Who's that silhouette I see through a piece of cheesecloth backlit red? It's BFI regular Alex Campo, here for a discussion of Ralph Bakshi's 1978 film The Lord of the Rings!
This week we dive deep on the first ever theatrical feature adaptation of Tolkien's work to discover if there's anything worthwhile in it. A strange, compromised adaptation of Fellowship of the Ring and about a third of Two Towers, LOTR '78 is a strange piece of the puzzle that is the franchise. At what point do the live action elements stop being artistic choices and turn into cost-cutting measures? Why was a political filmmaker famous for X-rated cartoons chosen to direct this project? How much continuity does this movie have with the two Rankin Bass specials that bookend it?
Join Devin, KeriAnn and Alex as we go long on Bakshi's career and the strange development of this movie and its cancelled sequel!
