Inching closer to The Hobbit film

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by Mister Underhill

The problem I foresee for a two-part adaptation is that part two would be battle heavy: the White Council's attack on Dol Guldur, Smaug running amok on Dale, and then of course the Battle of Five Armies. I suppose if you tweak and fuss you might be able to climax the first film with the attack on Dol Guldur, perhaps intercut with Bilbo & Co defeating the spiders only to be taken prisoner by Elves, as a sort of cliffhanger.

Of course, it's easy to see how the story of poor little Bilbo might get a little lost amidst all those fireworks.

And another Downer Daddy peeks out from the perambulating rounds of the Parental Abyss. How's the tyke, Mr. Underhill? Any signs of any Took forebears?

Gosh, doesn't this make three Downer sons? Four and we've got the start of a Fellowship!

Indeed, that is one of my concerns, too many battles, as with my boredom with RotK. Plus too much screen time to Aragorn and Legolas. I saw a comment recently where someone suggested that Jackson might have Arwen in Rivendell teach the dwarves and Bilbo some barrel rolling.

[Mister Underhill]

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

Any signs of any Took forebears?

Aye, he's already far too fond of adventure and mischief to be from the respectable side of the Baggins tree. A strong dash of Tookishness for sure, I reckon.

Originally Posted by Bb

Plus too much screen time to Aragorn and Legolas. I saw a comment recently where someone suggested that Jackson might have Arwen in Rivendell teach the dwarves and Bilbo some barrel rolling.

I don't see how you could get much more than a cameo from the two LotR heartthrobs, unless maybe Aragorn shows up at the attack on Dol Guldur. Come to think of it, who better than Lego to make the shot that brings Smaug down, perhaps after leaping aboard the great wyrm's wing and then taking a few acrobatic twirls around his midsection.

[HerenIstarion]

Originally Posted by Mister Underhill

Aragorn shows up at the attack on Dol Guldur.

2931 Aragorn son of Arathorn II born on March 1st.
2941 The White Council meets; Saruman agrees to an attack on Dol Guldur, since he now wishes to prevent Sauron from searching the River. Sauron having made his plans abandons Dol Guldur.

At the age of 10?... Though I would not put it past 'filmmakers' to tweak it a bit, why not if just a dozenful of years later another entry reads as

2956 Aragorn meets Gandalf and their friendship begins.

How's the son? and wife of course too. Any new pictures? Have you read TH to him yet? In Engish or Russian?

A little trouble with bronchial tubes for last two months but otherwise ok
http://www.geocities.com/gl_century/...s/DSC02417.jpg
Read bits (English) - he tends to take away the book and play with it (= tear it apart with no malicious intentions, just for the fun of it)

Aye, he's already far too fond of adventure and mischief to be from the respectable side of the Baggins tree. A strong dash of Tookishness for sure, I reckon.

If mine were not a wizardling as he is coming from HerenIstarion, I would sign my name under the quote

Another difference is that I do not climb the five-hundred steps each day to better see the lowly world from my Ivory Tower in the Sky

You're too harsh with us. After all a movie may be a cash harvest and therefore a 'success', but that doesn't mean it won't be a ruin of a book. That last part we (I at least) begrudge the possible potential likely filmmakers.

Besides, with regards to 'kids movie that is going to fail' - Narnia movie has been made targeting kids for an audince and came out better for that (I believe) and did not fail financially either, did it?

[davem]

Originally Posted by HerenIstarion

Besides, with regards to 'kids movie that is going to fail' - Narnia movie has been made targeting kids for an audince and came out better for that (I believe) and did not fail financially either, did it?

Exactly - you don't have to aim a movie at seven year olds, but you do have to make a movie that suitable for, & understandable by, seven year olds. The idea that something that 'belongs' to children will be taken from them & turned into 'adult' (or at least teenage) fare, is depressing & simply unfair. And it would be done simply to boost the profits of New Line & Warner.

The idea of a Hobbit movie with the kind of graphic violence & horror we saw in the LotR movies is just unacceptable to me.

[Sauron the White]

from HerenIstarion

You're too harsh with us. After all a movie may be a cash harvest and therefore a 'success', but that doesn't mean it won't be a ruin of a book. That last part we (I at least) begrudge the possible potential likely filmmakers.

Besides, with regards to 'kids movie that is going to fail' - Narnia movie has been made targeting kids for an audince and came out better for that (I believe) and did not fail financially either, did it?
__________________

I certainly do not want a book to be ruined. But I wonder how that can happen since the book will still exist as the book regardless of any film. But I do concede the validity of your concern. Nobody wants to see something they love turned into a travesty.

