[Loch-soilleir] our baron was interviewed

[lisabetta]

By Carolina Amengual
The Daily News

Published June 4, 2005
HOUSTON — Willliam H. Butler III, known as Lord William Westcott of Welewen
among fellow members of the Galveston-Clear Lake area chapter of the Society
for Creative Anachronism, has read J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings”
books so many times he could recite Frodo’s and Sam’s adventures without
much effort.

“I probably read it (all three books) 10 to 15 times,” he said.

He also has watched Peter Jackson’s award-winning movies more than once, so
a trip to Houston is a must-do now that the Museum of Natural Science offers
a behind-the-scenes look at Middle Earth.

Starting today, props, jewelry, costumes and weapons used in the trilogy
will be on display at the museum, one of only three venues in the United
States to get the exhibit.

“I cannot wait to see it,” Butler said. “I can’t wait to see the things they
used in the movie close up. The scenery is great, but my favorite thing is
the battle scenes. I’m interested in the construction details.”

Members of the international organization Butler belongs to research and
re-create the medieval and Renaissance times, which explains why many locals
will be involved in hand-to-hand combat, dancing, weaving and spinning
demonstrations at the museum during the exhibit.

Maria Buchanan, a society member from Houston, is coordinating such
demonstrations.

“‘Lord of the Rings’ is a fantasy movie, so it’s not historically accurate,”
she said. “However, they’ve got a pretty wide time period that we cover. We’
ll entertain the public before (people) go into the exhibit.”

Butler, who plans to take his arms and armor to one of the demonstrations,
agrees that there’s a natural tie-in between “Lord of the Rings” and the
SCA.

“We do things that have a similarity to some of the things in the movies,”
he said. “(Also,) a lot of people involved in the SCA read science fiction.
I can’t think of anybody over 20 (in the society) that hasn’t read ‘Lord of
the Rings’ and been fascinated by it.”

+++

"The Lord of the Rings" Exhibit

WHAT: “The Lord of the Rings” Motion Picture Trilogy — The Exhibit.

WHEN: Through Aug. 28.

WHERE: Houston Museum of Natural Science, One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston.

COST: $17.50, adults; $14.50, children ages 3–11 and seniors.

INFORMATION: Call (713) 639-4629 or go to www.hmns.org. Information in
Spanish is available at (713) 639-4603.

DETAILS: The exhibit was developed by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa
Tongarewa in partnership with New Line Cinema.