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There can be no
question: it is a cinematic masterpiece; a milestone in the history of
moving images. I am talking about Peter Jackson’s ‘Lord of the Rings’
trilogy, and, despite the multiple endings to the final part of the
trilogy - ‘The Return of the King’ - nothing is lost when you
consider the totality of the project. I couldn’t thus resist from
having that half-man, half-beast and totally schizophrenic creature
Gollum in the fore ground of this month’s cover.
It seems that
another king is going to return in 2004. It will be 50 years ago next
year, in 1954, that Elvis sauntered into the studio and recorded
‘That’s All Right’ which many consider to be the big bang of rock and
roll. So expect the usual anniversary celebrations and reports of
sightings of the King by shepherds on hillsides and wise men from the
north. My sighting of Elvis is taken from the famous 1963 screen
print of the legend by Andy Warhol.
For every king there
must be a queen and who else but Marilyn could equal the iconic status
of Elvis? This collage is taken from a study by the artist Mimmo
Rotella, completed in 1962, a year of Marilyn’s death.
Whilst Elvis is trying to gun Gollum down and Dylan looks
inquisitively at the unheavenly creature, Marilyn just wants to take
him home and cover him in kisses. Diamonds may be easily had and they
may be a girl’s best friend but, for a Steptoe Senior look-alike who
prefers thongs to Y-fronts, there’s nothing quite like a search of
middle-earth for a golden ring to complete your set. Is there, my
precious? |