In a letter written to his son Christopher, J.R.R. Tolkien mentioned receiving the International Fantasy Award from the Fifteenth WorldCon in 1957. He added that afterward he was visited by Forrest J. Ackerman and several other people who pitched the idea of making a movie based on The Lord of the Rings.
They have apparently toured America shooting mountain and desert scenes that seem to fit the story. The Story Line or Scenario was, however, on a lower level. In fact bad. But it looks as if business might be done. Stanley U. & I have agreed on our policy: Art or Cash. Either very profitable terms indeed; or absolute author’s veto on objectionable features or alterations.
Although many people like to cite later letters from Tolkien where he comments first on a synopsis and then an actual script for the proposed movie (written in 1958), Tolkien eventually settled for Cash and control over the film rights (and all associated merchandising) passed out of Tolkien’s hand forever. Was this the ideal solution? For Tolkien it probably was. He was only one man, no matter how popular his book, and the “Hollywood machine” rolls on in its own inflexible way. One either dances to the piper’s tune or one leaves the party.
Tolkien eventually realized a considerable income from book sales, especially after The Lord of the Rings took off with the American youth movement of the 1960s. The advent of a paperback edition of the book (two, in fact) resulted in a growth in readership which had previously not been experienced by any author of Fantasy (or Science Fiction). Tolkien was what we’d call Da Man in today’s parlance. And he’s stayed on top ever since.
The film rights did not go away. They passed to Saul Zaentz, who set up a subsidiary to the Saul Zaentz company called Tolkien Enterprises. It was Zaentz who licensed the film rights to Ralph Bakshi, and Zaentz who has been selling licenses to merchandisers around the world to produce Tolkien games, figures, and paraphernalia. When it comes to commercializing Tolkien’s work, Zaentz is Da Man. Zaentz has been controlling the merchandising all along.
Fans often get upset at the commercial interests which have developed around a story they feel is sacrosanct. Had Tolkien foreseen the revenues his characters and plots would produce (or could produce — the Tolkien family is holding on to non-LOTR rights), he might perhaps have approached matters differently. Perhaps he wouldn’t have sold the film rights at all. One must wonder.
Our society today consumes all manner of things, including intellectual and emotional stimulation. Hollywood plays only a small part in providing the stimuli we seek to make our lives more exciting and interesting. Tolkien played only a small part in that process himself. But now with the advent of the Internet, PCs in many homes throughout the industrial “First World”, and the high-production facilities which enable film-makers to distribute their productions worldwide in a matter of weeks, the world is threatened with an almost instant glut of stimulation on any one topic that becomes “hot”.
And today Tolkien is “hot”. Very hot. Peter Jackson, the New Zealand film maker, can’t bring his three-movie project based on The Lord of the Rings out fast enough. Yes, Zaentz is still behind the deal, controlling the rights, but now the contracts have been signed, the money has been paid out, and the project is rolling. Zaentz’ company will doubtless sell more licenses, but a new phase of commercialization is due to begin within another year. Probably marketing executives and agents are discussing proposals and ideas around the world as you read this column.
There will not only be the official Tolkien-related merchandise, there will be the knockoff and competitor merchandise. How can there not be? What toy company, having missed out on a chance to issue it’s own Frodo doll, won’t be looking into the possibility of marketing a “Halfling” or “Snuggling” line of action figures? How many film companies aren’t considering the idea of producing a LOTR-like movie to help satisfy the almost inevitable craving for more which audiences are bound to come out of the theaters with?
Jackson’s films will indeed ignite viewer demand for more, more, more. He’s incorporating new technology (which, probably, will be outdated or passe by the time the films are released) in the production and plans to create a visual spectacle that threatens to overwhelm audience passions about the story. Anyone who has viewed Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess knows what lush and pristine landscapes New Zealand can provide. Jackson’s films are not likely to bring the audience to the world of Middle-earth, but it will almost be an IMAX-like experience the first time people step into the theater.
Already fans are dreading the inevitable marketing campaigns. I rather enjoyed the commercials produced by a major conglomerate for three of its subsidiary companies in conjunction with “Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace”. Seeing familiar characters from past commercials take on Lucas’ batlledroids amused me, and I thought it was an interesting metaphor about the clash of marketing forces. Who had the real conrol, Lucas or the merchandiser he’d sold the rights to? Nonetheless, these ad campaigns have been heralded in online fandom with ridicule, remorse, and intensive criticism of the marketing plans which produced them.
When the inevitable commercials start slipping into our television sets and radios, will we revile Middle-earth the way the Pre-Empire Republic has been castigated? Will a whole new generation of fans grow up knowing Middle-earth only from Jackson’s movies and whatever associated books and magazines accompany them? Will The Making of Middle-earth become the bible for a new generation of researchers and experts?
