9 September 2012
Well, I don't think Im alone in saying I'm extremely excited about the new Hobbit Movie coming out on the 14th December this year. I also doubt I'm alone in saying I have a few concerns about it.
Firstly, and this is the most obvious one, but I am of course nervous about the three film aspect. I didn't have any worries about the two film idea at all. Some thought it was stretching it, but it is a complex book with so much room for embellishment. Not to mention the Silmarillion and Lord of the Rings Appendices material which is being added in. However, when PJ* mentioned it would be three films, I must admit I got a bit nervous and hoped he would change his mind. Unfortunately he was unable to detect my mental vibes, and so went for it and, in my mind at least, took a great plunge into the Perilous Realm!
However, as the time has gone by I've learned to accept that this could still work very well if done correctly, with enough material and without stretching it too thin. Fingers crossed he will do a good job. Yet I am a bit puzzled as to where the film might end. The original plan was the Barrels out of Bond sequence, but I have reason to believe that this is no longer the case. There was a scroll tapestry sort of thing released on the official blog a while back that showed the key scenes of the adventure up to the barrel scene, however a new version of that scroll has been released on the app, and it only goes up to them being rescued by eagles at the end of Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire. Is this the new ending point? This means that there should be no White Council scenes till the second film because Gandalf doesn't leave Thorin and Company until they reach Mirkwood which comes a little later in the story. If anyone can enlighten me on this, please do!
My second concern is the songs. PJ has said that there will be more of Tolkien's songs included in the films. There were a few in the Lord of the Rings, although the songs were much edited, but if they hadn't of been we'd still be waiting for the end now! These were handled very well by Howard Shore, the masterful composer who did the Lord of the Rings score and has returned to do the Hobbit, and also by the actors who performed them (Billy Boyd, Vigo Mortensen, Dominic Monohan, even Ian McKellen briefly in the extended edition. There are others but these are the main ones who spring to mind.) From the trailer we have already heard Far Over the Misty Mountains Cold, or at least a part of, for nobody is quite sure whether this is the full version or not. I know some people who hope it isn't and that it goes on for much longer, for it is indeed very good. We need not worry about that song, but I know nothing about the rest. I truly hope I am not embarrassed by any of them, as the potential is there for disaster. We, as human beings, are highly critical of the human voice, almost instinctively, and if done badly can ruin a film.
These are really all my concerns at the moment. Feel free to add a few in the comments section if you have any. Otherwise, I am highly excited. If you're looking for something to keep you going until December, and have reread the book, get the Hobbit Movies app on the App Store. It's not got a huge amount we don't already know, but it has got some new screenshots, a very nice, interactive map of Middle Earth, and some 360 degrees views of Bag End and the Shire, which are very nicely made. It also has the Production Blogs (8 so far) there, which you've probably already seen, but it's nice to have them all in one place. Until then, 'Goodbye, my dear follower- until our next meeting!'
*- PJ= Peter Jackson, director of The Hobbit.
The Hobbit • Opuss № I