The Hobbit 30 Day Challenge - Day 11

Which Scene Scares You The Most?

http://www.thelandofshadow.com

The scene that scares me the most is the Mirkwood Spiders.

I pretty much freak out at itsy bitsy spiders that are feet away from me, so imagine gigantic ugly spiders that can talk.  

The Horror!

Bilbo is pretty impressive in that scene (kudos to Martin Freeman) and he's pretty good with that sword.  He does rescue his friends, our intrepid band of dwarves, from being spidey snacks.

There are also some great spider battle scene with Thorin and the dwarves.

I was on the edge of my seat seeing those huge fangs coming at me in 3D HFR Imax. 

Runner up for scariest

The Eyebrows

Thanks to Empire Online and Youko

The Hobbit 30 Day Challenge - Day 7

Your Opinion On Bilbo Keeping the Arkenstone from Thorin?

There Be Spoilers

Especially if you haven’t read the book, but also if you haven’t seen the Desolation of Smaug. You have been warned.

SPOILERS  SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

I’m glad this question was asked.  I will confess now that Bilbo is not my favorite character in The Hobbit. I don’t particularly like the Bilbo from the last third of the book, I have a better opinion of Bilbo in the films, and that’s thanks to Martin Freeman.  

In the book Bilbo has absolutely no understanding of what the Arkenstone means to Thorin and the dwarves.  It’s not just a pretty, sparkling, stone, as he thinks, but represents everything the dwarves lost when Smaug drove them out of their home, leaving them destitute and homeless.  The Arkenstone is also Thorin’s scepter, the badge of kingship. And it’s a memento from his grandfather, a family heirloom.

Bilbo finds the stone quite by accident, he's not tasked with searching for it as in the film. He sees the stone and knows right away it has to be the one the dwarves are talking about:

“Now I am a burglar indeed” thought he, “But I suppose I must tell the dwarves about it – some time. They did say I could pick and choose my own share; and I think I would choose this, if they took all the rest.”  

Meanwhile the dwarves are showering Bilbo with gifts, among them the coat of mithril that Frodo will wear in LOTR.  All this time Thorin is silently looking for the Arkenstone and worrying about it. And all this time Bilbo has the Arkenstone in his pocket and knows he does, and still he says nothing.

But of course, anyone but Bilbo would understand that the dwarves didn’t mean he should take the Arkenstone as his share, not only because it represents the royal house of Durin, but because it has great sentimental and personal meaning for Thorin and for all the dwarves.
  
Yes, some may say Thorin by this point had become even more stubborn and set in his ways, determined not to share any of “his” treasure with anyone he deemed undeserving.  So if this is what was worrying Bilbo, why didn’t he give the Arkenstone to Balin, who he liked and trusted by this point in the journey, and who always looked out for him.  There’s certainly an opportunity for Bilbo to do so, because at one point in the book he and Balin go off alone.  Why didn’t he do so? I don’t think it had anything to do with Thorin’s increasing intransigence, it all had to do with Bilbo also coveting the Arkenstone.
  

Bilbo was wrong to keep it from the dwarves. The Arkenstone was not his to keep, it belonged to the Heirs of Durin and to all the dwarves.

Now I imagine some of you or most of you think that Thorin was just terrible for not offering to give money right away to the survivors of Smaug's wrath and the poor victims of Laketown. But who really is responsible for Smaug wanting to take revenge on the town?  Bilbo is.  When he chats with Smaug when first meeting him, Bilbo describes himself as “barrel-rider” thus giving away to the dragon that the men of Laketown helped him and dwarves reach Erebor.

The worse thing Bilbo does is not that he keeps the Arkenstone from Thorin. To my mind and heart the unforgivable thing that he does is betray his friends and adopted brother dwarves by giving the Arkenstone to the armed camp outside the mountain, and the dreaded Elves.  At this point in the story the dwarves have fully taken Bilbo in as one of their own, and Thorin certainly praises him at every turn and relies on him.  Bilbo secretly leaving Erebor and giving the Arkenstone so Bard and the others can use it against Thorin is a clear betrayal of friendship and loyalty.

