The Lord of the Rings (1978)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Ralph Bakshi

Writers:

J.R.R. Tolkien (novels)
Chris Conkling (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

15 November 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy

Tagline:

Come to Middle-earth, a world beyond the furthest reaches of your imagination.

Plot:

The Fellowship of the Ring embark on a journey to destroy the One Ring and end Sauron's reign over Middle Earth.

Plot Keywords:

Ring | Middle Earth | Journey | Hobbit | Warrior

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Christopher Guard	...	Frodo (voice)
William Squire	...	Gandalf (voice)
Michael Scholes	...	Sam (voice)
John Hurt	...	Aragorn (voice)
Simon Chandler	...	Merry (voice)
Dominic Guard	...	Pippin (voice)
Norman Bird	...	Bilbo (voice)
Michael Graham Cox	...	Boromir (voice) (as Michael Graham-Cox)
Anthony Daniels	...	Legolas (voice)
David Buck	...	Gimli (voice)
Peter Woodthorpe	...	Gollum (voice)
Fraser Kerr	...	Saruman (voice)
Philip Stone	...	Theoden (voice)
Michael Deacon	...	Wormtongue (voice)
André Morell	...	Elrond (voice) (as Andre Morell)
Alan Tilvern	...	Innkeeper (voice)
Annette Crosbie	...	Galadriel (voice)
John Westbrook	...	Treebeard (voice)
John A. Neris	...	Gandalf - Character Actor
Sharon Baird	...	Frodo - Character Actor
Michael Lee Gogin	...	Character Actor
Paul Gale	...	Character Actor
Patrick Sullivan Burke	...	Character Actor
Billy Barty	...	Bilbo / Sam - Character Actor
Donn Whyte	...	Character Actor
Trey Wilson	...	Character Actor
Albert Ash	...	Character Actor (as Albert Cirimele)
Patty Maloney	...	Character Actor
Jeri Lea Ray	...	Character Actor
Felix Silla	...	Character Actor
Mike Clifford	...	Character Actor
Larry Larsen	...	Character Actor
Art Hern	...	Character Actor
David Dotson	...	Character Actor
Tommy Madden	...	Character Actor
Gary Jensen	...	Character Actor
Aesop Aquarian	...	Character Actor
Santy Josol	...	Character Actor
Stan Barrett	...	Character Actor
John L.	...	Character Actor (as John L)
Herbie Braha	...	Character Actor (as Herb Braha)
Sam Laws	...	Character Actor
Hank Calia	...	Character Actor
Terry Leonard	...	Character Actor
Frank Delfino	...	Character Actor
Peter Looney	...	Character Actor
Russ Ernest	...	Character Actor (as Russ Earnest)
Dennis Madalone	...	Character Actor
Robert 'Big Buck' Maffei	...	Character Actor (as Buck Maffei)
Edoardo Faieta	...	Character Actor (as Eddy Fay)
Jerry Maren	...	Character Actor
Carmen Filpi	...	Character Actor
Harry Monty	...	Character Actor
Ruth Gay	...	Character Actor
Frank Morson	...	Character Actor
Leonard P. Geer	...	Character Actor (as Lenny Gear)
Walter Robles	...	Character Actor (as Walt Robles)
Harriet Gibson	...	Character Actor (as Harriett Gibson)
Mic Rodgers	...	Character Actor
Bob Haney	...	Character Actor
Angelo Rossitto	...	Character Actor
Chuck Hayward	...	Character Actor
Peter Risch	...	Character Actor (as Pete Risch)
Eddie Hice	...	Character Actor (as Eddy Hice)
Jack Verbois	...	Character Actor
Loren Janes	...	Character Actor
Greg Walker	...	Character Actor (as Gregg Walker)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Louie Elias	...	Additional Voices (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Ralph Bakshi

Writing credits
J.R.R. Tolkien		(novels "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers")
Chris Conkling		(screenplay) and
Peter S. Beagle		(screenplay)

Produced by
Saul Zaentz	....	producer

Original Music by
Leonard Rosenman

Cinematography by
Timothy Galfas		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Donald W. Ernst
Peter Kirby

Makeup Department
Patricia Messina	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Denise O'Dell	....	production supervisor (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John Sparey	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Stephen Katz	....	consultant: Dolby
Carl Lewis	....	assistant sound editor (as Cari Lewis)
Bob Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bill Mumford	....	sound re-recording mixer
Dan Sharp	....	assistant sound editor (as Daniel Sharp)
Bill Varney	....	sound re-recording mixer
Cathy McKelvey	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)
John Post	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)
Curt Schulkey	....	adr editor (uncredited)
Curt Schulkey	....	dialogue editor (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
James W. Riley	....	visual effects producer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Phil Bray	....	set photographer

