Customer Reviews
Glorious! - By: Chappers, 21 Nov 2008 
A glorious, faithful, moving dramatisation of the complete Lord of The Rings trilogy, with inspired casting & superb music. Very faithful to the book: it omits only the Tom Bombadil section, & retains all major scenes albeitin shortened form. I particularly appreciated that the adapters were careful to retain the integrity of each of Tolkien's characters & tell the storyin chronological order.
This fine production is enhanced by the inspired voice casting, especiallyin the principal roles. The pronunciation used is quite 'Queen's English', which might come as a bit of a shock if you're expecting it to be as modern-day as the Peter Jackson films, butin fact the voices fit very well with the formality of Tolkien's original dialogue & they sound exactly right. Especially wonderful are Bill Nighy as the irrepressible & doughty Samwise, Peter Woodthorpe as hissing gangrel Gollum, Michael Horden as wise & stern Gandalf, Peter Howell as the traitorous Saruman & Andrew Sear as gentle Faramir. Initally I thought that Robert Stephens' Aragorn was a little too regal-sounding, but as the story progressed I appreciated just how fine his voice was to portray the proud & patient Future King. I also liked Gerard Murphy's quiet & solemn narration. By the end of the production the only voice that sounded out of place to me was that of the rather slack-vowelled announcer who reads each book's closing credits.
With 13 hours of audio I felt that nothing had been skippedin the telling, & that sufficient time had been given to each of the interweaving tales. The dramatisation is enthralling throughout, &in places so moving & atmospheric that the hairs rose on the back of my neck. 'The Paths of The Dead' is a particular favourite - very spooky!
Personally I also loved Stephen Oliver's music (except, perhaps, for the discordant song of the Eagles!). There are beautiful & memorable tracks interspersed throughout the drama & I appreciated having the extra CD of his complete musical score - though I'd have preferred if they'd included Bill Nighy's simple, unaccompanied version of the haunting 'Gil-galad was an Elven King' that was usedin the production.
Allin all an excellent buy & very good value for money, especially since I've already listened to the whole boxset several timesin the 6 weeks since I bought it. (A brilliant accompaniment to redecorating!) These characters & their glorious tale are now very dear to me, thanks to this splendid production. It's even prompted me to re-read Tolkien's novels & rediscover the story againin its original form.
WORTH THE MONEY - LET YOUR IMAGINATION RUN RIOT!! - By: Adam Jackson, 05 Jun 2008 There's no getting away from the fact this is pricey but it's worth it!
It's VERY atmospheric with really strong performances from an all British cast. It's NOT an audio book ! There is a central narrator, but every character has it's own individual performance/actor, there are some fantastic (& never cheesy!) Sound FX & subtle uses of suitably grand, orchestral pieces. I certainly can't imagine much better on the Radio backin 1981 - the WHOLE tale fom start to finish!
The beauty of this is that you can indulge your imagination. Definiteley one for a hot bath & the lights out! It's inevitable that comparisons will be made with the Movie trilogy & it is impossible to prevent Peter Jackson's wonderful images occasionally seeping into the mind's eye but this was made nearly two decades before & is it's own beast. I enjoyed the somewhat flawed (and incomplete!) 1978 animated feature but this is better. It cannot be as spectacular as Jackson's films but it's just, if not MORE, faithful & is as enjoyablein it's own manner. The Mines Of Moria is a particular treat - you can almost FEEL the Dark around you!
Standout performances: Michael Hordern as Gandalf & Robert Stephens as Aragorn. Peter Woodthorpe also returns to voice the slimy Gollum as he didin Ralph Bakshi's movie.
An essential for all Tolkien/Fantasy fans.
Incidentally, if you also like rock/metal, I would recommend an Austrian symphonic metal band called Summoning. These guys are MASSIVE Tolkien addicts & base their music around Middle Earth. It's harsh & dark at times but also grandiose & epic. They use samples from the PJ movies & this BBC radio dramatisation, & are really good IF you like music that's on the extreme side ala Dimmu Borgir.
Amazing, well crafted dramatization of a first class tale - By: [Alpha One], 04 Apr 2008 When I first received this gift, & a fantastic gift it was, I was curious at how the BBC was going to approach such a long & complicated novel. By fears were founded on nothing. The acting is simply superb & although made many years ago, it still sounds fresh & new to this very day. LIstening to this audiobook brings you directly into the world of the Lord of the Rings & leaves your heart racing throughout.
I recommend this for long car journeys & any fan of the LotR franchise
This is it - the First full version to appear on radio. - By: Jay Dunlop, 09 Sep 2007 This is the CD collection of the wonderful BBC Radio adaptation of the Lord of the Rings. I remember tuningin every week to listen to the next installment, & wishing that they were longer! I loved it then; I loved it when it became available on cassettes & I love it now on CD.
I first read Lord of the Rings as I entered my teens. Then I struggled with the pronuciation of the names & the Sindarian quotes. But I read it, re-read it & continue to re-read it to this day more than 40 years down the road. These books are rightly famous & this radio epic has achieved its own status. It was the 'First'. The characterisation was wonderful then & even managed to enter the wonderful triology by Peter Jacksonin the person of Ian Holm.
Of necessity this, like the films that followed, was an 'abridged' version. Hardly surprising given the length of the books. The pictures are, of course, better on radio than on any screen & I found myself enjoying anew the tale as told by the Beeb.
Long may they continue to turn out drama of this quality!
yet to be bettered - By: , 06 Jul 2004 The great glory of literature is that the reader can develop their own vision of the author's world; this is, of course, also the great glory of radio. Rather than spoon-feed an audience with the director's own imagination, you stimulate theirs, & so enrich the whole experience.
This production of Lord of the Rings is no exception. Whilst I do enjoy Peter Jackson's films, there are of course areas where I feel he has it completely wrong (almost inevitable given the length & depth of the books): compressing distances & times, over-enthusiastic editing of the "slower movements" & expansion of the action, insertion of some (stupefyingly silly) plot lines (which detracted from the story rather than adding to it) & a general "dumbing down" of Tolkein's masterpiece. Whilst the BBC has edited certain sections (the main omission being the Old Forest/Tom Bombadil), they have been more faithful to the overall feel of Tolkein's world & the themes running through the books, & they certainly haven't fallen into the traps which snared Jackson: namely, underestimating your audience & catering for the lowest common denominator.
This production provides superb acting (the casting was inspired), ground-breaking sound effects & a directorial pacing which drives the narrative at an engaging rate whilst allowing the story & characters to breathe. I first heard it during its second airing when I was around 10 years old, having recently read the books. This edition is of course slightly different from the original broadcast, with each episode shorn of it's "top & tail" necessary for broadcast, but with added narration from Ian Holme. Whilst I am not convinced that his addition enhances the production, it does not detract, & the lack of the half-hourly cast list certainly improves the listening experience.
On balance I feel this is the better version to listen to than the original production, although it would benefit from the original boxing/maps rather than the less atttractive generic packaging that it comesin now. Perhaps the BBC will revert to the old style- here's hoping!
I would certainly recommend this, both to those who have only seen the films, & to those who have "only" read the books.
Oh, & by the way. Peter Jackson DID hear this before he made the films. I only wish he's taken a little more notice. The pictures are always better on the radio.
