The Hunt for Gollum: Tracking issues of fandom cultures

Authors

  • Robin Anne Reid Texas A&M University-Commerce

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2009.0162

Keywords:

Adaptation, Appropriation, Fan community, Fan film, Filmmaking, J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

Abstract

The fan-produced film The Hunt for Gollum (Independent Online Cinema, 2009) was released May 3, 2009, for free viewing on the Internet, garnering much interest from The Lord of the Rings fan communities and fan reviewers. Reviews of the film—whether in major science fiction fan communities, on the film's page in the Internet Movie Database, or in individual blogs and LiveJournals—have been positive to glowing. The consensus seems to be that the film is atypical of fan productions because of its professional production values. What the reviewers fail to consider are circumstances of production and reception that relate to gender differences in fan and mainstream culture. To address this lack, I first discuss the film as a fan production, then question how choices made by the creators regarding media and genre and the critical reception can be situated in the broader context of gender.

Author Biography

Robin Anne Reid, Texas A&M University-Commerce

Professor, Creative Writing and Critical Theory, Department of Literature and Languages.

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Published

2009-09-15

Issue

Vol. 3 (2009)

Section

Symposium

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