National Geographic Beyond the Movie - The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King

Rating:
Summary: In Tolkien's spirit
Review: I am an associate professor of English who has been living and teaching in Taiwan for thirty years and have recently added a course on Tolkien to the classes I teach. I have been delighted with this particular National Geographic program from the time I first purchased it through Amazon.com, but the "English teacher" in me feels that the point I tried to make in my initial review back in January could be made much more clearly in fewer words, so I am submitting this rewrite on July 30, 2004. First of all, I want to mention that it is no longer necessary to purchase this program by itself, as it is included as one of the extras in the DVD release of the theatrical version of The Return of the King. Secondly, I want to emphasize that this program is NOT trying to explain the factors and influences that led to Tolkien's creation of Middle-earth. That topic is covered very well for a one-hour program in a previous National Geographic release in connection with The Fellowship of the Ring. This program has to do with what Prof. Tolkien would call the "applicability" of his stories of Middle-earth. It is well known that Tolkien disliked people taking an allegorical or symbolic approach to his stories, for example, saying that the Ring represents the atomic bomb, Sauron represents Hitler, etc. He wanted people to see the "applicability" of his stories. This means that no matter whether we look back at history or around at current events or our own lives, we can find many, many examples of people and situations that are similar to those in the stories. Tolkien hoped that his stories would encourage us not to escape from reality but to think about it in all its complexity from new perspectives and in greater depth. And as his stories have become ever more widely read by readers in cultures and times different from Tolkien's own, these "applications" would, of course, include many that Tolkien himself hadn't thought of. This is one of the marks and benefits of great literature. The producers of this particular National Geographic program have presented us with what seem to them to be "applications" of the characters, situations, and themes in Tolkien's stories. These are certainly not the only possibilities; indeed, everyone who loves these stories probably has their own set of "applications," some often quite personal. I found all of the examples provided here most interesting, especially the idea of Benjamin Franklin as an example of how Gandalf's outlook and values might look in the "real world." I quite understand, though, that not everyone would find all of these examples equally fascinating, but the program can still stimulate us to think more about our own "applications." Since the program is entitled "Beyond the Movie," it does follow the film version of the story when that differs from the books. However, one can ask the question of why NG would bother to produce such a program? My own conjecture is that it had to do with the Oscar campaign for The Return of the King. Ever since The Lord of the Rings was published, some critics have dismissed it as "escapist trash," and before the 2004 Oscar ceremony, no fantasy film had ever won the award for Best Picture, since such films had been perceived by Academy members as not "serious" enough. I believe that this program is trying to make the case for both Tolkien's creation and the films based on it, that this isn't "escapist trash"! These stories have been so well loved for so many years not because everyone wants to escape reality but because the characters and their experiences speak very deeply to human struggles and aspirations. This program presents only a very small portion of all the possible "applications," but I think it would be a very good program to share with those friends and family members who wonder why we Tolkien fans "waste our time" on Middle-earth! I still recommend this program very highly, whether you purchase it alone or as part of The Return of the King DVD package.

Rating:
Summary: Horrible Gradeschool Essay
Review: "How LOTR is like real life". Each segment attempts to explain why some historical figure is like a character in the movie, or vise versa. Terrible, bad - a middle school student could write a better script than this crap. Not even worth a rental.

Rating:
Summary: Horrible Gradeschool Essay
Review: "How LOTR is like real life". Each segment attempts to explain why some historical figure is like a character in the movie, or vise versa. Terrible, bad - a middle school student could write a better script than this crap. Not even worth a rental.

Rating:
Summary: hmm..
Review: As being a huge fan of the books and the movies.
This was rather dissapointing. Comparing some of the LOTR's characters and battle odds to Franklin Roosefeld, the British army against the French and some other battles and persons in human history.
You can fill in the rest yourself..

Rating:
Summary: In Tolkien's spirit
Review: Highest recommendation!! This superb video provides an excellent companion to the books and the films by showing with well-chosen and vivid examples how Tolkien's themes have resonated through history. Tolkien's splendid creation of Middle-earth was born from the depth and richness of his knowledge of the languages, literatures, histories, and cultures in the world around him. Like any good teacher, I'm sure he would be pleased if his story opened his readers' eyes to new vision and understanding of their own "real" world and new ways of living in it. I don't believe he wanted Middle-earth to be a place where we escape from the troubled reality around us but rather an inspiration to face the "times that are given to us" with the courage and generosity displayed by his characters. I think this beautifully produced video is an admirable aid to this end!
Additional comments March 2, 2004: I have enjoyed repeated viewing of this video and was even inspired by the section on Ben Franklin to purchase the Morgan biography of Franklin from Amazon! I have purchased extra copies on both VHS and DVD to send as gifts to friends and relatives. Thus, I am rather puzzled by the strong divergence in opinion about this video. I most certainly don't believe that National Geographic is trying to rip people off. I might be tempted to think that NG overestimated the intelligence of their audience, but I believe it is actually a matter of different ways of thinking.
For example, I personally am not very fond of computer games. Judging on the basis of my personal lack of interest, I could say that the companies producing LOTR-related computer games are ripping people off because these games have "nothing to do" with LOTR. But what I am actually saying is that they have nothing to do with LOTR that I am interested in. However, my personal preferences aside, I know for a fact that many people derive great enjoyment and even benefit from playing computer games. Indeed, here in Taiwan a splendid new translation of LOTR was produced by a young electrical engineer who is a computer-game enthusiast.
We can come at this from the other direction---I have a Ph.D. in Chinese language and literature and have been teaching English at a university of science and technology here in Taiwan for nearly thirty years. I long ago discovered that many engineering students (who also love computer games) think that literature and the other humanities are a "waste of time" because they are "impractical." I, of course, believe that the humanities are highly practical, especially if we want to bring purpose, meaning and wisdom to facing the complex problems of life. We don't have to be limited to our few decades of personal experience; we can draw on the wisdom of thousands of years and many cultures. However, pursuing this wisdom involves processes of thinking and analysis that are different from those used by people trained as engineers. Humanities people look for and observe connections and relationships that may not be immediately obvious to engineers. This is in no way a negative judgment--both approaches are valid and valuable. But they are different.
If NG and New Line had any "ulterior motive" in producing this video, it might have been related to the Oscars. Before Feb. 29 no fantasy film had won the Oscar for best picture. This video could be seen as an attempt to make the case that fantasy literature can be taken seriously, a position that Prof. Tolkien certainly agreed with! So to refine my recommendation, if you are looking for programs on how the LOTR movies were made, then the DVDs that come with the extended versions of the films are where to look. If you'd like to learn more about how Prof. Tolkien's background and interests influenced his creation of Middle-earth, NG's first video about The Fellowship of the Ring is a possibility, as of course are the many excellent books available. If literature and history outside of LOTR put you to sleep, Amazon has a wide selection of LOTR-related computer games evaluated by people much more qualified than I to do so. And if you are interested in how LOTR relates to the "real world" and how the qualities of your favorite LOTR characters could be made a part of your life, how to become an ordinary person capable of the extraordinary, then this video provides a great deal of excellent food for thought!

Rating:
Summary: Not bad at all
Review: I gave this DVD 5 stars. Why? On the Australian (Region 4) version of the ROTK DVD (The "Theatrical" version), it comes as a free bonus product on the 2nd (and bonus DVD). So, on my copy it cost me nothing! You can't complain when this DVD won't cost you a cent. At no cost at all, you can forgive the flaws and just enjoy it for what it is. It is actually a resonable view on its own when you pay nothing to watch it!

Rating:
Summary: Has got nothing to do with the movie.
Review: I have lots of National Geographic DVDs as they have some eccellent ones,but this DVD is the most absurd NG DVD that I have ever seen because it has absolutley nothing to do with the actual film. Fortunately,I watched it on television first and didn't waste my money.
It is about explorers and their companions of the last century and isn't really that interesting. Beyond the movie my foot,it has nothing to do with the film.
Come on National Geographic,you have nearly 300 VHS tapes of documentaries that you could release to DVD,so why give us this piece of junk?

Rating:
Summary: Based on Jackson not Tolkien!
Review: Let me start by saying that I loved the movies. But this commentary uses supposed Tolkien experts that have never read the books! In the movie Aragorn is a reluctant hero. In the actual novel Aragorn has been preparing his entire life to claim, not reclaim, the throne of Gondor. That is a huge discrepancy between the movies and the novel. I am surprised that the "experts" did not notice.

Rating:
Summary: Based on Jackson not Tolkien!
Review: Let me start by saying that I loved the movies. But this commentary uses supposed Tolkien experts that have never read the books! In the movie Aragorn is a reluctant hero. In the actual novel Aragorn has been preparing his entire life to claim, not reclaim, the throne of Gondor. That is a huge discrepancy between the movies and the novel. I am surprised that the "experts" did not notice.

Rating:
Summary: THIS IS A WASTE OF MONEY; DON'T BUY IT!
Review: OK, first off I have to admit that I haven't actually watched this yet, so my rating is not actually a reflection on the content. I am basing my rating purely on the fact that buying this is a complete waste of money because it is included on the "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" Theatrical Edition DVD, which sells on Amazon for $14.98, whereas this is selling on Amazon for $17.98. Yes, that's right, you can get this program AND the movie itself plus some extra special features for 3 dollars LESS than what you'd pay for just this special. To get to the page for the LOTR:ROTK TE DVD, just copy and paste B00005JKZY into the search box. And please, don't waste your money buying just this on its own.