Customer Reviews
an excellent production, frees the imagination - By: , 13 Nov 2003 
OK, I admit it, I first read the book before this radio adaption came out, & was really impressed when it was first broadcast. Now on CD & edited for continuous play (omitting the introductions at the start of each episode), this great production has an impressive cast list & follows the book very closely. The result is that the pictures are far superior to the recent 2-disc DVD production! It also does not suffer the curious omissions & plot alterations of the DVD, which lead to unexplained dangling references & curious weakening of the characters. (Perhaps the dangling references are explainedin the 4-disc set, but to me a movie should not require you to have to buy supplementary material to make sense of it).
Allin all, something that readers of the book will enjoy without being distracted by changes, & who are likely to listen to this as often as they reread the book. Enjoy!
A world apart... - By: , 28 Nov 2001 Surely, surely this has to be the ultimate radio drama. A story of epic proportions setin a rich & varied folkloric landscape, adapted here with a seamless brilliance that pulls you irresistibly into its world of adventure, folklore, & deep, deep lyricism. The cast is a perfectly matched ensemble of actors almost as legendary as the characters they play - Ian Holm as Frodo making the transition from carefree youth to anguished anti-hero with complete conviction, Robert Stephens' majestic Aragorn an always commanding presence, & Michael Hordern's Gandalf somehow managing to capture both the twinkling humour & the somewhat melancholic wisdom of the wizard. Over all this, Stephen Oliver's strange & beautiful score adds an atmosphere of intense, otherworldly mysticism that enriches the whole, & emphasises the often overlooked poetical depth of Tolkien's Middle Earth.
Never underplaying the seriousness of its story, this production is quite simply an astounding achievement, & highly recommended to anyone - whether you have read the books or not.
