The Lord of the Rings (1978)

The Fellowship of the Ring embark on a journey to destroy the One Ring and end Sauron's reign over Middle Earth.

Director:

Ralph Bakshi

Writers:

Chris Conkling (screenplay), Peter S. Beagle (screenplay),

Stars:

Christopher Guard, William Squire, Michael Scholes

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Guard	...	Frodo (voice)
William Squire	...	Gandalf (voice)
Michael Scholes	...	Sam (voice)
John Hurt	...	Aragorn (voice)
Simon Chandler	...	Merry (voice)
Dominic Guard	...	Pippin (voice)
Norman Bird	...	Bilbo (voice)
Michael Graham Cox	...	Boromir (voice) (as Michael Graham-Cox)
Anthony Daniels	...	Legolas (voice)
David Buck	...	Gimli (voice)
Peter Woodthorpe	...	Gollum (voice)
Fraser Kerr	...	Saruman (voice)
Philip Stone	...	Theoden (voice)
Michael Deacon	...	Wormtongue (voice)
André Morell	...	Elrond (voice) (as Andre Morell)

Storyline

A young Hobbit named Frodo (Guard) is thrown on an amazing adventure, when he is appointed the job of destroying the one ring which was created by the dark lord Sauron. He is assigned with warriors including Gandalf (Squire), Aragorn (Hurt) and Boromir (Cox). It's not going to be an easy journey for the Fellowship of the Ring, on the ultimate quest to rid Middle-Earth of all evil.

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Plot Keywords:

ring | journey | hobbit | middle earth | warrior | 

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Taglines:

Fantasy...beyond your imagination

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

RalphBakshi.com

Country:

USA

Language:

English Sindarin

Release Date:

15 November 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

Filming Locations:

Belmonte, Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

SEK 5,521,217 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fantasy Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Trey Wilson, who played Nathan Arizona in Raising Arizona, did the live action stand ins for Aragorn whenever they would blend in the animation scenes with live action sequences through out the movie.

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Goofs

Celeborn's name is mispronounced ("Seleborn" instead of "Keleborn").

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Quotes

Gandalf: I have come for your aid Saruman the White, in troubled times. The Nine are abroad, darkness approaches, the Black Riders!
Saruman: Is that all the news you have for me then?
Gandalf: Is that not enough? Sauron is moving at last!
Saruman: We can deal with Sauron ourselves Gandalf. You, and I. One way or another.
Gandalf: What talk is this? What are you saying Saruman?
Saruman: It is time for us to choose. A new age is upon us, a new power is rising. Nothing that Elves or Men or Wizards can do will avail against it. Its enemies are utterly...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Being from Another Planet (1992)

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Soundtracks

"MITHRANDIR"
Music by Leonard Rosenman
Words by Mark Fleischer

User Reviews

Uniquely animated drama & characters true to source

I'm fond of this film and it vexes me that so many "reviewers" rank it below the Peter Jackson trilogy. A filmed novel is always interpretive; in particular an animated film relies on the artist's vision and should be judged on its own terms. Speaking as a purist, this is a finer homage to Tolkien than the updated version. While this film has its flaws it stays truer to the source, especially so far as the characters are concerned.

In the Jackson version Tolkien's Frodo is barely recognizable: from the first scenes he is portrayed as a weakling, constantly wavering, manipulated by forces around him and never standing on his own two feet (this is physically and metaphorically true.) You wonder why fate chose this limp biscuit to carry the one ring to the Cracks of Doom. Jackson unforgivably rewrites Tolkien and robs Frodo of his finest moment when he allows Arwen to rescue him from the Ringwraiths...Bakshi's version respects the original, presenting a Frodo who demands the wraiths "Go back and trouble me no more!" Bakshi sustains Frodo's character as Tolkien conceived it. We see his decline as the weight of his burden increases. Frodo is so pivotal to Lord of the Rings you wonder why Jackson took such liberties (he does so with numerous characters)since character development propels the plot to its inevitable conclusion. Bakshi's film better explores the companionship between Legolas and Gimli in a few judicious scenes that are completely lacking in Jackson's version. Similarly we see Boromir horsing with Pippin and Merry, furthering the idea of fellowship. For my liking the camaraderie is more developed in the animated version than the live action.

Tolkien's poetry is an important ingredient in the novels and Bakshi makes tribute to this in one of my favorite scenes: when Frodo sings the "Merry Old Inn" song, minutes before stumbling into Strider. The cheery tune is chillingly juxtaposed with the darker theme music when seconds later, invisible to his friends but visible to the wraiths, Frodo is dangerously exposed. This is one of the most atmospheric portions of the film and chills me whenever I see it.

The well documented budget/time restrictions limit this film's final impact but had it been completed it may have resonated with more viewers. As it is, it's worth a look. Even its detractors admit that Peter Jackson derived much of his inspiration from this prototype.