GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
The Hawaii chapter of the Tolkien Society held a "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" premiere party yesterday at the Yum Yum Tree at Ward Centre. Jill Dorsten dressed as Eowyn, Leilani Hinds dressed as Frodo, Pam Rhoten also dressed as Eowyn and Cathy Bertram dressed as an elf. The four were preparing to present a skit based on the "Rings" trilogy.
Tolkien fans gather
to extol the epicThe Hawaii chapter of the Tolkien
Society revels in the fantasy
Shalane Sambor got hooked in the 1960s. Maryann Taporco, just last year.
But the two -- and about 50 others who gathered at a "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" premiere party yesterday at the Yum Yum Tree restaurant in Ward Center -- share what they call a timeless passion for J.R.R. Tolkien and his massive "Rings" trilogy.
"All of us love Tolkien," said Sambor, who was dressed with a flowing silver gown and a crown as the "Rings" character Eowyn.
"He's created an entire world that is very complex and complete," she said. "It crosses all generations and has universal appeal."
Taporco, a freshman at McKinley High School, agreed. The Tolkien books "expand my horizon and imagination," she said.
The party was put on by the Hawaii chapter of the Tolkien Society, which was formed last year in response to an increased interest in the renowned fantasy author. The chapter is modeled after its English parent, a literary organization formed in 1969.
At the chapter's second-ever public event, a diverse group gathered to play "Rings" games, eat a shire feast and chat about the upcoming "Rings" movie, which comes to theaters Wednesday.
"There's so much to like about Tolkien," said Carrie Tribble, a seventh-grader at Punahou School who began reading Tolkien's trilogy just before the first movie in the series was released.
"Instead of writing a book, he wrote a world," she said.
Tribble, barefoot with cutoff pants, a cape and a bushy wig, dressed as the hobbit Frodo for the party.
"Frodo lives," she said, laughing.
Frank Caspino, who started reading Tolkien while in college, said he was a fan long before any blockbuster movies arrived to tell the "Rings" story.
"The books (make) you envision your own movie. I could see everything happening. I could just imagine myself as one of the characters," he said.
Which one? "Gandalf," the trilogy's wise and powerful wizard, he said proudly, which drew laughter and playful scoffs from the group sitting around him.
His daughter, Janelle Kaahanui, who also attended the premiere party, said she started reading the books after she watched the first "Rings" movie.
Valerie Kajiwara, who has read two of the three "Rings" books so far, also started the trilogy after the first movie, "The Fellowship of the Ring," was released in 2001.
"To me, it's really relevant," said Kajiwara, who wore a lacy dress, pointed ears and had painted her fingernails and toenails blue to pose as the elf character Galadriel.
"It's another world -- of fantasy," she said. The movies "help build the awareness of the Tolkien stories."
Barbara Kahana, one of the Hawaii Tolkien Society's founding members, said she is also happy that the movies have drawn a slew of people to read Tolkien.
"There's something for everybody," said Kahana, who estimates she has read the "Rings" trilogy more than 75 times since she got hold of the books four decades ago.