I can understand Bilbo wanting to avoid a conflict, and feeling trapped by Thorin’s unwillingness to compromise. Maybe in some misguided way he thought he was helping the dwarves. I do agree with Bilbo that the people of Laketown deserved assistance for their suffering and that Thorin was wrong. But Bard and the elves were wrong also to show up armed to the teeth instead of coming unarmed in friendship to the dwarves.  Bilbo could have left the mountain and joined Bard if he didn’t believe in the dwarves anymore, or try to find Gandalf and ask him to help stop the violence. He had other choices. Bilbo really accomplished nothing by keeping the Arkenstone from Thorin and may have made matters worse. By his actions Bilbo certainly didn’t bring peace and reconciliation. 

I really think Thorin was too forgiving towards Bilbo at the very end.  I agree with Thorin earlier when he says to Bilbo: “What have you to say, you descendant of rats?”

In summary, I disagree with every action Bilbo takes with the Arkenstone, from the moment he finds it, to keeping it from Thorin and the others, to giving it to Bard and the Elvenking to blackmail Thorin.

Now, to deal briefly with the changes in the film. The more I think about it, the more I believe that either Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, or Philippa Boyens must agree with me a little about Bilbo doing wrong.  Why do I think so? Because in film 2, at the end, Smaug gives Bilbo a much better reason, a reason based on friendship and caring that is not in the book, to keep the Arkenstone from Thorin.

I’m curious to see what will happen in Hobbit 3.

(J.R.R. Tolkien meant for Bilbo to be the hero I suppose? I suppose we disagree)




Please check out the creator of The Hobbit 30 Day Challenge at the link below:

http://peregrint.tumblr.com/post/14786959121/my-the-hobbit-30-day-challenge

Something I Really Missed During The Hobbit DOS PR for All the Premieres

Please bring this comedy team back next year Warner Bros

My New Guilty Pleasure - Fav Clips from 60 Seconds with Richard Armitage and Martin Freeman

I love that Martin makes Richard laugh

From RichardArmitageNet.com

Thorin and Kili In Your Home! Hobbit Security Service

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009TA5DZE?ie=UTF8&creativeASIN=B009TA5DZE&linkCode=xm2&tag=wwwrichardarm-20

I think my bedroom is overdue for some redecorating and these "Dwarf Sized" cutouts may be just the special touch I've been looking for.

http://www.amazon.com/Kili-The-Dwarf-Lifesize-Cardboard/dp/B009TA5CV4

Uncle Thorin and nephew Kili are obviously ready for action. 

I'm thinking they would also provide extra security for the home. Would a burglar go into your home if they had to face both these intense guys??  I mean dwarves!! 

Burglar

 A Hobbit Security Service brought to you by Thorin's family

 Image from Heirs of Durin

More Great Interviews Surfacing from Comic-Con - Richard Armitage Talks More About Thorin Oakenshield

Thorin Oakenshield from Artist JBarrero on DeviantArt

More Great Interview Videos Surfacing - thanks to RichardArmitageNet.com and Allocine.fr interviews with Richard Armitage, Martin Freeman, and Andy Serkis.


Below in this video from Allocine.fr two wonderful clips of Richard Armitage talking about his character Thorin Oakenshield and working with Peter Jackson.  


Armitage should make a documentary where he talks exclusively about acting. Many great actors can't really explain how they do what they do. Some can talk about acting, but in a way that's unreachable for a general audience. Some get so wrapped up in how great they are they forget to relate to their audience.


Richard Armitage however is a treasure. Not only is he very articulate about his own work, and how actors work, but he does it in a way that's accessible to us all. He also manages to be humble and a true gentleman always. Amazingly he retains his sense of wonder in his work and shares this with us. 


But he's not a naive dreamer. Richard is also very aware of the  irony of the moment, if you can understand what I mean. I do adore his sense of humor and love that special twinkle in his eyes.


He has a great sense of the beauty of words and of creating poetic images with those words. We can feel it comes naturally to him, this is the way he sees the world. In many of the SDCC interviews and also in Video Blog #8 we see beautiful examples of this when he's talking about working on The Hobbit and being Thorin. He's such a pleasure to listen to.

My Favorite Photo of HobbitCon Today So Far... and Video Interviews with Richard Armitage

Bilbo, Thorin, and Gollum

Thanks to Cinerd

https://twitter.com/cinerdweb/status/224242457397833730/photo/1


and my favorite interview so far from Fandango:

Another lovely interview by Richard Armitage our Thorin:

I really realized today how much I missed listening to Richard Armitage talk about his work. Today has been such a pleasure, and such fun to share with my dear fellow fans. Thanks to TheOneRing.net for making it possible for all of us not actually there to feel so much part of the HobbitCon experience. 

