J R R Tolkien's epic The Lord of the Rings is one of the most famous series of books ever written. In 2001, New Zealand Director Peter Jackson took the helm to direct the film of the first of the triolgy: The Fellowship of the Ring. It was a monumental project, with fantastic results.
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A marvellously sympathetic yet spectacularly cinematic treatment of the first part of ... more
Tolkiens trilogy, Peter JacksonsThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ringis the film that finally showed how extraordinary digital effects could be used to su...
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A marvellously sympathetic yet spectacularly cinematic treatment of the first part of ... more
Tolkiens trilogy, Peter JacksonsThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ringis the film that finally showed how extraordinary digital effects could be used to su...
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THE BOOK of the Twentieth Century is about to become the DVD event of the Twenty-first. ... more
In a time before history in a place called Middle-earth a dark and powerful lord has brought together the forces of evil to destroy its cultures and enslave all...
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With the help of a courageous fellowship of friends and allies, Frodo embarks on a ... more
perilous mission to destroy the legendary One Ring Hunting Frodo are servants of the Dark Lord, Sauron, reclaims the Ring, Middle earth is doomed. Winner of four Academy...
The Prophecy Concerning Hobbits The Shadow Of The Past The Treason Of Isengard The Black ... more
Rider At The Sign Of The Prancing Pony A Knife In The Dark Flight To The Ford Many Meetings The Council Of Elrond [featuring the song "An'ƒ-ron (Theme For Aragorn And Arwen)"* The Ring Goes South A Journey In The Dark The Bridge Of Khazad Dum Lothlorien The Great River Amon Hen The Breaking Of The Fellowship May It Be
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Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1977 - Action/Adventure - Director: Clint Eastwood - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring:Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney
Production Year: 2008 - Action/Adventure - Director: Christopher Nolan - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Advantages: Brilliant in every aspect Disadvantages: Couple of things left out from the book
J R R Tolkien's epic The Lord of the Rings is one of the most famous series of books ever written. In 2001, New Zealand Director Peter Jackson took the helm to direct the film of the first of the triolgy: The Fellowship of the Ring. It was a monumental project, with fantastic results.
The Plot
There is the One Ring, and the possessor of the Ring has the power to rule everything, destroy everything, and corrupt everything. ... ...Merry and Pippin, embark on the quest to destroy the Ring, aided by a troop of skilled fighters and adventurers. These are Aragorn the Ranger, Gimli the Dwarf, Legolas the Elf, and Boromir, son of one of the Kings of the land. Their guide for this dangerous quest is Gandalf the Grey Wizard. And dangerous it is, for they must survive the forces of Sauron, evil timeless Dark Lord.
J R R Tolkien's epic The Lord of the Rings is one of the most famous series of books ever written. In 2001, New Zealand Director Peter Jackson took the helm to direct the film of the first of the triolgy: The Fellowship of the Ring. It was a monumental project, with fantastic results.
The Plot
There is the One Ring, and the possessor of the Ring has the power to rule everything, destroy everything, and corrupt everything. While it is in existence, no one in the land of Middle-earth is safe. Hobbit Frodo Baggins and his three friends, Samwise, Merry and Pippin, embark on the quest to destroy the Ring, aided by a troop of skilled fighters and adventurers. These are Aragorn the Ranger, Gimli the Dwarf, Legolas the Elf, and Boromir, son of one of the Kings of the land. Their guide for this dangerous quest is Gandalf the Grey Wizard. And dangerous it is, for they must survive the forces of Sauron, evil timeless Dark Lord.
The Cast and Performances
The cast for the films was very carefully chosen and amended. Peter Jackson is an obsessive fan of Tolkien, and as such wanted to completely recreate the characters in his mind's eye. I believe he and the casting department have surpassed all other book adaptations in their casting.
