The Lord of the Rings

1
The Lord of the Rings

• The book and the film which have the phenomenal
  reputation

2
The Story For All Time

• It is unlikely to find a person in the UK and
  in the USA who is not acquainted with the
  writings by the British author John Ronald Reuel
  Tolkien.
• The Lord of the Rings was published in 1954,
  so the 50th anniversary of this epic fantasy
  novel was celebrated in 2004.

3

• Soon after its publication the book became
  popular. It was translated into 25 languages. In
  1965 American paperback editions of The Lord of
  the Rings came out, and the campus cult of the
  novel began.
• It was no wonder the novel narrates about
  thrilling adventures, it contains detailed maps,
  poems, unusual names and several appendices which
  include genealogies, calendars and even two
  alphabets created by the author.

4

• New Line Cinema presents The Lord of the Rings
  Peter Jacksons motion picture trilogy, an epic
  adventure of good against evil set in time of
  uncertainty in the land of Middle-Earth.
• The filming was started in New Zealand and
  continued for more than a year as all three films
  were short consecutively.

5
Main Cast

• Frodo Baggins
• Elijah Wood

• Gandalf
• Ian McKellen

6

• Arwen Liv Tyler

Aragon Viggo Mortensen
7
Sam Sean Astin
Pippin Billy Boyd
8

• Galadriel
• Cate Blanchett

Gimli John Rhys-Davies
Legolas Orlando Bloom
9

• The first film in the trilogy, The Fellowship of
  the Ring, was released December 19, 2001.
• Thanks to incredible media hype, innovative
  computer generated graphics and great acting,
  this film raked in truckloads of money during its
  opening weekend.
• The film was nominated for 13 Academy Awards
  and won four , including Best Visual Effects for
  the groundbreaking techniques used by Jackson and
  visual effects team to fully realize Tolkiens
  universe.

10

• If youve never heard of J.R.R. Tolkien and
  know absolutely nothing about his most famous
  books The Hobbit, The Lord of the Ring, The
  Silmarillion, the only possible explanation is
  that you have spent your entire life living at
  the bottom of a coal pit on the other end of the
  galaxy
• David Day
• A-Z of Tolkien

11

• So, if you have never seen Peter Jacksons
  trilogy youve lost a lot.
• These films are worth watching. You are sure
  to appreciate them.

12
And What Do You Think About It?
13

1. Have you read The Lord of the Rings, or seen any
   of the films? Do you know what the story is
   about?
2. Read the introductory paragraph on page 108.
   Which three specific polls did The Lord of the
   Rings win at the turn of the millennium?

14
Quickly read the text A story for all time.
Choose the best way to complete the summary of
the text.

• The Lord of the Rings is so popular because
• It takes its readers into a fantastic world
  completely different from their world.
• It is part of a literary tradition and can be
  interpreted in a variety of ways.
• Its readers can recognise aspects of modern
  history in its story.

15
According to the text A story for all time, which
of these themes can be found The Lord of the
Rings?

1. The father-son relationship.
2. An ordinary person goes on a quest.
3. The battle between good and evil.
4. The search for the right person to love.
5. How dangerous it can be to have power.
6. What happens after you die.

16
Answer these questions about A Story for All Time.

1. When was The Lord of the Rings first published?
2. Who is its author?
3. How many languages has it been translated into?
4. What is the name of its hero?
5. What must he do with the One Ring?
6. Which of Kings Arthurs knights finds the Holy
   Grail?
7. Who are the main characters in Paradise Lost?
8. Which science fiction films have similarities
   with The Lord of the Rings?

17
Read the extract from The Lord of the Rings and
answer the questions.

1. What does Frodo try, but fail, to do with the
   Ring in the first paragraph?
2. Could Gandalf destroy the Ring himself if he
   wanted to?
3. How does Frodo feel about his quest?
4. Why doesnt Gandalf want the Ring?

18
Complete the fact file of the film

• Title _________________________________________
  
• Directed by __________________________________
• Writing credits ______________________________
• Genre _______________________________________
• Main characters _____________________________
• ____________________
  ______________
• _____________________
  ______________
• Leading actors _______________________________
• ______________________
  ______________
• ______________________
  ______________
• Opening year _________________________________
• Plot Outline _________________________________
  _______________________________

19
Choose the correct answer

• The author of the book is (T.S. Eliot / Roald
  Dahl / J.R.R. Tolkien)
• The book was published in (1945 /1954 / 1950 )
• How many volumes were written (1 / 2 / 3)
• What people do Hobbits represent according to the
  writer? (American cowboys / English country folk
  / Scandinavian Vikings)
• What language do the Elves speak? (English /
  Welsh / Elvish)
• The director of the film is (Steven Spielberg /
  Peter Jackson / Mel Gibson)
• Elijah Wood played the part of (Bilbo Baggins /
  Frodo Baggins / Boromir)
• The name of Elf archer who fights with Men is
  (Eomer / Legolas Greenleaf / Elrond)
• The place of the film-making is (Europe /
  Australia / New Zealand)
• The action takes place in (Britain / Highland /
  Middle-earth)
• The opening year of The Lord of the Rings is
  (2000 / 2001 / 2003)
• The film was nominated for Academy Awards. (13
  / 10 / 12)

20

• Can you think of any more fantasy books or films
  that have similar themes and characters to The
  Lord of the Rings?