In an all-around predictable evening at the Oscars (news – web sites), the ragtag heroes of “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” hoisted the fantasy genre to a new artistic high Sunday, earning a record-tying 11 awards, taking best picture and sweeping each of its categories.
Peter Jackson (news), who shepherded J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth saga to the screen, won the best director Oscar and shared the adapted-screenplay award with his two co-writers.
“I think the fact that we had goblins and trolls and wizards and everything else made it hard for people to take it seriously,” Jackson said backstage. “I appreciate that the academy and voters tonight have seen through all that.”
Tolkien’s themes
