Recently Heren istarion had the pleasure of asking Brian Sibley, author of The Lord of the Rings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy and also behind The Lord of the Rings BBC Radio Dramatization, a number of questions concerning his book, his thoughts on the film, and on Tolkien himself. This is a portion of that interview, it will appear in the next issue of Parma Nölé in its entirety.

Heren Istarion:Having been immersed in Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, what are your thoughts on his vision and translation of the film?

Brian Sibley:It is probably harder for me than most people to make that assessment. Watching the completed version of The Two Towers for example, I was very conscious of scenes - sometimes whole sequences - that I had seen being filmed or edited but which hadn't made it into the final cut. However, I do think that Peter and his cast and crew have captured much of Tolkien's original vision - the "essence", if not always the absolute substance - and, in their passionate (thankfully obsessive) attention to the detailing have created on film an approximation to the unique literary creation that is Middle-earth.

Heren Istarion:What are your impressions on the challenges of The Lord of the Rings being adapted for the BBC and now for film?

Brian Sibley:The challenges - for the radio dramatist and the filmmaker - are legion: a picaresque story with too many central characters (who would ever create, for film, a scenario with nine leading roles? The Magnificent Seven were enough! The non-chronological telling of the tale; the need to intertwine three or four major story threads; the fact that some important characters, such as Arwen, are not fully rounded in the text, Need I go on?! My admiration for anyone attempting to turn this book (truly, as its author said, 'unsuited to dramatization') into any dramatic form - and particularly that of film - is boundless

Heren Istarion:What were your first impressions of the man and his works?(Tolkien)

Brian Sibley:I was intrigued, particularly by the thoroughness and total believable-ness of Tolkien's created world. Like many other young fans, I practiced writing in Elvish sent Professor Tolkien a fan letter written, partly in the language of the Elves and partly in Runes (using the alphabets in the Appendices)! I also sent him my copy of Tom Bombadil (I couldn't afford the postage on the three volumes of The Lord of the Rings!) which he autographed on the titlepage as well as correcting an error in the text! If only I had tried to meet him A Year later, by the way, illustrator Pauline Baynes (whom I got to know and with whom I am still great friends) added her signature to that much treasured edition of Tom Bombadil.