There are some enigmas in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ that we are never really given the answers to. Have you, for example, considered Gandalfs description of how the Balrog changes appearance after the fall from Durins bridge? It does make you think about the Watcher in the water in some ways. Could the Watcher in fact be the Balrog?
What about Old Man Willow? Is he a Huorn do you think? And how well does Aragorn really know Tom Bombadil? Join us in #thehalloffire as we take a look at these small riddles and maybe others that you wonder about.
Times: Saturday Chat: 5:30pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30pm (23:30) CET and 9:30am Sunday (09:30) AET]
Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00pm (13:00) ET and 5:00am (05:00) Monday morning AET]
ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast CET = Central European Time, Central Europe AET = Australian East Coast
Do you have a possible topic for Hall of Fire? Drop us a line at halloffire@theonering.net
TORn Green Books Staffer Ostadan writes: The long-awaited new issue of Parma Eldalamberon #14 is now available.
--------------------- PARMA ELDALAMBERON 14 ------------------------------------------------------- EARLY QENYA and The VALMARIC SCRIPT by J. R. R. TOLKIEN -------------------------------------------------------
This issue has three sections containing newly published writings by J. R. R. Tolkien:”Early Qenya Fragments”, edited by Patrick Wynne and Christopher Gilson; the “Early Qenya Grammar”, edited by Carl F. Hostetter and Bill Welden; and “The Valmaric Script”, edited by Arden R. Smith.Each of these has been prepared with the guidance of Christopher Tolkien and with the permission of the Tolkien Estate.
Of particular interest to scholars of the Ancient Tongue will be the “Early Qenya Grammar”, Tolkien’s first complete description of the inflexions and syntax of the Articles, Nouns, Adjectives, Adverbs, Numbers, Pronouns, and Verbs of that language.The essence of High-elven is already present here in familiar patterns ranging from the formation of the genitive, locative and ablative cases, to that of the future and past tense verb stems; while the diversity of Tolkien’s great linguistic imagination is evident in many unexpected and indeed remarkable features in this lucid grammatical description of Qenya from the 1920s.
“Early Qenya Fragments” is a collection of Tolkien’s tables and name-lists associated with _The Book of Lost Tales_, including early names of the Days of the Elvish Week and the Valinorian Fortnight, and names of the Valar and various Creatures of the Earth, as Tolkien conceived of them in his earliest mythology.Also included are paradigms of the Regular Qenya Verb conjugation associated with the _Qenya Lexicon_.Annotations and commentary are provided for all of the Early Qenya texts, detailing their interconnections and the evolution of the linguistic conceptions contained within them.
“The Valmaric Script” is an edition of various documents relating to an Elvish writing system devised by Tolkien in the 1920s.One example of this very elegant script has been published already in a drawing for the story _Roverandom_.This edition incudes various charts of the sounds represented by the letters, tracing Tolkien’s experimentation with their forms and applications. There are also examples of the Valmaric script used for writing both Qenya and English, including an excerpt from the Old English poem _Beowulf_. Transcriptions of these texts and commentary on the chronology of the documents and their conceptual evolution are included in this edition.
Orders for Parma Eldalamberon Issue #14 can be made now at the cost of $25.00 per copy including postage and handling world-wide.
(Expect from 1 to 2 weeks for delivery, depending on the destination.)
Electronic payment by PayPal is available at the following link:
I just returned from a special Regal Cinemas screening of Viggo Mortensen’s new movie Hidalgo. I’m going to do my best to keep this report spoiler-free and still give an outline of the film. As “horse movies” go, it is excellent. There were a few minor editing flaws (although I didn’t notice them – but I was with a group of men who well…may not have been watching the HORSE as closely as I was 😉 and were quick to point them out) and the plot is a bit “Disney-ish” in parts, but overall, outstanding job to all 2 and 4-legged actors.
