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BBC Rerunning Radio Lord of the Rings

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the capture-the-streams-baby dept.

Motor writes "I'm not sure if I'm doing the BBC website a favour by mentioning this, but BBC Radio 4 is, from Saturday the 5th of January, running their excellent radio serialisation of The Lord of the Rings in thirteen, one hour weekly episodes. I'm not sure how much load the streaming system can handle though :)" Make a note of it, and save 'em. The LotR radio show is very acclaimed.

3 of 113 comments (clear)

  1. Ian Holm. by dsb3 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I find it very interesting the way Ian Holm plays Frodo in the Radio adaptation, and later Bilbo in the movie.

    --

    Slashdot? Oh, I just read it for the articles.
  2. Re:You can get them on CD from ZBS by nomadic · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Amazon has it for $50.

  3. a little shocked by plunge · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I was a little shocked as to how the movie decided to spoil just about every element of uncertainty with a character simply outright SAYING something that was supposed to be discovered later on. The radio shows were far more adriot at keeping things suspenseful.

    Spoilers!!!!!

    -Gandalf simply TELLS Frodo that Biblo has gone to live with the elves: in the books this is a wonderful surprise to Frodo.
    -Gandalf learns of the Palantir early, for no reason, instead of discovering it at the end of The Two Towers
    -Galadriel simply tells (or pretty darn strongly implies) to everyone that Boromir will try to take the Ring
    -As mentioned, Aragorn feels no confusion as to what to do about Frodo.

    I felt that most of this simply drained excitement and mystery out of the plot for no puropse (in most cases WASTING time instead saving it, by requiring more exposition). Maybe they had some reason, but I can't see it yet. I also thought that for a movie short on time, spending whole minutes in slow-mo reaction shots was a bit silly (Frodo getting stabbed by the troll for like five minutes, Sam drowing in slow motion) as well as deadening the pace at crucial moments. Despite Peter Jackson being totally non-Hollywood, it was SOOOO Hollywood.

    The radio plays, of course, had no such temptation to cliche, which is interesting: are there really as many major radio-show cliches as there are movie cliches?