Exploring Tolkien
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Latest Episodes
How Peter Jackson Changed the Wizard, the Pranksters, and Frodo’s Best Bud
Peter Jackson changed Gandalf, Sam, and Merry and Pippen for The Lord of the Rings films -- but how much did he change them, and was it worth it?
Adapting Lord of the Rings, Cutting up the Story, and Dropping the Poetry
We jump into the deep end of analyzing Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings as we look at every film change he made!
An Interview with Lord of the Rings Screenwriter Philippa Boyens
Lord of the Rings screenwriter Philippa Boyens discusses her approach to writing the film.
An Interview with Viggo Mortensen
Viggo is thoughtful and soft-spoken, but has a driven personality that allows him to inhabit roles like Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings.
Music is Escape : An Interview with Jeff Johnson – Musician, Composer, Producer
If you haven't listened to Jeff Johnson's music yet, you're missing out.
An Interview with Liv Tyler and Orlando Bloom
In this episode, Liv Tyler and Orlando Bloom joined us to talk their thoughts about the films, their careers, and the crazy premiere in Wellington for Return of the King.
An Interview with Ian McKellen : He Read Tolkien EVERY NIGHT Before Filming
Peter Jackson's Gandalf answered our questions earnestly and thoughtfully--particularly when discussing wisdom and fidelity to Tolkien's books.
Happily Ever After isn’t Enough - On Fairy Stories, Part 6
In this final part of Tolkien's essay, we look at Consolation and Eucatastrophe and how important they are to this literary art.
Escape Isn’t Possible with “Modern” Storytelling – On Fairy Stories, Part 5
What are we supposed to recover from? And why do fairy stories provide it? And why do we need to escape? And how do fairy stories break us out?
Movies are NOT Sub-Creation – On Fairy Stories, Part 4
When Tolkien talks about Fantasy, he doesn't simply mean fiction stories set in sword-and-sorcery worlds.