‘Rings’ Films Are More Special Than Their Effects

Re “Dazzling, Sure, but to What Effect?” Commentary, April 4: Before reading Denis Dutton’s dyspeptic take on the “Lord of the Rings,” my family and I had just finished a mammoth, nine-hour home viewing of Peter Jackson’s film trilogy, end to end. Yes, we were dazzled, as always, but also moved, thrilled and exhilarated by the masterly storytelling on display, epic both in emotional and narrative terms.

Dutton misses the fact that Jackson’s big, computer-generated images take our breath away precisely because their scale is directly tied to our emotional investment in the story. We want the Rohirrim army to be that big because we want to see the tide of battle turn. We are thrilled for the same reason when the giant eagles take on the winged Nazgul in a stunning aerial battle. This has nothing to do with computer “gee-whizzery” and everything to do with the poetry of storytelling.

I’m saddened that Howard Shore comes in for a ritual knocking as well. His score is an eclectic and very effective synthesis of 20th century music, from Mahler to Prokofiev, and is surely one of the more imaginative examples of modern film writing. Dutton may not find it memorable, but I certainly find myself humming it in the car.

Mick Jackson

Pacific Palisades

Dutton appears to believe that what meets his standards is good art and what doesn’t is bad art. He wrote that “The Wizard of Oz” is far superior to “Lord of the Rings,” and the older film is indeed charming. “The Wizard of Oz” has, however, very limited grandeur, something that “Lord of the Rings” possesses in abundance, not only in setting but in theme. Good triumphing over evil is just as deathless, in my opinion, as learning to find satisfaction in the life you are living.

What Dutton did not seem to grasp was the idea that, if he was bored by “Return of the King,” he could have gotten up and left the theater. I, on the other hand, believe my world would not be so rich, so nuanced or so filled with beauty had I missed it. This is not a “geek epic.” This is a celebration of courage, friendship, dedication and love. I am sorry if those things bore Dutton; they certainly do not bore me.

Rhoda Blecker

Reseda

I couldn’t agree more with Dutton. I also looked at my watch one hour into “The Two Towers” and couldn’t believe there were still two hours to go. I couldn’t bring myself to see the last one of the trilogy, though people tell me it was the best of the three. Interesting stories, with characters I can relate to, make a good film, in my opinion, with or without special effects.

Maria Gale

Whittier

The way Dutton dismisses the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy as a geek epic probably says more about his issues with geeks than his ability to fairly assess these great films. Certainly each installment went on too long. It’s a long story. And certainly there are few women characters. The novel was written in emulation of medieval questing romances in which women play no great role in the action.

At least Dutton should recognize that the Academy Awards are awarded by the professionals who make films and not by a congress of geeks. That alone should give some validity to the many Oscars the films garnered.

Jim van Scoyoc

Los Angeles