I teach a class primarily focused on British Literature. One of the novels we read every year is The Hobbit, because J.R.R. Tolkien is a legendary British author. We started reading the novel in class on December 20, 2011. Little did I know that the announcement trailer for the new film would be released that very night. I found out on Facebook, via TheOneRing.net, about 25 minutes beforehand. I wasn’t able to view it right away at 9:00 CST, but when I was finally able to access and view the trailer, I let out a giddy scream afterwards. In that moment, I was thankful that I live alone.
The very next day was the last day of school before the winter holidays. I planned to show this trailer to all my classes, and discuss it for a while afterwards. Most of my students viewed the trailer with the perspective of having seen the Lord of the Rings films before. I came from the perspective of seeing the theatrical and extended editions, and of reading the trilogy twice, the Hobbit thrice, and the Silmarillion once. Despite that I have read these books and have seen these movies, I would by no means consider myself an expert in Hobbit lore. However, I can express my thoughts about the trailer as a fan.
The trailer opens with Ian Holm as the “older” Bilbo, at work in his study at Bag End during a time before, but very close to, The Fellowship. His voice begins narrating as though he is writing a letter to Frodo:
My dear Frodo,
You asked me once if I had told you everything there was to know about my adventures. While I can honestly say I have told you the truth, I may not have told you all of it.
I am so glad that this trailer, and presumably the movie, begins this way. It gives us a look back at the trilogy. It connects the films. It bridges the gap. As unfortunate as it sounds, there will be those who will see this movie having not read the book beforehand. While I am the kind of person who prefers to read the stories before I see them, not everyone is like me, and so these people may not even realize that Tolkien wrote a prequel to the trilogy, and that it, in fact, was written before the trilogy.
The point is this: it’s nice to make that connection for your audience.
From there, it continues with the classic line from Gandalf when he first approaches Bilbo on that fateful morning described in the very first pages of the very first chapter of the book:
Bilbo Baggins. I’m looking for someone to share in an adventure.
Peter Jackson has always had an impeccable sense of detail. The writers borrowed so much of the trilogy’s original words when those films were produced, there’s no reason why The Hobbit should be any different, because the same team of writers has indeed been assembled for this film: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson, but this time there is the addition of Guillermo del Toro, who had been previously selected to helm the project. But that story is past and can be read elsewhere. Peter Jackson is the new director now, and I for one am incredibly pleased that he is back. I don’t have anything against Guillermo del Toro, but I don’t know him, and that’s precisely the problem. I know Jackson and how spectacular his work is. Therefore, I am glad that he is directing this project.
The other impeccable sense of detail can be seen in Bilbo’s clothes. It is said in the beginning of The Hobbit that hobbits like bright colors, such as green and yellow. What is Bilbo wearing? A yellow vest with a green scarf. It is also said in The Hobbit that hobbits like things that grow. What is on his vest? Leaves. What about Gandalf’s staff? It doesn’t look the same as it did in The Fellowship, but it does look very similar. One theory I’ve read is that his staff is meant to grow and open like a flower (it is more open in The Fellowship than in this trailer) as time goes on. I like that theory.
Further clips show Bilbo trying to ride a horse (hilarious), walking about in Hobbiton, and running frantically (calling out “Wait!”) with the dwarves’ contract to Bywater (presumably). Then, a clip in which Gandalf introduces the 13 dwarves: Fili (throwing a plate), Kili (shooting an arrow), Oin (listening to something with an ear-horn), Gloin (covered in spider-webs and showing a distinct family resemblance to his son Gimli from the trilogy), Dwalin, Balin, Bifor (with an axe in his head), Bofur (with a ridiculous hood/hat on), Bombur (who breaks a bench with his immense girth), Dori, Nori, Ori, and the leader of the company, Thorin Oakenshield (with a “hero” shot of him riding a horse).
