Hobbit

[BarbaraN]

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BarbaraN wrote:

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BarbaraN wrote:

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dianaprince wrote:
Click NOW:
http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=ae2b86e5-70ec-44f8-ba2f-f1ac8538e31b

Message Edited by dianaprince on 12-18-2007 01:11 PM

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We're going to get a Hobbit film, we're going to get a Hobbit film!!!!

Great news dianaprince! And in two parts! Where do you suppose they are going to split the story?

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Hobbit Movie

Apparently they are not splitting the book into two parts but are filming The Hobbit and a sequel. OK, same question almost: What is the sequel? I don't know enough about the Middle Earth stuff to know if there is a Hobbit sequel someplace but I sure would love to know what it is.

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I've been doing some research on this. There is a lot of buzz about the movie becoming a reality and not a lot on how they can get a fairly short book like The Hobbit into two long movies. This is one case where we might not be seeing them leaving out a lot of book to fit the theater time-frame. Well, so far this is what I have found:

A brief mention that says the second film will fill in the gap between the end of the Hobbit and the start of LOTR:
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Jackson and his life/creative partner Walsh have always envisioned the big-screen adaptation of The Hobbit as two movies. The first would deal with the 80-year old novel. The second, imagined entirely by Jackson and Walsh, would link the conclusion of The Hobbit to the start of the first Lord of the Rings book, The Fellowship of the Ring.

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This article gives a bit more detail on how that would be done with a link to the web site.. I'm not familiar with all this material so I'm not sure how it all fits:

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2. The Hobbit WILL BE a two part film - but here is the new information - the second film will be influenced by the foundation of "The Silmarillion" and "The History of Middle-earth Series" (which is a 12 part series of books where JRR's son, Christopher Tolkien analyses JRR's old manuscripts; the manuscripts that ultimately led to become "The Silmarillion", "Lord of the Rings" and "Númenor" which is sort of like Atlantis). The second movie will ultimately lead us up to creation of The Fellowship in a graceful and logical fashion! So for all of you out there that thought that "The Hobbit" is too short a story for two feature movies (let alone two Peter Jackson feature movies) then you were right. Before you ask, my source has reminded me that PJ has access to the JRR manuscripts and extensive notes as he did for the LOTR trilogy. These notes were the foundation for the two books mentioned above, but are not the books themselves (which are still in the Tolkien family's hands). I mention the books to better frame what he has in mind. Jackson borrowed from Tolkien's notes for LOTR to build the story he wanted. He will do so again for The Hobbit.

Now that is simply awesome news! There is a great deal of Middle-earth information in those manuscripts and the interpretation of Tolkien's son adds much more content of course. It goes without saying that this has not been officially announced. Peter Jackson will direct "The Hobbit" and it's sequel: This is insider information from sources that are on the battle front and they are staking their reputation on it! I have this info from two separate sources as I have posted before. I have never heard them be so emphatic about something taking place before. The Hobbit in 3D is just the sort of movie to bring 3D to the masses in a big way with Avatar providing the 1-2 punch.

http://marketsaw.blogspot.com/2007/12/exclusive-insider-info-hobbit-avatar.html

[BarbaraN]

This is neat. Find out what your own hobbit name is:

http://www.chriswetherell.com/hobbit/

Mine is Bramblerose Goldworthy of Michel Delving.

[niki]

This site seems to be doing a good job of tracking the development of the Hobbit movie:

http://derhobbit-film.de/indexengl.shtml

[lorien]

Hi! Like many of you I was inspired to read the Lord of the Rings by first seeing the movies. I then followed with the delightful Hobbit book. I received the Annotated Hobbit for Christmas and now I am ready to read The Hobbit again for the first time. I believe that the Hobbits are the backbone of the entire Ring series and give it heart. Without the Hobbits it would be an epic history story of gallant heroes and mighty battle against terrible foes. The hobbits bring the whole series back to the reluctant individual hero and makes the saga personal. That first reluctant hobbit hero is Bilbo Baggins and he sets the pattern for the entire series. I think that is why we most identify with the hobbits. They represent the common everyday person who has an "adventure" thrust upon them. As the story unfolds over the series of books, it shows what the everyday person can do and the difference they can make.

