![]() ![]() Ralph Bakshi filmed the Orc battle sequences of Helm’s Deep in Castilla-La Mancha, Spain - the same spot where they filmed Charlton Heston in EL CID - then animated them. Other sequences employ high-contrast live-action shots, while others, like the scene with Treebeard, were animated from scratch. soundstages, then animated over the action using the frame-by-frame tracing technique of rotoscoping, which was pioneered by Walt Disney. ![]() He shot the entire project as a live-action film in Spain and on U.K. Not wanting to talk down to children, Bakshi’s RINGS was rated PG and was intended to be the first in a trio of films. This time Frodo was the hero, there were strange-looking, angry orcs and terrifying Ring Wraiths around every corner, the bat-winged, demonic Balrog haunted the shadowy mines of Moria, and a more unnerving version of Smeagol/Gollum was following the fellowship as they moved towards Mordor. Bilbo was a side character, and there were no dragons this time. I had never seen an animated film quite like it, nor was I aware of the details of Tolkien’s story. You know, people who read.īakshi’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS blew my mind. Tolkien’s Middle-earth tales first came to my attention when my older sister raved about reading THE HOBBIT, and then the Rankin/Bass animated adaptation of the 1937 novel aired on NBC in November of 1977. While that colorful and enjoyable take on Bilbo Baggins’ adventures with Gollum and Smaug the dragon was intentionally designed to appeal to younger audiences, a year later Ralph Bakshi‘s THE LORD OF THE RINGS arrived in theaters with a darker tone that was decidedly more hardcore, aimed at adults and fans of Tolkien’s RINGS trilogy. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |