The costume worn by Orlando Bloom in his role as ‘Legolas’ in The Lord of the Rings trilogy is to feature in The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy – The Exhibition at the Science Museum in London.
The dazzling outfit – designed by Kiwi designer Ngila Dickson and featuring the Elf’s famous bow and arrows – is expected to be one of the most popular exhibits.
The family exhibition opens on 16 September – before the eagerly awaited final instalment of the film trilogy and will be the only chance for European fans to explore for themselves the fantastic world created for The Lord of the Rings films.
Although some tickets will be available at the door when the exhibition opens on 16 September, advanced booking is strongly advised to avoid disappointment.
Visitors will be transported into the world of Middle-earth where they will be met by Frodo and his Hobbit companions, the wizards, the Black Riders, the cultures of Middle-earth and the fearsome warriors – all in the authentic costumes created for the films.
The fascinating exhibition includes:
– Demonstrations of special effects, including the combining of ‘real’ and ‘digital’ action and CGI (computer-generated-image technology)
– A scaling interactive allowing visitors to become Hobbit sized in a scene from The Fellowship of the Ring – and then buy a print of themselves
– A display on prosthetics including Hobbit feet, Orc teeth and the contact lenses used to give the Orcs their unique look
– Giant models including Hobbiton Mill, Treebeard and a cave troll
– An ‘armour corridor’ features twelve complete sets of armour including King Théoden’s from the The Two Towers. Weapons belonging to Arwen, Gandalf, Frodo, and Aragorn are also featured.
The exhibition culminates with a face-to-face encounter with the central icon from the films – the One Ring itself.
Tickets can be pre-booked on 0870 870 4868. The booking line is open from 8.30am-6pm. A booking fee applies.
After several sold out screenings of CABIN FEVER at the New Zealand Film Festival, several staffers of Peter Jackson’s production company WETA Digital raved to Jackson about the film and it’s young filmmaker Eli Roth.
Jackson was eager to see the film and who this new face of horror was. He immediately sent for a print of the film and shut down post production on LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING not once but twice to screen CABIN FEVER for the entire cast and crew to great response and summoned the stunned director to his offices.
Director Roth lunched with Jackson on the set after the screenings while Jackson complimented Roth on how he had not seen an American horror film like this in 20 years. During lunch, Jackson said he was pleased to see someone carrying on in the tradition of horror that Jackson had started his career in — his early films include the cult classics DEAD ALIVE and THE FRIGHTENERS — and gladly offered Roth a quote to use to promote the film – something Jackson has never allowed for a film of any genre. Roth was then paraded around the WETA Workshop and introduced to every single person who worked there where he was greeted enthusiastically.
“Brilliant! Fantastic! Horror fans have been waiting years for a movie like ‘Cabin Fever.’ I loved it!” Peter Jackson, Director of the “Lord of the Rings” Trilogy
TORn Staffer Balin was able to attend Games Day in Chicago this year. Here’s his report:
Games Day Chicago 2003 Games Workshop, makers of the LOTR Tabletop Battle Game, brought their GamesDay event to Chicago this weekend. GamesDay is a celebration of all their tabletop battle games, which include Warhammer and Warhammer40K as well as LOTR. This was my first time at such and event.
My day began at 10 AM when I arrived. After buying my ticket I entered the world of tabletop war gaming. I wandered around looking at all the different tables that were set up. There were several dedicated to each of the games. Every table was richly decorated with buildings and scenery, the perfect place to play at war. Seven of the tables were set up for LOTR. The largest of these was set up for the battle of the Last Alliance. Sauron was there in the middle towering over the others. All the miniatures were beautifully painted and the sheer number of them made for a breathtaking panorama. It would be easy to get lost in playing on this game board. Several players did just that.
While this was the largest, Helm’s Deep was the most complex and drew the most interest. I wandered about going to the store area to make my own purchases and take in all the other tables. I came back to the Helm’s deep table and found the same players, Erik and Zak defending the walls and Russ and Brad just as diligently moving wave after wave of miniature Uruk Hai up ladders to take the battlements. There were Uruk Berserkers with a ‘new deviltry’ attempting to blow a hole in the walls. Warg Riders in the ready to enter the breach and attack the Rohirrim Riders garrisoned inside. I think they must have played for at least 90 minutes before they needed to move on to other business.