I am looking forward to the discussions here.

[Fanuidhol]

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lorien wrote:
They represent the common everyday person who has an "adventure" thrust upon them. As the story unfolds over the series of books, it shows what the everyday person can do and the difference they can make.

I am looking forward to the discussions here.

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At one point in my life this was the most important theme to me. You're right about the Hobbits being the backbone of LotR. Without them I wouldn't like LotR as much as I do.
Fan

[niki]

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Fanuidhol wrote:

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lorien wrote:
They represent the common everyday person who has an "adventure" thrust upon them. As the story unfolds over the series of books, it shows what the everyday person can do and the difference they can make.

I am looking forward to the discussions here.

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At one point in my life this was the most important theme to me. You're right about the Hobbits being the backbone of LotR. Without them I wouldn't like LotR as much as I do.
Fan

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That may answer my query about why they were not included in the histories of the first and second ages. They are not noticed--just the faceless majority of people who live out their lives and who contribute more than they are recognized for. This may very well be Tolkien's point. Wars and big historical events are literally made by the "big" people. I am finding the Hobbits the most interesting part of the series.

[BarbaraN]

I was watching the extended version of Return of the King last night. It began with a very interesting segment on Gollum. It has been such a long time that I don't remember if it was in the theatrical version. It does go back to when Gollum was Smeagol the Hobbit and how he came upon the Ring. So in some ways it is a preclude to The Hobbit. I also at this point don't remember where this information came from originally, though I did know about it somehow.

[niki]

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BarbaraN wrote:
Read The Annotated Hobbit -- annotated by Douglas A Anderson (on sale for $5.99) first.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=annotated+hobbit&z=y

If you are familiar with Unfinished Tales edited by C. Tolkien, the style is slightly similar, with text notes, etc.
Fan

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Somehow I missed your post, Fan. The Annotated Hobbit on sale for $5.99! Grab it everyone! This is a beautiful $28.00 book! It has tons of information on Tolkien and the creation of the book plus lots of Tolkien's original drawings and watercolors. It looks like we are going to be getting to the Hobbit in February so this wonderful source of information should be on everyone's shelf.

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Brilliant find Fan! Yes, at $5.99 it is a steal. Has a lot of color pictures and original maps drawn by Tolkien. I vote for making "The Annotated Hobbit" our "official" text. That way we can reference pages for each other and discuss some of the excellent notes. Anyone who wants it, though, should pick it up quickly. It is a post holiday sale and may not stay at that price long.

[niki]

I just noticed that Barnes & Noble have the text for the entire "Annotated Hobbit" Introduction online. Well, it looks like most of it.

Go to: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780641835179&itm=1

Then click on "Features."

While we are waiting to get started we can talk about this background material and even people who don't have the book yet can join in.

[lorien]

Inside Tolkien's Hobbit - A Documentary

Last night I watched this documentary. It kind of has a mis-title. There isn't a lot about The Hobbit but it was interesting just the same. It was mainly about Tolkien and how he came to write the books. There were a lot of interviews and comments from his children and people who knew him or wrote about him and also with the main guy. This looked like a fairly old documentary. I was surprised to find out that his eventual publishing of The Hobbit was due to a favorable review by a child reader, who eventually went on to work for Tolkien's publishing house. Tolkien does some readings from his books: in the Hobbit the a section from Bilbo's encounter with Gollum and the Lord of the Rings when the Ents start their march. Tolkien had taken up painting as a "gentleman hobby" and they showed many of his sketches and watercolors. They also talked about his invented languages and how many of his stories were just created around the languages. It was really lovely to hear him speak them.

Apparently wealth and fame came to him late in life and he shyed away from the fame part. I actually got the impression that the most "hobbit" person in documentary was Tolkien himself. He liked the simple country life, was a proper-type fellow, liked to smoke a pipe, felt close to nature and was particularly fond of old trees. He also shunned people and liked the company of his close friends at local pubs or in homes. He liked the quiet life.

