Amph One Thread To Rule Them All: The Rings of Power + The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings Trilogies

Yes. I have The Adventures of Tom Bombadil within a paperback copy of The Tolkien Reader, which contains Farmer Giles of Ham.

 

I didn't know this but Jeff Bezoz has spend 10 billion on LOTR and Hobbit? this show will be movie quality in all shoots, this will be the new popular show around. I was very excited for this, and now i'm beyond if what they can do with this show and any others live action and animted.

 

Going through the Appendices now, which is slow-going considering how information-rich it is.

However, there's a general point I'd like to address: it is set up in the Prologue, and generally not really involved in the novels until the Appendices, that LOTR is supposed to be a 'translated document' that Tolkien is relaying to us (and while I wish there was a fleshed out story about how he got ahold of it, there are glimpses of the story of Aelfwine, the British voyager from the Middle Ages that made it to Eressea, that was present from the beginning).
More importantly, the document was compiled and last updated over two centuries after the events of LOTR. There's a strong air of melancholy about it - the High Elves are basically gone, it seems, with Lindon mostly abandoned; The palantir that looked back across to Avallone, the one in the Tower of Emyn Beraid (which we see in the novels in Frodo's dream), was sent with Elrond when he left. Even Celeborn abandoned Lorien, and Lorien itself - despite its Silvan Elf population - appears abandoned when Arwen lays down for the final time in Cerin Amroth.
We also know that things don't really end well for the hobbits - Tolkien mentions how the Little Folk in our time are a fearful people that dwell out of sight of other Men.
And there's the final chronological story by Tolkien - unfinished - which was set in a future he never saw (and in turn, was told in a further future that we just passed) that was concerned with a 'psychic investigation' of Numenor and its fall... his tale of Atlantis.

 

I find this h u m o r o u s

 

More revelations from the Appendix:
Arnor and Gondor were said have a 'long estrangement'. It's never explained what caused the two realms to have a falling-out, but there is the hint in Arvedui's claim to the throne - Gondor claims that Isildur turned over rulership of Gondor to his nephew and only his descendants could rule, whereas Arvedui insisted that Isildur planned to assume the high-king position of his father, Elendil, and that his nephew was subordinate to him. Valandil, the ruler of Arnor after Isildur, may have insisted on the claim back then, which Gondor rejected.

There were surviving members of the royal family of Gondor when the line of kings ended. However, they were either:
a) Turned renegade and had fled to join the rebels at Umbar or
b) Married non-Numenoreans and renounced any claim to the throne, as there was fear that another civil war might arise if they did try to claim it.

The palantirs of Minas Tirith and Minas Morgul were the personal palantirs of Anarion and Isildur, respectively, and had a unique connection that the other stones did not.

Aragorn's mother and grandmother had the gift of foresight and prophecy.

Elf-minstrels apparently had the ability make the things of which they sing appear before the eyes of those who listen!

 

It does lend context to the rejection of Aragorn expressed by Denethor.

 

Or Denethor was just being a jerk.

 

Well, Denethor was a jerk.
And he knew Aragorn from when he was in disguise and working for his father winning great acclaim. He suspected his identity and that Gandalf was grooming him to "replace" Denethor.
And his rant made it clear that he felt the House of Stewards should have been made the official kings of Gondor long ago.

 

Does the lord of the rings trilogy steel box 4K have deleted scenes as one of its bonus features?

The deleted scenes that never Made it to both theatrical and extended cuts as well.

It’s the 20th anniversary of the fellowship of the ring.

 

The 4k sets don’t have any extras whatsoever, just the movies.

 

I just wish we could watch the deleted scenes on a future release of some type for Blu-ray

 

I only have the Blu-ray set of the theatrical versions, movies only (the version shown below).



But have there not been any deleted scenes included in any of the various large box sets (on DVD or Blu-ray) that have been released over the years?

 

There’s supposed to be a 6-movie 4k mega-set, that’ll be released either later this year or next, that’ll have as of yet unreleased special features, possibly including deleted scenes.

 

Having watched the complete Appendices for all 6 EE film edition releases it is amazing to me that they keep finding more bts worthy of release.

It's like The Beatles Anthology and Live At the BBC. The gift that just keeps on giving lol.

 

And we're done with LOTR! Next up is a short trip through two of three remaining JRRT works: The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and the Pauline Baynes map of Middle-Earth. (I will probably have to hit up the local library for a copy of The Road Goes Ever On) - then, it's on to the Simarillion!

I have the inspiration of sorts for a level of 'high conjecture' involving some of the biggest mysteries. But of interest to me is that the Gondor Map that appears in Return of the King features geographic locations not mentioned anywhere in the texts - namely:
Ethring
Dor-en-Ernil
River Serni
The Harad Road
River Sirith
Mering Stream

 

Oh don’t get me started on this.

Seriously, don’t. I could talk for an hour about the sovereignties of Arnor and Gondor, the authority of the High King, whether Meneldil was within his rights to rule Gondor independently. The audacity of Arvedui, Gondor’s choice of Earnil, the role of Pelendur in the whole affair and how his actions influenced the behaviour of his distant descendant Denethor II.

It’s a very complicated and nuanced affair that needs to fully expounded to get the full picture.

 

I find it interesting that Meneldil's only characterization is in The Disaster at Gladden Fields, where he hopeful that Isildur will leave him be.

And Valandil... it didn't stand out for me at the time, but the Tale of Years indicates that he didn't become King of Arnor until 10 TA... which The Peoples of Middle-Earth makes explicit that the reason for this was he had not 'come of age' until then.

