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The fascinating memoir of a Hollywood life and an inside look at a life-changing role and the groundbreaking Lord of the Rings films that captured the imagination of movie fans everywhere.

The Lord of the Rings is one of the most successful film franchises in cinematic history.Winner of a record eleven Academy Awards--a clean sweep--and breaking box office records worldwide, the trilogy is a breathtaking cinematic achievement and beloved by fans everywhere.

For Sean Astin, a Hollywood child (his mother is Patty Duke and stepfather is John Astin) who made his feature film debut at 13 in the 1980s classic The Goonies and played the title role in Rudy, the call from his agent about the role of Samwise Gamgee couldn't have come at a better time.His career was at a low point and choice roles were hard to come by.But his 18-month experience in New Zealand with director Peter Jackson and the cast and crew od The Lord of the Rings films would be more than simply a dream-come-true--it would prove to be the challenge of a lifetime.

There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale is the complete memoir of Sean Astin, from his early days in Hollywood to the role that changed his life.Though much has been written about the making of the films, including the techniques and artistry employed to bring Tolkien's vision of life and the various relationships between castmembers, the real story of what took place on the set, the harrowing ordeals of the actors and the unspoken controversy and backstage dealings have never been told.

Sean's experience and candid account of his time filming in New Zealand is unparalleled.More than a companion guide to the Ring films, There and Back Again filled with stories from the set and of the actors involved that have never been revealed before and is an eye-opening look from a Hollywood veteran at the blood, sweat and tears that went into the making of one of the most ambitious films of all time.
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Customer Reviews (111)

review of there and back again
I haven't had a chance to read this yet I'm just tired of getting reminders that I need to review it.

Worth $1...barely
In the "bargain books" bin I spotted "There and Back Again" by Sean Astin for the enticing price of 3 bucks. Sorry, Mr. Astin, not enticing enough. My next visit to the bookstore revealed that the price had dropped to a dollar. I compare what happened next to staying out in the cold for a long period before coming in to a room where someone has the sniffles. I was susceptible and my defenses were down. I bought the book. I intended to pass it on (like a virus) to my sister as a "shout out" to her thorough Lord of the Rings knowledge.

Before I put the book in the mail, I read a few pages. It was interesting enough that I decided to read it all before sending. I had low expectations, but they would have been lower had the "Great Value!" sticker on the cover not been placed directly over the name of the ghostwriter: Joe Laydon. As I read, I thought, "This book has all the bland, voiceless hallmarks of another awful autobiography I've read..." It began to smell like "The Rock Says...," which is up there with the worst books ever inflicted on humankind.

In both cases, I image Mr. Laydon followed his celebrity subject around for two hours with a tape recorder and then banged out the most banal tripe his keyboard would allow, knowing full well that anyone interested in his subject would rather watch it on TV than read about it. The paucity of interesting information over the course of 300 pages is startling. It's like he's writing an insipid high school essay that must meet some length requirement, but instead of using "very" to pad his word count, he says, "Peter Jackson is [fill in the praise]," "[fill in an actor's name] is a classically trained actor who deserves enormous respect," and "no one had ever done project of this scope."

Fine, we've got it. We should have just watched the Lord of the Rings extended DVD with the commentary on. Do I want my dollar back? Nah. It's worth a dollar in laughs now that I've sent it to my sister.

The short and sweet review
This book focuses on Sean's life as an actor and his aspirations and journey toward directing, writing, and more. There are a lot of details about the Lord of the Rings experience and everything that Sean presents is done in an honest and open way, explaining the way he felt about the different circumstances he encountered throughout his career so far and what he's learned since then. We also get a sense of his life as a husband and father. He's a very interesting and introspective character and I was fully entertained by his stories, his insights into the film industry and his family life, and his quest toward accomplishing his future goals. It excites me greatly to watch the remainder of his career unfold from here. His dedication and hard work is truly inspiring!

Apprehensive but glad
I read this with a bit of apprehension after reading several of the reviews listed, and am glad that I did. Not sure if I am reviewing the book or the author, but he put it out there, so these are my thoughts:

The title, yes a genuine glam-grabber from Tolkien, and perhaps a better title would have been from the ending line, "The road goes ever on." The book could have done with a bit more structuring in the first part, or broken up into three main sections: Life up to Peter Jackson, The experiences during LoTR, and Where the Path Leads Next... or something along those lines. The editing, yes well...it is difficult because it is an autobiography to say what should or should not be edited. There was a raw quality in the naive approach to the style that read like you were having a conversation with Astin, so that was good. Perhaps using the word "I" less in the telling of stories of other people within the biography would have gained a bit more momentum.

