The Rabbit Room

Just watched this on apple and am so excited for the movie. The fanboy/nerd inside of me wants to jump up and down.

I’m not a smoker but reading Tolkein always makes me want to take up the pipe. Especially if I could get my hands on some of that pipe-weed from the Shire.

A good ol’ Tolkien sing-a-long for the trailer? H-E-Double Hockey Sticks YES!

(And, by the way, the finest weed in the South Farthing is available in Modesto, California at Ed The Tobacconist’s, a home-made blend he calls Pipeweed.)

So glad I stopped by tonight or I would’ve completely missed this. Thanks for the post Pete!

Is Gladriel in the Hobbit? I thought not but I could be wrong. It looked like this movie is going to have something between her and Gandalf. That is disappointing. I wish people could get through a movie without throwing in romance all of the time, especially when it doesn’t exist in the book. However, I am still looking forward to the movie. It looks pretty good.

The dwarves are singing the misty mountain song!?!? swoons

Lois, my impression is that Jackson et al will be including scenes that The Hobbit only hints at (clearing the Necromancer/Sauron out of the forest, likely a council). I wouldn’t worry too much about the scene with Galadriel just yet.

Don’t worry, Lois. I called dibs on Gandalf years ago. And I’m willing to pull out the whamboozie on any elf chick who gets in my way.

That’s glorious Becca

Lois, I highly doubt it. I mean, Jackson had made modifications to the story in LOTR, but that would be far out. Galadriel is married to Celeborn, the mother of Elrond’s wife (can’t remember her name), and thus Arwen’s grandmother. I would hope Jackson respects the material enough not to throw something that crazy in there.

By the way, I got chills when I heard the dwarves singing the song in the trailer! I think it’s perfect. As Tolkien writes of Bilbo’s reaction: “Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick.”

Nice. But will my comment be deleted if I say that I think Howard Shore is overrated?

Joking, a little.

This brings up an interesting pet peeve of mine. Why is it that screen writers, when given loads of material to work through, decide to re-write a story. When you read a story and you know you will HAVE to cut it down for screen why would you add things that never existed. I personally love the LOTR movies but, having read the authorized biography of Tolkien, I have come to believe that he would have been disappointed with the changes and additions to his story. I really will continue to both read and watch LOTR for years to come and enjoy it fully for what the book and the movies are separately. By the way I am happy to see that the character Beorn is listed on IMDB.

Just saw this in a friend’s post on fb and am sighing deep, longing sighs over the fact it will be another year before I’ll get to see it! And aren’t there going to be two parts, too? LOVE how Jackson’s woven in the dwarves’ song….

I recently re-watched the LOTR movies and am working through the books again (The Hobbit first, of course) and am falling in love with Middle-Earth all over again. It’s been about six years since I’ve picked them up, and so much life has happened in that time that I’m seeing things from new, amazing perspectives. “O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!”

Ah! Looking forward to it!

Chris et al., I sincerely hope that Jackson doesn’t mess the story up. I know it is hard to tell in little clips like that. I know Gladriel is married to Celberon, which makes it even weirder. I too love the dwarves singing the son. With Jackson making it in two parts, hopefully it will be better.

I agree Sir Jonathan. Apparently Jackson had no time for Tom Bombadil, yet mysteriously had plenty of time for… extra junk with Arwen and a pointless battle sequence ending with Aragorn’s horse going over a cliff? Seriously, it was like something out of a B Western. Ghastly.

Or, excuse me, I guess just Aragorn fell over a cliff. His horse didn’t, so it was able to come nuzzle him back to consciousness. *rolls eyes*

Wow! Can’t believe we will have to wait a year! I can’t wait…

I think I’ll have to wear purple every day from now until Dec. 14, 2012. One long advent. Unless, of course, the Kingdom fully comes by then…which would be GREAT! I’m sure they have stadium seating in the new heavens and new earth. AND free popcorn!

More Tolkien on the big screen! So pumped.

Yes! Since I live overseas, I actually thought for a very short time that this was coming out this December. Can’t wait to see this movie!