His stories and particularly the Hobbit came from his Christmas letters to his children. He had a habit of starting many story projects and never finishing them or going back over things and redoing them. He was meticulous in his details creating detailed, realistic maps, with correct mileages and even phases of the moon. He didn't seem to care about publishing them but stuffed them half finished in many pieces away in draws, which is probably why they keep finding these things. I think these stories were his own fantasy world that he did mainly for his own entertainment.

I don't think you can still purchase this DVD. I got mine from Netflix. This DVD probably wouldn't add anything to the knowledge of someone deeply into Tolkien and his works but to me it was quite interesting.

[BarbaraN]

We will be starting our official reading and discussing of The Hobbit in February. In the meantime, feel free to introduce yourself and join in our pre-Hobbit discussion. The following pre-Hobbit listing is material that will help you prepare for our reading of The Hobbit and afterwards our reading of The Lord of the Rings. Our recommended text is "The Annotated Hobbit" which is on sale right now for $5.99 while supplies last.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780641835179&itm=1

You can also find the Introduction to the book under the "Features" tab at the same address.
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Pre-Hobbit - January

The Man and His Work: Introduction to the Annotated Hobbit.
Hobbits: Prologue to the Lord of the Rings
The Quest of Erebor: In Appendix A of the Annotated Hobbit.
Appendix III: Durin's Folk: In Appendix A of Return of the King
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The Hobbit - February (Recommended text: The Annotated Hobbit)

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The Lord of the Rings - Start date and schedule to be determined later with optional additional readings.

Book One: Trip to Rivendell
Book Two: Elves and the Mines of Moria
Book Three Merry and Pippin's Adventures
Book Four: The Journey of Frodo and Sam
Book Five: The Major Battles
Book Six: Frodo and Sam in Mordor and the Return to the Shire

[niki]

Tolkien certainly spend a long time creating and incubating his stories. I gather these didn't spring to life overnight. He obviously was slow and careful about his creation. The Hobbit was published in 1937. Here is what was happening in Tolkien's life when he started his mythology that was to set in motion his Middle-Earth stories (From Tolkein Gateway):
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Tolkien met and fell in love with Edith Mary Bratt, three years his senior, at the age of sixteen. Father Francis forbade him from meeting, talking, or even corresponding with her until he was twenty-one. He obeyed this prohibition to the letter.

In 1911, while they were at King Edward's School, Birmingham, Tolkien and three friends, Rob Gilson, Geoffrey Smith and Christopher Wiseman, formed a semi-secret society which they called "the T.C.B.S.", the initials standing for "Tea Club and Barrovian Society", alluding to their fondness of drinking tea in Barrow's Stores near the school and, illegally, in the school library. After leaving school, the members stayed in touch, and in December 1914, they held a "Council" in London, at Wiseman's home. For Tolkien, the result of this meeting was a strong dedication to writing poetry.

In the summer of 1911, Tolkien went on holiday in Switzerland, a trip that he recollects vividly in a 1968 letter (Letters, no. 306), noting that Bilbo's journey across the Misty Mountains ("including the glissade down the slithering stones into the pine woods") is directly based on his adventures as their party of twelve hiked from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen, and on to camp in the moraines beyond Mürren. Fifty-seven years later, Tolkien remembers his regret at leaving the view of the eternal snows of Jungfrau and Silberhorn ("the Silvertine (Celebdil) of my dreams"). They went across the Kleine Scheidegg on to Grindelwald and across the Grosse Scheidegg to Meiringen. They continued across the Grimsel Pass and through the upper Valais to Brig, and on to the Aletsch glacier and Zermatt.

[niki]

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BarbaraN wrote:
This is neat. Find out what your own hobbit name is:

http://www.chriswetherell.com/hobbit/

Mine is Bramblerose Goldworthy of Michel Delving.