Frodo Baggins is played by Elijah Wood. His performance is gratingly pathetic at gtimes, but then the whole point of Frodo is that he is an unlikely hero. Sean Astin plays faithful Samwise Gamgee, Frodo's best friend, and Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan are Pippin and Merry. The four combine excellently as friends of the Shire (where the hobbits live) and their camaradery comes through on screen.
Viggo Mortenson was already a well known actor before getting the part of Aragorn, and following his performance here and in the two sequels, he has been catapulted into stardom and now plays lead roles on a regular commercial basis. As Aragorn he is every part the Ranger and defender of the hobbits. Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davies provide a large element of the light-hearted nature of the tale, as well as some of the pride in the races of dwarves and elves, and their characters are true to the book.
Performances from others such as Cate Blanchett and Liv Tyler are brief but important to the trilogy, and are performed with the right amount of subtlety. Christopher Lee is also very subtle and humble as the Wizard saruman.
The stealer of the show is Sir Ian McKellen as the guide of the Fellowship, Gandalf. The wizard is the knowledge factor in the film, and virtually tells the story as it goes along. He has all the answers, and knows what they must do, and what must happen for the Fellowship to succeed. McKellen's screen presence is outstanding in this film.
My Opinion
When I was a child, I read the trilogy. I found it hard going, but always enjoyed it. I read it again a few years later, and then for a third time before the films came out. When I went to the cinema to watch the Fellowship, I was amazed at how close to my mind's eye the adaptation was. The scenery and atmosphere were amazing, and the direction from Peter Jackson was near perfect.
If I were to have a criticism, it is that there are elements from the book that are left out, elements which do have an effect later in the trilogy, but these omissions are handled well, and satisfactory adjustments are made, which appease me somewhat. I do firmly appreciate how impossible it would be to get every small detail of such a complex and long book onto film. Omissions are sometimes necessary.
The story and plot are faultless. Tolkien has created a magical world, eveidence of an extremely vivid and particular imagination. The transition from obscurity to heroes for the hobbits, and the personal development they undertake throughout the film are very well recorded, and the combination of heroes in the Fellowship is very well balanced. Jackson transfers this very well onto the screen, and takes us on what can only be described as a magical journey filled with adventure and breathtaking scenery and danger.
The score to the film is extremely well balanced, and the classical nature of the majority of the music suggests a long time has been spent on planning every aspect of it. A comparison to the suitablility of the score on Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey came to my mind when I watched it, such is the musical quality and timing.
Overall, the film is magnificent. I rate it at 5 stars out of 5 without a moment's hesitation, even though I do have a little niggle over the length and the omissions. At 171 minutes for the feature, this is a very long film. The characterisation and plot do mean that there is a natural point within the film to have an omission, and this does help to split it up. It is very hard to sit down for nearly three hours to watch a film, no matter how good it is, and this is perfect for someone like me who gets itchy feet when I sit down for too long.
DVD Extras
The featurettes on the second disc are very cleverly organised to fit in with the running of the first half of the film. These are the featurettes:
Finding Hobbiton Hobbiton Comes Alive Believing the World of Bree Ringwraiths: The Fallen Kings Rivendell: The Elven Refuge Languages of Middle-earth Two Wizards Music of Middle-earth Elijah Wood Viggo Mortensen Orlando Bloom Cate Blanchett Liv Tyler Ian McKellen Weathertop: The Windy Hill
As you can see, they also feature some of the main cast members. Each featurette gives an in-depth description and explanation to each part, and those featuring the actors gives an insight to the actor/actress themselves and how they mould the character.
Other featurettes on the 2-disc edition's second disc include some in-depth programmes under the heading: Revealing the Secrets Behind the Production of the Epic Adventure. There is also a 10-minute preview of the second film in the trilogy, The Two Towers, a theatrical trailer, Enya's 'May It Be' music video, and an insight look to what the special extended DVD version will contain. It also contains a look at what the videogame for the film looks like.
All the features are interesting, and held my attention as much as the feature film itself.
