The Hobbit…finally!
Saw it last night. At last.
Let me set the scene – we went to what is called Gold class – recliner seats, a dinner menu, wine, a blanket and pillows. Very, very civilised.
(and no, this is not me nor my husband, but merely the ad for Village Cinemas, Gold Class.)
It was the first time for 3D for me.
I found it quite hard.
I suffer a benign condition called BPV and the vertigo kicked in in the opening Dwarf Wars sequence. Immediate nausea occurred and I had to close my eyes until we got to Hobbiton and Bag End. After that, my eyes and balance had time to adjust.
Except: I had to shut my eyes at the next action sequence and the next and so on because of the disorientation.
That said, I can’t wait to see it again and again. In 3D if really necessary, but in 2D preferably.
Favourite actor: Martin Freeman. A perfectly sustained and consistent portrayal of the image I’ve cherished for forty years of a young Bilbo.
Favourite characters: Bilbo, Balin, Thorin and Gollum.
My opinion of Thorin: As somebody who has enjoyed the roles that Richard Armitage has played, I was interested to see how he would interpret Thorin and if it would hold water with my own 40 year old view. It did to a point. He was archtypically the anti-hero. He smouldered, he overflowed with sadness and bitterness, he wielded his sword with tremendous and believable energy, his voice hummed with gravitas.
But I do have a criticism. And not levelled at him at all.
It is levelled at PJ for not making RA look dwarf enough. I would have preferred his face absolutely hidden behind eccentric makeup like all the others (bar Kili and Fili) so that I could immerse myself in Thorin Oakenshield, the character.
Favourite sequences, in order:
- Thorin stalking along the tree toward the Pale Orc intent on murder. (The emotion was palpable.)
- The eagle’s claws scooping Thorin up.(I actually sat back in my chair.)
- The pipe smoke drifting toward me. (I almost coughed.)
- The butterfly flying out toward me. (I reached out.)
- And last but by no means least: Bag End. (I want to live there.)
I’ve been a Tolkein aficionado forever. Do I think Peter Jackson honoured the legend?
Most emphatically.
Can’t wait for the second instalment!
Glad you had a wonderful night last night and that you appreciated The Hobbit.
No gold class for me, not an aficionado of Tolkien or PJ’s movies, but I liked the experience a lot, on the whole.
Happy New Year, Prue. Thanks for sharing!
Hallo, MG. I hope you post one day on what it is that doesn’t press your buttons about Tolkein and PJ because it is interesting hearing both sides. I’m guessing it might be that fantasy is not everyone’s thing and in your case that you appreciate the historical so much more which is absolutely okay. I have to say I took my OH along in trepidation as he is not only NOT a fantasy fan, he is not a fiction reader at all. But he settled back with his glasses on, looking for all the world like a Blues Brother, and loved every minute of it. And we both have talked a lot about the experience since. Since we went to the cinema, I have had to give him a potted version of The Hobbit and what is to follow. Happy New Year to my favourite blogger of all time!
Thanks for your flattering compliments, Prue! *blushes*
I can’t easily explain why I find some books distant and difficult to relate to. I don’t think it is fantasy in general I don’t like because I’ve read your “A Thousand Glass Flowers” and loved it. Isn’t that delicious fantasy?
As for Tolkien , I guess it may be the same reason why I really suffered studying Conrad or reading Stevenson: no room for “the female”. Can that be the reason? Anyway, I’ll accept your suggestion and try to analyse my feelings toward Tolkien and similar, writing as an exercise of psychoanalysis.
By the way, I started the new year reading one of Tolkine’s essays on Beowulf yesterday. Interesting! (I don’t like ancient literature either, but I have to teach “pills” of it to my 3rd year students so … )
I understand what you mean by ‘no room for the female’ and I won’t try and convince you otherwise. But for me, the characters of Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf, Gollum, Samwise, Merry and Pippin are such multi-faceted characters that it doesn’t matter whether they’re male of female. Does that make sense?
I agree with you about ancient literature. I find it very hard to be enthusiastic about some of the ancient Greek and Roman legends and yet I am a lover of myth and fable. I also thoroughly enjoy Roman hist.fict, so maybe i’m the one who needs to analyse her preferences. What it comes down to in the end, I think, is subjective likes and dislikes. If we all liked the same thing, the world would be an infinitely boring place…
Ack, hope you see it in 2D. The action sequences are spectacular. Since Kili and Fili were brow ridgeless, I wished the had dispensed with RA so I could see his eye completely. But then I’ve never read Tolkien. Happy New Year!
Honestly, Judiang, you know how much I have enjoyed RA’s work through the years and how his acting has inspired character development of my own. But this role required RA to be lost. I didn’t want to see any recognisable part of him. Personally, as with Kili and Fili, I believe the producers were appealing to the fanbase that already existed which is a shame. I think they did it with James Nesbitt too. But never mind. As I said, the production honoured the original legend and that’s all I could ask for. Happy New Year, thanks for commenting. I appreciate it!
Thanks for all these great stills from the film. You’ve made me want to see it in a theater now. I sure wish we had that Gold Class thing here in the States. What a brilliant idea.
Hi Anne. Do go and see it even if you haven’t got Gold Class (like flying first class I imagine but which, unless Peter Jackson buys movie rights to A Thousand Glass Flowers or The Shifu Cloth, I shall never be able to afford). Happy New Year and I so look forward to more ground-breaking comment on the world of the independent writer from your blog.
Wishing you a very happy New Year, Prue, and all readers of your blog.
This is the first I’ve heard of Gold Class. What a very civilised way to see a movie. Sadly, I am going to have to wait for the DVD.
To my shame, I was never able to get into the books so I’ve come to the LOTR universe with no pre-conceived ideas. I can’t decide whether that is an advantage or a handicap. I am, after all, seeing the story through someone else’s eyes, rather than my own.
I think the movies are a perfect way to be gently introduced to Tolkein. If PJ hadn’t been faithful to the novels it would have been another thing altogether. There are some purists who say there have been liberties taken, but in the scheme of things, especially with LOTR, I think he has taken some fairly dense narrative and made it easier for people to comprehend. Also, whilst you are certainly seeing another’s visual interpretation, I think he’s been pretty spot-on in choosing his cast, locations, costume and make-up. Except for RA and Kili and Fili, as I said, who are under made-up, in my opinion. RA is almost good-looking enough in this role, if you take away the clothes and the big hands, to be of Elvish descent, or at the very least, intermarriage between a Dwarf and an Elf. This is merely my opinion on his appearance and doesn’t detract from his acting quality in any way.