Lord of the Rings Viewing at Stonyhurst
Jonathan Hewat

The children from St. Mary's Hall, Stonyhurst thoroughly enjoyed their 'preview' of 'The Lord of the Ring:Fellowship of the Ring' on Monday at Leicester Square. The film was rated 10/10. A gritty, dark and frightening(in parts - those evil Black Riders!) film. A sure-fire blockbuster. It was an honest effort by Peter Jackson to be true to Tolkien's work. A tricky challenge,however, the cast rose to the occassion with some outstanding performances! My favourite scene? The mines on Moria. Just wait until you see this sequence!! It is a masterpiece and at three hours long you certainly get you money's worth! Breathtaking scenery and special effects. This film has set out its stall and takes cinema to a new level. Hurray!!!

Following their invite to the Monday's highly publicised screening of Lord of the Rings in Leicester Square, London, the children of St. Mary's Hall, Stonyhurst are to act out a scene at Warner Village Cinema, Preston on Wednesday, 19th December explaining the inspiration J.R.R.Tolkien received for his book whilst staying at Stonyhurst College. The children will perform their scene in the foyer of the cinema beofre the first public screening of the film and then go to the projector room to start the film rolling.

The link [between Stonyhurst College and Tolkien] has received much interest with The Times explaining that there was a head-to-head battle between Moseley, Birmingham (where Tolkien was brought up) and Stonyhurst College as to which one was the inspiration for 'Middle Earth'. Nigel Evans M.P. expalined that it was indeed the Ribble Valley and that the Moseley connection was no more that 'Lord of the Ringroads'!

With the much hyped film going on general release on Wednesday, a film shot in New Zealand and financed by an American company, with the Stonyhurst children acting out the 'scene' on Wednesday in Preston, this classic will be returning to its roots!