There was one table for the escape into Lorien. A couple tables were generic landscapes to use for almost any battle scene. The last table was the scenario at Amon Hen. I got lucky and was able to play this one. The object of the forces of Good (the fellowship less Gandalf) was to get the Hobbits to safety. Getting 3 or 4 to safety is a win. Getting 2 is a draw. One of the Hobbits that get to safety must be Frodo. The other characters are expendable. The Hobbits start out in the company of Boromir. The other characters are spread across the board. The Uruk Hai are in the middle. The game combines strategy with a bit of luck. You have to use strategy to give yourself an opportunity but you roll the dice and sometimes luck is not with you. In my case, I was lucky and got some really good rolls and all 4 Hobbits made it to safety. This game can suck you in. You find yourself getting pumped up when that crucial roll goes your way. It is a great experience and very exciting.
There was one seminar on the LOTR game. It was given by Gordon Davidson. He talked about what was coming up for the LOTR Tabletop Battle Game. He gave a slide presentation and the images were awesome. Most have been on the web but there were some new ones from the upcoming ROTK update. There were banner bearers and soldiers of Gondor. Most of the images were of the latest section called Shadow and Flame. This will be in stores in America in a week or so. For some reason I am particularly drawn to Balin’s Guard. This is a box set and I can’t wait to get it. There will be about 9 other box sets and 21 blisters. Shadow and Flame is a first departure from the movies. It introduces characters that are familiar to the books of JRR Tolkien and this will include The Hobbit (look for Smaug and the likes of Beorn in the future). While the movies are out it makes sense to stay with them but this game is not going away any time soon. After the third movie, ROTK, there will be even more added from the books. He also talked about what was coming out for ROTK. There will be box sets like the siege of Gondor and Heroes of the West. There will be much more in the way of scenery. This will be along the lines of the Helm’s deep set that is out in conjunction with TTT. The image of the Fell Beast was great. It was a very tantalizing taste of things to come. I can’t wait.
After the presentation I wandered back to the Gaming room and took in some of the other contests and tournaments going on. There was a speed painting contest area. A gaming area where you could test your skill against each other or some pros. I focused on LOTR but there was much more there. All the games were represented and the national Blood Bowl Tournament was in another room. The day passed quickly and soon it was time to leave. I had a great time and indulged in a little gaming. I know I will be back next year. I hope to see you there!
We’ve got two very detailed reports from WizardWorld 2003 which is currently wrapping up in Chicago at the moment.
The first is from Telcontar:
Yes, it was a comicbook convention, but the Chicagoland fans were thrilled to welcome Sean Astin to our home town yesterday. The line was already snaking through the convention floor when we arrived just after 10:00 a.m, and some attendees had to wait for the the second autograph session, but Sean was his usual personable self. Unfortunately, there were only autograph sessions: no question-and-answer sessions at this con. Sean however made everyone feel like there was plenty of time for everyone, chatting and joking with the crowd.
Last year, Sean had requested that LOTR fans become community volunteers in honor and memory of the 9/11 tragedy, and Chicago Fellowship answered the call by founding Pippin’s Apples, to support local anti-hunger organizations. In appreciation of Sean’s being the inspiration of this charity, we presented him with a green glass apple.
The Chicago Fellowship also gave Sean a copy of “The End of the Third Age” by Christopher Tolkien, in which Sean was astonished to discover the fabled LOTR Epilogue. [Rather fitting as it’s about Samwise Gamgee and his daughter, Elanor.]
Sean makes every minute count, and we were fortunate enough to get a group picture with him before he had to dash off to his next appearance. It was a wonderful and too brief time with the actor; we look forward to seeing him again!
The second is from Naomi:
I arrived at the Rosemont Convention center on Saturday, shortly after 3 pm. My first mission: to find the signing booth with Sean Astin (Sam). This was quite a challenge, but I finally received direction from some ladies whom I overheard mention his name. They told me that I would probably get no more than a glimpse of him, however, because the line was so long and earlier they had to turn people away. My spirits dropped significantly, but I couldn’t just give up. Sean was the main reason I came for this convention (although I was glad I did for other reasons, as well… I met Star Wars actors Jeremy Bulloch and Leeanna Walsman), and I just had to meet him now.
I made my way back to his signing booth, and sure enough, the line was extremely long and pretty daunting. The security guard said that we probably wouldn’t get up to him before his time was up, but I decided to hang around for a while anyway. Eventually, they officially “capped” the line, and it appeared that if I was patient, I would eventually get up there!
