Today on Far Future Horizons we present the National Geographic
Channel’s documentary Beyond the Movie -
The Lord of the Rings.
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J.R.R. Tolkien
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This documentary explores the myriad inspirations for
J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy saga, beginning with the influence of
Tolkien's idyllic childhood in rural England, which served as the model
for Tolkien's threatened Hobbit paradise.
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| Map of Middle Earth by Pauline Baynes, 1970 |
Equally fascinating are the influence of Tolkien's
experience in World War I, the "evil" of industrial development, and
especially the influence of Anglo-Saxon poetry (notably Beowulf) and the
mythology of the Finnish Kalevala, which formed the basis of Tolkien's elfish
culture.
