The Frodo Franchise: "The Lord of the Rings" and Modern Hollywood (review)

Kristen Thompson is well known within the field of film studies for her work on the popular textbooks Film Art: An Introduction (2006, 8th ed.) and Film History: An Introduction (2002, 2nd revised ed.), both co-written with her partner, renowned film scholar David Bordwell, as well as for a number of influential essays. Now Thompson has applied her extensive knowledge of film and her penchant for rigorous research to the writing of a new book, The Frodo Franchise: "The Lord of the Rings" and Modern Hollywood, on the making, marketing and reception of Peter Jackson's trilogy of films based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. This is not a work of film theory or criticism but a combination industry study, reception study, cultural study, history, and study of new media that provides a nearly complete picture of the Rings film phenomenon, including its world-wide financial and technological impact on the motion picture industry and the cultural impact on its audience.

With this text, Thompson covers a surprisingly broad range of topics while managing to discuss each in depth. Over seventy-five people were interviewed for this book, many of them numerous times, including: director Peter Jackson, producers, screenwriters, cast members, designers, crew members, publicity people, effects supervisors, propmakers, distributors, documentary filmmakers, fans, film critics, politicians in New Zealand (where the films were made), webmasters, and video game producers—to name only a sample. Thompson also traveled to New Zealand three times, where she was given unprecedented access (for a film scholar) to the people and facilities involved in the pre-production, production and post-production of the films.

Just some of the topics covered in The Frodo Franchise include: the rights issues involving The Lord of the Rings, how the production deal was made, financing, distribution, the approaches to marketing and publicity, adaptation, motivations and inspirations of the artists and artisans involved, special effects, shooting, merchandising, fandom, the internet, the economic effect on the country of New Zealand and the professional effect of working on the film for the people involved. Not surprisingly, it takes nearly 400 pages to accomplish this, and Thompson confesses that there was much more she would have liked to include.

In spite of the broad scope and significant length of The Frodo Franchise, Thompson has produced a lively and quick read that should appeal to scholars and fans alike. The author accomplishes this by combining biographical, historical and technical information with excerpts from new interviews and heretofore unheard anecdotes, without dwelling on facts and figures or dry chronicling of events. Throughout the text, and especially when introducing a new topic, Thompson draws upon her knowledge of film history, film production and the workings of the motion picture industry to provide even the layman with a comfortable foundation from which to understand the topic in regard to The Lord of the Rings, as well as a context to appreciate the production as a unique and ground-breaking venture. Thompson's approach is somewhat biographical, providing background on a number of important figures involved (including Jackson), as well as autobiographical. She does not shy away from letting her own feelings for Tolkien's writing and the film adaptations be known. She herself was admittedly a fan at the start, and one of those "built-in audience members" ready to see the film. The text is infused with not only her own passion, but much of the obvious enthusiasm for Tolkien's novel that those involved in production and marketing also felt. Thompson manages to provide the reader with a feeling of what it might have been like to "be there" during the filmmaking process, the media (including internet) promotion, the first screenings, and the resulting audience reaction that resulted in an enormous merchandising campaign and worldwide internet community of fans.

The book should be of interest to film scholars involved in industry, reception, fandom...