The opening sequence is as beautiful as it is heartbreaking. The film flows quickly, allowing a clear sense of the characters without dwelling too long on any one point. The emotional climax of the film in the middle of the Arabian desert recalls the opening and brings the Frank Hopkins character full circle – although now, with the end of the Ocean of Fire race in sight and still in question, he finally accepts who and what he is. The film wraps on a semi-sad but positive note. All in all, definitely worth seeing, and in answer to some questions, it wasn’t hard to get past “Viggo as Aragorn”. More importantly, his love and respect of horses shines through every interaction with his co-star.
I am a student at Franciscan University of Steubenville, a small Catholic university (approx 2000 students) in Steubenville, Ohio. This semester our school is offering a 3-credit night class on the Lord of the Rings, which recieved an enthusiastic response. In fact, the course is being offered through teleconferencing to students in our schools “semester abroad” program, who are studying in the Austrian Alps. This group of students studying abroad has shown a particularly great enthusiasm simply in signing up for the class. Due to the time difference between America and Austria the class, which begins at 6:00 EST, begins for the Austrian students at midnight and ends at 2:40 AM.
Irascian writes: ‘Lord of the Rings’ won three prizes at tonight’s Empire Awards at The Dorchester Hotel in London. Best Scene went to “Ride of the Rohirrim” and was collected by Bernard Hill. Best British Actor went to Andy Serkis for his portrayal of Gollum. Best film went, for the third consecutive year, to Lord of the Rings. Peter Jackson sent an acceptance speech he filmed of himself as he went around a rollercoaster, and Billy Boyd, Andy Serkis and Bernard Hill accepted the award on his behalf. Dominic Monaghan, who had also been expected to attend, was not present – presumably because he was suffering from jet lag having only just returned to the UK from LA.
In the press area where each recipient goes for a few minutes after winning their award Bernard spoke of the pride in the work process where he was able to influence the Rohirrim scene after seeing lots of spears in Weta Workshop and thinking of kids running with sticks along railings and being determined to get something similar into the movies. He praised the collaborative process that the film makers and writers encouraged. Andy Serkis spent much time explaining that good script writing won actors awards and that Gollum had done so well because of the script writing of Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens. He claimed to have turned up to the awards not knowing he’d been nominated and appeared to be genuinely shocked that he’d won. He was asked again about “The Hobbit” (and referred questions to Peter Jackson, saying he believed there were problems not with making the film but with being allowed to distribute it) and also “King Kong” to which he replied he’d love to do it and would absolutely be up for it but nothing had been decided yet. Billy Boyd later answered questions about the differences between “Master and Commander” and “Lord of the Rings” (“one was six months long, the other was four years. One was very very wet, the other one wasn’t) and said that both being up for Oscars lowered the odds in his favour. He said the screenplay that he and Dom had worked on was now being written by David Greig and that the current title was “Fish out of Water” but that he was pretty sure the title would change before completion because it wasn’t a very good title!
Lots of other celebrities were in abundance (Ray Harryhausen and John Hurt were two of my favourites) but for me most gracious lady went to Sigourney Weaver who indulged the photographers far more than we deserved standing for a seemingly endless period turning this way and that and smiling with what looked like a heavy award. When asked what films she had really liked this past year answered “Lord of the Rings and In America”. Ray, although not a fan of CGI, paid tribute to Peter Jackson’s work and described Gollum as “amazing”. When asked about “King Kong” he said there could only be one original but that he thought Peter Jackson’s version would be “terrific.. wonderful”.
Photo’s attached (three jpegs in zip file): Andy Serkis with his “Best British Actor” award, Bernard Hill with his “Best scene” award, Andy Serkis, Billy Boyd and Bernard Hill with the “Best movie” award.
Here’s the press release about the awards detailing all the winners:
LORD OF THE RINGS, LOVE ACTUALLY and KILL BILL WIN BIG AT SONY ERICSSON EMPIRE AWARDS
WEAVER RECEIVES CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD; CORMAN CONFIRMS HIS INDEPENDENCE
Film fans across the UK showed their overwhelming approval for three films at the glittering ninth annual Sony Ericsson Empire Awards held at the Dorchester Hotel.
The Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King won the coveted Empire Award for Best Film ( the third year running for the trilogy), while Best British Actor was awarded to Andy Serkis (Smeagol). ROTK also won the Sony Ericsson Scene of the Year for the dramatic “Ride of the Rohirrim” sequence.
Richard Curtis’ smash Love Actually won Best British Film and Best British Actress (Emma Thompson).
Quentin Tarantino walked away with Best Director for Kill Bill Vol. 1 (collected by one of his stars, Julie Dreyfus) while Uma Thurman kicked and slashed her way to Best Actress. The award was accepted on her behalf by comedian Johnny Vegas (looking fetching in a facsimile of The Bride’s iconic yellow tracksuit.)
Johnny Depp sashayed and swashbuckled his way to Best Actor for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The award was picked up on his behalf by Pirates co-stars Mackenzie Crook, Kevin McNally and Jack Davenport.
Hosted by comedian Bill Bailey, the Sony Ericsson Empire Awards are the only major awards bestowed by moviegoers, readers of the number 1 film magazine in the UK.
Sony Ericsson is the sponsor of the Empire Awards, and for the first time, the ceremony was broadcast live tonight on Sky Movies 1 at 8pm, with highlights and exclusive backstage interviews airing on Sky One Mix on February 5 at 10pm and on Flaunt on February 8 at 10pm. Sony Ericsson will also sponsor the Awards’ coverage across the Sky channels.
Stunning and versatile Sigourney Weaver received the Empire Career Achievement Award from her “Alien” co-star John Hurt and the Michaelangelo of the B Movie, Roger Corman, received the Independent Spirit Award from funnyman Phill Jupitus.
Empire’s website, Empire Online, will be the first place to find out who the winners of this year’s Sony Ericsson Empire Awards are. The site will also be featuring video interviews with the stars, a behind-the-scenes report, a full picture gallery and soundbites from the speeches all of which will go live on the night of the awards www.empireonline.co.uk
Best Newcomer: Martine McCutcheon/Love Actually Sony Ericsson Scene of the Year: Bernard Hill collected for Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King for “Ride of the Rohirrim” British Actress: Emma Thompson/Love Actually British Actor: Andy Serkis/Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Best British Film: Love Actually Independent Spirit: Roger Corman Best Actress: Uma Thurman/Kill Bill Vol. 1 Best Actor: Johnny Depp/Pirates of the Caribbean Inspiration Award: Ray Harryhausen Best Director: Quentin Tarantino/Kill Bill Vol. 1 Best Film: Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Career Achievement: Sigourney Weaver
Quite appropriately in those times which many have been referred to as “The Year of the King”, the Santa Barbara Film Festival elected to honor Peter Jackson with their 2004 Modern Master Award. The sold-out event took place on Saturday January 31st at the beautiful Arlington Theater in downtown Santa Barbara. People started to line up early in the afternoon, and by 6pm the line of dedicated fans was going around the block, braving the chilly wind. Around 7pm the media and fan frenzy got ignited by the arrivals of Sean Astin and of the master himself, Peter Jackson. As always, Sean and Peter as well as producer Barrie Osborne gracefully juggled interviews with the press and requests for autographs and photos from screaming fans. The crowd slowly moved inside the theater, a huge old Spanish mission-style auditorium with a dark blue ceiling sprinkled with stars and a silver moon.
After the 2000+ audience finally settled down, the show got started with a few words of welcome by the Festival’s Director, Roger Durling, who invited on stage our favorite hobbit: Sean Astin. After a rousing round of applause, Sean talked about his admiration for Peter, and how getting to play Sam’s part in the movies had changed his life and his career. Sean was replaced on stage by New York Times’ Elvis Mitchell who acted through the rest of the evening as Master of Ceremonies. A montage of clips from all of Peter’s movies quickly followed, ending with the three LOTR movies to enthusiastic applause. As the last images from Return Of The King faded on screen, Elvis Mitchell announced “Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr Peter Jackson!” and Peter, who at that point was sitting in the front rows, stood up, made his way to the stage and received a thundering standing ovation.