Animation Department
Marcia Adams	....	landscape painter
Christopher D. Andrews	....	animation effects (as Christopher Andrews)
Craig Armstrong	....	key animator
Dale Baer	....	key animator
Dale Baer	....	layout artist
Brenda Banks	....	key animator
Carl Bell	....	key animator
Nino Carbe	....	animation effects
Mary Jane Cole	....	ink and paint special effects
Jesus Cortes	....	key animator
Janet Cummings	....	color modeler
Janet Cummings	....	ink and paint supervisor
Retta Davidson	....	assistant animator
James A. Davis	....	key animator
Lillian Evans	....	key animator
Dotti Foell	....	animation checker
Frank Gonzales	....	key animator
Steven E. Gordon	....	key animator (as Steven Gordon)
Stan Green	....	animation effects
Edgar Gutierrez	....	cel reproductions
Vince Gutierrez	....	ink and paint supervisor
Lee Guttman	....	ink and paint supervisor
Ann Hamilton	....	ink and paint special effects
Kevin Hanna	....	layout artist
Edwin B. Hirth III	....	landscape painter
Mentor Huebner	....	layout artist
Charlotte Huffine	....	assistant animator
Barry E. Jackson	....	landscape painter (as Barry Jackson)
Sam Jaimes	....	animator
David Jonas	....	layout artist
Sean Joyce	....	key animator
Lisa Kahatriya	....	ink and paint supervisor (as Lisa Kshatriya)
Chrystal Klabunde	....	key animator (as Chrystal Russell)
Rob LaDuca	....	assistant animator (as Rob La Duca)
Terry Lennon	....	assistant animator (as Terrence Lennon)
Ed Newmann	....	assistant animator (as Edward Newmann)
Linda Pearce	....	ink and paint special effects
Manuel Perez	....	animator (as Manny Perez)
Daniel Pia	....	animation production supervisor
Michael G. Ploog	....	layout artist (as Mike Ploog)
Carol Kieffer Police	....	landscape painter (as Carol Kieffer)
Lou Police	....	background assistant
Gary Randall	....	animator
Sally Reymond	....	ink and paint supervisor
Nelda Ridley	....	ink and paint supervisor
Lenord Robinson	....	key animator
Joe Roman	....	animator
Phil Roman	....	animator
Emalene Seutter	....	ink and paint special effects (as Emaline Seutter)
Paul Smith	....	key animator
Irven Spence	....	key animator
J. Michael Spooner	....	background assistant
Karin Stover	....	ink and paint special effects
Martin Taras	....	animator
Barry Temple	....	assistant animator
Ruth Tompson	....	ink and paint supervisor
Hank Tucker	....	key animator
Ira Turek	....	background assistant
John Vita	....	landscape painter (as Johnnie Vita)
Ed Wexler	....	key animator (as Edward Wexler)
Bruce Woodside	....	key animator
Louise Zingarelli	....	layout artist
Micki Zurcher	....	ink and paint supervisor
Daryl Carstensen	....	xerox checker (uncredited)
Brad Frost	....	assistant animator (uncredited)
Ray Harris	....	assistant animator (uncredited)
Madlyn O'Neill	....	paint technician (uncredited)
Richard Raynis	....	background illustrator (uncredited)
Rusty Stoll	....	assistant animator (uncredited)
Tom Tataranowicz	....	animator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
William Barbe	....	special costume designer
Lynne Betner	....	special costume designer
Hollis Trainer	....	costume supervisor (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Jack Hooper	....	negative cutter
Tom Hooper	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Ralph Ferraro	....	orchestrator
Jim Henrikson	....	music editor
Leonard Rosenman	....	conductor

Other crew
Mark Bakshi	....	production staff
Leah Bernstein	....	assistant to director
Lynne Betner	....	assistant to director
Martin Cohen	....	production staff
Christine Danzo	....	production staff (as Christine L. Danzo)
Nancy Eichler	....	assistant to producer
Robert K. Feldmann	....	production assistant
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Jacquelyn Herst	....	production staff
Jacqueline Roettcher	....	studio production supervisor
Cathy Rose	....	production staff
Michael Takamoto	....	production staff

Production Companies

• Fantasy Films
• Saul Zaentz Production Company

Distributors

• United Artists (1978) (USA) (theatrical)
• Transmundo Films (1994) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• United Artists Pictures (1980) (Finland) (theatrical)
• United Pictures Finland (1980) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2001) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Aquarius TV (2005) (Greece) (TV)
• Argentina Video Home (2001) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Connoisseur Video (????) (UK) (VHS)
• Connossieur Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Diamond Entertainment Group (DEG) (???) (USA) (VHS)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Oy Europa Vision AB (????) (Finland) (VHS)
• Top Video (????) (Canada) (VHS)
• Transmundo Home Video (THV) (1994) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. Entertainment Finland Oy (2001) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Symmetricon (special kaleidoscopic effects)

Other Companies

• Hogan-Lee Images  animation camera
• Image Transform  post-production facilities
• Nick Vasu  animation camera
• Optical House, The  optical effects
• R & B EFX & Animation  animation camera
• Sam Shaw Enterprises  sound effects

Also Known As:

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (USA) (complete title)
El señor de los anillos (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Der Herr der Ringe (West Germany) [de]
Il signore degli anelli (Italy) [it]
J.R.R. Tolkiens Der Herr der Ringe (West Germany) (complete title) [de]
Le seigneur des anneaux (France) [fr]
O Senhor dos Anéis (Brazil) [pt]
O arhontas ton daktylidion (Greece) [el]
Ringenes herre (Denmark) [da]
Sagan om ringen (Sweden) [sv]
Taru sormusten herrasta (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Sindarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Iceland:L | Finland:K-12/9 (1988) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Manitoba/Quebec) | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 (1980) | Netherlands:AL | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Belmonte, Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Company:

Fantasy Films

Trivia:

Rotoscoped action scenes were filmed in Spain.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Gandalf and Aragorn pronounce "Edoras" differently.