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I looked mine up and I'm Lily Knotwise of Michel Delving. Hey we are neighbors! But then the Shire isn't all that big.

[niki]

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niki wrote:

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BarbaraN wrote:
This is neat. Find out what your own hobbit name is:

http://www.chriswetherell.com/hobbit/

Mine is Bramblerose Goldworthy of Michel Delving.

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I looked mine up and I'm Lily Knotwise of Michel Delving. Hey we are neighbors! But then the Shire isn't all that big.

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And now I know where it is. It is between West Farthing and West March. Here is a Shire map:

http://www.shirepost.com/ShireMap.html

[niki]

Here is a great history and geography of The Shire.

http://www.tuckborough.net/shire.html

I have no idea where people found out about the pre-Bilbo history.

[lorien]

I don't like mine much! Imagine going around with a name like Myrtle Sandybanks of Frogmorton!

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niki wrote:

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niki wrote:

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BarbaraN wrote:
This is neat. Find out what your own hobbit name is:

http://www.chriswetherell.com/hobbit/

Mine is Bramblerose Goldworthy of Michel Delving.

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I looked mine up and I'm Lily Knotwise of Michel Delving. Hey we are neighbors! But then the Shire isn't all that big.

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And now I know where it is. It is between West Farthing and West March. Here is a Shire map:

http://www.shirepost.com/ShireMap.html

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[lorien]

Neat map of the Shire but I can't even find Frogmorton! I guess I can't go home again.

[Fanuidhol]

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niki wrote:
Here is a great history and geography of The Shire.

http://www.tuckborough.net/shire.html

I have no idea where people found out about the pre-Bilbo history.

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Niki, even though I have lots of resources on all things Tolkien, the most important resource, and the first place I look for something are in the books themselves, and especially the Appendices that follow the end of Return of the King. In this case, the Prologue found at the beginning of Fellowship of the Ring (FotR) and Appendix B: The Third Age found at the end of Return of the King (RotK) are to be that website's sources.
Fan

Message Edited by Fanuidhol on 12-30-2007 07:15 PM

[niki]

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Fanuidhol wrote:

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niki wrote:
Here is a great history and geography of The Shire.

http://www.tuckborough.net/shire.html

I have no idea where people found out about the pre-Bilbo history.

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Niki, even though I have lots of resources on all things Tolkien, the most important resource, and the first place I look for something are in the books themselves, and especially the Appendices that follow the end of Return of the King. In this case, the Prologue found at the beginning of Fellowship of the Ring (FotR) and Appendix B: The Third Age found at the end of Return of the King (RotK) are to be that website's sources.
Fan

Message Edited by Fanuidhol on 12-30-2007 07:15 PM

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Thanks Fan. You are a wealth of information! This Appendix B is very valuable. Now I know where they get a lot information. It is only in outline form but it does lay out the events chronologically. Some of this information might not mean a lot to people who are reading the books for the first time but I think it would to anyone who has seen the LOTR movie or read the LOTR once. In fact it helps clarify some things that were in the movie.

I'm assuming the dating starts with the beginning of the Third Age. (Oops, I just noticed there is a whole section on calendars--Tolkien literally didn't leave anything out of his world!) So for The Hobbit the critical date is the year 2941. And now I know where they are getting the basic outline for the second Hobbit movie. It is all there between the year 2941 and 3001 when the LOTR starts.

I'm on my second reading of The Hobbit-LOTR and I'm almost finished with my second viewing of the LOTR movie but this is the first time through the extended version (which by-the-way is very good). I can see that this second time through is going to be very enjoyable and most productive.

[niki]

I finished the Lord of the Ring epic movie last night (the extended version) and it is really some movie. The climax and ending took the better part of a box of Kleenex. I don't remember the theatrical versions now so I don't know what was added but the whole 12 hours was one seamless movie.

I thought it most useful in filling in some of the gaps in the Hobbit history because these tidbits were woven into the film. Now that I have reached the end I think I might watch it again. It is a good preparation for the series of four Ring books.