Monday: "Fellowship of the Ring" (2001, 178 min.)

Tuesday: "The Two Towers" (2002, 179 min.)

Wednesday: "The Return of the King" (2003, 201 min.)

Time: 7 p.m.

Place: Filene Room of Pettigrew Hall, Bates College

Admission: Free, open to the public

FMI: 207-786-8294

Thursday: Lecture on "Filming the Lord of the Rings: How Peter Jackson Coped with J.R.R. Tolkien"

Time: 7 p.m.

Place: Olin Arts Center, Bates College

Admission: Free, open to the public

FMI: 207-786-6135 or olinarts@bates.edu

LEWISTON - A leading Tolkien scholar will give a lecture Thursday at Bates College following a three-day Tolkien Film Festival that will begin Monday.

Thomas Shippey will give his talk, "Filming the Lord of the Rings: How Peter Jackson Coped with J.R.R. Tolkien," at 7 p.m. in the Olin Arts Center on Russell Street.

The public is invited to attend the talk, followed by a reception in the Olin lobby, free of charge.

Shippey's primary areas of focus are medieval literature, especially the earliest literature of Anglo-Saxon England, and modern fantasy and science fiction. These interests merge in his two much-reprinted and translated books on J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Road to Middle Earth: How J.R.R. Tolkien Created a New Mythology" and "J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century."

All three film screenings will begin at 7 p.m. and will be held in the Filene Room of Pettigrew Hall, 75 College St., Bates College. The public can attend at no cost.

Day One of the Tolkien Film Festival, Monday, Oct. 22, features "Fellowship of the Ring" (2001, 178 min.), the first of director Peter Jackson's three films based on Tolkien's epic "The Lord of the Rings."

Day Two, Tuesday, Oct. 23, features "The Two Towers" (2002, 179 min.).

Day Three, Wednesday, Oct. 24, features "The Return of the King" (2003, 201 min.), the final installment in Jackson's trilogy.

Shippey's talk is sponsored by the English department, the college lectures committee, the interdisciplinary studies program and the humanities division. The Tolkien Film Festival is sponsored by the college's information and library services.