On Monday night, the highly anticipated film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring makes its premiere at London’s Leicester Square. Despite early criticism from the family of author J.R.R. Tolkien, the movie’s director, Peter Jackson, is defending his adaptation of the novel.
“We constantly referred to the book, not just in writing the screenplay but also throughout the production,” Jackson told the BBC. “Every time we shot a scene I re-read that part of the book right before, as did the cast.”
One of the film’s stars, actress Liv Tyler, is also raving about the film’s integrity.
“When I finally saw the film, I was floored because it was more than I even expected it would be, and I already had very high expectations,” she told Reuters.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings opens in wide release in the U.S. on Dec. 19.
