Old hobbits die hard
Tolkien fest emphasizes books over hit pic trilogy
Not quite.
The Tolkien Society's 50th anni celebration of "The Lord of the Rings" kicked off Aug. 11 in Birmingham, England. But fans looking to dress up as Gandalf or Legolas to revel in Peter Jackson's epic film trilogy might have felt they'd taken a wrong turn from the Shire.
The Aug. 11-15 confab at Aston U. is about the books -- and not just the "LOTR" canon but all of Tolkien's works, including such lesser-known follow-ups as "The Silmarillion."
The Society's official line is that "Rings" film fans and longtime book devotees co-exist in peaceful harmony. "We consider the films to be three three-hour advertisements for the Society," says spokesperson Anke Collier.
Indeed, Collier says there was a huge spike in interest following the release of the first pic, with Society membership doubling to the current figure of 1,200.
But while there were a few events in Birmingham dedicated to the impact of the New Line pics, this was clearly no film fan convention.
"You have to remember this is a conference celebrating all the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, not just 'Lord of the Rings,' " says Collier, who is keen to highlight Tolkien's other "beautifully told stories" such as "Farmer Giles of Ham."
Although the Tolkien Society will have some involvement in New Line's upcoming Fellowship Festival (Aug. 27-29 in Wembley, England), the studio had no involvement in the Birmingham conference. And the pics have never officially screened at Society events.
Nonetheless, Collier whispers, some members have been known to privately organize sessions where the pics are shown back-to-back.
