Whilst we are waiting for Peter Jackson's movie adaptation of The Lord Of The Rings, perhaps now is a good time to look back at the previous movie version.  Raoul Bukshi was an avant-garde American animator, famous for his adult movies such as Spit the Dog, Whizzo and Zombie Brain Eaters In Spandex.  His movie was panned by both the movie critics and Tolkien fans alike.   Twenty years on, I had the chance to speak to the man himself, Raoul Bukshi, to find out what he thinks of Peter Jackson's new version.


Jimcalagon: Raoul, I'm glad to finally get this chance to talk to you. Firstly, why did you decide to make your version of The Lord Of The Rings? Was it just money or was it a long standing ambition of yours?

Bukshi: Well, I was a massive fan of the books, right from the moment that Solly Zantz asked me whether I would be interested in making an animated version.

Jimcalagon: Did you talk to any members of the Tolkien estate about the movie?

Bukshi: Well, I met his family and they showed me the room where he used to write and draw, I had no idea that he drew; it was an emotional experience.

Jimcalagon: Oh! So you had never seen his illustrations in The Hobbit?

Bukshi: Err. No.

Jimcalagon: Or any of the Tolkien calendars, or the covers of the books which he drew himself?

Bukshi: Well, um, I hadn't started the preliminary research at this point.

Jimcalagon: I see. What was the Tolkien estate's attitude to accuracy in the movie?

Bukshi: They wanted the movie to be exactly like the books. My promise to them was to be absolutely pure to the books. I didn't want to change anything that the genius wrote.

Jimcalagon: I imagine that one of the biggest challenges was to create a look for the Hobbits, a creature that had never been seen on film before. How did you go about designing them?

Bukshi: Well, it was difficult, I didn't want them to appear twee or like cartoon gnomes or something, you know.

Bukshi's Hobbits at play
Jimcalagon: You decided to use the technique of "Rotoscoping", filming live-action and then drawing over the top of the images, when animating. Why was this?

Bukshi: I wanted the movie to be realistic and taken seriously.

Jimcalagon: It wasn't because it was quicker and cheaper than normal animation then?

Bukshi: No, no, no, not at all. Look, except for a couple of scenes in Snow White this technique had never been tried in animation before and was probably impossible on the year-and-a-half budget I had.

Jimcalagon: Really? I thought that rotoscoping was used in most of the Disney animations from Snow White to the present day?

Bukshi: As far as I was concerned it was revolutionary and cutting edge, OK?

Jimcalagon: Right, right... How was the whole experience making the movie? Was it enjoyable?

Bukshi: I had a good time - I'm not one to complain about anything. But the studio execs were idiots, the animators working for me were incompetent and couldn't draw, the actors providing the voices were difficult and the Tolkien fans were ingrates. But I'm not complaining
Jimcalagon: How do you feel your interpretations of the characters were received by Tolkien fans?

Bukshi: Very well, on the whole.  Yes, there were some complaints that some characters weren't how people had imagined them but that is only to be expected.

Jimcalagon: I believe your depiction of Boromir was particularly criticised.

Bukshi: So I understand but I don't know why. It was based solely on the book, just like everything I did.

Boromir

 
Jimcalagon: I know that a lot of fans have commented on how gruesome and frightening your Orcs were.  Did you have trouble finding the right look?

Bukshi: Yes. It took quite a long time to come up with the right sort of degraded subhuman look for the Orcs. I think most people will agree that the finished effect was quite disturbing.

Jimcalagon: Yes, I can certainly agree with that!

One of Bukshi's Subhuman Orcs
Jimcalagon: Now I believe that there were some accidents during the making of the movie which meant that some of the film had to be cut. What exactly happened

Bukshi: Yes, we had originally made a seven hour movie covering the whole trilogy.  Unfortunately, one of the young animators (who, by the way is a MAJOR director nowadays) accidentally sprayed light blue paint on the finished cut.  Most of the movie was ruined but we managed to splice together about 90 minutes and release it.

Still from the damaged sequence
Jimcalagon: One of your most controversial decisions was to include a new scene in which the Hobbits were chased by the bikers from Any Which Way But Loose.  What was your reasoning behind this particular script change?

Bukshi: Well, you've got to remember that this was the 1970s.  To have a major box office hit on your hands, you had to include either a corrupt Southern Sheriff or a gang of bikers.  Obviously it would have been ludicrous to include a tobacco chewing Law Enforcement Officer in Middle-Earth, so bikers it was. I think it worked well.

One of the Bikers
Jimcalagon: What are your feelings about Peter Jackson's version?

Bukshi: Well my film was better

Jimcalagon: But how can you know? Peter Jackson hasn't finished his movie yet?

Bukshi: I have heard that he's making changes to the story. He has got to make it exactly like the book, don't change anything. You change nothing if you're doing Tolkien.

Jimcalagon: Well, you made some changes didn't you? You left out Glorfindel, changed Saruman's name to Aruman, cut out the whole Tom Bombadil episode...

Bukshi: (cough) Well... ermm. they weren't really changes, as such. I mean, why change brilliance? I mean, who the hell are we to change Tolkien? It's the height of Narcissus.

Jimcalagon: Narcissism.

Bukshi: Yeah, that too. But you know, I've got more experience with Tolkien's stories than anyone. I don't know how they could leave me out. But I'm not complaining.

Jimcalagon: Maybe you were left out because your movie was terrible and most Tolkien fans hate you.

Bukshi: Well, there is that. Wait a minute, the fans all love me! I have dozens of emails every day praising my movie and asking me to make part two.

Jimcalagon: Do you think that will ever happen?

Bukshi: I'd love to do it right now. I spoke to Solly (Zantz) about it last month and I think we might actually start it in Britain sometime this winter.

Jimcalagon: Really?

Bukshi: I think so. He said something about it being a cold day in Hull when we get together again. At least I think he said Hull.

Jimcalagon: Raoul, Thank you.




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