Lord of the rings
USA 1978. Directed by Ralph Bakshi 133 mins
Disney first held the rights to Tolkien's epic in the late '50s, so it's surprising that we had to wait so long, particularly since Kubrick and Boorman both tried unsuccessfully to set up productions. Mercifully, the book has escaped the typical Disney demolition; Bakshi's version, using animation and live-action tracings, is uniformly excellent, sticking closely to the original text and visually echoing many of Tolkien's own drawings. Use of British voices, together with the sensitive Leonard Rosenman soundtrack, augments the impression of authenticity; and Bakshi wisely chose to leave Vol. 3 for a later date, which allows him to avoid simplification to the point of superficiality. (The Time Out film guide)
Disappointingly stolid, overlong and confused cartoon version of a modern classic which may well deserve all those adjectives. Parts of it are charming, and the method of making cartoons from film of actors photographed in the ordinary way is certainly ingenious though it denies the cartoon characters their own full richness. (Halliwell's film guide)
Bakshi's first film was the fully animated, very R-rated 'Fritz the cat' (1971) based on Robert Crumb's drawings.
