There are two types of moviegoers: those who make mad dashes for the aisles before the lights even begin to flicker on, and those who remain calm and respectful in their seats because they know a movie is not truly over until the last credit has rolled.
The majority of the movie-going public seems to readily dismiss the importance of movie credits without much thought.
And any credits beyond the actors, producers and directors do not seem to hold much interest for most audience members, while some people are just oblivious to their mere existence.
Those members of the Saint Louis University community who happened to be one of the millions of individuals who filled theaters to witness the brilliance of J.R.R. Tolkien take form on screen were privy to a bit of SLU history-in-the-making if they opted not to fight the throng of people exiting the theater and stayed to read the credits. Thomas Shippey, a SLU English professor, was among the a handful of schools to whom “Special Thanks” was given in the credits of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
According to Shippey, he was contacted about 18 months ago and asked to provide insight and advice on how to correctly pronounce the names Tolkien used in his writings, “according to Tolkien’s rules.” Shippey had roughly one week to make a videotape in which he had to pronounce several hundred names in the various languages, in which Tolkien wrote.
“It was exhausting work . and you have to get everything dead right,” Shippey said, but he did manage to enjoy it himself. Mastering the languages and abiding by Tolkien’s rules were going to be crucial elements to making the transition from book to screen as smooth and accurate as possible.
As Shippey explained it, the numerous languages Tolkien incorporated into his stories all have their own spelling systems. But the difficulty in his master plan is that any number of the languages, for example that of the Hobbits and that of the Elves, can produce the same word, but the word’s definition and pronunciation may vary in each languages.
“I suppose I was picked because I have extensive professional experience in [the study of] language,” Shippey said. Shippey has authored several pieces focusing specifically on Tolkien and on Medieval literature, fantasy and science fiction, including The Road to Middle Earth in 1982 and J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century in 2000.
“[The actors] got an awful lot of things right,” Shippey commented. He also acknowledged that to say everything correctly, the way Tolkien would have it said, is quite difficult; sometimes getting it right requires being “consistently inconsistent,” Shippey added.
Shippey noted that when he saw the movie, he noticed that the characters spoke in different styles, which indicated the age of the characters; the immortal characters, for example, spoke in old style. Overall, Shippey was impressed with The Lords of the Rings movie and with how those in charge of it strove to be as accurate as possible.
So next time you find yourself in a theater and the credits begin to roll, it might be a good idea to stick around because you never know whose name and influence will appear on the big screen.
