Oscar



At last the Academy has agreed with the rest of the planet that the Lord of the Rings was a remarkable filmic event. Most pundits tipped the Return of the King to take several major awards this year and not just the usual technical ones (not to belittle the massive amount of work and dedication put in by the folks who won those awards for the film). But in the event the movie (or let's be frank, this was really for the entire trilogy) took no less than eleven Oscars, making it equal with Ben Hur, a stunning achievement. Just had to dash off a quick news item for the Alien once I finished work tonight to celebrate.



Coming so soon after the BBC's Big Read polled the Lord of the Rings as the nation's favourite novel this has been a good time for those of us who love fantasy. To those literati who bemoan it I say, take notice; these films and books win awards constantly because there is something good there which speaks to people time after time, so stop being so dismissive of it. As a professional bookseller, a book reviewer, a cinephile and a person with an honours degree in film and media I think I can say with at least as much authority as those revered - by themselves anyway - literati and art critics and I say these are damned good and we should enjoy them. Even for thsoe who didn't find it their cup of tea can surely acknowledge the enormous effort and love and dedication poured into the making of this astonishing series.



The awards taken home to Hobbiton were:



Best Picture

Best Director

Best Costume Design

Best Make Up

Best Film Editing

Best Art Direction

Best Visual Effects

Best Sound

Best Adapted Screenplay

Best Score

Best Song (for Into the West, sung by Annie Lennox)