Regarding Narnia - I simply loathe almost any book or film which kisses the collective behinds of kids by thrusting children into the role of heroes as Narnia did. I taught school for 33 years- the first ten from grades 6 through 8 and then high school. The idea of the average kid, or even above average child saving the world is truly absurd. Most of these kids have difficulty going through simple daily tasks let alone saving the world. Remembering the proper books and supplies to bring to class is a major chore and too much for many of them. I cringe when I see Narnia age children outdueling evil adults with mystical powers. I rooted for the burglars in HOME ALONE.

Of course, THE HOBBIT is not handicapped by children in the lead roles or in hero roles. I would have no problem with a HOBBIT that had the tone of NARNIA or ET.

I cannot forsee the future but I would expect that Jackson (if it is PJ) would attempt to synthisize the world we already know through the first 3 LOTR films with what we know of THE HOBBIT. I imagine that Jackson and the writers will make much of the true fact that JRRT himself attempted to update his tale and make it more consistent with LOTR and they will do the same. I would hope that much of the whimsy and sweetness of the tale is kept while expanding the Five Armies sequence or adding other elements to fill in the blanks.

[HerenIstarion]

Originally Posted by Sauron the White

Most of these kids have difficulty going through simple daily tasks let alone saving the world.

That's what makes them good books for me and probably for them. You can't aspire to something you can do perfectly well on daily basis yourself. I can't model my behavior and be thrilled by a story of a man who ate his eggs and bacon, went to the office, sat out boring morning there doing his duty reasonably well, than dined, slacked a little as you can't work well on full stomach, did the rest of his duty half-as-well as in the morning and than went home to do homely chores. I'm that man, I don't need a guide there. His story doesn't give me 'trembling inside' The very impossibility (or is it? why? have we been there and tried? what if we did if we did if you follow my meaning, merciful sir?) is what attracts in the books of the kind.

Bilbo (and Frodo for the matter) was as unlikely 'to do a hero' as any kid would be to save the world (see above about what ifs, though), but the very fact they actually did is what makes it most astonishing wonderful

I suppose that you (with full respect to your experience as a teacher yet still) underastimate what children are capable of perceiving. As far as I remember (and been reading since age of six, starting with Three Musketeers I believe), I always was able to detect things that were 'conditional', but as soon as they were part of the 'rules' which worked within given book, they were ok. Willing suspension of disbelief I believe (pun intended ) the process have been called by Tolkien

If I wanted a book about myself as I am in this time and place, I'd read something along realism lines. But I know the parts of myself revealed by my daily life well enough. I need different mirror.

[Sauron the White]

HerenIstarion ... I do understand your point about not wanting to see all of our mundane daily existences played out on the screen. Perfectly clear on that and I agree with you. My point about kids as heroes is that it is way off the end of the Absurd-O-Meter. The average ten year old kid cannot even take the trash out thirty feet from the house and will sit there letting it stink up the house for days as long as they can still play their mindless video games. If you give them a two week assignment in class, you had better have daily reminders stressing how much time has passed and how close that deadline is. And then when the day arrives be prepared to read several poorly written notes from parents asking for extensions due to the most extreme of emergencies. I once (back in the early 70's) had a kid in junior high bring in a parental note asking to retake the final exam because they had polio over the weekend. Thats POLIO for heavens sake. Nobody gets polio for a few days and then recovers.

So watching some self absorbed pre-adolescents save the world is just not my cup of tea. That one middle kid in Narnia drove me absolutely crazy. I wanted him to get killed in the worst sort of way. He screws up everything for his brothers and sisters due to his own faults and then whines about it while everyone struggles to pull his bacon out of the fire. Gimmeabreak.

Yes, there are highly intelligent exceptional children. But tell me of an instance in reality where they saved the world.

Bilbo (and Frodo for the matter) was as unlikely 'to do a hero' as any kid would be to save the world (see above about what ifs, though), but the very fact they actually did is what makes it most astonishing wonderful

I would take issue with this. Bilbo and Frodo were not children. The possessed reason, maturity and intelligence and used it. They are part of the tradition used by many writers of having onrdinary people placed into extraordinary events and seeing them rise to the occassion. Stephen King has made a nice living off of that formula.

[Nazgûl-king]

I hope they do a good job on The Hobbit film, whenever they do it. Though I hope they include Beorn! He's my favorite character from that book.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Yeah Beorn would be nice, but he's not my favourite character.