New Line Cinema is currently offering a promotion that will get fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy masterpiece The Lord Of The Rings to break out in sweat. If you go to their website and browse the studio store, chances are you may stumble into an offer for a JVC DVD player. The really cool thing about it is, that the DVD player contains a Promotional DVD for Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring, the eagerly awaited first part of the film adaptation, which will come to theaters on December 19.

Coming in a simple cardboard slip sleeve, the DVD contains an early look at the production and the film. A 14-minute promotional featurette can be found on the disc, covering a number of production aspects with footage that I had not seen before. Consisting of interview footage with cast and

crew members, as well as clips from the film and the set, the contents of this disc is finger-licking good.

The featurette covers selecting the locations for the film, and how New Zealand was used to stand in for Tolkien’s lush and colorful Middle-Earth, as well as the barren areas of Mordor. In another segment, the featurette takes a look at the pre-visualization of the movie with the help of acclaimed Tolkien illustrators John Howe and Alan Lee, and their role in the production design of the movie.

The characters of Middle-Earth are also covered in a section, introducing all the members of the Fellowship individually with interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, as well as Saruman, another main character in the epic story. Also, you can get a glimpse at the orcs and other creatures of Middle-Earth, while the last segment briefly covers the story of the ring.

For fans of the novel and all those who can hardly await the December 19 theatrical release of the movie, this small little promotional item offers a great look at the production and the film. And if I maybe so bold, I predict that this film will easily be the biggest box office hit in New Line’s history. After having seen bits and pieces of the movie I can hardly wait to see the entire movie. Peter Jackson truly seems to have managed the impossible, by bringing Middle-Earth to life the way we all imagined it in our minds. I have no doubt that Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring will be the movie event of the year. If you can’t stand the wait any longer, or if you only want to collect all materials associated with the upcoming phenomenon, this DVD gives you a very cool first look.
Sure, $199 for a DVD with a featurette is a bit steep, but at least, you get a DVD player with it.  :-)