Rings of Fire

The daunting journey of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings to the big screen.

A A A Comments By Gregory Weinkauf Wednesday, Dec 12 2001

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From Gore to Lore: Kiwi filmmaker Peter Jackson's splatterfest led to his Tolkien adaptation.

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Directed by Peter Jackson

Screenplay by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson, based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien

Starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Ian Holm, Liv Tyler, and Cate Blanchett

Opens Wednesday, Dec. 19

AMC 1000, AMC Kabuki, Metreon, UA Alexandria, and UA Colma

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"One can feel the relevance of the myth to oneself, to one's own struggle with the darkness, and our own need to get rid of something that we are carrying -- and which is troubling to us -- the ring," he says. "There is something to think about there -- that power is not always good -- that may need a certain amount of revision, contemplating the inspiration derived from Tolkien."

A movie, a book, ancient stories, living archetypes. When all is said and done, the most enthralling thing about the arrival of the film of The Lord of the Rings will be that it's not really an arrival at all. In the best possible sense, it seems to represent a departure.