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 Jackson’s 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 Tolkien’s universe.

10. “If you’ve 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 Jackson’s trilogy you’ve lost a lot. These films are worth watching. You are sure to appreciate them.

12. And What Do You Think About It?

13. Have you read The Lord of the Rings, or seen any of the films? Do you know what the story is about? • 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? • The father-son relationship. • An ordinary person goes on a quest. • The battle between good and evil. • The search for the right person to love. • How dangerous it can be to have power. • What happens after you die.

16. Answer these questions about A Story for All Time. • When was The Lord of the Rings first published? • Who is its author? • How many languages has it been translated into? • What is the name of its hero? • What must he do with the One Ring? • Which of Kings Arthur’s knights finds the Holy Grail? • Who are the main characters in Paradise Lost? • 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. • What does Frodo try, but fail, to do with the Ring in the first paragraph? • Could Gandalf destroy the Ring himself if he wanted to? • How does Frodo feel about his quest? • Why doesn’t 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?