Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film

By Jack December 10, 2001 11:49 AM

(SB) - Canadian distributor Alliance Atlantis has mounted a special preview screening Sunday of The Lord of the Rings in Peterborough, Ontario for an eight-year-old fan of the J.R.R. Tolkien book, who is dying of cancer. Today's Toronto Sun reported that it is unlikely that the boy, James Birrell, will be able to see and may not even be alive by the time of the film's release on Dec. 19. His father, Syd Birrell, said that his son had read Tolkien's trilogy twice and his favorite parts "countless" times and obviously relates to the story of the young hero Frodo who fights to avoid becoming corrupted by the power of the evil ring in the story.

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RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by 100% AMERICAN (hellskitchen_@hotmail.com) on December 10, 2001 11:54 AM

That's the best thread I've read on this site yet.

RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on December 10, 2001 12:08 PM

Man, is that depressing, a yeah it is a good thread, at least no one will say something immature.

       Bexley

RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on December 10, 2001 1:07 PM

What a wonderful thing for the film company to do.  Just shows from time to time busines can care. Thanks guys.

RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on December 10, 2001 2:22 PM

That is so sad. There is only one thing worse than a child dying and that is a child that knows he/she is going to die. It just re-affirms to me that there is no god.

RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on December 10, 2001 3:33 PM

OK, I'll take the bait......

I guess it's better than showing him a porno so he doesn't have to see what he'll never get to experience.

OK, I'm an A*****E (plus I'm sure some of you will come up with a few more colorful metaphors). Let me have it!!

P.S. My brother died when he was 11 (leukemia is a bitch)and that was a joke he and I shared.

RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by WOOKIE (No Email) on December 10, 2001 4:28 PM

I think that is great that a dying child will be able to see one of the greatest stories ever told !!!! Even though he hasn't long to live he will go to his resting place knowing there is still magic and kindness left in the world !!!! It really is to bad that he won't be able to see all three movies !!!

RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by orpheusong (orpheusong@ameritech.net) on December 10, 2001 4:38 PM

Thanks to the movie company for showing such compassion; there is nothing more precious than a child.  It makes me proud to be a human.  Bless this child, he deserves so much more...but may this bring him happiness.

RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by Skullfire (hulacete@ubbi.com) on December 10, 2001 10:31 PM

I hope the company isn't using this just for marketing purposes.
And about the lack of God, I'm beginning to think that he(?she, why not?) is a part-time worker.

RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on December 10, 2001 11:42 PM

Although it is a good story your calling it the greatest story ever told is incorrect -- that moniker belongs to a much better movie and story !

RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on December 11, 2001 5:01 AM

What if the movie's crap? he might come out and wish he'd asked to see Episode II or Spiderman or something.

RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by FredHater (fred_hater@hotmail.com) on December 11, 2001 8:28 AM

I've got two tickets to next weeks opening on wednesday sitting right next to me, I want this movie to knock the "Star Wars" series off its pedestal.

RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on December 11, 2001 9:08 AM

ok, yes it is a terribly sad story, but what first struck me was the fact that this kid is 8 yrs old and he has ready the trilogy twice? wow that is quite an accomplishment for one so young who is putting up such a fight, hmmmm.

RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by AXEMAN (bigturnerfish@hotmail.com) on December 11, 2001 10:33 AM

Hey%100 American,

Is this story even better than the one you told about when you received a BJ Surhoff from your neigbour's kid?

RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by FredHater (fred_hater@hotmail.com) on December 11, 2001 12:39 PM

Axeman are you a pederast?

RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on December 11, 2001 3:41 PM

What's ironic about this and the previous post, is that Tolkein was a devout Christian who shared his faith with C. S Lewis, among the best Christian authors of this century.

The themes of good and evil, among which is the corruptible nature of the Ring, come straight from the Bible.  I hope that this story (and perhaps the movie) has made James aware of how much God loves him and that He is waiting for him to come home.

RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on December 11, 2001 11:18 PM

Actually, Tolkien was an atheist who used to sit in the pub with CS Lewis and argue about whether or not God really exists.

RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on December 12, 2001 3:16 AM

Yes, you like a big opening don't you.

RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on December 12, 2001 3:19 AM

I don't think that seeing a simple movie would convince this poor boy  that there is a God more than anything else. He just wants to see a decent movie before he dies.

RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by Shub (No Email) on December 12, 2001 11:40 AM

I think he just wants to see his favorite books come to life.  God probably doesn't even come into the picture in his mind.

RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on December 14, 2001 5:22 AM

Actually I heard that Tolkein was one of those Cthulu nut jobs who molested young children.

Tolkien   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on December 15, 2001 6:02 PM

Actually actually, Tolkien was a Protestant who converted to Catholicism, the religion of his mother.  That made him especially damned among the Fundamentalist Christians, who said that the fantasy-fiction genre he helped develop along with C.S. Lewis and others came straight from Satan the Devil.  That also caused an untold amount of crap to rain down on fans of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS paper-and-pencil game.  You're 14, you're in a Midwestern suburb, you appreciate all the silly conventions of fantasy fiction, and then all of a sudden everyone says you're in league with El Diablo and responsible for every bad-smelling fart around.  Why, it's enough to make you commit a ritual suicide...

RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on December 15, 2001 6:06 PM

Is that so compassionate?  They show a dying kid Part 1 of a TRILOGY and say he'll never be alive to see Parts 2 and 3 covering the whole trio of LORD OF THE RINGS book.  No, kid, you will have croaked by then and the worms will be turning in your gut-flesh.  HA HA HA HA HA HA!  But it's amazing any of us lived to these 21st-century years with the gleaming skyways and the George Jetson-type automobiles...of course the future didn't turn out that way, instead of advancing technology and promoting the space program we chose to pay a trillion dollars in Black welfare to keep us earthbound and go extinct.

RE: Dying Child Is Shown Rings Film   reply

Posted by Skullfire (hulacete@ubbi.com) on December 17, 2001 11:33 AM

I'sure you prefer send all the black people to the space, you racist.