Rankin and Bass Tackle Tolkien Once Again

One of my first reviews on this site concerned the Rankin and Bass version of The Hobbit, for which my major complaint was the editing out or editing down of several key events. I have come to realize that this is an unavoidable casualty of war occurring when a book is translated onto the screen, and were I writing that review now, I would award five stars to The Hobbit, if for no other reason than that it set my vision of what the characters in my favorite book ought to look like. I also enjoyed the rustic tone of the animation and the songs, particularly the theme The Greatest Adventure.

The other night, I watched both The Hobbit and The Return of the King, and I noticed the extent to which the former set the audience up for the latter. First, Gandalf's comment that Bilbo's story of his encounter with Gollum "rings true," and then Gandalf's remarks to Bilbo at the end of the film, concluding with the tantalizing prediction that the adventures are only beginning.

The Return of the King makes good on those not-so-hidden promises of a sequel. I do wish that the time-honored duo would have tackled The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. I believe they could have done a marvelous job with all three, and their version could have washed away the nasty taste left by the abysmal half live-action, half-animated attempt at Fellowship which rightfully flopped in theaters, leaving plans for a second film abandoned. As it stands, Return of the King relies primarily on The Ballad of Frodo of the Nine Fingers, sung by Glenn Yarborough in the guise of the minstrel of Gondor, to bring viewers up to speed on what is happening. The film does have the feel of being a continuation, despite the introduction, and the uninitiated may find themselves rather confused.

That said, I think that Rankin and Bass did a fine job with this film for what they were trying to do. John Huston reprises his Hobbit role of Gandalf magnificently and serves as narrator for much of the film. Orson Bean, who starred as Bilbo in The Hobbit, lends his voice to Frodo, portraying a distinctly different character who bears some familial resemblance to Bilbo.

My biggest complaint about the newly released live action version of Fellowship of the Ring was that they seemed to skimp on Sam. Not so here, though that would have been pretty difficult since Sam has several scenes to himself in Return of the King. Still, Sam's character is developed very well in this film, and Roddy McDowall does a perfect job portraying him. He sounds exactly as I would have imagined, and he imbues Sam with the necessary mixture of tenderness and spunk. Excellent performance.

The animation isn't exactly Disney-quality. The landscapes are usually static, and one segment in particular, the orc march, is comprised of a few seconds of animation repeated several times. However, the rustic quality remains, adding to the overall tone of the film. I especially like the way Sam and Frodo glow with power whenever they lay hands on the ring. Unlike the gentle glow of the elves, this is a throbbing, blaring, malevolent glow, and it is very effective.

Glenn Yarborough again sings several of the songs which appear in the film, including the haunting adaptation of Roads Go Ever, Ever On, which is just as effective a theme song as The Greatest Adventure. While The Hobbit featured adaptations of songs in the book, with the exception of the theme song, in Return of the King, only the theme song is adapted from the book. The remainder are original, and many are quite impressive.

My favorite of these is Beware, the Bearer of the Ring, the song that pops up every time Sam or Frodo is tempted by the ring's power. Featuring a chorus of deep, imposing voices and some shuddering percussion, it perfectly fits the mood of the moment. "The wearer of the ring, the bearer of the ring / hears a voice compelling him, / filling him with thoughts that echo in his mind. / It should be telling him, / "Beware, the power is a power never known, / beware, the power that was simple now has grown..." The silliest, in my opinion, though it's my brother's favorite, is Where There's a Whip There's a Way, sung by the marching orcs.

Neither of these is sung by Yarborough, but my favorite lines of song, part of the theme song, are. These lines, sung during the departure of Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf, and Elrond for the Grey Havens, give me the shivers every time. "Leaving havens grey with rain, / now the years have slipped away, / leaving friends with gentle pain / as they start another day. / Roads I've traveled I must leave / for I’ve turned the final bend. / Weep not empty tears but grieve / as the road comes to an end."

There is much left out of this film, including many characters. Faramir, Arwen, Legolas, Gimli, Fangorn, Saruman, and others are either omitted or shown briefly without introduction. The film focuses primarily on Sam's rescue of Frodo from Cirith Ungul and their ensuing journey to Mordor. It breaks up this action with scenes of the demise of Denethor and the fierce battle which includes the slaying of the Witch-King and ends with the return of Aragorn. The movie begins with Bilbo's 129th birthday, and the ending picks up from that point, heralding the end of the age of Middle Earth and the beginning of the age of man.

This production is intended primarily for children, and I believe that it is appropriate for that audience. It serves as a good introduction to The Lord of the Rings for those who might not quite have the attention span required for a three-hour film. Adults can enjoy it too, and anyone who watches may indeed be inspired to wonder, as Gandalf suggests that we might, "Is there hobbit in me?"