The Lord of the Rings (1978)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1978
Running Times: 132 mins
Format: colour 35mm
Ratio: 1.85:1
Sound: Dolby Stereo

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Fantasy Films
Producer: Saul Zaentz
Studio Production Supervisor: Jacqueline Roettcher
Animation Production Supervisor: Daniel Pia

SCRIPT
Script: Chris Conkling, Peter S. Beagle
Novels: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

DIRECTION
Director: Ralph Bakshi
Assistant Director: John Sparey

ANIMATION
Key Animators: Craig Armstrong, Dale Baer, Brenda Banks, Carl Bell, Jesus Cortes, Lillian Evans, Frank Gonzales, Steven Gordon, Sean Joyce, Lenord Robinson, Chrystal Russell, Paul Smith, Irven Spence, Hank Tucker, Edward Wexler, Bruce Woodside, James A. Davis
Animators: Sam Jaimes, Manny Perez, Joe Roman, Phil Roman, Martin Taras
Assistant Animators: Retta Davidson, Charlotte Huffine, Rob La Duca, Terrence Lennon, Edward Newmann, Barry Temple
Layouts: Dale Baer, Louis Zingarelli, Mentor Huebner, David Jonas, Mike Ploog, Kevin Hanna
Landscapes Painted By: Barry Jackson, Johnnie Vita, Marcia Adams, Edwin B. Hirth III, Carol Kieffer
Background Assistants: Lou Police, J. Michael Spooner, Ira Turek
Colour Models: Janet Cummings
Animation Effects: Stan Green, Nino Garbe, Christopher Andrews
Ink and Paint Supervisors: Janet Cummings, Vince Gutierrez, Lee Guttman, Lisa Kshatriya, Sally Redmond, Nelda Ridley, Ruth Thompson, Micki Zurcher
Ink and Special Effects: Mary Jane Cole, Ann Hamilton, Linda Pearce, Emaline Seutter, Karin Stover
Special Kaleidoscopic Effect: Symmetricon
Animation Checker: Dotti Foell
Cel Reproductions: Edgar Gutierrez
Production Staff: Mark Bakshi, Martin Cohen, Christine L. Danzo, Jacquelyn Hurst, Cathy Rose, Michael Takamoto

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Timothy Galfas
Animation Camera: Nick Vasu Ltd; R&B EFX & Animation; Hogan-Lee Images
Stills: Phil Bray
Colour: DeLuxe
Cameras and Lenses: Panavision

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editor: Donald W. Ernst
Negative Cutters: Jack Hooper, Tom Hooper

MUSIC
Music: Leonard Rosenman
Song: Leonard Rosenman (music), Mark Fleischer (lyrics) (Mithrandir)
Orchestrator: Ralph Ferraro
Music Editor: Jim Henrikson

SOUND
Re-Recordists: Bill Varneyt, Bob Minkler, Bill Mumford
Sound Editor: Peter Kirby
Assistant Sound Editors: Daniel Sharp, Cari Lewis
Sound Effects: Sam Shaw Enterprises
Dolby Consultant: Stephen Katz

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Special Costumes Designers / Constructors: William Barbe, Lynne Betner

VISUAL EFFECTS
Optical Effects: The Optical House, L.A.

DESIGN
Title Designer: Wayne Fitzgerald

MISCELLANEOUS
Assistant to the Producer: Nancy Eichler
Assistants to the Director: Lynne Betner, Leah Bernstein

VOICES
Christopher Guard (Frodo Baggins)
William Squire (Gandalf)
Michael Scholes (Sam)
John Hurt (Aragorn)
Simon Chandler (Meriadoc)
Dominic Guard (Pippin)
Norman Bird (Bilbo Baggins)
Michael Graham-Cox (Boromir)
Anthony Daniels (Legolas)
David Buck (Gimli)
Peter Woodthorpe (Gollum)
Fraser Kerr (Saruman)
Phillip Stone (King Theoden)
Michael Deacon (Wormtongue)
Andre Morell (Elrond)
Alan Tilvern (Innkeeper)
Annette Crosbie (Galadriel)
John Westbrook (Treebeard)
Mel Smith (uncredited)
Lucille Bliss (Sam Gamgee - uncredited)

CHARACTER ACTORS
Sharon Baird, John A. Neris, Paul Gale, Michael Lee Gogin, Billy Barty, Donn Whyte, Trey Wilson, Albert Grimele, Patty Maloney, Jeri Lea Ray, Felix Silla, Mike Clifford, Larry Larsen, Art Hern, David Dotson, Tommy Madden, Gary Jensen, Aesop Aquarian, Santy Josol, Stan Barrett, John L., Herb Braha, Sam Laws, Hank Calia, Terry Leonard, Frank Delfino, Peter Looney, Russ Earnest, Dennis Madalone, Louis Elias, Buck Maffei, Eddy Fay, Jerry Maren, Carmen Filpi, Harry Monty, Ruth Gay, Frank Morson, Lenny Gear, Walt Robles, Harriett Gibson, Mic Rodgers, Bob Haney, Angelo Rossitto, Chuck Hayward, Pete Risch, Eddy Hice, Jack Verbois, Loren Janes, Gregg Walker

The peace of Middle Earth is threatened by the presence of an all powerful magic ring, the One Ring, forged in the fires of Mount Doom by the evil Sauron. The ring comes into the possession of the hobbit Frodo who sets out with his friends and the wizard Gandalf on a quest to return the ring to Mount Doom, the only way to ensure its destruction.

Even before Peter Jackson's masterly adaptation, this was an exceedingly poor attempt to do justice to Tolkein. Bakshi's insistence on using the horrible rotoscoping technique results in an ugly and amateurish look, complemented by a strident, ill-conceived score. The voice actors seem to be in a very different film and the fact that it simply stops halfway through the second book leaves the plot unresolved. Hopeless.

Argentina
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Brothers / Transmundo Films
Video Distributor: Transmundo Home Video; Argentina Video Home

UK
DVD Distributor: Warner Brothers (Z1 37408)

USA
Theatrical Distributor: United Artists
Video Distributors: Connossieur Video; Diamond Video; Home Box Office Home Video; Top Video

Argentina
Rating: Atp

Australia
Rating: PG

Chile
Rating: TE

Finland
Rating: K-12

Netherlands
Rating: AL

Sweden
Rating: 11

UK
Rating: PG

USA
Rating: PG

AWARDS

1979
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, USA
Saturn Award: Best Fantasy Film - nominated

Golden Globes, USA
Best Original Score: Motion Picture (Leonard Rosenman) - nominated

1980
Giffoni Film Festival
Golden Gryphon (Ralph Bakshi) - winner

1978
November
15: USA - theatrical release

1979
August
2: Netherlands - theatrical release
16: West Germany - theatrical release

December
25: Sweden - theatrical release

1980
March
21: Finland - theatrical release

1994
November
16: Argentina - theatrical re-release

2001
December
12: Argentina - theatrical re-release

REMAKES
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

SEE ALSO
The Hobbit (1978)
Lord of the Rings (1990)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
The Return of the King (1980)

MAGAZINES

Entertainment Weekly no.614 (14 September 2001) p.72 (USA)
review (Marc Bernardin)

Halls of Horror no.27 p.24
note

Omni December 1978
illustrated article

book into film; animation; rotoscoping; magic; rings; sword and sorcery; elves; goblins; hobbits; orcs

Last Updated: 12 September, 2009