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The Lord of the Rings is a 1978 American fantasy film directed by Ralph Bakshi. It combines animation and live action footage which is rotoscoped to give it a look more consistent with the rest of the movie. It is an adaptation of the first half of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the film follows a group of hobbits, elves, men, dwarves and wizards who form a fellowship. They embark on a quest to destroy the One Ring made by the Dark Lord Sauron, and ensure his destruction. The film features the voices of William Squire, John Hurt, Michael Graham Cox and Anthony Daniels of Star Wars fame. The screenplay was written by Peter S. Beagle, based on an earlier draft by Chris Conkling. Director Ralph Bakshi encountered Tolkien's writing early in his career, and had made several attempts to produce The Lord of the Rings as an animated film before being given funding by producer Saul Zaentz and distributor United Artists. Although the film was a financial success, it received a mixed reaction from critics, and the original distributors refused to fund a sequel to cover the remainder of the story. However, the film sparked new interest in Tolkien's writing, inspiring the production of several further adaptations of the story. (more...) Recently featured: George Koval – Astonishing Stories – Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia Archive – By email – More featured articles...
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From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that young painted greenlings rest among the tentacles of the strawberry anemone (pictured) and there find protection from predators? ... that racing driver and world champion bobsledder "Suicide Freddie" was an "internationally known Australian playboy" under surveillance by the FBI? ... that the tsunami caused by the 1746 Lima-Callao earthquake destroyed the port of Callao, killing most of its 5,000–6,000 inhabitants, and drove two warships nearly a mile inland over the ruins? ... that at 48 metres (157 ft) high, the Cape Wickham Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in Australia? ... that Jewish athlete Lilli Henoch, winner of ten German track and field championships, was murdered with her mother by the Nazis during the Holocaust? ... that the 1992 film Afterburn was inspired by a 60 Minutes report about an F-16 fighter aircraft's crash? ... that Lynne Carter was the first female impersonator to perform at Carnegie Hall? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

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The Arab League agrees to suspend Syria's membership amid the continued violent crackdown of an internal uprising. Silvio Berlusconi (pictured) resigns as Prime Minister of Italy amid the country's debt crisis. Mexican Secretary of the Interior Francisco Blake Mora is killed in a helicopter crash near Mexico City. Sébastien Loeb wins the World Rally Championship for a record eighth consecutive year. Following the resignation of George Papandreou, Lucas Papademos is sworn in as Prime Minister of Greece. The International Union for Conservation of Nature declares the Western Black Rhinoceros extinct. Andreas Gursky's Rhein II sells at auction for US$4.3 million, becoming the world's most expensive photograph. Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...
On this day...
November 15: Republic Day in Brazil (1889); Shichi-Go-San in Japan 655 – Penda of Mercia was defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria at the Battle of the Winwaed in modern-day Yorkshire, England. 1859 – Sponsored by businessman Evangelos Zappas (pictured), the first modern revival of the Olympic Games took place in Athens, Greece. 1935 – The Commonwealth of the Philippines was officially established, with Manuel L. Quezon inaugurated as its president. 1943 – The Holocaust: Heinrich Himmler ordered that Romanies were to be put "on the same level as Jews and placed in concentration camps". 1983 – Turkish Cypriots on the northeastern portion of Cyprus declared the creation of a new state known as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which currently remains recognised only by Turkey. More anniversaries: November 14 – November 15 – November 16 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now November 15, 2011 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

A 16th-century chiaroscuro woodcut of the Tiburtine Sibyl meeting with Augustus. The mythic meeting between the Roman Emperor and the sibyl (prophetess) of Tibur (now Tivoli), of whom he inquired whether he should be worshiped as a god, was a favored motif of Christian artists. In this scene, she shows him a vision of the Christian heaven.

Artist: Antonio da Trento; Restoration: Adam Cuerden

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