Peter Jackson madeThe Lord of the Ringsa household name with his 2000s movie series, but one 1991 adaptation beat him to a keyLord of the Ringsmoment. Jackson’sTheLord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ringmoviewas released in 2001 to critical acclaim, but it wasn’t the first time Tolkien’s epic graced screens. Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment madeThe Hobbitin 1977 andThe Return of the Kingin 1980, while Ralph Bakshi helmed 1978’sThe Lord of the Rings. ButKhraniteli, released in 1991, offers a totally unique perspective.
Khraniteliis a Soviet production, made in the USSR and released just before its collapse.This little-knownLord of the Ringsminiseries aired in two parts on Leningrad Television but was thought lostafter the chaos following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. However, it reemerged in 2021 and can be watched on YouTube with English subtitles. It is very unlikePeter Jackson’sHobbitandLord of the Ringsmovieswith its psychedelic sheen and its inclusion of one fan-favorite character. Famously, Jackson cut Tom Bombadil fromThe Fellowship of the Ring.
1991’s The Lord Of The Rings Adaptation, Khraniteli, Adapted Tom Bombadil In Live-Action
Peter Jackson Found Tom Bombadil Hard To Adapt
Khraniteliincludes a fascinating depiction ofLord of the Rings’Tom Bombadilin live-action, avoiding Jackson’s controversial decision to cut the character from his movies. Jackson’s concerns about the character of Tom Bombadil included his oddball thematic significance and detachment from the overarching plot.The Hobbits bump into Tom in the Old Forestin Tolkien’s seminal 1945 novel,but it doesn’t impact their mission to destroy the One Ring. Jackson struggled to include Bombadil and retain vital pacing, but he fits right in with the meandering psychedelia ofKhraniteli.
How Khraniteli’s Tom Bombadil Compares To The Rings Of Power’s Version
Neither Tom Bombadil Is Totally Faithful To The Book
Amazon Prime Video’sThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Poweradapted Tom Bombadil surprisingly faithfully compared toKhraniteli— if his location and plotline are ignored.The Rings of Powerseason 2stunned viewers with an on-screen representation of Tom, masterfully portrayed by Rory Kinnear. Appearance-wise,Kinnear is the spitting image of Tolkien’s Tom, from his blue coat to his ruddy cheeks. Meanwhile, the Tom that appears inKhraniteliwears a red coat. Tom’s signature yellow boots can’t be seen, but he does have a yellow hat.
Sweden Made The First Live-Action Lord Of The Rings Movie 30 Years Before Peter Jackson’s Trilogy Began
Peter Jackson put New Zealand on the map with his world-famous Lord of the Rings movies, but they weren’t the first live-action LotR on screens.
CoveringLord of the Rings’Second Age,Rings of Powerplaces Tom Bombadil in an unusual situation.Khraniteli’s Tom’s role is quite faithful in terms of storytelling, as he appears in the Old Forest and helps the Hobbit escape a grasping Old Man Willow. Contrastingly, inThe Rings of Power, Tom is thriving way out east in Rhûn, millennia before his canon insertion into the narrative. Tom Bombadil’s subplot is entirely invented byThe Rings of Power, despite his joyous singing, which does give a deeply faithful idea ofThe Lord of the Ringscharacter.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