Quotes:

Pippin: [after Gandalf has read the dwarves' book in moria]
[panicked]
Pippin: Gandalf, I don't want to stay here!
Gandalf: [soothingly] We're going now, Pippin.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Troldspejlet: (#22.6)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

MITHRANDIR

This film is a great and glorious piece of art

This film, in my opinion, is, despite it's flaws (which I maintain are *few*), an utter masterpiece and a great and glorious piece of art.

What Mr. Bakshi has done here is to create an utterly beautiful film and has shown his immense talent and versatility as a director of animated films. He does not receive 1/100th of the credit he deserves for literally saving the art of animation for an adult audience. If it were not for Mr. Bakshi, I don't believe animation would have survived the Disney onslaught. What is more, with The Lord of the Rings, he has not only created a beautiful animated film, but he has created an entirely new art form - unfortunately one that never quite made it off the ground.

Most people will complain about the use of rotoscoping in the film (the use of live action images which are used as background images and often animated over using various techniques from what appears to be small amounts of tinting to full blown animation). But I feel that the people who complain about it simply cannot accept an art form which is out of the norm. No, this is not Disney animation. No it's not live action. No, it's not "cheating" - what it is is a new, fascinating, and absolutely wonderful art form. Something so fresh, and so new that it feels completely at home in such a fantastic tale as "The Lord of the Rings". Bakshi's pioneering use of this technique brings the subtleties of Middle Earth to life is a very dark and mysterious way, in particular, the darker of Tolkien's creatures, particularly the Nazgul, are realized in a way that traditional animation or live action have not been able to accomplish.

Peter S. Beagle's screenplay (based very little, as I understand it, on an early draft by Chris Conkling) is a very loyal adaptation of Tolkien's works. Where possible he uses dialogue directly out of the novel and it feels at home in the world which Bakshi has created. There are many cuts that were made to fit the first book and 3/4 into a single 2 hour 15 minute film, but there are very few changes to the storyline. There are a few holes which it would have been nice to have filled: The reforging of Narsil, the gifts of Galadriel, the Huorns at the battle of the Hornburg, but, again, with the time limitations he had (already the longest animated feature in history), these are certainly understandable (though it makes one wonder how they could have been explained in a sequel).

Also there is the delightful (one of my favorites) score by Leonard Rosenman (who also scored Barry Lyndon and Star Trek IV (the score for which is clearly based on his LotR work)). It is bombastic and audacious and, dare I say, perfect. It stands on it's own as an orchestral triumph, but when coupled with the images of the film, it enters a whole new world of symphonic perfection. So far from the typical Hollywoodland fare that it turns many people off.

The voice actors are wonderful. Of particular note is John Hurt as Aragorn who just oozes the essence of Strider.

The character design is also wonderfully unique, though not often to everyone's taste. But remember that it is the duty of the director of an adaptation to show you what he/she imagines, not what you might have imagined, and so Aragorn is realized with a distinctive Native American feel and Boromir appears in Viking inspired garb. This is perhaps not what you imagined, but I can only applaud Mr. Bakshi for showing us what he "saw". It also might be noted that he spent a significant amount of time with Priscilla Tolkien in developing the character outfits for the film.

One farther word - the Flight to the Ford sequence, in my opinion, is one of the most subtlety beautiful sequences ever to be caught on celluloid. Bakshi is not afraid to slow down the pace for a moment, and his mastery is clearly shown by the incredible tension is able to build. Bakshi's artistic ability and Tolkien's incredible work fuse in this sequence to a glorious peak which has yet to be equaled.

The recent DVD release (2001) by Warner Brothers, is sorely lacking. While we can offer our eternal thanks that the film is finally available in widescreen format, the package is woefully short of extras. How glorious it would have been to have had a director's commentary, been able to see the 20 minutes of extra footage that were removed for the theatrical release. Another delightful addition could have been the assembled the live action footage which was later animated over. Also present in the DVD release is the utterly horrible voiceover at the end of the film which is a departure from the simple voiceover which occurred in the very final frames of the film. This version is plastered and poorly rendered right over the musical climax of the score.

Of course, the greatest tragedy of all is that the sequel was never made. We will never be able to see Bakshi's interpretation of Gondor, of Shelob, of Faramir, of the Cracks of Doom, of Eowyn's battle with the Witch King or Gandalf's confrontation with him. We will never be graced with Bakshi's image of Denethor or the Palatir or the Paths of the Dead. It is a shame beyond all shames that we will, in the end, have to accept Peter Jackson's glitz and glitter Hollywood, action film version of these later events in Tolkien's masterpiece, but, I suppose even that is better than having no cinematic version at all.

David