Hobbit pics

[RainOfSteel]

If they made both movies short, like an hour and a half or less each, it could work.

Two extravaganzas at two or three hours each? No.

 

[Mark CMG]

The mid-point of the book, by page-count, is partway through Mirkwood (I happen to be re-reading it now), so you could split it anywhere in that section.

In terms of story composition, probably the best point to make the split would be either as they prepare to enter Mirkwood, or as they emerge.

Don't leave the forest! Wait, that's stay on the road. Or is it, don't trust the elves? Well, that's always good advice.

 

[MarkB]

If they made both movies short, like an hour and a half or less each, it could work.

Two extravaganzas at two or three hours each? No.

I don't see any reason why not. In all likelihood they'll be trimming things even with 4-5 hours to play with.

Let's see:

• Initial meeting and planning at Bilbo's house - anywhere from 20-30 minutes.
• Starting out, wilderness, rainstorm, troll ambush, ventriloquist Gandalf, finding the trolls' loot - 30 minutes.
• Rivendell - 10-15 minutes, could easily go to 20-30 if they let the elves sing.
• Journeying into the Misty Mountains, storm, rock-throwing giants, finding shelter - 10-20 minutes.
• Caught by goblins, facing the Great Goblin, escape and pursuit, mislaying the burglar - 20 minutes.
• Riddles in the dark, outwitting Gollum, out the back door - 20 minutes.
• Catching up with the dwarves, pursuit by wargs, fifteen birds in five fir-trees - 20 minutes.
• Rescue by eagles, escort to Beorn - 5-10 minutes.
• Meeting Beorn, getting into his good graces, rest and resupply, approaching Mirkwood, Gandalf's departure - 25 minutes.

That's a good 3 hours' material right there before even entering Mirkwood, which could probably be edited down to about 2 hours for pacing with judicious cuts.

 

[Mark CMG]

I wonder how much of Radagast the Brown we will see.

 

[MarkB]

I wonder how much of Radagast the Brown we will see.

Has he been cast? I don't recall him receiving more than a passing mention in the novel.

 

[horacethegrey]

Has he been cast? I don't recall him receiving more than a passing mention in the novel.

Played by none other than Sylvester McCoy, whom some of you might remember as the Seventh Doctor from Doctor Who.

 

[Orius]

I can think of three logical spots:

(1) The Misty Mountains, after the Eagles rescue, before Beorn

(2) After departing Beorn's for Mirkwood

(3) After the dwarves are taken by the elves in Mirkwood, but before Bilbo's rescue.

I'd personally vote for #3 ... with Bilbo watching the elves march the dwarves off ...

I like 3 the best, it has the most dramatic potential. While 2 isn't bad, it wouldn't have the same impact of Bilbo watching the dwarves get arrested and imprisoned in Thranduil's halls. Plus at the same time Thorin is missing, so things look bad. It's also near about the halfway point of the book too.

It would be good if the movie touches on Gandalf's reasons for helping Thorin in the first place, he's concerned that Sauron will use Smaug to attack Rivendell. There's enough material in the appendices in RotK for them to work with, and more stuff in Unfinished Tales if they want to dig through that. In fact they could open the movie with that rather than going right to Bilbo, purists will rage over it somewhat, but it helps tie things into LotR.

 

[MarkB]

It would be good if the movie touches on Gandalf's reasons for helping Thorin in the first place, he's concerned that Sauron will use Smaug to attack Rivendell. There's enough material in the appendices in RotK for them to work with, and more stuff in Unfinished Tales if they want to dig through that. In fact they could open the movie with that rather than going right to Bilbo, purists will rage over it somewhat, but it helps tie things into LotR.

One thing that occurred to me that they could do to add material (though as I've mentioned, I don't think they need to) is to actually follow Gandalf's exploits between his departure from the party just before Mirkwood and his return after Smaug's demise. Technically, the assault upon the Necromancer's tower is a part of this story, though Gandalf's recounting of it is brief and vague, and I don't think any more detailed description appears in Tolkien's fiction, making it an ideal area to expand upon.

That would also explain Radagast's appearance, as he took part in those events.

 

[Orius]

The White Council's attack on Sauron is likely to be part of the movie, since IMDB lists Galadriel in the acting credits. It's possible Jackson will reveal that the Necromancer is indeed Sauron as another link to LotR, and naturally including Galadriel here gives them an excuse to put in a female character since there really aren't any in the book. I wonder how much he's going to show of the White Council, just their attack and things they were doing during the Hobbit, or will we get some flashbacks of other things they were doing during the Third Age?

 

[RainOfSteel]

That's a good 3 hours' material right there before even entering Mirkwood [...]

I hope some of those segments aren't that long. I will be going to sleep waiting for the movie to just get on with it.

Hoping for it being shorter:

• Initial meeting and planning at Bilbo's house - anywhere from 10 minutes.
• Starting out, wilderness, rainstorm, troll ambush, ventriloquist Gandalf, finding the trolls' loot - 20 minutes.
• Rivendell - 10 minutes (no singing).
• Journeying into the Misty Mountains, storm, rock-throwing giants, finding shelter - 15 minutes.
• Caught by goblins, facing the Great Goblin, escape and pursuit, mislaying the burglar - 15 minutes.
• Riddles in the dark, outwitting Gollum, out the back door - 15 minutes.
• Catching up with the dwarves, pursuit by wargs, fifteen birds in five fir-trees - 20 minutes.
• Rescue by eagles, escort to Beorn - 5 minutes.
• Meeting Beorn, getting into his good graces, rest and resupply, approaching Mirkwood, Gandalf's departure - 20 minutes.

Hmm, still 130 minutes. Ok, I relent. Two movies it is.