Documentary explores Tolkien and Lewis friendship at Oxford

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 13 Oct, 13:08 · Archive

A five-part documentary examines the decades-long friendship between JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis.

A new documentary series, The Forge of Friendship: JRR Tolkien & CS Lewis, will examine the decades-long relationship between the two writers. The five-part series was created by three friends: director-writer Jock Peterson, director-cinematographer Ralph Linhardt, and director of development Kirk Manton. They premiered the first episode at the Amarillo International Film Festival in Texas, where they discussed the importance of true friendship.

According to the filmmakers, the second episode of the series reveals that Tolkien and Lewis's friendship began with a disagreement. Mr Linhardt said: 'If you don't have friends who you're connected with, no matter what you think, even if you disagree with them, and you think differently, you will not achieve what you're doing.' Mr Manton noted that many young people who have seen the documentary at colleges are surprised by the idea of being friends with people they disagree with.

The creators themselves exemplify the type of friendship they celebrate in the documentary. Though they sometimes disagreed whilst making the series over years and across continents, they believe these disagreements improved their work. Both Tolkien and Lewis died more than fifty years ago but continue to significantly influence contemporary culture through adaptations of their work, including Netflix's The Magician's Nephew, directed by Greta Gerwig, and Amazon's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

How it is being reported

• New documentary shines light on Toklein and CS Lewis's lifelong friendshipA new documentary is set to explore the friendship between JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis during their time at Oxford University.Oxfordshire Guardian · 13 Oct, 12:30
• New documentary shines light on Toklein and CS Lewis's lifelong friendshipA new documentary is set to explore the friendship between JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis during their time at Oxford University.Oxford Mail · 13 Oct, 12:30

In this story: JRR Tolkien · CS Lewis · Oxford University · Jock Peterson · Ralph Linhardt · Kirk Manton

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