Conclusion
An excellent film, with superb acting, direction and the rest. It is obvious that a lot of time, effort and money has gone into this film, and I am very glad to own this on DVD.
The 2-disc edition is available from amazon.co.uk for £5.98
pmcds 26.03.2008 (26.03.2008)
Ciao members have rated this review on average:
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Review of The Lord Of The Rings - The Fellowship Of The Ring (DVD)
Advantages: Excellent movie and very good DVD extras Disadvantages: Some repetition of interviews
...Extras>
***I have put the DVD Extras first as many people will already have read much about the actual movie! I have also included an updated and expanded version of my original movie opinion; having watched the movie several times I am able to be a little more indepth!***
-Theatrical (PG-13) version of the film – this is the main reason for buying the movie! I am unsure if it truly merits a PG-13 rating as my 11 year olds found it to be ... ...the movie but generally I believe the movie is suitable for 11+. Parts to watch out for that may cause ‘children’ to have nightmares – one scene where Bilbo’s eyes bulge and his tongue goes purple (this is at Rivendell as he asks to have a look at the ring) – my kids actually laughed at this part but it is a little creepy. Legolas’s accurate arrow that you follow right into the Goblin’s skull – YUK!
...
Simoncook1 09.08.2002 (10.09.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Lord Of The Rings - The Fellowship Of The Ring (DVD)
Advantages: The movie, the DVD extras, the price Disadvantages: None
...when it came out onto the cinemas but now that it has been released on DVD with a disk full of extras, I am doing another one to tell you all about them.
This opinion is basically an update of my old one but now that it is out on a 2-disk DVD set, Ciao have given it a separate category, so it is legal.
Anyway, I have had to correct loads of typo's from my old one and changed a few lines, so the work is there...LOL
~~~~~~MOVIE REVIEW~~~~~~
Lord ... ...3 hours worth.
The question being, is it really worth sitting there for nearly 3 whole hours while your backside slowly goes numb to see.
The answer: Absolutely
This movie is nothing short of fantastic, the wonderful all star cast including Elijah Wood (The Faculty, Forever young), Viggo Mortenson (A Perfect Murder, Daylight), Liv Tyler (Armageddon, One night at McCools), Cate Blanchett (The Gift, Bandits) and Hugo Weaving (the matrix, Pricilla ...
deano_76 11.08.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Lord Of The Rings - The Fellowship Of The Ring (DVD)
Advantages: Enticement to watch subsequent parts of the trilogy Disadvantages: Special features lacks details of life in New Zealand
The haunting voice of Cate Blanchett provided the setting for this film. She presented the story of the creation, disappearance and finally the discovery of that 'evil' ring.
Not having read the book, I was not too enthusiastic about watching the film. Nor am I a fan of scifi, fantasy nor the violence I associated with the film. Thus far for the past few years, I had refused to watch this at the cinema. It wasn't until the final installment of the ... ...watching the last part of the trilogy. I was greatly surprised by its effect on me.
Synopsis
========
As mentioned before, the haunting voice of Cate set the scene for us, provided us with the history of the all powerful ring, where it is currently held by Bilbo Baggins, a very old but adventurous hobbit. Owning the ring had kept him young looking but felt his age no doubt. He decided to leave his village and left everything to his nephew Frodo ...
petitesquirt 29.01.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Lord Of The Rings - The Fellowship Of The Ring (DVD)
Advantages: Great Action, Great Acting Just Great Disadvantages: Sound possibly
...fortunate to find it on the shelves, expecting to have been sold out almost immediately with retailers using the usual hype trick of under ordering so that they could say it sold out in record time. Instead I found plenty of copies available in my local WHSmith. I picked it up and took it to the counter and got a free poster all for the reasonable price of £18.99. I have spoken to a friend who bought it at HMV Manchester for £19.99 without the free ... ...box. Disc 1 contains the full 171 minute film and disc 2 contains a veritable plethora of special features. The Film ******** The film, is of course based on the trilogy of books by Mr J R Tolkien. Apparently, in 1969 Tolkien got into financial difficulties and sold the rights to any movie for a mere £10, 000. His surviving son an heir Christopher Tolkien might be a little green around the gills these days. Regardless of the lack of input from the ...