Peter Jackson and his crew have done an incredible job concerning the dwarves. He makes them all look distinctly dwarf-like, but at the same time, makes them all look distinctly different. There was really no way to tell the dwarves apart in the animated film version of The Hobbit (1977), but even now after having viewed the trailer dozens of times, I can begin to look at pictures of them and know exactly which dwarf is which, which is no small feat considering that there are thirteen of them. It is vitally important to make them appear distinctly individual for a film like this one. We, as viewers of the film, want to become emotionally invested with each individual character, not with a group of thirteen characters (or twelve plus Thorin) lumped together as one.
After the introductions, we have a clip during which Thorin, and the other dwarves one-by-one, begin to sing the epic song from the first chapter.
Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns oldThe pines were roaring on the height
The winds were moaning in the night
The fire was red, it’s flaming spread;
The trees like torches blazed with light.
During this song (which is sung very well indeed by these dwarves), further clips are shown: Gandalf alone in an unknown land (a point which I will address later), Bilbo in Rivendell coming upon the shards of Narsil, Gandalf and Galadriel in Rivendell (another point I will address soon), then finally Bilbo again unsheathing Sting presumably for the first time after finding it in the troll’s cave.
We cut then to a clip where Thorin tells Gandalf that he cannot guarantee Bilbo’s safety, nor will he be responsible for his fate. From there, the trailer switches gears from close-ups to epic landscape shots with even more epic music, as the theme introduced with the song sung by the dwarves suddenly becomes instrumental. Once again, I am so pleased that the same crew who produced the Lord of the Rings trilogy is producing The Hobbit, including Howard Shore, the original composer. This man is a genius. No one writes music better suited for Middle-Earth than Howard Shore. Even from what little I heard, I can almost predict that this will be another Academy Award-winning score.
Further highlights of the trailer include: a glimpse of the legs of the trolls, Gandalf (again presumably) turning them into stone as the light of dawn shines above him and his staff, a group of dwarves falling into the doorway at Bag End (also taken directly from the first chapter), the dwarves throwing the dishes about in expert fashion (which seems to be in reference to the other song from the first chapter about breaking dishes), Bilbo seeing the One Ring on the ground, and Bilbo hearing the voice of Gollum for the first time with a very frightened look on his face.
Now to get back to earlier points. The Hobbit will be released in two parts. I am happy about this, but I had wondered whether there was enough source material to even do this. I had thought there might be too much for one film, but I had questioned there being enough for two. The other point that concerned me was Gandalf’s screen time. Gandalf leaves Bilbo and the thirteen dwarves during the novel for extended periods of time. He even says to Frodo during the film version of The Fellowship that he was “barely involved” with the “incident with the dragon”. Others have theorized, and I agree, that these clips in “unknown lands” show Gandalf in Dol Guldur.
In “Unfinished Tales”, edited by Christopher Tolkien, “The Quest of Erebor” details side-stories during The Hobbit. It tells in greater detail where Gandalf goes when he is not with the fourteen, and why the quest was started in the first place. Gandalf knew that having Sauron (the Necromancer) in Mirkwood, so near to the dragon Smaug in the Lonely Mountain, could prove threatening. Thorin wanted his home and his riches back. So, in this, the quest was begun: Thorin would take Bilbo and the dwarves to attempt to rid the Lonely Mountain of the dragon. Gandalf would assist while he was with them, but additionally, he needed to leave them from time to time to attend the White Council, where he urged the other wizards to evict Sauron from Mirkwood, which was eventually done.
Another clip I wanted to discuss further was the scene between Gandalf and Galadriel. Those unfamiliar with the backstory may confuse Galadriel’s touching Gandalf’s hair as a sign of affection. Rather, it is a sign of concern for him, and possibly in a moment of persuasion. She shows concern for him, because she knows that Gandalf has been spearheading the efforts within the White Council to oust Sauron from Mirkwood. She wants to persuade him, because, as it also says in “Unfinished Tales”: Galadriel had hoped Gandalf would lead the Council, but Gandalf refused. Saruman was chosen instead. Again, this is further backstory that I think would be a very welcome addition to the movie.
All in all, I’ve never been more excited for a film release.
This includes all of the Harry Potter films.
