The Ben Shapiro Show
Taking Down Matt Walsh w/ Rev. Malcolm Guite | LOTR Extended Edition
14 Apr 2025
Ben sits down with Reverend Malcolm Guite for an in-depth breakdown of "Lord of the Rings" like you’ve never seen before—actual analysis, actual depth...the opposite of Walsh's horrible analysis. Tolkien fans, this one’s for you. - - - Today’s Sponsors: Balance of Nature - Go to https://balanceofnature.com and use promo code SHAPIRO for 35% off your first order as a preferred customer, PLUS get a free bottle of Fiber and Spice. Tax Network USA - For a complimentary consultation, call today at 1 (800) 958-1000 or visit their website at https://TNUSA.com/SHAPIRO Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Full Episode
Well, folks, since I'm off for Passover today, I thought that you might enjoy the full interview that I did with Malcolm Gite. He's basically a hobbit who's an expert on Lord of the Rings, like a real expert on pretty much everything Lord of the Rings. It's an awesome interview. It's really enjoyable. And it's a nice break. Reverend Dr. Malcolm Gite, welcome to the show.
Really appreciate your time.
Thank you. Pleasure to be with you. I won't talk about talking to anyone. I'm an enthusiast.
I would have been able to tell that even if you had not told me, which I think speaks for itself. So let's talk about the books. So I will be frank with you that I've only read sections of the books, which is rare for me since I've read a lot of books. And the reason for that is probably Tom Bombadil and the first 150 pages of Fellowship.
Oh, really? Oh, I've just been doing a reading of a bit about Tom Bombadil. But all I can say, if you haven't read it all, is lucky you, you have a great pleasure in store whenever that rich and golden time arrives, when you can get really absorbed in it.
Well, I'm definitely going to start reading it with my kids right now. I have one who's 11 and one who's eight.
Oh, yeah. My dad read The Hobbit to me and then began The Lord of the Rings with me, and I carried it on. But, you know, it's not only a glorious adventure, but You think you're escaping or getting away from the world, but actually at a deep level, you're being given just the kind of wisdom and insight and courage you need for when you go back into the world.
So let's talk about the films and the books. Obviously the vast majority of people at this point who are familiar with Lord of the Rings, kind of in general popular culture, are familiar with it because of the films and the spinoffs. So what are people missing if they've only seen the films, which are really terrific? I think the films are great.
The Lord of the Rings films are great. I wouldn't say the same about The Hobbit, but I definitely think the Lord of the Rings films are great. Partly because the images they took, they used Alan Lee and... I've forgotten his name, the other Ted Naismith's illustrations that went right back and use them. So what are they missing? Well, the first thing is Tolkien was a linguist.
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