Johnny-Phoenix 08.08.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Lord Of The Rings - The Fellowship Of The Ring (DVD)
Advantages: A great DVD that is full of extras and special features Disadvantages: Perhaps the price is too high at £19?
...This is my title for the Lord of the rings trilogy. Named so because of the 'Dungeons and Dragons' connotations portrayed in one of the fairytale masterpieces of the last few years. I say recent but this story is some 80 years old, penned originally by the author J.R.R. Tolkien. It was someone's idea to bring this story to life on the big screen as part of a 3-part story, to be told over the next few years. This is part one of the 3 with part 2 being ... ...to bring this book to the silver screen as it is only now that Hollywood has the technology and sophistication to match Tolkien's imagination. However, this story is only one of the books related to this series. Tolkien has produced more in this collection, which will no doubt be used as 'prequels' to this film. For those that know his work, 'The Hobbit', which was once one of the most popular games on the Sinclair Spectrum, is the prequel to Lord ...
andycharger 25.09.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Lord Of The Rings - The Fellowship Of The Ring (DVD)
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Advantages: Tons of extras, extended and new scenes, epic movie Disadvantages: It's too good!
Lord of The Rings is the epic story of Frodo Baggins and his friends Merry, Pippin and Sam, who have to leave their home in The Shire and set out on a quest to save Middle Earth. I don't want to spoil the story for anyone who may not have seen this film yet, so I'll keep the rest of the summary minimal. They end up in Rivendell, a great Elvish city, and are joined by Aragorn, Gandalf, Boromir, Gimli and Legolas: The Fellowship of The Ring. They set out together to destroy the One Ring and defeat the evil forces of the Dark Lord Sauron.
This four disc DVD has tons of new and extended scenes carefully added back into the film, and as Peter Jackson himself has pointed out, this is not a "Directors Cut" of the movie. This version is for fans of LOTR books who really wanted to see a little more in the movie.
The cinema version ...
Advantages: An unforgettable fantasy adventure epic. Disadvantages: None
When I saw the fellowship for the first time back in December of 2001 I was surprised by how good it was, I had never read the books before so I just went to the cinema as I would, not expecting much and it turned out to be great, though, as I saw it really late at night it was hard to concentrate on the story. The movie was sold out when we got to the cinema so we had to wait and go to the 8:30 showing, it was then delayed by a further 45 minutes because of people who had pre-ordered their tickets hadn't showed up yet. We then had a further 25 minutes of adverts and trailers before the film started. We came out in the early hours of the morning and were shattered. So that was why I couldn't wait for the DVD release because I wanted to see it properly. I decided to wait for this 4 disc edition because it had over 30 minutes extra footage ...
Advantages: It is Truly special Disadvantages: none
Vision to Reality" This DVD is about the filming and the post production of the movie.
· Bringing the characters to life
· A day in the life of a hobbit
· Principal photography: Stories from the set
· Scale: Creating the illusion of size
· Galleries of behind-the-scenes photographs and personal cast photos
· Editorial and visual effects multi-angle progressions
· Sound design demonstration
· And much more!
It is at this point I have to say that The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Special Extended Edition is a magnificent piece of work. The love and care put into this piece by everyone involved really shines through. Making this presentation truly exceptional. What they advertised on the original DVD and in television adverts is met and exceeded by a mile and a half. It is truly comprehensive and will answer ...
