समाचार

Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy may be the gold standard for that hallowed fantasy saga, but it isn't the first attempt to adapt J.R.R. Tolkien's famous three-part narrative into a cinematic format. There have actually been quite a few different iterations of that story, some relatively good, some bad, and some downright terrifying.

Among the entries in the Middle-earth annals that fall into that last category is a 1990s gem that came straight out of the Soviet archives. This utterly unique adaptation is titled "Khraniteli" (which translates as "The Keepers" or "The Guardians"). It was produced by Leningrad Television and came out on April 13, 1991, just eight months before the dissolution of the Ussr.

"Khraniteli" was technically released as a children's television program and was considered lost media for decades — until it resurfaced when 5Tv, Leningrad Television's successor, re-released it online for all the world to see in the 2020s.

J.R.R. Tolkien fans across the globe encountered the seemingly impossible last month: a film version of “The Lord of the Rings” they’d never heard of. There was Gollum gargling in his cave. Except that in this version, he’s speaking Russian, sports orange eye-shadow and has what appears to be bright green cabbage leaves pasted to his head.

“Khraniteli,” or “The Protectors,” was an adaptation of “The Fellowship of the Ring” made in the Soviet Union just months before its collapse in 1991. It aired briefly as a televised children’s program before disappearing for 30 years. The two-part, two-hour-long production is enjoying newfound fame since its producer 5Tv, formerly Leningrad TV, posted it online out of the blue. It has racked up a collective 2.3 million views on YouTube as a new generation revels in its accidental campiness and undeniable sincerity.

No one was more shocked that the film had resurfaced than Georgiy Shtil,...