Peter and Elvis sat down in comfortable leather armchairs, and from that moment on the audience was regaled with the rare treat of a live, casual interview of PJ, discussing his career from the rough but fun beginnings till today’s fame and success. Peter candidly spoke about his youth, his early love of film, his first jobs, and how his first movie “Bad Taste” got made. Each discussion was followed by a lengthy clip from one of Peter’s movies, from Bad Taste to Meet The Feebles, to Dead Alive (aka Braindead), Heavenly Creatures, The Frighteners, and finally The Lord Of The Rings. The clips from Peter’s early career, while famously gory, were quite hilarious (especially when the master himself acted in them as he did in Bad Taste) and often punctuated by humorous comments from Peter (for example, he explained that when he was 16 he was a geek and didn’t know any girls!). He also spoke about his first collaboration with Richard Taylor on Meet The Feebles, and explained that at that time Richard was a fledging puppeteer living in a small room – both his home and his workshop – which reeked of glue and chemicals! Peter really wondered how Richard could sleep there! While these quick peeks into Peter’s early movies were certainly funny, at the same time they were an undeniable testimony to the man’s mastery, imagination and creativity, and to his sense of storytelling.
Once the discussion got to the Lord Of The Rings films (a major undertaking after years of independent films made on a shoestring budget) Peter commented that in fact, it wasn’t that different, and quoted Elijah Wood as saying that “these films were the most expensive independent movies ever made”. He illustrated his point by narrating a funny story that happened in the first few months of filming. The whole cast and crew were scheduled to leave New Zealand’s North Island to go to a South Island location, and they were all to fly there together. When they arrived at Wellington’s airport, they were shocked to discover that their plane was nothing else than an old bomber from World War 2!!! Peter remembers Orlando Bloom exclaiming “I don’t f%$#@&% believe it!”. The plane’s pilot started asking them the weight of their luggage and equipment, with the warning that the plane could probably not take off with more than 1,000 pounds of freight (they had to arrange for some of their equipment to be shipped separately). Finally, the plane sped down the runway and painstakingly took off… but for a few meters only! before landing down again while in the cabin Orlando and the hobbits were going “Oooohhhh”… Anyway, eventually the plane managed to take off and they landed safely in the South Island. I don’t think my re-telling of this story does it justice, but in Peter’s words it was hysterically funny. Then came the anecdote which has been widely circulated, of Orlando and Sean driving together down the coast of the South Island and getting caught in a torrential storm, and being stuck for three days at the house of an 80-year old lady in the middle of nowhere…
The film clip for FOTR was most of the scene from the Council of Elrond, and for TTT, Theoden’s exorcism in Edoras, up to “Hail Theoden King!”. Before showing a couple of clips from ROTK there were a few interviews of various cast and crew members including Sir Ian McKellen, Hugo Weaving and David Wenham, and Richard Taylor. From ROTK the clips were the charge of the Rohirrim on the Pelennor Fields, and the scene of Sam and Frodo on Mount Doom. Roger Durling then came back on stage and announced that the Festival had a surprise: Peter being a huge Monty Python fan, they brought in none other than John Cleese himself! He delivered a hilarious speech about New Zealand, and told Peter that in addition to the Modern Master he was giving him another special Award: the Kiwi Award – and pulled out a stuffed Kiwi toy which he gave to a beaming Peter, under yet another rousing standing ovation which didn’t seem to ever want to end.
Peter took the microphone and made his acceptance speech, thanking the Festival and his soulmate and partner Fran Walsh, among others. Throughout the speech he was holding the stuffed Kiwi and gesturing with it, and soon the audience started to laugh until he realized what he was doing. It was quite a funny sight and Peter playfully ran with the joke. The end of the speech marked the end of the ceremony itself, and a very pleased and elated audience left the theater… Yet another night to remember for LOTR fans!
Stay tuned for soon-to-be posted report of the Producer’s panel with Barrie Osborne on Sunday 2/1.
