Allow me to begin with a confession: I am a Nerd Of A Certain Age. As such, one of my fondest and earliest geek memories is of Ralph Bakshi’s sweetly strange Lord of the Rings. Though I’d already read the books at that point, and the story was left incomplete, the rotoscope-y goodness and singing orcs stuck with me for years. Turns out, I’m not the only one; Peter Jackson has gone on record as saying it influenced him as a wee Kiwi, which as you know worked out pretty well for nerds and SCA enthusiasts everywhere.
The movie is sort of a pop culture nexus, a place where several strands of geekery intertwine. A young fella named Tim Burton worked on the flick. Legolas was voiced by Anthony Daniels, also known as C3PO. Aragorn was voiced by another gent with major nerd cred — John Hurt, CBE and the first to fall to the titular menace in the Alien films.
And a brilliant, witty gentleman by the name of Peter S. Beagle wrote the screenplay. It’d be awfully nice if they’d pay him what he’s owed for it.
But they haven’t.
Beagle also wrote a little something called The Last Unicorn. Did the screenplay for that flick, too, and filled it with pathos and cleverness and a sly humor all too often lacking in fantasy. Be awfully nice if they’d pay him what he’s owed for that, too.
But they haven’t.
Who are they, and what is going on here? Well, let me tell you. (But first, let me tell you that I’m not a lawyer, I’m not intending to defame anyone, and I’m presenting you this info in good faith the that knowledge is legit. So don’t sue anyone, mmkay? Thanks.)
You either know who Beagle is or you’re in the wrong Internet neighborhood. Author, screenwriter, musician. Hugo winner, Nebula winner, Inkpot winner. And, according to the information provided by his American publishers at Conlan Press, very ill-used by guys in suits.
Apparently, in 1978, producer Saul Zaentz offered Beagle a percentage of the profits on Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings adaptation, but Beagle didn’t get all the promises in writing. He learned from that debacle, though, and got the good stuff in a contract when he did the script for The Last Unicorn; but somehow, though the movie was successful enough to just get a 25th Anniversary Edition and influence generations of nerds like you and me, the company which now owns the rights say they never made any money, so they have none to give him.
It just ain’t right. And this is your chance to educate yourself about the just-ain’t-rightness of it, and maybe do something about it. For more information, go to Conlan Press and see if you can’t sling a little support Mr. Beagle’s way. C’mon. Don’t be a schmendrick. Be a mensch.
Editor-in-Chief’s Note: This is the part where I but in and say that the views and opinions expressed in this article are not those of Pop Culture Zoo blah blah blah. Except in this case the views and opinions expressed in this article are exactly those of Pop Culture Zoo, Joseph Dilworth Jr. and probably anyone else who knows it’s a load of rubbish when a producer and a studio claim a film didn’t make any money. Please visit the link above and lend your support. ‘Nuff said.
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On March 23, 2009, Lisa said:
This article was algebraic! Very informative. I hate it when good creative people get the shaft from the man.
He needs to get a hug from the large sweaty, covered in potato chip crumbs, living in mother’s basement embodiment of the nerd community. (Best. Embodiment. Ever.)
Rhombus!
On March 24, 2009, Irb said:
A cautionary tale with a very Aesop-unfriendly moral: If you give people the benefit of the doubt, they’ll just end up screwing you.
I’m glad Mr. Beagle finally has some folks looking out for his interests. He’s a very talented writer, and deserves far more recognition than he’s ever received.