Post by Rob W. Case on Oct 26, 2019 16:50:07 GMT -6
The Story:
The film begins where John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (Nicholas Hoult) is stationed in France, in the thick of World War I, battling trench fever. When he can’t bear lying still, John gets up and goes out, and the bombs and shells start flying. After his latest bout with death, we flash back to a pivotal point earlier in his life where he (Harry Gilby) and his brother Hilary (Guillermo Bedward) are raised by their mother Mabel (Laura Donnelly). Due to the death of their father, and hard times falling on England, a priest by the name of Father Francis (Colm Meaney) takes Mabel and the boys in to support them. John Ronald and his brother are schooled by their mother, and in that, they are told stories that fuel their imagination and exercise their creativity. It isn’t until the untimely death of their mother that John Ronald and his brother are under the legal guardianship of Father Francis until they reach the age of 21. As their guardian, Father Francis manages to explain their situation to a wealthy woman named Fontaine Faulkner (Pam Ferris) who owns a boarding house in hopes to persuade her to provide John and Hilary with room and board as they continue their education at King Edwards school for boys in Birmingham, England.
At the boarding house, John listens to the beautiful piano playing of Mrs. Faulkner’s ward, a girl by the name of Edith Bratt (Mimi Keene), and would like to get acquainted with her. Meanwhile at King Edward’s school for boys, John plays rugby and expresses a deep love and interest in books. There, while playing rugby Tolkien gets into a bit of a rift with one of the boys, a boy by the name of Robert Gilson (Albie Marber), whose father is the Head Master of the school and assigns the boys to do everything together until the end of the semester. When Robert is with his circle of friends, they encourage him to ask Tolkien out for tea. But Tolkien would rather be around books. But when they ask him, he agrees to accompany them, and he finds that these boys are in their own way outcasts, much like himself. And so, they build a comradery together, discover their talents and passions (which is some form of art), and form a sort of club called the T.C.B.S. which is an acronym for Tea Club, Barrovian Society (which signified their love for getting together at Barrow’s Department Store in Birmingham, and drinking tea). Their purpose in life would be to change the world through the power of art. They would grow up together, critique each other’s works, encourage, challenge, and refine each other as they transitioned from their formative years into young adulthood. This fellowship would continue as they went to college, and they would meet up and share their latest work. Meanwhile, Tolkien pursues Edith (Lily Collins) and the two begin courting. It is when his grades start slipping that Father Francis restricts him from seeing her at least until he is 21.
When Tolkien goes to school, he has a deep interest in linguistics and through a professor that he ends up admiring, he is able to invent a language. As things go about, the fellowship of four are called out to World War I and it is through the thick of war that Tolkien discovers not only his vulnerabilities and immortality, but really feels evil as a force, a force that teaches him that in all journeys not everyone makes it in the end. It is all of these life changing events and then some that Tolkien is inspired to write “The Hobbit,” which would eventually lead to its blockbuster three-part sequel “The Lord of the Rings.”
My Take:
I enjoyed this movie on a variety of levels. If you are interested in Tolkien’s life and how the events in his life inspired him to write the immortal classics “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” it will be interesting how everything came together. I also liked how the fellowship of the four men strengthened as they matured, and illustrate in Tolkien’s life the reality of Proverbs 27:17 where “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Another thing that I was interested in was the power of language, words, and the meanings and emotions associated with them. Another aspect that I really enjoyed about this film was the development of his spiritual sensibility awakening to the forces of evil during the war. Tolkien understood spiritual warfare and was powerful and effective in illustrating the dynamic. He also understood the fallibility of our human nature and where God comes in in the midst of this. He was effective in demonstrating this dynamic in his works, and it’s not difficult to see why his writings are so popular even today. His understanding and insights into these matters would later on in his life, influence a stubborn willed, highly intellectual atheist, a man by the name of C.S. Lewis.
“Tolkien is rated PG-13 for war violence and runs 1 hour and 52 minutes.
To view a trailer for “Tolkien”, please click on the link below.
Teaser Trailer:
Official Trailer:
“Tolkien” is currently available on Blu-ray, DVD, & multiple streaming services, as well as Redbox kiosk machines.