The honesty was there, perhaps a bit too honest at times. Mr. Astin seems to tell about putting his foot in his mouth at numerous occasions, but somewhere I get the feeling those around him keep him around because they know what he is thinking - for it is always there on his tongue. That may seem negative, but it is not - being 'real' is rare. Points for that! I didn't get the negativity about the other actors around him as mentioned in some reviews, and admittedly read several sections over to see if I missed something. As for his own admittance of being too worrisome, negative, mothering and such - well, if the account is objective to a degree (which I assume is what he attempts here), then these same qualities that he feels may have screwed things up were perhaps the exact qualities Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh sought out when they cast the role of Sam. These negative traits turned out to be strengths, hopefully he realizes that from his own introspective. At least that is what comes across in the book. It sure came across from the films. Let's face it..if nothing else, they knew he could monologue like the devil. The guy could read electronic instructions to a crowd and by the end, have them say, 'Yes! We can program our own VCR!' - this was one thing it was surprising NOT to read within the book. He makes note of other attributes, but never delves into that one.

He does refer to his bad traits in many parts of the book, and although this is not a psychiatry session, uhm... "Welcome to the world Sean, you're just as messed up as the rest of us. Unpack some of the luggage, 'cause every decade we get a whole new set."I found it good that someone put their good and their bad out there. Actors attempt to tap into raw emotions to beef up their performance, and this book was an introspective of his own life before, during and after LoTR. It reads as though the actor is sorting himself out, and attempting to gain some perspective on where to go next with his life and career. He definitely seems torn between what he has learned through the past of show-business, versus what feels right intuitively. He mentions the Hollywood machine, and seems genuinely torn between what he was raised on as the norm, and then admires and admonishes the New Zealand company for creating films with a 'screw it, we're gonna try it another way' attitude. You can tell from the book this was a definite personal struggle in that he both admired how things were getting done during LoTR, and his own conflict of "but back in Hollywood it's done (this) way." The main strength in his life, his wife Christine, is definitively a more positive aspect in his biography, alongside his family. His wife and family are mentioned here, because from the book they appear to be the metaphorical 'adult' holding the dish of candy, reminding him instead of trying all flavors, that maybe just a few would suffice...and if those don't satisfy, THEN try new flavors. Points for also admitting his family helps him sort from the 'candy dish'. Points again for just sharing so much!

Great to see someone be honest in what they think good or bad about them self
I think what he says is, in a way, what we all say about our self sometimes & said in the same imperfect real way, & he said it out loud, that takes guts. And if he sounds a particular way good or bad then we are getting to know a real person not someone pretending to be so modest or pretending to be better or worse then others want us to believe in them. We are getting reality here imo. If he sound a particular way to you then fine, it is interesting even in that because none of us are perfect but how many of us would allow it to be put out there for all to see. Respect to Sean! ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Sean Astin (born February 25, 1971) is an American film actor, director, and producer better known for his film roles as Mikey Walsh in The Goonies, the title character of Rudy, and Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In television, he appeared as Lynn McGill in the fifth season of 24. Most recently, he provided the voice for the title character in Disney's Special Agent Oso. During the 2004 United States presidential election, Astin backed Senator John Kerry and participated in Kerry's campaign rally in Portland, Oregon, as the opening speaker. In the 2008 presidential election, Astin lent his support to Senator Hillary Clinton and made multiple campaign appearances on her behalf, including joining Clinton's daughter Chelsea Clinton at some stops. ... Read more

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Chapters: Robert Redford, Cole Porter, Suzanne Vega, Carolyn Beug, Sean Penn, Sean Astin, Mark Evanier, Christopher Isherwood, Walter Pidgeon, Tobey Maguire, Bobby Shriver, Gillian Welch, Shirley Temple, Chris Mordetzky, Jason Hirsh, Mariska Hargitay, Kenneth Anger, Glenn Ford, Christina Ricci, Jean Simmons, Kevin Love, Randy Rhoads, Misty May-Treanor, Sam Querrey, Steven Blum, Teena Marie, Lynette Fromme, Stephen Moorer, Anjelica Huston, Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, Shelley Fabares, David Robertson, Brian Horwitz, Elonka Dunin, Chris Long, Dave Navarro, Stephen Malkmus, Scott Davis, Barbara Billingsley, David Hayter, Gloria Stuart, Faye Dancer, Amber Tamblyn, Lorenzo Lamas, Robert Trujillo, Ed Fallon, Gerald Heard, Helen K. Garber, Geraldine Chaplin, Pat O'hara, Sara Gilbert, Mike Carona, Miguel Ferrer, Lorna Luft, Dwight Evans, Frank Gifford, Dan Quisenberry, Adam Goldberg, Mark Loretta, Mickey Kaus, Barry Williams, Gunnar Nelson, Michel Colombier, Mike Scott, Donald Rice, Carole Caldwell Graebner, Richard Hatch, Cory Kennedy, Bob Gunton, Susan Olsen, Peter Zinner, Joseph Williams, Dominique Dunne, Beverly Baker Fleitz, Christopher Lawford, Peter Viertel, Bonnie Franklin, Zack Fleishman, Sylvia Levin, Jocelyn Brando, Michael Newberry, Kaleena Kiff, Bobbi Fiedler, Martin Starr, Bobby Sherman, Jeff Bollow, Andrea Savage, Trifun Zivanovic, Tracy Nelson, David Groh, Erin Sanders, Apollonia Kotero, Ronnie Knox, Eli Marienthal, List of People From Santa Monica, California, Dennis Smith, Shiva Rose, Lawrence Dale Bell, Markus Burger, Don Collier, Julia Brownley, C. R. Stecyk, Iii, Linda Gray, Grant Nordman, Blanche Ring, Wolfgang Van Halen, Jeff Madsen, Philippe Cousteau, Jr., Tiffany Stiegler, Kai Forbath, Amber Liu, Mara Corday, Philip R. Craig, Jean Darling, Mark Mancina, Tony Alva, Chris Offutt, Mona Simpson, Carson Daly, Ryan Hurst, Tony Horton, Coco Montoya, Paul Sand, Morgan "Bill" Evans, Richard Eyer, Evan Stafford, Mike Gaechter...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=897049 ... Read more