Update: Thanks to Quickbeam from TheOneRing.net Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens answer the hot dwarves question:

RAndom Observations About Hobbit Video Blog #7

Richard Armitage is Hot, Hot, Hot

Thank you Peter Jackson for another interesting and fun Video Blog this week.  After watching the video a few times here are a few moments that caught my attention:

I like Kili's (Aidan Turner) retro hair clip. My mother used those and I'm surprised they are still on the market. 

Wouldn't get too close to him
with that torch. 


We've been here
before.

 I don't remember Bilbo having an entourage in the book. 

Can't the poor man get away from water? Somehow I think that facial expression is what they call method acting.

It's good to be with old friends. 

Looking forward to the next Video Blog in a few weeks. Thank you Peter Jackson.


Screencaps from Heirs of Durin and RichardArmitageNet.com

______

More great Armitage Watching this weekend starting with Guy Friday and Saturday with Spooks (MI5). For all the details click on the links below:


http://distractedinreality.wordpress.com/2012/06/07/global-armitage-watching-or-mora-is-better/


http://armitagewatch.blogspot.com/

Voices Part V - More of The Hobbit Cast: Poetry and Humor

I continue my occasional Voices series with more of the cast of The Hobbit.  I'm always interested in the effect of an actors voice on the roles they play and on the audience, and also love to find poetry readings or audio books by favorite actors.  I'm also curious about the cast of The Hobbit and hope to continue my exploration of their voice work  while they work on the films, the first one is scheduled to open in 2012.

I've probably seen  more of Benedict Cumberbatch's television work than that of any other young British actor.  For some reason U.S. Public Television stations have acquired almost everything that Mr. Cumberbatch has made in the last few years.  So I'm very familiar with him as an actor, though I know nothing of him personally.  I've seen him in period and contemporary dramas and he's a very versatile and excellent actor.  He has a very deep and often mellifluous voice which I enjoy.  

Recently there's been a flurry of news when his Sherlock co-star, Martin Freeman, mentioned, before any official announcement, that he was also cast in The Hobbit. The rumor mills and predictions are going full force, and most seem to think he has been cast as the voice of the dragon, Smaug.  Oddly enough, I've never seen Benedict Cumberbatch play a true villain, so if he is Smaug, this will be interesting. 

Calexora mentioned in a comment on Voices Part IV below that she was curious about his voice. Below you can listen to Benedict Cumberbatch reading the poem Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge: 

Update on June 16, 2011:  Benedict Cumberbatch will be the voice of Smaug in The Hobbit:

http://www.slashfilm.com/benedict-cumberbatch-voicing-smaug-the-hobbit/

I tried to find readings of any kind with Martin Freeman to listen to his voice in an unexpected role, but so far have been unsuccessful.  But I did find this clip, apparently in answer to an interview question, that sounds to me more like a monologue from a one man play called "Martin Freeman".  Mr. Freeman is obviously a naturally funny man, but having seen him in Sherlock, I also now know he's a very good dramatic actor.  I can't wait to see him as Bilbo Baggins.


Martin Freeman- I Would Cook Jesus Pasta:

When Sherlock aired in the U.S. on PBS (Public Television) in 2010 I wrote my impressions of the program, before I knew either actor would be cast for The Hobbit. To read my post click on the link:
http://whiterosewritings.blogspot.com/2010/10/elementary-my-dear.html


Would a post about The Hobbit be complete without the great man himself! No, I don't mean Peter Jackson, though he is a great man also, I mean J.R.R. Tolkien himself,  author of  The Hobbit and Lord of The Rings and creator of a fantasy world that can seem just as real as the one we all inhabit. Below is a video clip of Tolkien reading a poem in Elvish, a language he created:

Below is a translation of the poem that was posted in the comment section of the above video:

For now the Kindler, Varda, the Queen of the stars,

From Mount Everwhite has uplifted her hands like clouds

And all paths are drowned deep in shadow;

And out of a grey country darkness lies

On the foaming waves between us,

And mist covers the jewels of Calacirya for ever.

Now lost, lost to those of the East is Valimar!

Farewell! Maybe thou shalt find Valimar!

