Wellington to host Rings world premiere

By PAULA OLIVER AND NZPA

One of the two remaining films in director Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy will have its world premiere in New Zealand.

A proud Jackson, who today embarked on a gruelling schedule of international media interviews, revealed that he had gained a promise from the trilogy's backers that New Zealand would be first to see at least one of the films.

The first film, The Fellowship of the Ring, had its world premiere in London last week.

Speaking the day after what he described as an overwhelming premiere experience in his hometown of Wellington, Jackson could afford to smile and joke with cast members as rave reviews continued to flow in from all over the world.

In the United States, where the film opened just a day ago, heavyweight critics were ruing the fact that they would have to wait another year for the trilogy's next instalment.

The second and third films will be released at Christmas 2002 and 2003.

The Los Angeles Times said The Fellowship of the Ring was made with intelligence, imagination, passion and skill. Jackson had accomplished onscreen what Tolkien had done on the page, the paper's critic said.

CNN called the film a "flawless adaptation" - not since Gone With The Wind had a movie held up as well to its original book.

The New York Times praised Jackson's "playful spookiness", while Time magazine critic Richard Corliss said Jackson had emerged triumphant.

Many United States critics mentioned New Zealand's landscapes, one saying that it was the perfect setting for Middle Earth.

For the softly spoken Jackson, whose day began with a packed international media conference at 10 am, the attention could well have felt like torture.

After a long night partying with the cast, crew and several invited guests at his Miramar studios - which were transformed to resemble Hobbiton - some of the cast emerged looking bleary-eyed.

Tagged the party of the year, the post-premiere bash featured hobbit food such as breads and dried fruit.

Jackson's mind had clearly already turned to the next two movies.

Admitting he could not afford to take much time off over Christmas, he enthusiastically discussed the characters he was bringing to life in the next film.