The Lord Of The Rings by Tolkien is one of the most prominent pieces of art of the fantasy 20th century. It has proved its enormous influence and popularity over the audiences. It is really strange to think that it has struggled to find screen adaptations. To this date, the two most significant works are the trilogy by Peter Jackson in the early 2000s and a film version of The Lord of The Rings, that was produced by Ralph Bakshi in 1970s.
But which is the best version after being interpreted as best of the adaptation of Tolkien’s magnum opus.
Though, one cannot give points to Jackson’s version only based on CGI. Because there was a huge time difference of 30 years between both the versions. But Jackson has been magnificent while providing special effects to his version.
The viewer feels as if they are drowned into the great and magnificent realm of Middle Earth. Whereas Bakshi’s version is limited and some of the animations were outdated.
Bakshi Is Truthful To Tolkien While Jackson Is Truthful To The Art
The Ringwraiths of Dark Lord Sauron are the finest creations of Tolkien. They are sprung directly into the nightmare. Jackson’s Ringwraiths are scary but Bakshi has tried to make them terrifying.
The ones who have seen Bakshi’s film know that hobbits have not come out of anywhere just like that. This is difficult to take them seriously. While in Jackson’s version, these hobbits are prone to ridiculousness. The audience likes them without making fun of them.
Fantasy fans who loved the work of Bakshi owe Beagle a lot. He was the one who wrote the screenplay. This has really done justice to the story, characters, and the world overall.
Jackson’s films are known for the poetic evocation of the landscape of New Zealand. And there is no other place on the earth that is associated with Middle Earth. It is Jackson who knows how to capture the realm with a camera that takes your breath away. The result has fit as a testament to the beautiful and extraordinary world that Tolkien had created.
Though this sounds strange, there were times when Bakshi had more love for the original novel than Jackson. His film is having more and more dialogues from the novel. He remains truthful as much as possible to Tolkien. Whereas, Jackson was clear that he loved Tolkien’s works but there were a few things that he didn’t like.
