Lord of the Rings: Soviet-Style

It began with the writing of The Lord of the Rings. Three volumes were given to J. R. R. Tolkien, immortal, wisest, and fairest of all fantasy writers, though he saw his epic as one complete work. Multiple adaptations followed over the years. One was given to Jeff Bezos, a great builder and hoarder of gold. And three, three films were given to director Peter Jackson in the early 2000s — movies that, above all else, achieved commercial success. For within these tales were bound the strength and worth of Tolkien’s astounding literary vision, which has kept The Lord of the Rings the most enduring work of fantasy literature in history.

But they were all of them deceived. For another adaptation was made. In the land of the Soviet Union, in that polity’s dying throes, the team of director Natalya Serebryakova forged in secret its own adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring, the first of the work’s three volumes: Khraniteli, or “Keepers of the Ring,” made for Soviet public television. And into this adaptation, they poured lousy special effects, baffling casting and production choices . . . and an undeniable charm and unexpected faithfulness to certain parts of the source material that ultimately endeared me to the final product.

About the Author

Jack Butler

Jack Butler is a former submissions editor at National Review.

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It began with the writing of The Lord of the Rings. Three volumes were given to J. R. R. Tolkien, immortal, wisest, and fairest of all fantasy writers, though he saw his epic as one complete work. Multiple adaptations followed over the years. One was given to Jeff Bezos, a great builder and hoarder of gold. And three, three films were given to director Peter Jackson in the early 2000s — movies that, above all else, achieved commercial success. For within these tales were bound the strength and worth of Tolkien’s astounding literary vision, which has kept The Lord of the Rings the most enduring work of fantasy literature in history.

But they were all of them deceived. For another adaptation was made. In the land of the Soviet Union, in that polity’s dying throes, the team of director Natalya Serebryakova forged in secret its own adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring, the first of the work’s three volumes: Khraniteli, or “Keepers of the Ring,” made for Soviet public television. And into this adaptation, they poured lousy special effects, baffling casting and production choices . . . and an undeniable charm and unexpected faithfulness to certain parts of the source material that ultimately endeared me to the final product.