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The Lord of the Rings(BBC Dramatization) Abridged

A Masterpiece Worthy of Tolkien's Masterpiece

Millions have been captivated by JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, the magnificent sequel to The Hobbit. Animators, movie directors, and sound studios have attempted to bring Tolkien's work to life, some more or less successfully. Peter Jackson's recent trilogy of films were a smashing success, taking full advantage of the latest computer technology for special effects.

Peter Jackson acknowledges a debt to one little-known 13-hour radio play dramatized by Brian Sibley and Michael Bakewell for the BBC in 1981. That production lacks the spectacular visuals of modern cinema. Nevertheless, I judge it the best dramatization of The Lord of the Rings to date. The voice acting is excellent. It remains faithful to Tolkien's story, yet employs skilled use of editing to abridge and simplify his massive book. Most of all, it has one great advantage over film: the emphasis on sound allows this production to give full voice to Tolkien's mastery of language.