Sir Peter Jackson turns 51 today! The beloved and award-winning director, producer, and screenwriter of The Lord of the Rings trilogy is no doubt busy making the final touches on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey for its world premiere in Wellington, New Zealand on November 28, 2012.
All of us here at the Middle-earth News wish Peter Jackson a very happy birthday, and some of our reporters have chimed in with their own tributes! Evie Bowman (@EvieBowman on Twitter) rifled through her copy of the latest Empire Magazine and found quotes about PJ from people involved in the Hobbit films.
We welcome fans to submit their birthday wishes as well!
Steve “Rifflo” Fitch – @HobbitSteve
It would be no surprise that my favorite Peter Jackson film would be The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. To me, this is the ultimate conclusion to an epic trilogy.
Return of the King was not dominated by CGI and other computer generations but also included astonishing set designs. Not since movies of the golden age has a director and studio gone to great lengths to bring to life such a large scale in scenery such as Rohan, Rivendell, and of course Hobbiton. This approach has so much more substance and is not as obvious and cold as a movie filled with a CGI world.
In recent years, the writing in Hollywood had become stale and unoriginal. It just seemed like they weren’t trying anymore. Peter was able to create the perfect adaptation from the vast amount of information. He even was able to expand on characters such as Arwen seamlessly adding more depth to the already abundant story.
Peter Jackson has inspired me proving that there are still creative and driven people in Hollywood that care for both their movie and the fans.
Britta – @TolkienBritta
Braindead (Dead Alive) and The Frighteners were the first of Sir Peter Jackson’s films I ever saw, followed by Meet the Feebles (which is easily my favourite of his films). In his earlier days, Jackson was a director with a flair for gore and distastefulness. With Sam Raimi being cited as one of his influences, it was easy to picture him going down a similar route. But after I saw Heavenly Creatures, a film based on the true story of the 1954 Parker-Hulme murder case, I realised Jackson’s talent and imagination had no limitation. Not long afterward, he made the riskiest move of his career and turned J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved Lord of the Rings into three full-length films. Given that these books have been referred to as being “unfilmable,” and although much was left out or altered to cater to the demands of the studio (as well as time constraints), I believe Jackson did a commendable job, and the Lord of the Rings films are still among my favourites to day.
In addition to his contributions to film, Sir Peter Jackson has performed many charitable deeds, from donating money to stem cell research, to buying an old church slated for demolition, and most recently, rallying to support the West Memphis Three. While many other celebrities hoard their money and their time, thus alienating themselves from their fans, Jackson has continued to remain humble and down-to-earth, despite his continuing success.
Here’s hoping PJ has a very wonderful birthday, followed by many more great films!
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