NOVEMBER 18, 2003

FILM
Hope on screen: religious themes in The Lord of the Rings

When a half-century-old base of fans combines with big media on the subject of eternal truths, the result is the engrossing, and big box-office-grossing, multimedia entertainment phenomenon of The Lord of the Rings. The much-anticipated The Return of the King, the third and final film based on J.R.R. Tolkien's popular fantasy novel trilogy, opens in theaters Dec. 17.

Tolkien's novels, and the films based on them, raise fundamental questions of good and evil, the power of the individual and the value of friendship. They also explore themes of loyalty, hope and sacrifice. Tolkien called his trilogy "a fundamentally religious and Catholic work," yet he resisted allegorical interpretation. At a time when many cultural subjects excite polarized debate, admirers of Tolkien's pre-Christian world can be found across the faith spectrum, and particularly among Christians, from mainline to evangelical Protestants to Catholics.

Written in the mid-20th century, Tolkien's lavishly imagined work has always drawn fans, with estimated lifetime sales of more than 50 million for The Lord of the Rings trilogy. A core fan base exploded with the film adaptations, The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001 and The Two Towers in 2002, which together have grossed almost $1.8 billion.

Why it Matters
Tolkien's work speaks to millions of people, and it addresses the same issues that religion does. Tolkien scholars say the author brings a message of hope and redemption in the midst of troubles and destruction, and that this message resonates in our challenging times.

Questions for reporters
• Check to see if there are any Tolkien events being planned in your community at such places as bookstores. Tolkien's U.S. publisher, Houghton Mifflin, offers a guide to significant dates.
• Prowl local bookstores to find fans. Tolkien displays are generally prominent.
• What do local religious leaders and others charged with moral education say about the value of Tolkien? Check with local religious congregations to see if they have film groups. Ask also if their youth groups have plans to see the film.
• Ask local clergy if they have used the films or books in their homilies or sermons.
• Are local educational institutions offering courses or conferences?
• Religious commentators generally discuss Tolkien's message as orthodox Christian or Catholic theology, while filmmaker Peter Jackson has emphasized its universal human appeal. What do non-Christians in your community say about Tolkien?

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• Ralph C. Wood is a professor of theology and literature at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and author of The Gospel According to Tolkien: Visions of the Kingdom in Middle-earth (Westminster John Knox, Oct.) He calls Tolkien an ecumenical and orthodox Christian whose work presents the principal ideas of Christianity: creation, the fall, redemption and the human role in this scheme. Contact 254-710-6986, Ralph_Wood@baylor.edu.
• A specialist in Catholic and Christian literary figures, Joseph Pearce is author or editor of two works on Tolkien and gives talks around the world about Tolkien. He is writer in residence at Ave Maria College, Ypsilanti, Mich. Contact 734-337-4100 ext. 615, jpearce@avemaria.edu.
• Michael Foster is the North American representative of the Tolkien Society, based in England, and teaches English at Illinois Central College in East Peoria, Ill. He wrote in the Spring 2003 edition of Christian History about Tolkien's popularity in America in the 1960s, when the author was a countercultural icon. Contact 309-694-5349, mafoster@icc.edu.
• Tom Shippey is the author of two definitive books on J.R.R. Tolkien and inherited Tolkien's chair and syllabus at Leeds University in England. The English professor specializes in medieval literature and modern fantasy at the Jesuit-run St. Louis University. Contact 314-977-7196, 314-977-3010 (department), shippey@slu.edu.
• Verlyn Flieger is a professor of English at the University of Maryland, College Park. A specialist in comparative mythology, her books on Tolkien include Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien's World (Kent State University, 1983). She is co-editor of the journal Tolkien Studies and has completed a new book on Tolkien due out in 2005. Contact 301-405-3836, Verlyn@mythus.com.
• The Rev. Ed McNulty, a retired Presbyterian minister in the Cincinnati area and publisher of Visual Parables, a journal that examines faith in films, has written a discussion guide for the first film in the trilogy. He says that Tolkien's work strikes a chord of clarity about good and evil in an age of ambiguity. Contact 859-493-0286, mcnulty@fuse.net.
• Ted Baehr is founder and president of the Christian Film & Television Commission, a ministry that has been publishing and broadcasting MovieGuide: A Biblical Guide to Movies and Entertainment since 1985. Co-author of Frodo & Harry: Understanding Visual Media and Its Impact on our Lives (Crossway, 2003), he says Lord of the Rings affirms traditional values and illustrates the destructiveness of evil. Contact 805-383-2000, Office@MovieGuide.org. His office in Atlanta is run by Sandra Bell, 800-883-3883 or 770-825-0084.
• Colin Duriez, the British-based author of Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings: A Guide to Middle Earth (Hidden Spring, 2001) and Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: The Gift of Friendship (HiddenSpring, 2003), is featured as a commentator in supplemental material on the DVD version of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Contact colinduriez@btinternet.com.

Background

• The Lord of the Rings film trilogy cost $300 million to make, and the first two films have grossed almost $1.8 billion worldwide. Tolkien U.S. publisher Houghton Mifflin estimates lifetime global sales of The Lord of the Rings at more than 50 million.
• The official Lord of the Rings films website from New Line Cinema includes information about the cultures of "light" and "dark" - popular traditional religious metaphors - within Tolkien's fantasy universe. Screenwriter Philippa Boyens says Tolkien's work asks whether we can undo evil once it is done. The news section provides Tolkien event dates, including many product release tie-ins.
• The New York Times Tolkien archives contain Tolkien's obituary from 1973 and other historical assessments of his work, plus trivia quizzes. A Dec. 17, 2001, CNN.com Tolkien biographical time line is here.
• Based in England, the official Tolkien Society says that Tolkien's work is popular because it echoes present-day dilemmas.
• Evangelical Christian cultural critic Michael G. Maudlin criticizes some of the evangelical Christian embrace of Tolkien in "Frodo gets a pass while Harry (Potter) is demonized?" in a Feb. 18, 2002, Christianity Today article.
• The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops listed Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers as one of its 10 best films of 2002.
• A Dec.16, 2002 dialog between two Tolkien authors in Christianity Today explores the tensions between Catholic and Protestant Christian theological interpretations, asking whether Tolkien's work suggests the Catholic view of salvation through works or the Protestant view of salvation through faith.
• A brief discussion of whether Tolkien was racist or anti-Semitic in light of his interest in Germanic culture is at Tolkien Newsgroups FAQ #7 and the Tolkien Society, which notes that Tolkien's work is enjoyed across cultures. A Dec. 20, 2002, Jewish Bulletin of Northern California article reported that Tolkien's The Hobbit was not published in Nazi Germany after the author refused a German publisher's request in 1937 that he certify he was "Aryan."