Incidentally, I don't know whether others who were there will agree (eruanto?), but I think I noticed a curious kind of audience crossover with Lord of the Rings nuts - who must have heard somewhere along the way that the two things aren't altogether, er, disimilar...
I sure hope they weren't hoping for hobbits or Gollum...
to say nothing of Orlando "bloomin' bloons" Bloom
In Tolkien's biography (by Humphrey Carpenter) there appear the following two quotes:
"[Tolkien ...] recounted [to his group of friends the TCBS] horrific episodes from the Norse Völsungasaga, with a passing jibe at Wagner whose interpretation of the myths he held in contempt."
On reading
The Lord of the Rings Rayner Unwin "suggested that it would have to be divided into sections, commenting that in this respect Frodo's ring resembled that of the Nibelungs. [...] The comparison of his ring with the Nibelungenlied and Wagner always annoyed Tolkien; he once said: 'Both rings were round, and there the resemblance ceased'."
I very much suspect that these "nuts" have come to Tolkien through the films alone. By necessity these enterprises cut out much of what sets The Book apart from being just another good/bad-struggle plot.
My own view is that the Wagner and Tolkien are very different things. In the Wagner, the ring is lusted for by those who would use it for evil, selfish purposes: even Wotan, who would presumably use the ring to enhance his own power, and Hagen would use it ultimately to control the world (once he'd bumped off Alberich, maybe?). In Tolkien, the One Ring frequently exerts its power over those who are supposed to be on the "good side", and its influence is such that, whereas they may think that they are acting in their best interests, by claiming the Ring and using it they would cause more detriment than gain. In the end, they would turn into a "Lord of the Ring" themselves, and the process would begin again.
In the preview this appears as a terribly long answer, but the depth of the topic (and there Wagner and Tolkien do share something) is such that it deserves it, I think. I have attempted not to become too involved in the Tolkien side of things, because it is challenging to read about a topic where one may not have the most thorough knowledge...
