Carta 207

Easter was over, the "Dutch incense" dissipated, and Tolkien said he would now get busy on the Story-line. First though, pleading ignorance of the jargon, he asked Unwin just what a "story-line" was and its function in the process.

If a story-line was simple directions to picture-producers then he would not waste his time on it. However, the document gave Tolkien grave anxiety about the actual dialogue to be used. Zimmerman was hasty, insensitive, impertinent, and quite incapable of adapting the "spoken words" of the book. It was evident to Tolkien that Zimmerman had only skimmed The Lord of the Rings and then constructed his story-line from partly confused memories. He got most of the names wrong (Borimor for Boromir) or misapplied (Radagast became an Eagle). Characters were introduced with little reference to the book.

Tolkien was very unhappy with the extreme silliness and incompetence, and the complete lack of respect for the original. But Tolkien said that soon he would very much need money and was conscious of Unwins rights and interests. He would endeavour to restrain himself and make no comments to Forrest J. Ackerman except through Unwin and with his assent.

1. Esta ficha se ha importado inicialmente de TolkienGateway.net el día 27/05/2026.