Kristin Thompson's The Frodo Franchise: The Lord of the Rings and Modern Hollywood. University of California Press, August 2007.
List price $30/£18 ($20 on amazon.com [U.S.])
This is a publication announcement, not a recommendation. The book's not out yet, and I don't know if I'll buy it or not.
From the press:
"[The film's] makers seized a crucial moment in Hollywood--the special effects digital revolution plus the rise of "infotainment" and the internet--to satisfy the trilogy's fans while fostering a huge new international audience.
Two blurbs of note:
Thomas Shippey:
"This is the best all-around view of the Tolkien phenomenon. Thompson understands the books, she understands the movies--she also understands the money and the franchising. Best of all, she understands the people. . ."
Tehanu at TheOneRing.net:
". . . Thompson's account of TORN's beginnings and how it functioned gets it absolutely right--more than that, Thompson captures how it felt to us at the time. . ."
Contents (ch. 6 sounds like a hoot)
1. Prudent Aggression
2. Not Your Father's Tolkien
3. Handcrafting a Blockbuster
4. Flying Billboards and FAQs
5. Click to View Trailer
6. Fans on the Margins, Pervy Hobbit Fanciers, and Partygoers
7. Licenses to Print Money
8. Interactive Middle-earth
9. Fantasy Come True
10. Right in Your Own Backyard
I can't find a page count for the book.
List price $30/£18 ($20 on amazon.com [U.S.])
This is a publication announcement, not a recommendation. The book's not out yet, and I don't know if I'll buy it or not.
From the press:
"[The film's] makers seized a crucial moment in Hollywood--the special effects digital revolution plus the rise of "infotainment" and the internet--to satisfy the trilogy's fans while fostering a huge new international audience.
Two blurbs of note:
Thomas Shippey:
"This is the best all-around view of the Tolkien phenomenon. Thompson understands the books, she understands the movies--she also understands the money and the franchising. Best of all, she understands the people. . ."
Tehanu at TheOneRing.net:
". . . Thompson's account of TORN's beginnings and how it functioned gets it absolutely right--more than that, Thompson captures how it felt to us at the time. . ."
Contents (ch. 6 sounds like a hoot)
1. Prudent Aggression
2. Not Your Father's Tolkien
3. Handcrafting a Blockbuster
4. Flying Billboards and FAQs
5. Click to View Trailer
6. Fans on the Margins, Pervy Hobbit Fanciers, and Partygoers
7. Licenses to Print Money
8. Interactive Middle-earth
9. Fantasy Come True
10. Right in Your Own Backyard
I can't find a page count for the book.