
From almost as early as [Tolkien] could remember he had lived in and around Birmingham, one of the biggest industrial cities of the era, and as a lover both of nature and of rural life he was acutely aware of the encroachment of the town. He was also well aware of the Arts & Crafts Movement spearheaded by William Morris, one of his favourite authors (The House of the Wolfings, The Roots of the Mountains, etc.), and I’m sure his own views on the alienating effects of ‘mechanical’ labour were considerably shaped by those of Morris and his followers.
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Wellington will roll out its really, really long red carpet and throw a world-class party for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” on November 28. The date of the event has been guessed about for months but today it was confirmed in New Zealand.
The Embassy Theatre has long been the expected spot of the premiere and today’s story confirms it, giving the beautiful site another world-class event to go along with its 2003 hosting of “The Return of the King.” (You can check out TORn’s scrapbook of that event right here.)
Middle-earth royalty, many from the film, would be likely to attend and walk down Wellington’s Courtenay Place which serves as a weekend hot-spot in Wellington that typically stays open until the sun rises.
“I know I speak for a company of hobbits, dwarves, elves and orcs when I say that this city holds a special place in all our hearts,” director Peter Jackson said of the event at www.stuff.co.nz.
“We cannot think of a more perfect way to send ‘The Hobbit’ off into the world than to celebrate with a huge party here in Wellington, where the journey began.”
TheOneRing.net, long friends with Red Carpet Tours, is supporting their longer tour of Middle-earth, one we definitely recommend, but also hope to put together a shorter trip focused on the premiere. You can read Red Carpet’s full itinerary and sign up while details for a micro-trip will be announced ASAP. In addition, both groups will host a joint party in Wellington at a hotel in central Wellington
The two films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” is currently filming and is expected to finish principal photography later this month with pickups for the first film scheduled for later. TheOneRing.net spent a five-week stint embedded on set for the films with content coming later, as agreed before the embed began. We also fully expect to cover the premiere, and everything else ‘Hobbit’ related, as possible.
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With E3 just around the corner, we would expect to see a game trailer for the upcoming ‘Guardians of Middle-earth‘ game sooner rather than later…well, it is sooner! Courtesy of GameTrailers.com, the world premiere of the trailer showcases the ‘battle’ nature of the gameplay. The ‘good’ looks to be represented by Gandalf, Aragorn, Galadriel, Legolas and Gimli. We might add, the portraits on these characters are very close to those from the films. The bad are represented by Sauron, The Witch-king, Gollum, an Uruk-hai…and another character this reporter can’t seem to place. I’m sure we’ll find out when the character section of the official website opens up. In the meantime, enjoy the trailer and after the break check out some screen caps! (As an aside…remember that the way we interact with Tolkien’s world is as diverse as those of us who enjoy it. This might not be your cup of tea, but we can guarantee there are a lot of folks excited about this new title!) [GameTrailers.com] [Press Release]
Continue reading “Official ‘Guardians of Middle-earth’ E3 Trailer with Screen Caps”
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Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Reveals Guardians of Middle-earth, an Authentic Multiplayer Online Battle Arena Game for Console Systems
Debuting Exclusively on Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation Network in Fall 2012
BURBANK, Calif.– May 30, 2012–
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announces Guardians of Middle-earth, a new multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game developed by Monolith Productions, set to debut in fall 2012 exclusively for Xbox LIVE(R) Arcade for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation(R)Network. The game will feature tie-ins to the upcoming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey motion picture, directed by Peter Jackson and a production of New Line Cinema and MGM.
Guardians of Middle-earth brings up to 10 players together in five versus five competitive multiplayer battle arenas in the epic setting of Middle-earth. The game offers more than 20 iconic guardians, including Gandalf, Sauron, Gollum, Thrain and many more, for players to control in player versus player (PVP) matches. Gamers will have the ability to connect with other players via an in-game voice communication system, as well as access to a comprehensive online stat and leader board system where they can track friends’ victories and defeats, and more.
Continue reading “Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Reveals Guardians of Middle-earth, an Authentic Multiplayer Online Battle Arena Game for Console Systems”
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Sam wrote in with a video he posted at YouTube from the recently passed annual Middle-earth Weekend in Birmingham near Sarehole Mill, famously a site of inspiration for Tolkien. The video, shot by Ian Fish with photography from Ellie Gibbons is an 11-minute taste of the weekend which doesn’t feel dramatically different from fan gatherings around the world, except that it takes place in J.R.R. Tolkien’s childhood stomping grounds. Included are costumes, interviews and a look at the mill that will seem familiar to readers of “The Hobbit,” and “Lord of the Rings.” Enjoy!
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Note: This comes from our newest contributor Momosanla. Look for more great stuff from her soon.
If you’re looking for a good book to read on your summer holidays – fire up those digital readers because you’re in luck. The finalists for the 2012 Mythopoeic Awards were announced on Tuesday, May 22. Past award winners have included the Harry Potter series, Orson Scott Card for “Seventh Son” and Neil Gaiman for “Anansi Boys”. With a track record like that, you’re sure to find a quality read amongst the nominees.
The Mythopeoic Society, founded by Glen GoodKnight in October of 1967, is a group dedicated to the discussion of and the study of the literary genre of mythopoeia: authors who create an entirely “new and transformative” mythology or “incorporate and transform existing mythological material.” Specifically the society focuses on the works of Inklings members J.R.R Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams. Each year, since 1971, they have honored outstanding examples in both adult and children’s fiction and non-fiction studies. Continue reading “Mythopoeic award finalists (good reading) announced”
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