Web survey charts Rings' appeal

Frodo and friends: Researchers want to find out just what the appeal of the Lord of the Rings is

The appeal of wizards, elves and dark lords is being investigated by an Aberystwyth academic in an internet survey on the Lord of the Rings film phenomenon.

The final part of Peter Jackson's film trilogy is released next month when audiences are expected to flock to cinemas to see if the world of the peace-loving hobbits of Middle Earth will be trampled by the brutal forces of Mordor.

Professor Martin Barker from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth is leading the analysis of filmgoers' response to The Return of the King and is expecting 100,000 responses to a web-based questionnaire.

Central to the investigation is the question: "Where, in your imagination, is Middle Earth?"

Twenty researchers around the world will be looking at pre-publicity and media coverage of the film. They will collate responses to the multi-lingual questionnaire and conduct follow-up interviews.

Professor Barke is interested in just how the fantasy film based on a book written 50 years ago connects with people's lives.

There are lots of different locations for people in their imaginations but we don't know yet because we have never asked this before Professor Martin Barker

"The first two films were enormous international box office successes, yet they pose some interesting questions," he said.

"The background and mythology for Lord of The Rings are undeniably English, yet it has been filmed on location in New Zealand with financial backing from Hollywood.

"We will be asking questions about where people think Middle Earth is, when they feel the story is set, how they relate to this fantasy world and how does the film give people a sense of the world they belong to?"

It is the latest in a series of studies by the professor, which have focused on audience responses to controversial films such as Crash and Being John Malkovich.

But the extensive Lord of the Rings study will be the first international one of its kind and has been made possible by a wide network of contacts built up over a number of years.

He said that some people associated US President George Bush as The Lord of Mordor in Tolkien's fantasy.

"One of the reasons we started this research was a funny email that circulated the world a year ago which was entitled 'Frodo has failed'."

President Bush has been compared to one of Tolkien's characters

"When you opened it you found a picture of George Bush wearing the ring."

And where do people think Middle Earth is?

"People tell us it is a Norse myth and people in eastern European countries place it somewhere in Poland.

"There are lots of different locations for people in their imaginations but we don't know yet because we have never asked this before."

The survey starts this month and continues until December 2004 when its findings will be discussed at a conference in Aberystwyth.