Posted: February 17, 2000 at 11:14:10: by Aelmer
: : In the same vein as the discussion about casting choices below, I would pose the following question: If you were a studio executive with $200 million (and probably your career) on the line, but still with an abiding love of Tolkien's works, who would you choose as director?: : Nothing against Peter Jackson, who seems to have the proper passion for the project, as well as a great respect from the acting and film community, but I had never even heard of him before this all started up. : : Here are my choices: : : If we're including the deceased: Sergio Leone. Anyone who has seen "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," "A Fistful or Dollars," or "For a Few Dollars More" knows that the man was a genius, and had a gift for the kind of vision and drama that is necessary to pull off the trilogy. : : If we're only including the living: Bernardo Bertolucci. "The Last Emperor" is exactly the look and feel I'm hoping for here. : : Those I don't think are right (even though I enjoy their movies): George Lucas -- great imagination, but can't tell a story. Stephen Spielberg -- good story teller, but shameless panderer. Tim Burton -- ingeniously clever, but hopelessly saracastic. James Cameron -- he has the skills, but I can't see him putting Tolkkien's ideas ahead of his own. : : What are people's thoughts? : Spielberg seems to have matured over the last few years with Schindler's List and Saving Pvt. Ryan. I wouldn't be at all upset if he took LOTR as seriously and directed it. For those who fear the plush Hobbit toy franchise, I'm afraid that no matter who directs the marketing people will do their thing. A Spielberg and Lucas collaboration would be very interesting concept to ponder. Tim Burton would no doubt capture the darker nature of LOTR. Ron Howard is pretty darn good. I wonder how Stanley Kubrick would have done LOTR?
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