#4 - JRL 8022
Metropolis
(Moscow Times)
Fans on Filming Tolkien
By Alexander Osipovich
When director Peter Jackson's highly awaited film "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" hits Russian theaters on Thursday, audiences can expect a great deal of bitter, bloody conflict on the screen. The film, adapted from the classic fantasy novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, will feature an epic battle between the defenders of Middle Earth and the dark forces of Sauron.
But in the meantime, another epic battle is raging -- with much less fanfare, but equal viciousness -- on web sites such as Tolkien.ru, where Russians passionately devoted to Tolkien's books discuss their favorite author. On one side of the battle are fans who feel betrayed by Jackson's film adaptations of Tolkien's trilogy; on the other side are Jackson's defenders.
Russians living overseas, where the movie has been playing since December, were the first to post their reactions. "I was expecting more. Much more," wrote Gloredhel, a Russian living in Britain. Another Russian expatriate, posting under the name Valgog, elaborated on his negative feelings: "I am utterly upset. A couple times I wanted to leave ... Everything was garbled. The battle didn't make an impression on me. Mordor wasn't terrible at all."
The condemnations grew louder as the emigrants were joined by Russians living in Russia who had watched pirated versions of the film. But a few voices were also raised in Jackson's defense. "Much has been said about how the film is a 'departure,' a 'perversion,' etc.," wrote Mithrandir. "But the spirit, the spirit has survived!"
For English-speaking fans of Tolkien, the debate began more than four years ago, when New Line Cinema announced that it would spend $300 million on a three-movie adaptation of "The Lord of the Rings." Tolkien's books have had a cult following in Britain and America for decades. Russia's Tolkien fanatics -- known as tolkienisty -- are no less protective of their own.
Most Russians think of tolkienisty as people who engage in mock battles using medieval weaponry. But many members of the Tolkien.ru community disdain such activities. Instead, they argue that being a true tolkienist is more like having a private religion. They call Tolkien "The Professor," and often aver that Middle Earth -- the fictional universe in which "The Lord of the Rings" takes place -- is real.
"In my view, Middle Earth definitely exists," posted a user called AlanA. "And The Professor succeeded in divining it ... Every writer, even those who write about our world, creates a given reality on the pages of his book ... And one can always find people for whom that reality turns out to be home. Tolkienisty, in my opinion, are those people who have come to live in Middle Earth."
While similar territorialism might be expected of Tolkien fans from across the world, many Russian tolkienisty believe that they have more at stake in sacrificing their individual visions of Middle Earth to Jackson's cinematic world. One Russian fan from Britain observed that, in her experience, Russian fans are much more likely than their British counterparts to condemn the films as blasphemy.
Another user, Ashbringer, agreed. "The English have a perfectly healthy economy, firm traditions, social guarantees and so on. For them, Tolkien and Tolkienism aren't an illness, but a way to spend their leisure time. Our problems, to put it gently, are bigger, so people stream toward Middle Earth, away from our harsh reality."
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" opens Thursday at America Cinema.