Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy may be the gold standard for that hallowed fantasy saga, but it isn't the first attempt to adapt J.R.R. Tolkien's famous three-part narrative into a cinematic format. There have actually been quite a few different iterations of that story, some relatively good, some bad, and some downright terrifying.
Among the entries in the Middle-earth annals that fall into that last category is a 1990s gem that came straight out of the Soviet archives. This utterly unique adaptation is titled "Khraniteli" (which translates as "The Keepers" or "The Guardians"). It was produced by Leningrad Television and came out on April 13, 1991, just eight months before the dissolution of the Ussr.
"Khraniteli" was technically released as a children's television program and was considered lost media for decades — until it resurfaced when 5Tv, Leningrad Television's successor, re-released it online for all the world to see in the 2020s.
Among the entries in the Middle-earth annals that fall into that last category is a 1990s gem that came straight out of the Soviet archives. This utterly unique adaptation is titled "Khraniteli" (which translates as "The Keepers" or "The Guardians"). It was produced by Leningrad Television and came out on April 13, 1991, just eight months before the dissolution of the Ussr.
"Khraniteli" was technically released as a children's television program and was considered lost media for decades — until it resurfaced when 5Tv, Leningrad Television's successor, re-released it online for all the world to see in the 2020s.
- 4/19/2025
- by Jaron Pak
- Slash Film
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