Film won't do justice to 'Rings', says Tolkien's son

LONDON - The son of JRR Tolkien says the forthcoming Hollywood adaptation of his father's classic The Lord of the Rings will not do justice to the magical Middle Earth tale.

In a statement yesterday, Christopher Tolkien, who is literary protector of his father's works, said he did not disapprove of the film but was dubious about the adaptation.

The film is directed by New Zealander Peter Jackson and has been entirely shot in New Zealand.

"My own position is that The Lord Of The Rings is peculiarly unsuitable to transformation into visual dramatic form," he said.

And he's not the only cynic.

Michael White, who wrote a biography about the Oxford professor and creator of the trilogy, said the author would have hated the film.

"I think he would have just closed his eyes to it," White said of Tolkien, who died in 1973 aged 81.

"He had a hatred of all things Hollywood and did not believe in the idea of imitation being the best form of flattery. As a writer I find that staggering."

The Fellowship of the Ring, the first in a trilogy of films based on Tolkien's best-loved novels, will have its world premiere in London on Monday, amid intense hype over its box office potential.

- REUTERS

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