For a lot of, it may be arduous to acknowledge any adaptation of The Lord of the Rings aside from the Peter Jackson trilogy. For others, nothing will ever examine to the unique works of J.R.R. Tolkien (and understandably so). Nevertheless, there was one adaptation of Tolkien’s Center-earth journey that managed to adapt The Fellowship of the Ring in a approach that Jackson was unwilling to pursue himself. If you happen to’ve by no means heard of Khraniteli, it is most likely as a result of this Soviet-made miniseries (which interprets to Guardians [of the Ring]) by no means aired in America. Regardless of that, this Russian Lord of the Rings is a visit that wasn’t afraid to adapt one of the crucial controversial parts of Tolkien’s unique high-fantasy journey.

‘Khraniteli’ Was the Soviet Union’s Televised ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ Adaptation

Produced by Leningrad Tv, Khraniteli aired through the ultimate days of the Soviet Union and was typically misplaced to time. In actual fact, it wasn’t till 2021 that the two-part tv journey was re-discovered on YouTube, and Tolkien followers have rejoiced ever since. Whereas there may be a lot to be desired about this adaptation in comparison with the Peter Jackson movies by way of visuals, costuming, and common manufacturing worth, Khraniteli does one factor that few variations have had the heart to do: it brings Tom Bombadil into live-action. Performed by Sergei Parshin, Bombadil is as jolly as he ought to be, as he towers over the Hobbits and regularly rescues them from hazard. Neither Ralph Bakshi’s 1978 animated Lord of the Rings nor the Jackson trilogy included something from the guide’s three chapters that middle on the 4 Hobbits’ time at Bombadil’s residence within the Outdated Forest, although this Russian-made manufacturing does so with true model.

In actual fact, Bombadil is a key participant in every installment of the two-part collection, and with out him, the Hobbits would by no means have made it to Bree. Khraniteli appears like a play filmed for tv audiences, however there’s nothing unsuitable with that. As bizarre as this adaptation is, the manufacturing captures a few of what makes The Fellowship of the Ring (significantly the primary half) so nice, specifically by together with Bombadil and people related to him. Whereas the Soviets by no means bought round to creating The Two Towers or The Return of the King, they produced one thing magical right here. Certainly, when reviewing the collection for Leisure Weekly upon its re-discovery, Christian Holub famous, “The Bombadil scene in Khraniteli actually evokes a way of fairy-tale surrealism, as he and his spouse, Goldberry, tower over the miniature hobbits of their heat residence.” That was actually Tolkien’s intent, and it comes throughout clearly right here, singing and all.

Tom Bombadil Made This Soviet ‘Lord of the Rings’ Even Extra Magical

Khraniteli is extremely unusual. For starters, the Hobbits are about the identical peak as the opposite Males or Elves, and among the characters, particularly Valery Dyachenko‘s Frodo, really feel fairly inconsistent with their guide counterparts (typically even between scenes). The particular results are additionally fairly horrible, and far of the costuming feels misplaced. Along with these oddities, Khraniteli additionally makes Tom Bombadil and Goldberry, aka “Zolotinka” (Regina Lialeikite), literal giants who tower over the Hobbits, not as a result of they’re normal-sized people, however as a result of they’re abnormally massive. Nonetheless, the Bombadil scenes are among the greatest elements of the tv particular, largely due to the character’s joyful exterior and his spouse’s heartfelt hospitality — to not point out the novelty of seeing the character in live-action within the first place. In actual fact, the primary half ends with Frodo wandering by way of the forest and being chased by the Barrow-wights, cementing how necessary Bombadil’s involvement is to the plot of Khraniteli.

Sadly, Khraniteli ends with a cliffhanger, like so many variations of The Lord of the Rings earlier than it. After Frodo and Sam (Vladimir Matveev) go away the Fellowship behind, that is it for this iteration. We do not know if Frodo makes it to Mordor or what turns into of the remainder of the Fellowship. Greater than seemingly, the autumn of the Soviet Union later that yr crushed any probabilities that Leningrad Tv needed to proceed the narrative, and so we have been left with this unusual, historic time capsule of a Russian-made Lord of the Rings. Positive, it was the primary live-action look of Tom Bombadil — who can be performed by Esko Hukkanen just a few years later within the Finnish collection Hobitit and ultimately Rory Kinnear in Amazon’s prequel undertaking, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Energy — however Khraniteli is in any other case most notable for its sudden discovery and the pure oddness of the manufacturing itself.

Khraniteli is on the market for streaming at no cost on YouTube.