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Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : Kiefer Sutherland, Sean Astin, Xander Berkeley, Elisha Cuthbert, Leslie Hope, Reiko Aylesworth, Dennis Haysbert, Arnold Vosloo, Lana Parrilla, Annie Wersching, Roger Cross, Louis Lombardi, Sarah Clarke, Vanessa Ferlito, Sarah Wynter, Jude Ciccolella. Non illustré. Mises à jour gratuites en ligne. Extrait : Kiefer Sutherland (Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland) est un acteur canadien né le 21 décembre 1966 à Londres. Sa carrière a été marquée par le film fantastique Dark City d'Alex Proyas et, sur le plan de la célébrité que lui a apportée au début des années 2000 le feuilleton télévisé 24 heures chrono. Dans le rôle de Jack Bauer, il déjoue des projets d'attentat en 24 épisodes de 42 minutes. Kiefer Sutherland est l'arrière petit fils de Thomas Sutherland, fils de Donald Sutherland et de Shirley Douglas qui sont tous deux acteurs canadiens. Il est aussi le petit-fils de Tommy Douglas. Lui et sa sœur jumelle, Rachel, sont nés à Londres pendant que ses parents y travaillaient. Il possède les passeports britannique et canadien, par droit du sol pour le premier et par droit du sang pour le deuxième. Sa famille et lui déménagent ensuite à Los Angeles. Inscrit au lycée français de la ville, Kiefer Sutherland est parfaitement francophone. En 1970, ses parents divorcent et en 1975, il s'installe avec sa mère à Toronto. Là-bas, il suit ses cours supérieurs aux écoles suivantes : St. Andrew's College, Martingrove Collegiate Institute, Harbord Collegiate Institute and Malvern Collegiate Institute. En 2006, plus de 50 films le comptent dans leur distribution, les plus célèbres sont The Lost Boys, Des hommes d'honneur (A Few Good Men), L'Expérience interdite (Flatliners), Young Guns, La Disparue (The Vanishing...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more

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This combo pack features a Blu-ray copy of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers in high definition and a standard DVD version of the film.

Frodo and Samwise press on toward Mordor. Gollum insists on being the guide. Can anyone so corrupted by the ring be trusted? Can Frodo, increasingly under the sway of the ring, even trust himself? Meanwhile, Aragorn, drawing closer to his kingly destiny, rallies forces of good for the battles that must come. Director Peter Jackson delivers an amazing second movie that won 2 Academy Awards® and earned 6 total nominations, including Best Picture. The journey continues. So do the astonishing spectacle and splendor.

Specifications

- Video: 1080p High Definition / 2.4:1

- Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio - English 6.1; Dolby Digital Español 5.1 EX

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DVD Animation featuring Read-Along Subtitles! ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Semana, published by Spanish Publications, Inc. on December 27, 2002. The length of the article is 696 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: La gran batalla: Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. (En Proyeccion).(Resena de pelicula)
Publication: Semana (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 27, 2002
Publisher: Spanish Publications, Inc.
Volume: 8Issue: 513Page: 40(1)

Article Type: Resena de pelicula

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This digital document is an article from Semana, published by Spanish Publications, Inc. on February 15, 2004. The length of the article is 592 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Primera cita.... cincuenta veces.(50 First Dates)(Reseña de película)
Author: Sindy M. Ortega
Publication: Semana (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 15, 2004
Publisher: Spanish Publications, Inc.
Volume: 10Issue: 572Page: 26(1)

Article Type: Reseña de película

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This digital document is an article from Semana, published by Spanish Publications, Inc. on January 25, 2002. The length of the article is 1505 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Pantalla Grande.(películas)(TT: Silver screen.)(TA: motion picture)(Reseña)
Publication: Semana (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 25, 2002
Publisher: Spanish Publications, Inc.
Volume: 8Issue: 465Page: 39

Article Type: Reseña

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