Watch the 1991 Soviet movie adaptation of "Lord of the Rings"

A low-budget movie adaptation of The Lord of the Rings made at the end of the Soviet Union has not only seen new light, but new love.

The 1991 movie aired on Leningrad Television and was believed to be lost in the archives, but workers at the station’s successor found the footage and digitized it.

The film went live on YouTube late last month, much to the delight of J.R.R. Tolkien fans in Russia who pushed broadcasters to search for it — and, now, to the delight of fans around the world.

The New York Times is the latest news outlet to report on the shortcomings of Khraniteli (or The Guardians) and how viewers love these imperfections.

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