Inevitably fandom is headed for a new round of Tolkien wars. For years purists have been chiding gamers for using Iron Crown Enterprises’ game materials as a basis for discussing Tolkien’s world (ICE advises their customers to refer to all the Tolkien books as the final authorities on any Middle-earth topic). Fans of David Day and Ruth Noel reel in shock when they mention their fondness for these authors’ unauthorized books only to find themselves silenced by the overwhelming criticism and rebuke that purists hold in reserve for any mention of the Forbidden Names.
It is difficult to distinguish between hard-core fans and casual fans when it comes to Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings has been published in more than 30 languages and has sold more than 80,000,000 copies world-wide. If I’m walking down the street and I start chanting “XE-NA! XE-NA!” people may still look at me like I’m weird, but if I yell out, “Are there any hobbits in the crowd?” many people will know precisely what I’m referring to. Xenites think Xena is big. Tolkien is bigger. Science fiction and fantasy fans think Lucas stole the thunder with STAR WARS, but Tolkien owns the thunder and it’s still in his pocket.
Everyone pays homage to Tolkien in some way. I was sitting in a fast-food restaurant’s children’s area one day and heard a man call his daughter over to him. “Arwen!” He couldn’t help but notice my surprise look, so I asked him if she was named for the character in the book. “Sort of,” he told me. “My wife is Welsh and Arwen is a Welsh name, so she was willing to accept the name.” It’s a small Middle-earth after all.
When people try to strike up a conversation with me about fantasy and science fiction, and they have no real interest in the genres, I often hear some comment about dragons and elves. Now, Tolkien didn’t invent them, but he seems to be the first author since the poet who composed “Beowulf” to have something new to say about dragons. All modern dragons seem to owe something to the Chinese culture, Beowulf, and Tolkien.
Even STAR WARS afficionados love to compare Lucas to Tolkien. “Oh, yeah, Obi-Wan Kenobi is Gandalf, and Luke is Frodo”. The Death Star, I suppose, is Smaug. Or maybe Barad-dur (both are brought down by relatively unknown heroes).
It’s impossible to know what will happen when the movies come out, but there may be a revival in Tolkien-like fiction (or Tolkien-wannabe fiction, as some have called it — no one seems to be able to write like Tolkien). Television will probably join in the fray with the introduction of new fantasy series. Will they be licensed from Zaentz or just lookalike shows? Will they be serious productions intended for a general, world-wide audience (ala Hercules and Xena) or will they show up on Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel?
I can see Arwen pendants and bracelets, Galadriel rings, Aragorn cloaks, and Frodo phials coming out of stores in happy little children’s shopping bags. Sam’s cooking gear may inspire a whole new generation of chefs (such that thirty years from now fine restaurants around the world will offer “Herbs and Stewed Rabbit”). Australia will finally have a new solution for its legendary rabbit problem (if they haven’t permanently solved it already).
Will “The Lord of the Rings” movies walk off with any academy awards? How will Peter Jackson open his acceptance speech? “I’d like to thank J.R.R. Tolkien, whom I believe is residing with Iluvatar, perhaps enjoying a replay of the Music of the Ainur.” Will Elijah Wood get Best Actor? Will Ian McKellan get Best Supporting Actor? Will the soundtrack go platinum overnight? Will Liv Tyler establish the standard for Elven maidens in filmdom for the next fifty years?
When our children and grandchildren are rifling our attics and they come across our collections of Lord of the Rings CDs, Aragorn and Arwen posters, Anduril replicas, Phials of Galadriel (which no longer glow in the dark because the chemicles have long since congealed into useless muck), and Ring of Power plates, will they understand what inspired all the hoopla and commemoration? Will they see past the commercial value of antique movie artifacts and remember that Frodo gave his life for a whole world, the most of which he never had a chance to see? Will they recall the sad beauty of Galadriel singing farewell to Frodo and his companions, hoping he’ll find healing at the end of his journey? Will they understand that Gandalf was more than just a crotchety old guy — that he made a career out of fighting for hopeless causes in the hope of bringing about the final victory?
I think that as long as the publishers continue to see opportunity in Tolkien generation after generation will come to know and love the world of Middle-earth much as we do. The books won’t just always be there — they’ll keep coming and coming and coming. There appears to be no let up in the demand for hobbit stuff. The Lord of the Rings has never gone out of print since it was first published, and it doesn’t seem likely to for ages to come. Remember, the Music — as we first heard it in our own imaginations, page by page — will be with us, always.
This article was originally published on August 27, 1999.