My waiting-in-line time is hardly exciting, so I’ll get to the good stuff 🙂 My heart was pounding as I approached Samwise himself… but he was enthusiastic and really welcoming! I asked him if he could sign a few things for me, and he replied, “No!” We laughed and he said, “That’s my new joke.” I had a “Lord of the Rings Official Movie Guide” for him to sign, and he drew an arrow pointing out Sam in the line of the Fellowship. He also signed my “Rudy” DVD, and a picture of Sam for my best friend. She’s a huge fan as well. As he was signing my things, I thanked him for playing Sam in the films, because “…When I read the books Sam made me cry, and I when I watch the movies you make me cry…” and he chuckled and said something like, “Aaaaw, nah.”
I’m afraid I was quite star-struck so I could’ve said more, and Sean, if you’re reading this, I meant to tell you I’m really looking forward to seeing your daughter in Return of the King! I think it’s so cool that she’ll play his daughter in the movie, too. I also meant to ask him some questions, but my mind went pretty blank by the time I got up there. But he was so friendly and nice, and he gave his full attention to whoever was talking to him (which I’m sure was no easy task, with all the people and noise around him and in the line). I asked for a picture with him, and he was even patient when the camera didn’t seem to be working for my little brother.
Then he asked, “Is this your boyfriend?” I thought he was referring to the cute guy behind me, but he was actually pointing to my brother I think. Oh well, then it was his turn. He told Sean he thought it was cool to meet him, and Sean said, “Well I think it’s cool to meet you too!” My brother had a shirt with the Fellowship characters on it, and Sean pointed to Sam and said, “Look, that’s me!” I thought it was cool how he took the time to notice things like that – he commented on some of the things people had him sign, and a few T shirts. He signed my brother’s shirt and I took a picture of them.
And that was my moment with Sean Astin – others have said it before, I’ll say it again. He’s such a nice guy! It was really exciting to meet him in person. And the day I went, it was free, which was a relief. He didn’t rush, and was really personal with everyone. Thanks Sean, you’re great! Definitely a day I’ll never forget.
Down at the recent Comic-Con we met a young man who happens to be one of the biggest Ringer fans we have met in a *very long* time. He’s also a great DJ, the mix master of “Suckadelic,” his own music label. He came all the way from N.Y.C. to share his Middle-earth music with us.
The man’s name is Morgan Phillips — better known as Supergenius. You’ve already met him as the “Ringer of the Day” over on our movie website for the “Ringers” documentary. He arrived at our TORN booth and said: “I’ve got something for you to hear, man! Would you like to play it now?” So we gave the CD a spin….
Very creative! We were all surprised at the utter coolness of Morgan’s CD. His enthusiasm for the original Rankin/Bass films and for Bakshi’s theatrical film is at the roots of his remix passion. If you don’t know much about this kind of electronica, I’ll explain. These breakbeats are a hybrid of classic rock and reggae songs (you will immediately recognize artists like Jethro Tull and RUSH) newly remixed with percussive beats and rhythm beds. All of these songs feature samples of the score and dialogue from The Hobbit, The Return of the King, and the Bakshi Lord of the Rings movies.
You gotta hear it for yourself — really fun stuff. Click over to Suckadelic and you can listen to a few tracks (they are Real Media files, you will need Real Player installed on your machine to play them). Click on Lord of the Rings then click on the Music link. Listen to “The White Rider” first — a total groove that all your Tolkien friends will enjoy!
His full-length compact disc, “Sauron Speaks,” is available for purchase on the site. I imagine the Jedi fans out there should also check out his breakbeats featuring original STAR WARS samples. Have fun!
Readers who venture beyond the material published while Tolkien was alive, are quickly faced with ambiguity: what is the right version of a story? What is the ‘correct’ history of Galadriel? What is the ‘correct’ background of the orcs?
A ‘canonical’ text is one which is believed to provide authoritative information about Middle-earth. All agree that The Lord of the Rings is a canonical text, and most assign near equal weight to The Hobbit. However, due to heavy posthumous editing, The Silmarillion is considered by many not to be canonical, and people put various amounts of trust in the many drafts and essays in Unfinished Tales and the “History of Middle-earth” series. Additionally there’s the ‘letters of JRRT’ to consider.
We will discuss why the ‘inner consistency’ was so important to Tolkien and the experience of the reader, how the mythology changed over the course of his life, and what texts should comprise the canon.
Join us this weekend in #thehallofire as we explore Tolien and the ‘canon’. Upcoming Topics:
August 16-17: Colours in Tolkien’s World August 23-24: RoTK, Book 6, Chapter 2: The Land of Shadow
Times:
Saturday Chat: 5:30pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30pm (23:30) CET and 7:30am Sunday (07:30) AET]
Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00pm (13:00) ET and 3:00am (03:00) 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.
