A review on the movie “Tolkien”
Language makes us feel powerful
There are some episodes in our lives that make us feel like writers. Haven’t you felt the power of the pen or the page you’re writing on? The words you choose can shape minds. It may seem sarcastic to say humans instinctively and naturally are in love with their handwriting and their talking, but I think it’s true. Language makes us feel powerful. Great civilizations were great because of their language’s impact on millions of people. Although we should consider political and cultural power as influential factors, language is still the one that shapes thoughts, emotions, and ideas.
I think I can wrap up in Three sentences: “Language is a never-will-be-found-the-same phenomenon. It shapes and shows everything about the people of a society. The society that cares about their language and reading will have the power to control the world.”
Have you felt like an anglophile?
There was a while in my life I felt like an anglophile. I actually feel much the same still. My affection for the English language, culture, and people -especially Brits- has never diminished. It started with the songs “I See Fire” and “Galway Girl” by Ed Sheeran. He always fascinates his fans with his songs, especially the album “Divide.” I was amazed at how much a songwriter can think deep. When Taylor Swift‘s album “Lover” came out, my feelings for English found enough strength to look for his identity in the Western world. The piece “London Boy” for instance, has a lot to say about what you feel when you see the influence of a language over yours.
Check this video: Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran Duet on the song “I See fire”
I recommend watching this music video with the playing of Zoey Deutch: “Perfect”
And this one with the playing of Saoirse Ronan: “Galway Girl”
So my story with English culture continued with English movies, especially the movies that Nicholas Hoult acted in. While checking his films, I came across the name “Tolkien.” I wondered if this name is related to the writer of “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings”. When I found out this movie is a biopic based on his life, I was thinking: “How is this possible I haven’t watched this movie until now?” My obsession with the movies, including the main character, a writer, made me watch this movie. But honestly, this movie was beyond my expectations. Far better than I could imagine. You rarely find an actor like Nicholas Hoult who plays with his whole heart. Other examples are Keira Knightley, Zoey Deutch, Lily James, Lily Collins, and Benedict Cumberbatch. Of course, there are lots of other great actors and actresses. I just named a few whose names were on my mind. (I hope you don’t mind me naming.)
Why Britain is great?
I think you’ve heard of “Great Britain”. And from my POV, I should add: ‘It’s great because of the writers like Shakespeare, Dickens, Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, and so on. These people’s names shall never be forgotten as long as the human species hasn’t been extinguished yet.
Language is the lifeblood of a culture, a people
There is always a good mother whose knowledge is rooted in the culture she grew up in. The scene shows where Tolkien’s love for myths came from. It’s passed from his mother to him. His childhood sad stories begin soon. When his mom dies, he and his brother are orphaned. After placing him in boarding school, he encounters his future best friends. They create a fellowship. (T.B.C.S., which stands for Tea Club, Barrovian Society)
One of the movie’s highlights is Tolkien’s romance with Edith Bratt (Lily Collins). There is a long scene in which the two converse about language. This scene is a good example of “the meeting of two passionate minds.” There is no doubt Tolkien was a linguistic prodigy who would end up writing some of the best-selling fantasy books of all time. When he talks, you can feel his passion for philology and his love of myths and legends during the movie.
When he ran after Professor Joseph Wright to help him for the scholarship he needed, he found out that Professor Wright was looking for students with creativity. This is when he shows his made-up stories to him and says: “I made stories, legends. After all, what is language for? It’s not just the naming of things, is it? It’s the lifeblood of a culture, a people.” The professor just needed to hear this from Tolkien to give him an opportunity.
Two Quotes
Professor Wright says: “ Language is never nonsense. Language is meaning. History. Layer upon layer upon layer. And a word without meaning is — what? Merely a sound.” Edith is saying something similar to Tolkien: “Things aren’t beautiful because of how they sound. They’re beautiful because of what they mean. A word isn’t beautiful just because of its sound. It’s the marriage of sound and meaning.” I think these two quotes are enough to show how much the movie is digging into Tolkien’s life.
If you’re interested in reading more, you can try this article: Tolkien