YES! Next December seems so far away….

I have been following this since the first day of production through OneRing.net , jackson’s facebook page, and other places I subscribe to. Peter actually has a list of Vlogs from the production and they are well worth it to view them.
http://www.facebook.com/PeterJacksonNZ?sk=videos
If you own an old school pair of 3d (red & Blue) glasses get them out because the last production video shows Jackson had 2 seperate artists draw scenes simutaneously , one in red and the other in blue so he could see them in 3D prior to shooting the scene. I still get geek bumps from that

The issue with the story re-write is mentioned by Jackson and has done his share of adding to the story. I am a purest in most cases but I am looking forward to seeing Evageline Lily in this as a Elf character not in the books. (Kate as an elf? – why yes!)
From what I gather the Hobbit will be in 2 movies (released dec 2012 and Dec 2013)
both in 3D and will be a Jackson version as much as the LOTR Trilogy was.

I too do not know the reason why to change the story, when there is so much there to begin with. but, I enjoyed both the original story and Jackson’s versions.

Oh so long to wait

Oh yeah. I’ve recently been re-reading The Hobbit and wondered if they would be able to pick the perfect tune for the misty mountain song. They did. Oh boy they did. I’m excited for this already…. Patience, preciousss. And Becca, best comment ever.

If my fellow rabbits have only read The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, you all really need to get a copy of Tolkien’s Unfinished Tales (plenty of time to read it before the first installment of The Hobbit comes out – and get The Silmarillion while you’re at it).

Unfinished Tales not only answers why Galadriel can even makes an appearance in The Hobbit, but also fills in so much detail, that whilst not necessary for a casual read of LOTR/TH, the book adds a richness to the stories, as well as explaining what Galadriel, Aragorn, Gandalf, Gollum and all the other wonderful characters were up to before, during and after the time of Bilbo’s adventure.

Whilst not an easy read compared to The Hobbit, Unfinished Tales has chapters such as The Battles of the Fords of Isen, The Hunt for the Ring, The Palantiri, The History of Galadriel and Celeborn, which will not only fill in some puzzling gaps, but also leave you in awe at the world of Middle-earth..and of its creator.

PaulH, I joined The One Ring.net as soon as I’d watch LOTR for the first time back in 2007, I had one of those moments similar to the feeling I had upon finding The Rabbit Room – that feeling of ‘Oh, I’m not the only one’. I highly recommend the website and the message boards (I’m Artanis on there – though I don’t post as often as I used to!)

Susan

Oho, thanks for the info, Susan! I’ll go look for those books right now (I think we own The Silmarillion).

As much as I dreaded my 33rd birthday, here’s one fabulous reason to look forward to next December 14. What better way to avoid the angst of 34 than to celebrate with the story I’ve loved since I was 11? Thank you, Peter Jackson. I kind of love sharing my birthday with Bilbo and co.

@Abigail… since you live overseas it may very well be coming out sooner in your location than for us US-dwellers – you may be right, after all : ) I remember the school that I worked at in an unnamed Asian country showing The Fellowship of the Ring to the whole student body with the line scrolling across the bottom saying something like, “this is a pre-release copy, not for public viewing.” Being a legalist at the time, I tried hard not to watch. But I’m pretty sure I caved. Whenever it shows up in your country of residence, I hope it will be fabulous

All this awesome conversation is happening, and I keep going around and around in a different circle altogether. This is a safe place, right? A safe place to be real?

Samwise or Gandalf? I never can decide.

Sure, I made the claim on Gandalf earlier. Yet even as I was typing, I felt the pull — the pull that has divided my heart for years, and years, and years.

On one hand, you have a man who can blow pipe-smoke pirate ships, rides a horse like the white, rising sun, and owns a bookoo of old books bound in leather… no denying that’s all flat hot. Also fluent in Elvish? Smokin’ as Middle English.

And yet, Samwise. Perfect, Patty-Duke-eyed, faithful Samwise. Still my beating heart!