Maybe even thou shalt find it! Farewell!

From all accounts Ian Holm will also be in The Hobbit as the old Bilbo.  It's going to be a treat for all Lord of the Rings movie fans to see him again, and to see him in the same films with Martin Freeman playing the younger Bilbo.  I've seen Ian Holm through the years in everything from Shakespeare to playing Napoleon Bonaparte, from comedy to drama, and he never fails to give an amazing performance. He also has a very distinctive voice, and though he can inhabit a role, you always know it's Ian Holm.  In the video below he reads "There's Hope..." a poem by Anno Birkin (1981-2001).

Of course, I can't have a post that mentions The Hobbit without mentioning my favorite voice of all, Richard Armitage, who is playing Thorin Oakenshield.  Below is one of my favorite readings by RA, I often listen to it if I feel particularly melancholic.  The poem is called "Code Poem for the French Resistance : The Life that I Have" by  Leo Marks:

There are several videos of RA reading this poem, but I was inspired to make my own little version.


The poem itself has a very interesting history.  The poem is really a poem code or poem cipher written/created by Leo Marks, who was a cryptographer during World War II.  Marks wrote the poem for use by agents during the war. The poem was also about Marks former girlfriend who died in a plane crash.  A very appropriate poem for Lucas North I think.  


To read more about the curious story of this romantic poem and the fascinating people involved, check out the links below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_Samuel_Marks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violette_Szabo

I hope to continue the Voices series of posts and to continue to feature more actors from The Hobbit. Would love your comments as always.

Elementary My Dear

Yikes! I didn't realize it’s been so long since I posted. 

I was lucky enough Sunday night to watch my favorite Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke in a repeat of the old series just before watching the new BBC series “Sherlock” a 21^st Century version of the world’s most well known detective.  I hope one day to write about Jeremy Brett and Sherlock Holmes, but today I want to write about the new series and the first episode. 

Usually I’m not a big fan of changing the time period of my favorite books or plays.  I prefer the original.  Even Shakespeare which seems to constantly be modernized only works for me occasionally (“West Side Story”, Kurasawa’s “Throne of Blood” and “Ran”, “Shakespeare Re-told” are a few).

I didn’t buy the modern Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as Conan Doyle’s creation, but I did buy them as an enjoyable addition to Masterpiece Mystery on PBS (U.S. Public Television) and British TV detectives.

As the new Sherlock, Benedict Cumberbatch is rather sexy . I must confess I’ve seen him in many UK TV productions and though he’s a very good actor, this is the first time I’ve found him sexy.  (Isn’t Benedict Cumberbatch a wonderful British name! Good thing he’s a British actor, if he was here in the US they would have told him to change his name to Ben Batch).   He does a marvelous job of capturing the literary Holmes' hyper activity and arrogance, but makes the character his own by not taking on any of the mannerism of film and TV Sherlock’s we know so well.  I felt this Sherlock comes across as the tortured artist in some way more than the calculating detective. But I liked the fact I couldn’t really compare him with Jeremy Brett’s performance or any other Holmes. This character is very 21^st Century, right down to the nicotine patch!

I was most curious about seeing Martin Freeman in the role of Dr. Watson since he’s just been cast as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit. I had seen him in “The Old Curiosity Shop” and in brief scenes of The Office, but nothing more before. Movie Star in the making Freeman is a very modern Watson.  Though Cumberbatch’s  character retains most of the Sherlockian canon,  this John Watson is a new creation, both by the scriptwriters and Mr. Freeman.  No buffoon here like some of the earlier movie Watson’s, and no cozy and fatherly Watson like Edward Hardwicke’s portrayal.  This is a Watson who is a man to be reckoned with, a doctor, a soldier, a man’s man in some ways.  Makes a great contrast to the free spirited and uncontrollable Sherlock.   

Greatly enjoyed seeing the always reliable Rupert Graves as DI Lestrade looking very handsomely boyish with gray hair. (If only I looked prettily girlish in mine!  I worship the gods of hair color.)  I also love the scenes with Holmes brother Mycroft who apparently is a member of MI5 or 6! (Calling Harry Pearce!).

Why is it that men can do wonders with those scarves, wrapping them around for such dashing effect?

A great first episode of a new series that I enjoyed so much more than I thought I would.  Look forward to next Sunday and getting to know the new Holmes and Watson a bit more.