The Hobbit Movie Trailer!

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

Do you have a particular GoT character in mind, or is it just the general air around Thorin?

Like I said, I haven't really seen it (except for a few glimpses, trailers, pictures etc.), so it's the general air.

Yes, it could have. They could have ruined the scenery and the music. Then it would be as bad as it gets.

True. But it isn't much (what I said about that being enough for a documentary about nature, but nothing else).

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

An argument in favour of it being more epic can be demonstrated in the contrast between RTD era Doctor Who and Moffat era Doctor Who. The former was epic, the latter wanted to be more 'fairy tale' - and it just doesn't work as well especially when you are expecting 'epic'. I think to be 'fairytale' in film a modern audience just can't take it without hefty dollops of irony (see Stardust - one of my favourite films, incidentally) and I'd rather not have loads of irony in The Hobbit.

I did not expect them to make a fairytale, but there still was the chance to preserve at least a bit of the atmosphere.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

I did not expect them to make a fairytale, but there still was the chance to preserve at least a bit of the atmosphere.

I always think of it as being more of a 'fairytale', but that's possibly davem's influence! Really, I don't know how they could uncouple it from what was portrayed in the LotR films, as that is what audiences will expect, and I have to say it's what I'd expect myself from a Peter Jackson adaptation of the book. So I'm coming to this with those expectations in mind.

I can't explain away Thorin's beard! He does look a bit like an escapee from Westeros but maybe that's not such a bad thing.

[Kuruharan]

I'm very pleased with the Dwarves as they don't look like an amorphous mass of hairy, belching, short people.

I’ve been doing some more thinking about the look of the dwarves (more in fact than I did when their look was first published) and I’m coming around to this point of view. I still think that there could be some more bits of beard but I think Lal is right and it *is* a good thing that the dwarves are not going to just be short masses of hair (we will see about the belching…I would be very surprised if there is no belching).

Looking at real world cultures where beards are customarily worn, there are all kinds of variety and lengths that are employed. They don’t just wear huge unkempt messes.

Still, all of them should have actual beards, though even if they are braided up or otherwise dealt with so they aren’t so prominent on their faces. Even a very large beard can be tied up into a pretty small package…in fact, I would imagine dwarves would have to do this frequently when they are working in the forge to keep from setting themselves on fire.

Many of the Dwarves look like 17-century Warsaw militia, but I am fine with that. At least they do not look all like Vikings, which would have been the easiest, most "mainstream" (and most stupid) way anyway

And I heartily concur with this sentiment. At least they avoided going for the drunken, rampaging Viking theme.

Besides, that's Aidan Turner, and he's no Orlando Bloom, he's capable of being perfectly 'brooding' as any Being Human fan knows.

That’s not my point. He’s Lego-like in the sense that I believe he’s there to be gurl-food.

I'm assuming even Richard Armitage's nose wasn't good enough for them

Part of the dwarf motif they seem to have selected is instead of giving them all beards is to make their noses and ears very large. The nose thing does have some basis in Tolkien…not so much the ears.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Kuruharan

Still, all of them should have actual beards, though even if they are braided up or otherwise dealt with so they aren’t so prominent on their faces. Even a very large beard can be tied up into a pretty small package…in fact, I would imagine dwarves would have to do this frequently when they are working in the forge to keep from setting themselves on fire.

Bombur also has no beard - it might be practical because he obviously enjoys his gravy

That’s not my point. He’s Lego-like in the sense that I believe he’s there to be gurl-food.

I actually don't mind this, because it might drive some more people into investigating Being Human which is one of the best programmes the BBC have ever made, and I'd quite like it if more people had seen it and could discuss it with me!

Has anyone else noticed the antimacassars on the back of Bilbo's chair? Perfect for him.

[Galin]

Still, all of them should have actual beards, though even if they are braided up or otherwise dealt with so they aren’t so prominent on their faces. Even a very large beard can be tied up into a pretty small package…in fact, I would imagine dwarves would have to do this frequently when they are working in the forge to keep from setting themselves on fire.

Well, there was a clan called the Firebeards


Tolkien noted some tucking and binding of beards: for example Dwalin's beard was so long it could be tucked into his belt, and Dain's folk had beards forked and plaited and thrust into their belts. In The Book of Lost Tales the beards of the Dwarves 'reach even to their toes, but the beards of the Indrafangs are the longest of all, and are forked, and they bind them about their middles when they walk abroad.'

So Tolkien seems quite aware that long beards could get in the way. Much later, compare the older Book of Lost Tales description to...

'The Naugrim were ever, as they still remain, short and squat in stature; they were deep breasted, strong in the arm, and stout in the leg, and their beards were long. Indeed this strangeness they have that no Man nor Elf has ever seen a beardless Dwarf -- unless he were shaven in mockery, and would then be more like to die of shame than many other hurts that to us would seem more deadly. (...) ... they called the Enfeng or Longbeards, for their beards swept the floor before their feet.'

JRRT, The Later Quenta Silmarillion

Of course it's a bit late now to put any kind of beard on Jackson's unbearded Dwerrows -- I include Bombur as 'unbearded enough' in my opinion, given his bare chin.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Martin Freeman does make a good Bilbo - am I the only one who thinks he looks more like Pippin than Frodo?!

[Oddwen]

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar

Martin Freeman does make a good Bilbo - am I the only one who thinks he looks more like Pippin than Frodo?!

Nope. A friend and I were discussing this at work and decided that Bilbo takes more after his Tookish side.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Oddwen

Nope. A friend and I were discussing this at work and decided that Bilbo takes more after his Tookish side.

Bilbo is second cousin twice removed to Pippin via the Baggins line, but also first cousin twice removed to him via the Took line.

Bilbo is second cousin once removed to Frodo via the Baggins line, and first cousin once removed to Frodo via the Took line.

Frodo is third cousin once removed to Pippin via the Baggins line and second cousin once removed via the Took line.

Does that help or does that make your head hurt? It does mine.