PJ wants to do The Hobbit {seriously}

[The Saucepan Man]

I think we finally understand one another, Sir Squatter. <P>Seriously, that was a great post. While I may not share your views on the merits of these films, I largely agree with what you have said.<P>I only take issue with two points that you make:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> ... presenting a substantially altered version of an existing, published work and using it as a vehicle to sell action figures, role-play games, calendars and whatever other bewildering arrays of merchandise have been released on the back of the films. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>I do not believe that these films, in their original conception (and largely in their execution) were intended as a vehicle for commercialisation, crass or otherwise. Yes, they were intended to make money, but then so are most films (and novels for that matter - Tolkien was quite peculiar in this regard). And all of the attendant commercialisation, ranging from action figures, calendars, visual guides and replica One Rings down to the Pringles and KFC endorsements, are an inevitable (albeit regrettable in the case of the aforementioned endorsements) accompaniment to films such as this nowadays. But the production team that worked on these films was, I believe, primarily motivated by the desire to make damn good films. My own opinon is that they succeeded.<P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> I began to get annoyed only when new scenes were written ... That to me is arrogance: the attempt not just to film the book, warts and all, but to 'improve' it <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>I don't believe that the scriptwriters and Jackson, as director, felt that they were "improving" on Tolkien's work. They were simply doing what they felt necessary to adapt it to the big screen. I can understand why they did so, even more so having just watched the documentary on translating the book for the screen on the TTT Extended Edition. The reasons that Jackson and Phillipa Boyens give for the changes that they made seem, in the main, wholly credible to me. Rather than thinking that they could tell a better story than Tolkien, I believe that they genuinely felt that the changes were necessary in order to bring that story to the big screen. Many will feel that they were wrong and that they would have done better by sticking closer to the original, but that is a matter of opinion and should not, in my view, be a reason to impugn their motives. It is clear to me, from watching the documentaries on the TTT Extended Edition, that Jackson and co do have the utmost respect and admiration for Tolkien's works. <P>You are right, of course, that we should not seek to pry into the privacy of the Tolkien family or speculate about the motives of its various members, particularly on the scant information that we have. My point was simply that, if I were Christopher Tolkien (and based on the limited information available), I would rather a film of the Hobbit be made by people that I do belleve have a lot of respect for the source material than by those who do not. While I do not wish for Christopher's death, the rights will become available at some point thereafter (in 30 years or so time at the latest, when the copyright runs out, but more likely sooner), by which time Jackson and co might no longer be in a position to take the project on. <P>Finally, just to pick up on the issue of Ian Holm's suitability to play Bilbo:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> I disagree. I though he looked all right in the prologue. Besides, the continuity would be rather messed up if Bilbo changes appearance. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Believe me, I would have loved to see Ian Holm play the part. I will always identify him with Bilbo. He has taken the role a number of times, most notably (I think) in the BBC audio version. But he is in his seventies now. And given that Bilbo was 50 years old (the equivalent of 30 in human terms) when he set out with Thorin and company, I just cannot see it working. As for continuity, I am sure that there must be a younger actor with a physical resemblance who could play the role credibly. Any ideas anyone?