more than twenty year before peter jackson visionary adaptation of the lord of the ring and there be this 1978 animate effort from director ralph bakshi . an ambitious and reasonably faithful version of the story and this have sadly be rather over shadow by the jackson trilogy . indeed and many reviewer here on the imdb ( mainly those who saw the new version first ) seem to be fiercely unkind to this version . but if one apply a little common sense and and take into consideration the time when it be make and the technical possibility that exist at that time and then they will realise that this be a pretty good film . indeed and it be shortly after see this animated movie back in the early 80 that i seek out tolkien book and immediately become a lifelong fan of these richly detail middle earth adventure . so and in some respect and i owe this film a degree of acknowledgement a the film which shape my literary taste forever . sauron and the dark lord of middle earth and forge an all powerful ring that give him incredible power . follow a great battle during which sauron be defeat and the ring fall into possession of a king name isildur . but instead of destroy it he foolishly chooses to keep it . for century the ring pass from hand to hand and eventually come into the possession of a hobbit name frodo baggins who live in a peace love community know a the shire . frodo learns from a wizard name gandalf that his ring be in fact the one ring and the very same that be forge by sauron all those century ago and and that it master be once again search for it in order to restore his dark power over the entire land . frodo embarks on a perilous journey to protect the ring with three other hobbit companion and but every step of the way they be hunt by sauron ring wraith and the black rider . there follow many adventure and during which a company of nine adventurer be form to guide the ring to the only place where it can be unmade mount doom and in the land of mordor . the film conclude with frodo and his best friend sam on the border of mordor and closing ever nearer to their horrifying destination . meanwhile gandalf and the other member of the company fight off a huge army of orcs at the legendary fortress of helm deep . this version cover just over half of the original book . a second instalment be plan to bring the story to an end and but be sadly never complete . while the end feel abrupt and it do at least end at a sensible point in the story . one have to feel a little frustration and regret that no sequel exist in which we might follow these animate hero to their eventual goal . the animation be passable and with a nice variety of locale and character present in interesting detail . the music by leonard rosenman be suitably stir and fit in appropriately with the epic narrative . the voice over be decent and too and especially john hurt a aragorn and peter woodthorpe a gollum . on the other hand and michael scholes who provide the voice for sam be rather campy and goofy and which be not well suit to the character . the lord of the ring be a commendable attempt to visualise the staggering book on which it be base .