I’ve tried to break it down logically. I’ve made comparative studies.

For example: I’m with Jo on the whole Laurie/Professor deal. So, point for Gandalf there. And yet, Anne with Gilbert? Of course. So, point for Samwise.

Prolific hair on the feet is a minus. But there is probably hobbit Nair.

When I’m in a Bon Jovi mood, I think Gandalf would be condescending. So minus there for him.

If I were ever lost in Gatlinburg between the store that sells $9.99 Indian blankets that smell like feet and the Do-It-Yourself Dentist Office/ Dinner Show: Samwise.

Meandering through the Tate? Gandalf.

Thank goodness I dated Gimli in high school, so I know for sure that’s out. Simplifies a lot.

Dude. Samwise. Gandalf is awesome, and leather bound book collections are totally hot, but Sam doesn’t just leave everybody in the middle of the adventure to do something else. But Sam will stay with you right into Mordor.

And he can cook. And he kills spiders.

Yep. Team Samwise. <3

Um. No. Sorry! I’ve got the dibs on Samwise. I’ve had multiple conversations in my head regarding this topic, so it’s all settled.

And after all, my firstborn’s nickname before she came into the world was Baggins. Oh wait. That would be Frodo. Sigh! But the point is, she was definitely a hobbit who needed friends who would stay with her and encourage her throughout her journey. And that brings us back to Sam, hobbit of hobbits.

BTW, Susan, I’m so glad you’re our resident Tolkien expert, and one of these days I really will succumb and join OneRing.net….

Pete: Thank you for posting this! I’d been hearing about the trailer for a while now, but hadn’t gone looking for it yet. Nice to see John Rhys-Davies playing his old character’s dad, but not in a nauseating Back to the Future kind of way.

Susan: I started Unfinished Tales a few years ago, but I never finished it (heh). Does it really give you that much more than the Sil?

Becca: thank you for a thoroughly entertaining deconstruction of what women want in a LOTR character

YGG: Although the Arwen: Warrior Princess bit didn’t bother me too much, I can hardly agree more when it comes to the Spaghetti Western Hiatus. As for Bombadil — I can’t imagine how many ways that could have gone wrong. Peter Jackson is one talented guy, but he lacks divine power.

Is it just me, or did the dwarves’ melody draw heavily from Aragorn’s impromptu coronation song? Either way, it came out well. I can’t wait to get back into obsessed-Tolkien-geek film anticipation mode.

Peter B, for a while, I was all about New Criticism. Though as I’ve grown older and wiser, my preferred method of interpreting great works of literature has become simply to see them through the eyes of Mrs. Bennet.

Becca – tough call. I do appreciate that conundrum. Hmm.

Over Christmas vacation my sister is reading the trilogy for the first time, and I’m about to pick up The Hobbit for a second read. We’re a very LOTRish household these days.

Bilbo was my first love. But then he got old. Speaking of old, I would like to have Gandalf as my grandpa (that would be awesome) but I wouldn’t want to marry him. Maybe Aragorn. He’s pretty macho.

PeterB, it is definitely worth *finishing* Unfinished Tales.

Loren, if you’re a geeky Tolkien fan it’s your duty to join the onering.net

I whole-heartedly agree that every lover of Tolkien should have a copy of Unfinished Tales.

One of my favorite features – three (or was it four?) fully written, mutually exclusive answers to the question, “How did Sauron learn the location of the Shire?”, all of them seeming equally plausible. A super neat look into Tolkien’s creative thinking, as well as a challenge to keep my mind open and flexible about the plot of any story I’m working on.

Okay, I’m late for this party, but I simply must weigh in! Sam. Definitely Sam. Gandalf is awesome but too old. Though he does have the sexy voice going for him. Speaking of sexy voices, if we’re going to have geek crushes on older men, I pick Picard every time…

Yes, the dwarves’ melody is very similar to the coronation song. They’re both neat to listen to.

However, I prefer the melody from the animated version. It sticks in your head better. I thought readers might enjoy if I posted a link here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUXP8VEXWMs