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10th January 2014

Tolkien documentary films at Exeter College

A documentary about the life of JRR Tolkien, his inspirations and influences has been filmed at Exeter College this week.

John Howe, illustrator and conceptual designer on Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies presents the five-part documentary that takes viewers to the heart of Tolkien’s work and heroic fantasies.

One episode is set in Oxford, where the origin of JRR Tolkien as a writer, his student days and his time as an Oxford don are explored.

JRR Tolkien came to Exeter in 1911 to read Classics, but later changed to English Language and Literature. He was active in many clubs and societies at Exeter, during and after his time as a student. It was in Exeter’s library that Tolkien discovered a book on Finnish grammar that inspired a lifelong fascination with Scandinavian languages and mythology that was instrumental in his creation of “Middle-earth”.

The documentary is expected to air in the autumn of 2014. The title is as yet unconfirmed.

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