Tolkien explores the formative years of the orphaned author as he finds friendship, love and artistic inspiration among a group of fellow outcasts at school.

Of the soundtrack, composer Thomas Newman (Skyfall, Wall-E, Finding Nemo, Six Feet Under) says: “Because J.R.R. Tolkien is embedded in popular culture, and because his work and outlook have been the subjects of much interpretation, I wanted to write music for Tolkien that would honor his ethos, his individualism, without being slavish to it. The musical vocabulary draws from a wide swath of instrumental and vocal colors, from winds with string accompaniment to solo voice in hushed pianissimo. There is Swedish kantélé, mandolin and monochord intersecting bell rhythms and piano-derived ambiances. The object is to give musical identity to the nascent feelings of the young storyteller from Birmingham, only just beginning to stretch his wings. And because much of the story is seen through the prism of his time spent in the trenches of World War I, there is that parallel experience of epic conflict that deepens my feeling for his language and, I hope, lets sound, noise, and melody rise up and sing.” 

Directed by Dome Karukoski and written by David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford, Tolkien explores the formative years of the renowned author's life as he finds friendship, courage, and inspiration among a fellow group of writers and artists at school. Their brotherhood strengthens as they grow up and whether love and loss together, including Tolkien's tumultuous courtship of his beloved Edith Bratt, until the outbreak of the First World War which threatens to tear their fellowship apart. All of these experiences would later inspire Tolkien to write his famous Middle-earth novels, like The Hobbit and Lord of The Rings.

This is a limited edition of 500 numbered copies on gold & black marbled vinyl. The LP package contains a 4-page booklet with images, credits and an introduction/prologue by Dome Karukoski, the director of Tolkien.