New
Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson fulfills his lifelong dream of transforming
author J.R.R. Tolkien's best-selling fantasy epic into a three-part motion
picture that begins with this holiday 2001 release. Elijah Wood stars as
Frodo Baggins, a Hobbit resident of the medieval "Middle-earth" who
discovers that a ring bequeathed to him by beloved relative and benefactor
Bilbo (Ian Holm) is in fact the "One Ring," a device that will allow its
master to manipulate dark powers and enslave the world. Frodo is charged by
the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) to return the ring to Mount Doom, the evil
site where it was forged millennia ago and the only place where it can be
destroyed. Accompanying Frodo is a fellowship of eight others: his Hobbit
friends Sam (Sean Astin), Merry (Dominic Monaghan), and Pippin (Billy Boyd);
plus Gandalf; the human warriors Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Boromir (Sean
Bean); Elf archer Legolas (Orlando Bloom); and Dwarf soldier Gimli (John
Rhys-Davies). The band's odyssey to the dreaded land of Mordor, where Mount
Doom lies, takes them through the Elfish domain of Rivendell and the forest
of Lothlorien, where they receive aid and comfort from the Elf princess
Arwen (Liv Tyler), her father, Elrond (Hugo Weaving), and Queen Galadriel (Cate
Blanchett). In pursuit of the travelers and their ring are Saruman
(Christopher Lee) — a traitorous wizard and kin, of sorts, to Gandalf — and
the Dark Riders, under the control of the evil, mysterious Sauron (Sala
Baker). The Fellowship must also do battle with a troll, flying spies, Orcs,
and other deadly obstacles both natural and otherwise as they draw closer to
Mordor. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) was filmed
in Jackson's native New Zealand, closely followed by its pair of sequels,
The Two Towers (2002) and The Return of the King (2003). | Elijah Wood | Frodo Baggins |
| Ian McKellen | Gandalf |
| Ian Holm | Bilbo Baggins |
| Viggo Mortensen | Aragorn |
| Sean Bean | Boromir |
| Sean Astin | Samwise Gamgee |
| John Rhys-Davies | Gimli |
| Billy Boyd | Pippin |
| Cate Blanchett | Galadriel |
| Orlando Bloom | Legolas |
| Liv Tyler | Arwen |
| Hugo Weaving | Elrond |
| Christopher Lee | Saruman |
| Dominic Monaghan | Meriadoc Brandybuck |
| Andy Serkis | Gollum [Voice] |
| Marton Csokas | Celeborn |
| Craig Parker | Haldir |
| Lawrence Makoare | Lurtz |
| Peter Corrigan | Otho [Extended Version] |
Genre/Type - Fantasy, Epic, Sword-and-Sorcery, Fantasy Adventure
Release - Dec 19, 2001 (USA) / Dec 5, 2003 (USA- Re-release)
Premiere - 2001 12 10 (London, England, UK)
Released by - New Line Cinema
Running time - 165 min.
The Neverending Story (1984, Wolfgang Petersen)
Die Nibelungen, Teil 1: Siegfried (1966, Harald Reinl)
The Return of the King (1980, Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin, Jr.)
Die Nibelungen, Teil 2: Kriemhilds Rache (1966, Harald Reinl)
The Dark Crystal (1982, Jim Henson, Frank Oz)
The Beastmaster (1982, Don Coscarelli)
Excalibur (1981, John Boorman)
Merlin (1998, Steven Barron, David Winning)