The Lord of the Rings, 1978.
Directed by Ralph Bakshi.
Featuring the voice talents of Christopher Guard, William Squire, Michael Scholes, John Hurt, Simon Chandler, Dominic Guard, Michael Graham Cox, Anthony Daniels, and David Buck.
SYNOPSIS:
It says “Remastered Deluxe Edition” on this new Blu-ray release of Ralph Bakshi’s The Lord of the Rings from Warner Bros., but my understanding is that this is the same disc they released in 2010. Unfortunately, you really don’t get a remastered print of the film, although what’s here is certainly watchable and isn’t too hard on the eyes. A 30-minute featurette about Bakshi that was found on the earlier disc is included here too.
I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Ralph Bakshi’s The Lord of the Rings adaptation. Sure, it has plenty of faults, but it has a lot of heart too, and I honestly don’t mind the rotoscoped animation and the crazy-colored scenery. It was one hell of an achievement for the era, and I’ve always admired Bakshi as a guy who approaches animation on his own terms. (And I also have a soft spot in my heart for Bakshi’s next film, American Pop, among other works.)
Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings adapts roughly the first half of JRR Tolkien’s classic epic, ending with the battle at Helm’s Deep and the promise, at the time, of a second film. Since the sequel never happened, Bakshi later redubbed the line at the end to give the end of the film a greater sense of finality. I wish he had also fixed the inconsistency with the name Aruman/Saruman, but oh well.
John Hurt (Aragorn) and Anthony Daniels (Legolas) are the most well-known members of the cast for this one, although the rest of the voice actors are quite capable in their own right, too. As I mentioned, there’s an inconsistency with Saruman’s name, apparently because someone was concerned about it sounding too close to Sauron’s name, although they weren’t consistently concerned about it, I guess.
The animation still holds up after all these years, although my understanding is that this is the same disc Warner Bros. issued in 2010, and even though it says “Remastered Deluxe Edition” on the front, we’re not really getting a truly remastered print here. It has plenty of imperfections, but I don’t know if the folks in charge of the home video budget for this one are interested in pouring cash into an actual remaster. Maybe if this disc sells a ton of copies they’ll think about it. Maybe.
The lone extra found here is the 30-minute Forging Through the Darkness, which was included on the 2010 platter too. It’s a nice little documentary that serves up an overview of Bakshi’s life and discusses his movies up to, but not beyond, The Lord of the Rings. That’s a bummer, since I would have loved to see a more fleshed-out documentary about him and his films. He’s such a character, and his output was equally eclectic.
A couple of Bakshi’s kids show up in Forging, along with several folks who worked with him on his films. A few clips of Bakshi talking about his book Unfiltered at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con pop-up along the way too. My understanding is that Peter Jackson is among a bunch of prominent creatives who appreciate Bakshi’s work, so it’s a shame none of them appear too, to give an independent viewpoint.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Brad Cook
