Rare Russian version of Lord of the Rings resurfaces and it has to been seen to be believed

A rare and bizarre version of Lord of the Rings made in 1991 has resurfaced on YouTube after it was long thought to have been lost.

Kharniteli was a made for Soviet TV version of Tolkein’s first volume of his epic fantasy tale and, let’s just say, it is a million miles away from Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning trilogy of films.

The Russian version of the tale has been split into two parts on YouTube and last for around two hours, which is considerably shorter than Jackson’s. However, you will need to understand Russian to watch as there are no subtitles.

However, the film does appear to encompass the first volume of the saga, The Fellowship of the Ring, but definitely lacks something in the production department - so don’t expect to see anything resembling the epic Battle of Helms Deep or the confrontation with the Balrog in the Mines of Moira.

Therefore only diehard fans of Lord of the Rings will probably be able to follow what is going on in the scenes as apart, from the Hobbits, discernible by their size compared to others, it’s hard to tell what character is supposed to be on screen but we are assured that likes of Gandalf and Bilbo are there.

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That being said a version of Gollum does appear although he looks considerably greener than what many of us would have seen in the Peter Jackson films.

However, there are some elements to it that we can all enjoy such as the great electro score from Andrei Romanov which definitely gives the film a different feel than what we have come to expect from Lord of the Rings.

Another interesting fact, as reported by The Daily Mail, is that Tom Bombadli, a character from the books that was cut from the Hollywood version is featured in this film.

Also, if you are into cheap, baldy made but enjoyable films such as The Room or Troll 2, then this will be right up your street.

The bizarre spectacle, which looks to have been made on a shoestring budget, was first broadcast on Leningrad TV in the early 90s but was reshared on YouTube by 5TV, the modern-day successor to the channel.

The station also made a version of The Hobbit called: The Fantastic Journey of Mister Bilbo Baggins, the Hobbit. Time will tell as to whether that one will ever resurface online.

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