The film begins where John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (Nicholas Hoult) is stationed in France, in the thick of World War I, battling trench fever. When he can’t bear lying still, John gets up and goes out, and the bombs and shells start flying. After his latest bout with death, we flash back to a pivotal point earlier in his life where he (Harry Gilby) and his brother Hilary (Guillermo Bedward) are raised by their mother Mabel (Laura Donnelly). Due to the death of their father, and hard times falling on England, a priest by the name of Father Francis (Colm Meaney) takes Mabel and the boys in to support them. John Ronald and his brother are schooled by their mother, and in that, they are told stories that fuel their imagination and exercise their creativity. It isn’t until the untimely death of their mother that John Ronald and his brother are under the legal guardianship of Father Francis until they reach the age of 21. As their guardian, Father Francis manages to explain their situation to a wealthy woman named Fontaine Faulkner (Pam Ferris) who owns a boarding house in hopes to persuade her to provide John and Hilary with room and board as they continue their education at King Edwards school for boys in Birmingham, England.
At the boarding house, John listens to the beautiful piano playing of Mrs. Faulkner’s ward, a girl by the name of Edith Bratt (Mimi Keene), and would like to get acquainted with her. Meanwhile at King Edward’s school for boys, John plays rugby and expresses a deep love and interest in books. There, while playing rugby Tolkien gets into a bit of a rift with one of the boys, a boy by the name of Robert Gilson (Albie Marber), whose father is the Head Master of the school and assigns the boys to do everything together until the end of the semester. When Robert is with his circle of friends, they encourage him to ask Tolkien out for tea. But Tolkien would rather be around books. But when they ask him, he agrees to accompany them, and he finds that these boys are in their own way outcasts, much like himself. And so, they build a comradery together, discover their talents and passions (which is some form of art), and form a sort of club called the T.C.B.S. which is an acronym for Tea Club, Barrovian Society (which signified their love for getting together at Barrow’s Department Store in Birmingham, and drinking tea). Their purpose in life would be to change the world through the power of art. They would grow up together, critique each other’s works, encourage, challenge, and refine each other as they transitioned from their formative years into young adulthood. This fellowship would continue as they went to college, and they would meet up and share their latest work. Meanwhile, Tolkien pursues Edith (Lily Collins) and the two begin courting. It is when his grades start slipping that Father Francis restricts him from seeing her at least until he is 21.
When Tolkien goes to school, he has a deep interest in linguistics and through a professor that he ends up admiring, he is able to invent a language. As things go about, the fellowship of four are called out to World War I and it is through the thick of war that Tolkien discovers not only his vulnerabilities and immortality, but really feels evil as a force, a force that teaches him that in all journeys not everyone makes it in the end. It is all of these life changing events and then some that Tolkien is inspired to write “The Hobbit,” which would eventually lead to its blockbuster three-part sequel “The Lord of the Rings.”
My Take:
I enjoyed this movie on a variety of levels. If you are interested in Tolkien’s life and how the events in his life inspired him to write the immortal classics “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” it will be interesting how everything came together. I also liked how the fellowship of the four men strengthened as they matured, and illustrate in Tolkien’s life the reality of Proverbs 27:17 where “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Another thing that I was interested in was the power of language, words, and the meanings and emotions associated with them. Another aspect that I really enjoyed about this film was the development of his spiritual sensibility awakening to the forces of evil during the war. Tolkien understood spiritual warfare and was powerful and effective in illustrating the dynamic. He also understood the fallibility of our human nature and where God comes in in the midst of this. He was effective in demonstrating this dynamic in his works, and it’s not difficult to see why his writings are so popular even today. His understanding and insights into these matters would later on in his life, influence a stubborn willed, highly intellectual atheist, a man by the name of C.S. Lewis.
“Tolkien is rated PG-13 for war violence and runs 1 hour and 52 minutes.
To view a trailer for “Tolkien”, please click on the link below.
Teaser Trailer:
Official Trailer:
“Tolkien” is currently available on Blu-ray, DVD, & multiple streaming services, as well as Redbox kiosk machines.