Set in Middle-Earth many many years ago, this is the story of a young Hobbit named Frodo, who has in his possession a ring... This ring is needed by the evil Lord Sauron to destroy civilisation and plunge the world into complete darkness. In order to prevent this, Frodo must find a way to the Mount of Doom and destroy the ring.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
ENTERTAINMENT IN VIDEO; CINRAM LOGISTICS
Release date
07/11/2005
No of Discs
2
Catalogue No
EDV 9169
Barcode
5017239191695
Production Designer
Grant Major
Screenwriter
Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Barrie M. Osborne
Composer
Howard Shore
Subject
J.R.R. Tolkien
Music
Enya
Author
J.R.R. Tolkien
Writer
J.R.R. Tolkien
Costume Designer
Ngila Dickson
Director of Photography
Andrew Lesnie
Executive Producer
Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, Michael Lynne, Mark Ordesky, Robert Shaye
Welcome To Middle Earth, Quest For The Ring, A Passage To Middle Earth, Ten Minute Behind The Scenes Preview Of Lord Of The Rings The Two Towers, Original Theatrical Trailers, TV Spots, Enya May It Be Music Video, Preview Of Electronic Arts Video Game The Lord Of The Rings The Two Towers, An Inside Look At The Special Extended DVD Edition Of Lord Of The Rings The Fellowship Of The Rings, 15 Web Links
Aspect Ratio
Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital EX 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Surround
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital EX 5.1 Surround English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Surround English
Award information
BAFTA
Best Achievement In Special Effects 2001 (Production Team)
BAFTA
Best Direction 2001 (Peter Jackson)
Professional reviews
Review
"...Jackson has captured something of the depth, breadth, and melancholy grandeur of Tolkien's vision. And that is magic, indeed..." (Box Office, p.59, 01/02/2002)
"...Well-made and well-cast....Masterfully paced and one of those rewarding movies that seems to get better as it progresses..." (Hollywood Reporter, p.8-82, 04/12/2001)
"...The playful spookiness of Mr. Jackson's direction provides a lively, light touch..." (New York Times, p.E1, 19/12/2001)
"...FELLOWSHIP is the real deal, a movie epic that pops your eyes out, piles on thrills and fun, and yet stays intimately attuned to character..." (Rolling Stone, p.55-6, 17/01/2002)
"...Jackson has translated the best-loved fantasy novel of our age into a commanding screen adventure, one with a sense of human terror and danger and grit under its nails..." (Sight and Sound, p.49-52, 01/02/2002)
"...A faithful and visually spectacular adaptation of the first volume in Tolkien's trilogy....RINGS has moment of edge-of-the-seat excitement..." (USA Today, p.8E, 21/12/2001)
"...[The film] looks to please the book's legions of fans with its imaginatively scrupulous rendering of the tome's characters and worlds on the screen....McKellen delivers Gandalf with great relish and gusto..." (Variety, p.31-6, 10/12/2001)
DVD Description
With THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, director Peter Jackson has achieved a meticulous and captivating adaptation of the first book of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy trilogy. The setting is Middle-earth, a mythological land populated by elves, dwarves, humans, and the gentle, diminutive hobbits upon whom the story centers. One hobbit, Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), unexpectedly comes into possession of an ancient magical ring so powerful it invariably corrupts anyone who wears it. In order to prevent the ring's erstwhile owner, the dark lord Sauron, from reclaiming the ring and taking over Middle-earth, a motley band of comrades set out to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom, where it was forged. Included in the group are Frodo and hobbits Sam (Sean Astin), Merry (Dominic Monoghan), and Pippin (Billy Boyd); the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen); human warriors Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Boromir (Sean Bean); the dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies); the elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom). Along the way, they wage battle with monsters, demons, and Sauron's evil minions, all brought to life by spectacular digital technology. Jackson's grandiose production represents the first of three films that he wrote and directed, derived from Tolkien's beloved novels. Fourteen months in the making, at a cost of $270 million, all three installments were filmed at once in New Zealand where diverse landscapes lend themselves particularly well to the mystical realm of Middle-earth. The story continues with THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS and THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING.
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