Pete's Writings

Circa 2004.  The Anglican Bishop of Waikato, David Moxon, often gets the comment from the press regarding The Lord of the Rings. There is no perceivable religious content in the movie, they say – “surely it’s just a good fairy story”. To which he replies, “It is a very good fairy story, but there are many different depths to it and the author himself wrote out of the depths of his Christian heart, leaving many signs of his faith embedded in his work.” Bishop David gave two public lectures in Hamilton and Lower Hutt since the release of The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001, with approximately 300 people attending each. He also spoke to university groups, church youth groups, an Anglican Schools Conference, Parish groups and study groups in the Waikato and Taranaki area. He says there is no intentional spiritual thrust in the novel. Rather, “there are hundreds of spiritual echoes and images which reflect Gospel truth, much like a collage or the refraction of colours from white light.”

A fantasy film has never won the Academy Award for best picture, but this year looks likely to set a precedent. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King topped the list of Academy Award nominations following the film’s strong showing during award season in Hollywood. Associated Press reports that British bookmakers Ladbrokes said The Return of the King is hot favourite to scoop the best picture Oscar giving the film 1/3 odds and the bookmaker is offering the same odds for New Zealand-born director Peter Jackson to win the best director award. Two days before the nominations were announced the film scooped the Golden Globes Awards organised by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, traditionally seen as an indicator to who will go on to win Oscars. The film won Best Picture-drama, Best Director for Jackson, and best song and musical score awards. Over the last two months, the movie has picked up critical recognition for Jackson and the ensemble cast, and has been named the be

Circa 2002.  The Academy award nominations were announced on February 12 with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring grabbing 13 nominations. The Lord of the Rings, based on Catholic author J.R Tolkien’s trilogy of novels about good versus evil, was filmed in New Zealand during the late 1990’s and beginning of the millennium. Nominations for the film include Best Picture, Director (for Peter Jackson) and Supporting Actor for Sir Ian McKellen as wizard Gandalf. The Fellowship of the Ring Peter Jackson, speaking on TV One’s Breakfast show, was delighted with the result, having nervously anticipated the announcement while watching it live on BBC. While not interested in award ceremonies, Jackson will attend the Academy Awards on March 25. The Academy Awards or Oscars are held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are considered the most prestigious award show in the film industry. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which competed with The Fellowship of t