Then there's the other Numenorean settlements in North-Western Middle-Earth - Belfalas, which Elendil wisely incorporated as a semi-independent principality... and the mysterious Port of Lond Daer (which may or may not have been ruined at the time of the founding of the Two Kingdoms) which I doubt was a bastion of the "Faithful Numenoreans".

So yeah, by all mean, get started!

 

Lore, Legal Rights & the Tolkien Estate
First off, we are hearing that the Tolkien Estate is very happy with how things are progressing. Seems they really are more involved in this Production than with any previous LOTR adaptation ever [including the Bakshi version in 1978 and the six Middle-earth films from Peter Jackson; per the terms of the newest deal] and are thus enjoying the creative process. The overall plan for the show has instilled confidence in the Production and more story rights have been assigned to the show.

1. *CONFIRMED* for the 1st time EVER some elements / passages from “The Silmarillion” are licensed by Amazon Studios and accessible for this adaptation [we broadly speculate those are sections of the book relative to Númenor and Rings of Power including full rights to stories licensed in the Appendices of “The Lord of the Rings,” which already mention Númenor and much more. This supports fan theories sprung from seeing copies of “The Sil” on so many Instagram posts this past year from many of the show’s actors.]
2. Amazon DOES have merchandising rights
3. Three lore experts / Tolkien scholars were on set for a time during production
4. Tolkien Estate is said to be very happy with how things are progressing

Production Details

1. Men, Elves and Dwarves have their own sequestered production units for the different Free Peoples [this intriguing bit rather suggests the narrative might be constructed across wide time jumps or told from pockets of different historical viewpoints, perhaps even an anthology approach rotating characters from the various Free Peoples all reacting to the same thing, or just not cooperating with each other in Season 1: but over what timelines we still do not know].
2. Scripts are only digitally shared among actors and crew under draconian control mechanisms to track any persons who could access them
3. There is a fake production team shooting decoy footage on fake sets unrelated to the real Production – [thus making some “reports of location sightings” false leads by tricksy hobbitses and we must admit this is very clever indeed! Peter Jackson never used decoys!]
4. Main unit wrapped shooting in April 2021; while many actors are back in the U.K. or are now on other productions
5. J.A. Bayona’s episodes are a standalone entry point to the series [like a feature film]
6. There are more incredible directors and big stars yet to be announced
7. They are aiming for a mid-2022 release [that is only one short year away and must mean the pressure on Post Production must be remarkable]

Men, Elves, Dwarves & “Early Halflings”
Welcome to the Second Age of the Middle-earth Cinematic Universe, full of corruption, wandering, and a lack of alliances.

1. Some Halflings are dark skin precursors to Shire-hobbits quite possibly “one of three somewhat different breeds” maybe Harfoots; [described by Tolkien in the Prologue to LOTR ‘Concerning Hobbits’ pg. 12: “they were browner of skin,” and also “they moved westward early,” alluding to a time in their Wandering Days, or perhaps earlier when they kept no records of their journeys over the Misty Mountains westward (which may explain a little of why any early antecedents of pre-Shire migration hobbits would appear here in the Second Age instead of Third Age narrative)]
2. Sir Lenny Henry portrays one such early halfling [Harfoot]
3. Celebrimbor the ringmaker has been recast
4. Tom Budge was in that role [this feels like a twenty year-old analogy to the original recasting of Stuart Townsend replaced by Viggo Mortensen in the LOTR Trilogy]
5. Certain creatures are referred to as Ice Trolls because they can’t be called Cave Trolls (Warner Bros. licensing restriction)
6. Nudity is sparse and not sexualized— contrary to earlier concerns: but rather this artistic choice represents very dark thematic material suggestive of concentration camp-type visuals of victims, a harrowing portrayal of the corruption of the Elves by dark powers to ultimately become Orcs [if this plays out fully it will may well be one of the most ambitious things undertaken by this production and perhaps by anyone attempting to adapt Tolkien]
7. Elves will have short/ shorter hairstyles [cue the Twitter threads, both pro and con, and the voting polls, and endless constellations of lovely fan art, so please bring it fans; I’m here for it]
8. Sauron/Annatar will not be revealed in Season One [going with the oldest axiom of show business “Always leave them wanting more.”]

We still have a long way to go until Amazon’s LOTR TV show releases, so if you hear anything drop a note to spymaster@theonering.net

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Sigh. Elves as orcs?
Also, this better be flashbacks to Sauron's boss doing this.
I suppose hobbits in the Second Age is fine, although the implication is that they didn't migrate west until deep in the Third Age.
Since the Silmarillion contains the separate texts regarding the Second Age, the Rings of Power, and Numenor, this is hardly surprising.

 

Can I ask what the "happiness" of the Tolkien estate has to do with anything? And then a follow-up question: who cares?

 

It's intresting they are saving Sauron/Annatar for the second season, so who will be villain in first season? Also we get a long movie prologue with this show, so it seems to take some time before Sauron came to Celebrimbor.

 

Maybe Morgoth as the villain in the first season?

 

I could see an allude to him, as Sauron flees into hiding. The premiere will be a big movie soo, could be.

 

I Wonder If Sauron could be in season one but not as a villain, rather aloki kind figure, who is your ally but behind the secenes is ploting while, the heroes toake on the current villain.

 

Showing the corruptions of Elves into Orcs, in the pits of Utumno, can certainly be done as a flashback in the middle of a calmer moment in a Second Age conversation.

Sauron has another couple of more obscure names; it is also quite easy to obfuscate his presence if he's not center-screen.

That's what I did to my RPG table a couple of decades back. They never realized they were aiding Sauron in acquiring what he needed to forge the One Ring