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Beyond the Movie

World War II

Narrator:

1939 - Germany invades Poland. The Nazis are waging a campaign of terror against the Jews. Britain declares war and J.R.R. Tolkien has begun a manuscript, which he now titles "The Lord of the Rings".

Rayner Unwin:

The first few chapters were quite jolly. Then we had a period when he hardly could write at all. It was a deeply depressing war for him, imaginably. But he had a son exposed in battle and everything that he believed then seems to breaking up.
[Rayner Unwin, Tolkien publisher]

Ian McKellen:

I'm really taken by the fact that when Tolkien was writing Lord of the Rings during the second World War, that Tolkien's own son Christopher was serving in Europe fighting the ultimate evil.
[Ian McKellen]

Narrator:

Tolkien clearly understood the horrifying nature of evil, what he summaries in some of Middle-earth's most powerful leaders. The chief wizard, Saruman, is one such character. He has created an army of monstrous soldiers in his bit to obtain the world conquering power of the Ring.
[Pictures of Hitler speaking in a sport stadium/ Saruman and Gandalf in the room with the Palantir/ Uruk-Hai]

Saruman:

One of the halflings carries something of great value

Christopher Lee:

There have been many Sarumans in my life who started as men of genius and great intellectual power, who went wrong.
[Christopher Lee]

Saruman:

Kill the others.

Rayner Unwin:

The war had its effects, his imagination was his own, of course, but there was his background of something very much stronger, more sinister, more ancient, which you get in the book.
[Rayner Unwin, Tolkien publisher/ WWII soldiers/ elves warriors of the S.A./ Orcs]

Narrator:

In the summer of 1940 Hitler ordered the bombing of England's cities. For eight months the british people displayed remarkable courage amidst the constant mirage of terror.
[Pictures of bombings, of burning cities]

Jane Chance:

It's clearly articulated by Tolkien himself. He said about the war: that often small people, ordinary people are called upon to manifest acts of adorable courage and the fact that the English had to suffer thru two wars during his live time must have made him very aware of suffering sacrifices that the british underwent.
[Jane Chance, PhD, Professor, Rice University]

Narrator:

Although some literary experts see the influence of WWII on the Lord of the Rings Tolkien denied a direct parallel.

Peter Jackson:

We have to realize that Tolkien himself was horrified at notions and allegories on his work, he always rejected the notion that he tells stories based on World War II, the rise of Hitler and all that. I think that this is a story where his mythic qualities and his humanity shines thru beyond the critical believes that are signed to it.
[Peter Jackson / Peter Jackson gives Saruman advice / Gandalf rides on the camera wagon / Aragorn at Amon Sul, gets his hair done]

Narrator:

Tolkien likely drew on all the events of his lifetime as well as his knowledge of the past to create a new mythology for the modern age. The Lord of the Rings gave a new twist to one of ancient mythologies most enduring themes: the quest. Heroes of old usually embarked on a journey to gain something for their people. Tolkien's heroes seek to rid the world of an evil that threatens ultimate destruction. A quest with chilling relevance to today.
[Hobbits entering the platform of Amon Sul / Merry fighting his way thru cameras and microphones / Elves, Boromir, Aragorn and Hobbits are packing the boats; they get the ropes /Aragorn leads the Hobbits "into the wild"]

Philippa Boyens:

The journey that Frodo takes is to endure huge evil. Can we willingly do this in our modern day, can we knowingly unmake? Things that we know never should come into being?
[Philippa Boyens, streams of fire in Barad-dur/ fiery Mount Doom]

Frodo:

Get off the road!
[Hobbits hiding under the root, Black rider approaches]

Narrator:

The idea of a heroic quest has never died.

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