A snapshot of late Soviet-era television, it's limitations and deprivations. Beneath the theatrical sensibilities and sometimes kitsch design, there is a genuine commitment to the drama of Frodo's journey. First press commentaries have dwelt on the obvious low production values, but the cast are clearly determined to serve their characters well. Fittingly, it's not a million miles from some amateur fantasy productions of early YouTube, though the acting style is of a bygone age.
It is refreshing at least to see a Russian interpretation of familiar figures and tropes: Frodo is an ageing roué, Gandalf is younger and less humorous, Aragorn is surprisingly youthful, while Elrond and Saruman seem to have switched places. Legolas has transitioned. Gimli is a macabre gnome. Galadriel has a dance troupe. The orcs are either human or crocodilian. Bombadil and Goldberry (yes, they made the cut!) are wonderfully cheery. Everyone else is dour, stern or sad. Brilliant! Not forgetting the Lord of the Rings himself: Sauron looks like he's in for a contact-lens fitting.
Marvel at the Three-out-of-Nine Riders, Circus-of-the Macabre gender-bending barrow-wight (yes, he/she made the cut too!) and off-screen Gandalf-vs-the-Balrog confrontation. The overall look of the production is 1970s amateur Shakespeare with filmed inserts in the nearest country lane (snow-covered, though in the book it's summer). Special effects mostly comprise heavy use of superimposition techniques familiar to viewers of Seventies and Eighties Doctor Who and the like.
Being familiar with the plot and able to pick out proper names and a few key words, I was able to follow the dialogue without speaking Russian or having subtitles. The production is skewed towards the first half of The Fellowship of the Ring and some of the monologues are overlong. The narrator, while exuding Essence of Jackanory, adds little and almost looks like an insert from the present.
Overall, it's the commitment of all involved that shines through. I await the memes to come. Rated 10/10 for curiosity value.
