Now read this piece of news in English and answer the questions below.

Most  filmmakers only have to contend with  professional critics. Peter Jackson, director of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, will face millions of long-time readers ready to second-guess his every move in his adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy classic. 

The criticism, carping and kvetching could make the few sour grapes voiced about      "Harry Potter" seem like child's play. Or, Jackson could be hailed as a new hero of     "Middle-Earth" for "The Fellowship of the  Ring," the first installment in his hotly          anticipated cinematic trilogy based on Tolkien's novel. 

Just how anticipated is "The Fellowship of  the Ring," which premiered in London        Monday 10 and will open worldwide  December 19? Hordes of devoted followers have watched each stage of the  movie's production via Web sites in scores of different languages over the past two  years. 

"I've spent the last seven years of my life on this project so far, pouring my heart into every single aspect of it," Jackson said "But I think that's the least we owe to Tolkien and the legions of fans around the globe." 

The criticism leveled at "Harry Potter," which has pulled in over $240 million since its release  November 16, was that director Chris Columbus  stuck too close to the book by author J.K. Rowling. 

But Tolkien fans have an opposite concern -- that Jackson will have strayed too far from the "bible." 

"I've tried to capture the feeling of Tolkien for those  who have read the book," said Jackson, an avowed Tolkien fan. 

"I didn't want to be a totally slavish Tolkien  interpreter," either, he said in a series of interviews to journalists. "It has been equally important to us that the films amaze, surprise and delight people who have never read the books." 

Early raves :

Movie studio New Line Cinema, which along with "Harry Potter" producer Warner Bros. is owned by AOL Time Warner, is hoping that Jackson's high-wire act  translates into the kind of real box office sorcery that "Harry Potter" has conjured. AOL Time Warner also owns CNN.com. 

"The Lord of the Rings" has received raves in early reviews from British critics. 

"Forget Harry Potter, this has the true ring of greatness," the Daily Mail newspaper's film critic, Christopher Tookey, declared. "Critics who gave five-star ratings to Chris Columbus' competent  but  uninspired Harry Potter movie are going to have to find 10 if they are to do justice to 'Fellowship of the Ring,' " he said. 

Jackson and his team of more than 2,400 actors, designers and special effects     people spent two years, and nearly $300 million, making all three films at once in         New Zealand. It has been billed as the first time a director has made a film and two     sequels at the same time. 

The sequels are to be released one at a time at Christmas 2002 and in 2003. The
success of the venture may well depend on how fans receive "The Fellowship." 

Elijah Wood, who plays Frodo Baggins, the hobbit tasked with destroying the dark
lord Sauron's ring of power and saving Middle-Earth, said fans would forgive the
little plot tweaks and omissions required to make a three-hour film out of a book of
hundreds of pages. 

"Most of them will understand why," he said. 

Since its publication over 50 years ago, Tolkien's story of wizards, hobbits, elves,
dwarfs and men caught up in a struggle with evil for the future of Middle-earth has
sold more than 100 million copies. 

The epic has so enchanted many of its readers, the most fanatic of whom call
themselves "true believers," that if a portal were to open between this world and
Middle-earth, it appears they would blithely step through it. 

 "The impulse is being called reactionary now, but lovers of Middle-Earth  want to go there. I would, like a shot," wrote "The Last Unicorn" author Peter S. Beagle in his 1973 foreword to "The Lord of the Rings." 

Previous disappointment : 

With that level of devotion to Tolkien's work, Jackson and his cast knew what they were up against in trying to bring the epic to the screen. Tolkien fans have been disappointed before. Sequels to the 1978 animated version by Ralph Bakshi were abandoned after a lukewarm reception. 

Veteran British actor Ian McKellen, who plays the magisterial wizard Gandalf, said
 the aim this time was to make a film that convinces audiences Middle-earth was
real. "This is neither history nor fiction," he said. "You just believe it." 

But will the "true believers?" 

To ensure that they do, Jackson hired respected Tolkien illustrators Alan Lee and
John Howe to design the films. He also brought in language coaches to teach the
actors to speak Elvish and hired Tolkien scholars as advisors. 

Combine all that with New Zealand's stupendous scenery -- the film at times is like
a picture postcard of the island nation -- and audiences should get the feeling that
they are someplace otherworldly. 

Jackson's prior film credits include the thriller "Heavenly Creatures" and the gory
splatter film "Dead/Alive" (aka "Braindead"). 

His expertise in horror flicks came through strongly in the lavish battle scenes,
which are worthy of films like "Braveheart" or "Gladiator," though they are a bit too
violent for young children. The scene where Boromir (Sean Bean) and Aragorn
(Viggo Mortensen) battle the orc and goblin forces of the turncoat wizard Saruman
 (Christopher Lee) is especially gory. 

But the bottom line is that Jackson has stayed true to Tolkien's major themes --
courage, the power of friendship and the forces of nature overcoming those of
industry -- while keeping a sense of fun. 

"I just made the kind of film I would have wanted to see as a 10-year-old," Jackson
said. "What I hope is that people will see the film and experience what I felt." 

1. Who wrote "Lord of the Rings"?
2. Who is the director of the films based on this novel?
3. Who is the main character? 
4. Which of the  fims - "Harry  Potter" and the  "Lord of the Rings" trilogy  -  has stuck closer to the original story?
5. Where has the film and the two sequels been made?
6. How long have they taken to make the three films?
7. How long ago was the novel published?
8. What has Jackson done to make  the story  convincing?
9. What are the major themes in "Lord of the Rings"?
10.  Has reading the Catalan text helped you answer some of these questions? Which ones?
 
 

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