Well i think the top level of budget for a BBC TV series in mid 60s.
BBC television Lord of the Rings
- Thread starter lounge60
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Well i think the top level of budget for a BBC TV series in mid 60s.
Glen
Moderator
Disagree - the one thing, the ONE THING, the BBC could always be relied on to provide sumptuously are period pieces. A Lord of the Rings could take advantage of all the historical costuming and props in the treasure trove of the BBC.
Agreed with Flocc. It would be like 60s Doctor Who, but with what sounds like the entire cast of Dad's Army providing support roles.
No, Flocc's right. Peter Jackson may have been able to use special effects to make someone like John Rhys Davies look under five feet tall in order to play Gimli, but there's no chance of the BBC in the 1960's pulling it off. They'd have to cast actual short people to play the dwarves and hobbits or resort to tricks like have the rest of the cast standing on boxes and filming everything from the waist up. It would look ridiculous. Radio was the only way the BBC could realistically have done it before very recently, which is why they did it that way in the first place.
If they slightly alter the sequence of events and have all 4 hobbits sample the Ents growth promoting drink before they set off for Bree the size difference can be fudged making them in effect short Humans say 4ft 6ish tall. With that and cleaver camara angles you can eleminate having actors obviously standing on boxes or in holes.
How about Jon Pertwee as Sam, or is he too old?
How about Jon Pertwee as Sam, or is he too old?
BlondieBC
Banned
I think this would work. Humans should be 6", so if only tall actors (6'4" and above) have some lifts in the shoes, then all the humans could be 6'6". This would make a 5'3" man look 4'9" before any camera tricks. There are lots of men at 5'3" and below. The down side is all the dwarves and hobbits would likely be actors that were relatively unknown. Overall, it would be enough to suspend disbelief.
And if the actual height difference is critical, we could just go to extremes on the taller actors. One could find enough 6'7" + actors to fill the main human roles, 5" actors for dwarf roles, and cast midgets or children as hobbits. The down side of this would be every actor is an unknown to the general public.
bbc lord of the ring
The big problem come in the 1970's when the BBC wipes the tapes of the episodes to save a few cents. It happen to many of the early Doctor Who episodes and also the T.H White adaption of The Master.
Crazy idea after Lord of the Ring series, The Once and Future King base on T. H. White
The big problem come in the 1970's when the BBC wipes the tapes of the episodes to save a few cents. It happen to many of the early Doctor Who episodes and also the T.H White adaption of The Master.
Crazy idea after Lord of the Ring series, The Once and Future King base on T. H. White
BlondieBC
Banned
They did this in the USA too to many episodes of the variety shows. Do you have any idea how much money was "saved" for each episode erased?
I was thinking of Alec Guinness as Theoden, and John Hurt as either Frodo or Gollum.
This would probably be a good show, and a run of 4 years would be good. I would have prefered the series begin with the Hobbit first, then the 3 other parts.
No CGI of the kind Peter Jackson has used in his adaptation doesn't equal utter crap in my book. In fact, the lack thereof could have been an improvement.
One Thing to rule them all...
Yep, the Beeb is very good at costume drama. They screened the Narnia Series with the Silver Chair's remarkable Puddleglum being... Tom Baker.
Wonderful and hilarious!
After that, LOTR would have been easy.
Yep, the Beeb is very good at costume drama. They screened the Narnia Series with the Silver Chair's remarkable Puddleglum being... Tom Baker.
Wonderful and hilarious!
After that, LOTR would have been easy.
You mean, other than the Broadway musical and the Disney cartoon? Or, do you mean a BBC produced version? Although, it certainly would be nice to have a closer adaptation. I wonder why no one's ever tried to turn it into a Mini-series. That would be really cool...
BBC television Lord of the Ring
You mean, other than the Broadway musical and the Disney cartoon?
Yes other than them
Or, do you mean a BBC produced version?
correct
Although, it certainly would be nice to have a closer adaptation. I wonder why no one's ever tried to turn it into a Mini-series. That would be really cool...
In 1966 IOT The BBC did a good adaption of White's the Master, so after doing a three season version of Tolkien, it would not be unthinkable to a closer adaption as a mini series. I suspect that they skip much of part one Sword in the Stone and focus more on the later three parts.
You mean, other than the Broadway musical and the Disney cartoon?
Yes other than them
Or, do you mean a BBC produced version?
correct
Although, it certainly would be nice to have a closer adaptation. I wonder why no one's ever tried to turn it into a Mini-series. That would be really cool...
In 1966 IOT The BBC did a good adaption of White's the Master, so after doing a three season version of Tolkien, it would not be unthinkable to a closer adaption as a mini series. I suspect that they skip much of part one Sword in the Stone and focus more on the later three parts.
Not impossible for BBC in 60s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMJj1ZmgxQE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0fJUPU5xys&feature=relmfu
If the BBC did a good job on the production, Then it may have been syndicated in the US. I can't see it being aired on one of the Three major networks , but it could have done quite well and may have resulted in some other British Sci Fi and Fanasty being marketed in the US.
We might have seen The Patrick Troughton Doctor Who episodes also aired in the US.
Also We might have seen the episodes of the anthology series Out of the Unknown here in the US.
SO now we have some series that were deleted in the OTL instead survived.
Second
We may have seen a few attempts at fanasty make in to the Big Screen. Ray Harryhausen and Charles H Schneer considered doing a Conan Movie in the 1960"s The sucess of a BBC Lord of the Ring might have allowed them to do it.
Another film that could not get off the Ground in the 1960's was Ray Bradbarry 's Martian Chronicles, which should have been a big hit with 1960's youth.
And it likely that the 1970's animated movie would have been changed. At best there is more money for it so it becomes a better animated 3 movie series.
At worst the three books are turn in too two moves.
We might have seen The Patrick Troughton Doctor Who episodes also aired in the US.
Also We might have seen the episodes of the anthology series Out of the Unknown here in the US.
SO now we have some series that were deleted in the OTL instead survived.
Second
We may have seen a few attempts at fanasty make in to the Big Screen. Ray Harryhausen and Charles H Schneer considered doing a Conan Movie in the 1960"s The sucess of a BBC Lord of the Ring might have allowed them to do it.
Another film that could not get off the Ground in the 1960's was Ray Bradbarry 's Martian Chronicles, which should have been a big hit with 1960's youth.
And it likely that the 1970's animated movie would have been changed. At best there is more money for it so it becomes a better animated 3 movie series.
At worst the three books are turn in too two moves.
Most of the books take place in woods and moors and mountains, and inside rooms, so special effects are not really needed to tell the story.
Perhaps it would be made in the late 1950s, instead, as a 25-minutes show like early Danger Man, and it could be made as seven series (Bilbo + the six half-books).
Patrick McGoohan as Aragorn then. "The name is Aragorn, son of Arathorn."
Perhaps it would be made in the late 1950s, instead, as a 25-minutes show like early Danger Man, and it could be made as seven series (Bilbo + the six half-books).
Patrick McGoohan as Aragorn then.
"The name is Aragorn, son of Arathorn."