And Now It's Time to Say Good-bye...

McKellen and many other actors. Of course, the real gravy will come when Peter himself starts getting out and about and talking about his project. This is, more than anyone else's, his baby. He should be immensely proud of what he's accomplished (unless it's determined that all the money spent in New Zealand for these movies is responsible for the current inflation rate, then an "Oops!" might be in order). And what has Jackson accomplished? That's easy. He's the first director in history to film three movies concurrently (although one must ask what went into the 84-hour "Cure for Insomnia"). He and his collaborators are the first screenplay writers to bring out a three-film script based on the book everyone believes cannot be translated to film (and these movies may yet prove that). Peter Jackson has also broadly expanded the New Zealand film industry. Renaissance Pictures moved into New Zealand years ago to produce Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and subsequently Xena: Warrior Princess (and a couple other shows that didn't make it). They capitalized on the rebirth (or true birth) of New Zealand's film and television industry which had started with the production of the internationally distributed Shortland Street. But Jackson is the power who made the difference. He's put New Zealand on the map in a way the earlier productions haven't. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that more overseas Net surfers read The New Zealand Herald online than actual New Zealanders. And as with any big budget movie, Peter Jackson has found ways to do things that have never been done before. These new techniques, barely heard of and understood by the fans, will undoubtedly influence movie making for years to come. The same is true of "Star Wars". Industrial Light & Magic, one of the all-time leading special effects houses, was created by George Lucas because he couldn't find anyone who was capable of doing what he needed doing. "Jurassic Park" all but put the model makers and go-motion animators out of business. People have had to retool and retrain for CGI since that movie proved it could be done. And what do these films mean to us, the fans? I sense almost total dread and despair in Tolkien fandom even today. Why? Because the movies are not faithful to the books. We knew from the beginning that they couldn't be faithful to the books. But fandom is diverse, and there are many

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