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CNN Saturday Morning News
Is "Lords of the Rings" for Everyone?
Aired December 21, 2002 - 07:57 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: "Lord of the Rings," "Lord of the Rings." You know, it really isn't for everybody.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Yes?
O'BRIEN: My little boy got very scared by it.
WHITFIELD: Oh.
O'BRIEN: He's 10. So you've got to, you've got to watch it. I wouldn't just necessarily bring every kid to it. It has some dark moments, you know?
WHITFIELD: Oh, that's too bad.
O'BRIEN: And...
WHITFIELD: It's an adult movie then.
O'BRIEN: I think it's for adults who...
WHITFIELD: But most kids, of course, are going to want to see it so.
O'BRIEN: ... think like kids. And, of course, kids, yes, some kids want to see it. But he doesn't want to go back. So, anyway, so you've got to just watch out, parents. It's not necessarily as bright and joyful as it might seem.
WHITFIELD: Commentary by Miles O'Brien.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.
WHITFIELD: All right, let's, but let's get the real gouge now from CNN's Kate Courtenay.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What business does an elf, a man and a dwarf have in the Riddemark (ph)? Speak quickly.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KATE COURTENAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the business of epic fantasy and these days fantasy epics are big business. From the "Rings" trilogy to the latest Harry Potter and Star Wars installments, it's no longer just science fiction fans who are watching. With "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" out now in theaters, J.R.R. Tolkien's epic tale reaches from Middle Earth to middle America and worldwide.
PETER JACKSON, DIRECTOR: The story is ultimately very psychological and very intimate. But he set it against this enormously vast tableau, this huge epic background of the whole world at war, essentially.
JOHN RHYS-DAVIES, GIMLI THE DWARF: Tolkien's a Catholic and I think that one of the things, the conclusions he comes to, is that there are certain times in history, a whole civilization is challenged. And if you get it wrong, you may lose your civilization. I think that has a resonance for our time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why do you linger here when there is no hope?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is still hope.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COURTENAY: It's that hope that has audiences on a fantasy quest. As popular culture confronts challenging ranging from suicide bombings to the prospect of war, epics provide a form of comfort.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think people love letting go and going somewhere else and seeing an incredibly epic, beautiful story unfold before them and, you know, travel away to middle earth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ultimately there is a kind of optimism inherent in his feelings about human beings and our potential for survival as a species on the planet. I think people appreciate that.
COURTENAY: The appreciation is clear. In 2001, Harry Potter and "The Lord of the Rings" ranked first and second at the box office. And it's happening again this year. Traditional themes of good versus evil earned "The Fellowship of the Rings" an $860 million gross. And in its first weekend alone, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" cleared $88 million. And that's even before franchising the dolls, the toys, the games.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a way of ensuring yourself against risk. If you can recoup some of the money by selling T-shirts and toys, then you will do that. You can hardly blame Hollywood for doing that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing ever dampens your spirits, does it, Sam?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COURTENAY: Producers of fantasy are in high spirits. The Potter books have sold 77 million copies in the U.S. alone. The online fantasy game Everquest (ph) pulls in more than $5 million a month. And attendance at renaissance fairs is on the upswing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The ring of power within my grasp.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COURTENAY (on camera): As new projects grasp the imagination of fans, fantasy is becoming a dominating force of epic proportions.
Kate Courtenay, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Now it is time for the disclaimer. Are you ready for the disclaimer?
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.
O'BRIEN: "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" was produced by New Line Productions and they are...
WHITFIELD: Owned by AOL.
O'BRIEN: Yes. See, you knew that.
WHITFIELD: Time Warner. CNN's parent company. There you go.
O'BRIEN: It's all part of our happy family. OK.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 21, 2002 - 07:57 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: "Lord of the Rings," "Lord of the Rings." You know, it really isn't for everybody.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Yes?
O'BRIEN: My little boy got very scared by it.
WHITFIELD: Oh.
O'BRIEN: He's 10. So you've got to, you've got to watch it. I wouldn't just necessarily bring every kid to it. It has some dark moments, you know?
WHITFIELD: Oh, that's too bad.
O'BRIEN: And...
WHITFIELD: It's an adult movie then.
O'BRIEN: I think it's for adults who...
WHITFIELD: But most kids, of course, are going to want to see it so.
O'BRIEN: ... think like kids. And, of course, kids, yes, some kids want to see it. But he doesn't want to go back. So, anyway, so you've got to just watch out, parents. It's not necessarily as bright and joyful as it might seem.
WHITFIELD: Commentary by Miles O'Brien.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.
WHITFIELD: All right, let's, but let's get the real gouge now from CNN's Kate Courtenay.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What business does an elf, a man and a dwarf have in the Riddemark (ph)? Speak quickly.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KATE COURTENAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the business of epic fantasy and these days fantasy epics are big business. From the "Rings" trilogy to the latest Harry Potter and Star Wars installments, it's no longer just science fiction fans who are watching. With "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" out now in theaters, J.R.R. Tolkien's epic tale reaches from Middle Earth to middle America and worldwide.
PETER JACKSON, DIRECTOR: The story is ultimately very psychological and very intimate. But he set it against this enormously vast tableau, this huge epic background of the whole world at war, essentially.
JOHN RHYS-DAVIES, GIMLI THE DWARF: Tolkien's a Catholic and I think that one of the things, the conclusions he comes to, is that there are certain times in history, a whole civilization is challenged. And if you get it wrong, you may lose your civilization. I think that has a resonance for our time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why do you linger here when there is no hope?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is still hope.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COURTENAY: It's that hope that has audiences on a fantasy quest. As popular culture confronts challenging ranging from suicide bombings to the prospect of war, epics provide a form of comfort.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think people love letting go and going somewhere else and seeing an incredibly epic, beautiful story unfold before them and, you know, travel away to middle earth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ultimately there is a kind of optimism inherent in his feelings about human beings and our potential for survival as a species on the planet. I think people appreciate that.
COURTENAY: The appreciation is clear. In 2001, Harry Potter and "The Lord of the Rings" ranked first and second at the box office. And it's happening again this year. Traditional themes of good versus evil earned "The Fellowship of the Rings" an $860 million gross. And in its first weekend alone, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" cleared $88 million. And that's even before franchising the dolls, the toys, the games.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a way of ensuring yourself against risk. If you can recoup some of the money by selling T-shirts and toys, then you will do that. You can hardly blame Hollywood for doing that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing ever dampens your spirits, does it, Sam?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COURTENAY: Producers of fantasy are in high spirits. The Potter books have sold 77 million copies in the U.S. alone. The online fantasy game Everquest (ph) pulls in more than $5 million a month. And attendance at renaissance fairs is on the upswing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The ring of power within my grasp.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COURTENAY (on camera): As new projects grasp the imagination of fans, fantasy is becoming a dominating force of epic proportions.
Kate Courtenay, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Now it is time for the disclaimer. Are you ready for the disclaimer?
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.
O'BRIEN: "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" was produced by New Line Productions and they are...
WHITFIELD: Owned by AOL.
O'BRIEN: Yes. See, you knew that.
WHITFIELD: Time Warner. CNN's parent company. There you go.
O'BRIEN: It's all part of our happy family. OK.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
