# Zimmerman's Lord of the Rings

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zimmermans-lord-of-the-rings/223960>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [January 11, 2004, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zimmermans-lord-of-the-rings/223960 "2004-01-11T07:26:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Volta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ce73a5/32.png) [@Volta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Volta)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2004, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zimmermans-lord-of-the-rings/223960/1 "2004-01-11T07:26:01Z")

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I read that Morton Grady Zimmerman wrote a LOTR script after JRRT sold the movie rights and that, after reading it, Tolkien heavily criticized it, saying that it contained pointless changes (excess magic, Faramir’s floating body, etc.) and didn’t focus enough on the heart of the story which is the journey of the ringbearers. Anyway, it would be interesting to read it, if only to contrast it with Jackson’s awesome films.

I was having a hard time finding it via Google, so if you have a link, will you post it? We could read it, then breathe a mutual sigh of relief after seeing the disaster it could have been. And I think it would be particularly amusing to see a 50s version of LOTR.

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**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2004, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zimmermans-lord-of-the-rings/223960/2 "2004-01-11T07:36:19Z")

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[There’s a copy of the synopsis (which may have been all that was ever done) at Marquette University.](http://www.marquette.edu/library/collections/archives/News/tolkien.html)

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**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2004, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zimmermans-lord-of-the-rings/223960/3 "2004-01-11T07:47:13Z")

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[Here’s an essay which includes some details about the Zimmerman script.](http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/C/Janet.B.Croft-1/anticipationandflattening.htm)

Unfortunately, it turns into a screed about how Jackson’s films betrayed Tolkien’s vision…cheapened it for a mass audience…Hollywood coarsening…didn’t meet every criteria so we hate it. Fairly tedious.