Very little in life – perhaps nothing? – is truly perfect. So when something comes very close to perfection, it should be treasured as truly precious. Such a thing, in my humble opinion, is this BBC Radio 4 full cast dramatisation of Tolkien’s epic, The Lord of the Rings.
There are, in my experience, few serial adaptations of great written works that will bear repeated listening. But I find that, as with Tolkien’s writing itself (and also his son Christopher’s superb work on his father’s unfathomable legacy), I can, and frequently do, go back to this excellent adaptation.
First of all there’s the power of the story itself. Most fantasy writing I’ve read (or tried to read) that isn’t Tolkien is shockingly poor. But, as I recall one reviewer saying on the dust jacket of my first single volume paperback edition of the book (read till it fell apart, and long since lost), Tolkien’s writing is by turns ‘epic and homely’. And the breadth and depth of his mythos is just astonishing.
But setting aside the academic, intellectual and purely literary achievements that LOTR and Middle Earth undoubtedly are, it may be that works like this this cast their spells most effectively for those who can best combine a childish enchantment with a more mature, almost aged, kind of yearning romantic nostalgia for something that never really was.
This odd combo’ may quite possibly be where the potential for a more profound aspect of this genre, a variety of writing that is, after all, called fantasy (Tolkien referred to it as ‘fairey’!), lies; we can conjure in our minds whole worlds, and explore ideas in them, with a kind of clarity and purity that the real world disallows, in it’s ever changing complexity and contingency.
But now to this particular adaptation. There are many aspects of this particular production that I think make it so successful. Firstly it is, like the book itself, a world made of language. There are also sound effects, and there’s some great music (as well as some that’s less appealing and successful). But in essence it’s Tolkien’s language that is allowed to work it’s enchantment on the listener, and unlike movie or other visual adaptations (e.g. Wenzel’s Hobbit graphic novel, or Peter Jackson’s films) this leaves more space for the imagination of the listener.
Then there’s the good work that’s been done in nearly all aspects of the production. An excellent cast; a great distillation of the mammoth book into a small (but not too small) series – they take some liberties, but far less over all, with Tolkien’s vision, than the Jackson movies do – excellent sound design and sound-effects, with a great use of the narrator; and some great music, some of which is amongst, for my money, the best Tolkien related music I’ve ever heard.
I won’t rehash the plot, but I will briefly refer to some the casting choices. Ian Holm and Bill Nighy are pitch-perfect as Frodo and Sam (it’s nice seeing Holm as Bilbo in Jackson’s later film version), and John leMesurier and Michael Hordern are equally excellent as Bilbo and Gandalf. I prefer all of the rest of the Fellowship to the choices Jackson made (Merry and Pippin in particular are sooo much better here!), save perhaps only Sean ‘Sharpe’ Bean as Boromir.
Gimli and Legolas are likewise more authentically Tolkienian in this older BBC rendering of the tale. Robert Stephens as Strider/Aragorn has greater depth and gravitas. And, indeed, the entire cast of this radio adaptation acquit themselves admirably. Gollum/Sméagol has always been an extreme and challenging part. Frankly, whether it’s Wolfe Morris in the ‘68 Hobbit, Peter Woodthorpe, who plays the role here, or Andy Serkis more recently, all do a very similar take on the role, in the end, and – I would judge – all equally well.
Of all the many adaptations of Tolkien generally, and the epic LOTR more specifically, this is, so far, unquestionably my favourite, after the original writings themselves. I and others I know have listened to this series countless times, and still continue to get a lot out of them. I would definitely give this a massive thumbs up, and heartily recommend it to anyone who loves Tolkien, or just likes to get lost in a well told adventure. Fantastic!