There was a time, of course, when Sir Peter Jackson wasn’t one of the most famous directors on the planet.
That time is some point prior to the premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which took place on this day 24 years ago at the Odeon in London’s West End.
Before this, Jackson was the man behind one art-house gem (Heavenly Creatures), one supernatural flop (The Frighteners), and three cult video nasties (Bad Taste, Meet The Feebles, and Braindead). He wasn’t even the best-known director from New Zealand at that point (that was Jane Campion or Martin Campbell).
His life wouldn’t be the same after that red carpet event on December 10, 2001, but it’s fair to say cinema, and New Zealand, wouldn’t be the same either.
