If J.R.R. Tolkien didn\u2019t know the perfect word to describe something he often created his own word or even a completely new language.<\/p>\n\n
The climax of \u201cThe Lord of the Rings,\u201d he decided, was a \u201ceucatastrophe\u201d \u2014 which calls to mind words such as Eucharist and catastrophe. The scholar of ancient languages defined this as a moment of piercing joy, an unexpected happy ending offering a taste of God\u2019s Easter triumph over sin and death. Tolkien thought this sacramental element was at the heart of his new myth.<\/p>\n\n
Thus, Greg Wright of HollywoodJesus.com asked Peter Jackson how members of his team handled this in their movie trilogy. When they wrote the scene in which the one ring of power is destroyed, did they discuss Tolkien\u2019s theory of \u201ceucatastrophe\u201d?<\/p>\n\n
\u201cNo,\u201d replied Jackson. \u201cWhat\u2019s it mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n
It wasn\u2019t a normal Hollywood question, but Wright wasn\u2019t involved in normal press-tour interviews. In 2002 and 2003, Jackson and other artists behind the films sat down for roundtable discussions with religion-news specialists and critics from religious media. The questions ranged from the nature of evil to computer-generated monsters, from salvation to elvish poetry.<\/p>\n\n
Now the extended edition of \u201cThe Return of the King\u201d is done and the trilogy is complete, at least until some future extended-extended anniversary set. For Wright and others Tolkien experts, it\u2019s time to ask how these movies have changed how future generations will perceive these classic books.<\/p>\n\n
Jackson and his co-writers, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, knew that Tolkien\u2019s traditional Catholic faith had deeply influenced \u201cThe Lord of the Rings.\u201d Their goal was to keep the \u201cspirit of Tolkien\u201d intact, while producing films for modern audiences. They said they had vowed not to introduce new elements into the tale that would clash with Tolkien\u2019s vision.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cYou would have to say that these are extremely gifted people and that they showed incredible dedication and integrity,\u201d said Wright. \u201cBut the questions remain: What is the spirit of Tolkien? How well do Jackson, Walsh and Boyens understand the spirit of Tolkien?\u201d<\/p>\n\n
It helps to know that Tolkien never expected these books to reach a mass audience. He thought they would appeal to his friends and scholars \u2014 who would quickly recognize his Catholic images and themes. In his book \u201cTolkien in Perspective,\u201d Wright argues that the author eventually realized that millions of readers were missing the point.<\/p>\n\n
Now, millions and millions of people are seeing what Tolkien called his \u201cfundamentally religious and Catholic work\u201d through the lens of artists who knew the importance of his beliefs, but did not share them. Wright discusses these issues at length in his new book, \u201cPeter Jackson in Perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Take, for example, Tolkien\u2019s conviction that all true stories must somehow be rooted in the reality of evil, sin and the \u201cfallenness\u201d of humanity.<\/p>\n\n
Jackson was blunt: \u201cI don\u2019t know whether evil exists. You see stuff happening around the world and you believe it probably does. \u2026 I think that evil exists within people. I don\u2019t know whether it exists as a force outside of humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Walsh and Boyens emphasized that the books are about faith, hope, charity and some kind of life after death. What about sin?<\/p>\n\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t fall if you have faith,\u201d said Boyens, and true faith is about \u201cholding true to yourself\u201d and \u201cfellowship with your fellow man.\u201d The \u201cLord of the Rings,\u201d she said, is about the \u201cenduring power of goodness, that we feel it in ourselves when we perceive it in others in small acts every day. \u2026 That gives you reason to hope that it has significance for all of us as a race, as mankind, that we\u2019re evolving and getting better rather than becoming less, diminishing ourselves through hatred and cruelty. We need to believe that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
These noble sentiments do not match the beliefs that inspired Tolkien, said Wright. In these interviews, similar misunderstandings emerged on Tolkien\u2019s beliefs about truth, providence, salvation, death, heaven and hell. However, commentaries and documentaries included the final \u201cRings\u201d DVD set do address some of these issues from Tolkien\u2019s perspective \u2014 including that mysterious concept of \u201ceucatastrophe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\u201cI think that you can find Tolkien\u2019s vision is these movies if you already know where to look,\u201d said Wright. \u201cBut if you don\u2019t understand Tolkien\u2019s vision on your own, you may or may not get it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If J.R.R. Tolkien didn\u2019t know the perfect word to describe something he often created his own word or even a completely new language. The climax of \u201cThe Lord of the Rings,\u201d he decided, was a \u201ceucatastrophe\u201d \u2014 which calls to mind words such as Eucharist and catastrophe. The scholar of ancient languages defined this as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":610,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[431,467,516,1542,652],"class_list":["post-1317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-hollywood","tag-jrr-tolkien","tag-lord-of-the-rings","tag-movies","tag-peter-jackson"],"yoast_head":"\n