The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Difference between revisions

From Tolkien Gateway
No edit summary
(work in progress)
Line 176: Line 176:


<!--==Deviations from the source material==
<!--==Deviations from the source material==
--->
''The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'' covers the fist six chapters of ''[[The Hobbit]]'' with a few elements added from the [[The Lord of the Rings Appendices|Appendices]] from ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. While it follows the story quite closely, a number of liberties were still taken:
* The film begins with a prologue in which [[Bilbo Baggins]] awakening in the wee hours of the morning of his 111th birthday and beginning to write ''There and Back Again, A Hobbit's Holiday'' in what would become the [[Red Book of Westmarch]]. In ''The Hobbit'', he had already begun to write the book shortly after returning to [[Bag End]].* Before beginning the first chapter of his book, Bilbo also details the background of his adventure, recounting the rise and fall of [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]] and [[Dale]] and the arrival of [[Smaug]] -- much of the same information recounted by [[Thorin]] and the other [[Thorin and Company|Dwarves]] during the Unexpected Party. To presumably tie in better with the whole trilogy, the [[Arkenstone]] is found under [[Thrór]]'s rule instead of [[Thráin I]]. Thrór interprets its discovery as his divine right to rule.* [[Elijah Wood]] appears briefly as [[Frodo Baggins]] in the prologue, whereas this character does not appear in the book. However, his appearance is purely a cameo as the set-up for the beginning of ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', where Bilbo is also seen writing his book the day of his [[Bilbo's Farewell Party|Farewell Party]], and Frodo leaving to await [[Gandalf]]'s arrival.* The Dwarves do not quite arrive at Bag End in the same manner (first [[Dwalin]], then [[Balin]], then both [[Fíli]] and [[Kíli]], and then [[Óin]], [[Glóin]], [[Dori]], [[Nori]], [[Ori]], [[Bifur]], [[Bofur]], and [[Bombur]] all at once with Gandalf; Thorin arrived significantly later) and they do not have their multi-colored hoods or beards as they did in the book.* Bilbo was shown to be allergic to [[horses]].* The [[War of the Dwarves and Orcs]] is condensed into just a flashback recounting the [[Battle of Azanulbizar]], where Thrór leads the [[Dwarves of Erebor]] in an attempt to reclaim [[Moria]] as their home not long after the [[Sack of Erebor]]. Thrór is decapitated by [[Azog]] in the battle instead of prior to it, and Thorin the cuts off Azog's left forearm, while [[Dáin Ironfoot]] (who kills Azog in the book) does not appear.* Bilbo goes to the [[Trolls]] because they steal the Dwarves' [[ponies]].* Bilbo is caught by the Trolls attempting to steal [[Tom]]'s knife to set the stolen ponies free rather than by [[William]]'s [[Talking purse|"talking" purse]].* The Dwarves surrender when the Trolls threaten to rip Bilbo in two instead of being overpowered and popped into bags.* In the book, it was Gandalf that stalled the Trolls until they turned into stone. This was done by Bilbo in the film.* The Trolls' cave is wide open, and there is no locked door blocking it. * In the book, Bilbo finds [[Sting]] and takes it. In the film, Gandalf comes upon it and gives it to Bilbo. * The group is attacked by a pack of [[Orcs]] on [[Wargs]] on the way to [[Rivendell]], just after the Trolls sequence in the movie. This did not happen in the book.* Although [[Radagast|Radagast the Brown]] is only ever briefly mentioned in the book, he does appear in this film trilogy. He is first seen discovering a darkness growing in [[Mirkwood]] and having his [[Rhosgobel|home]] ambushed by [[spiders]]. After warding them off, he follows their path to [[Dol Guldur]] encounters the [[Sauron#Sauron's Return|Necromancer]] and the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]], with whom he briefly duels and from whom he takes the [[Morgul blade]]. He also aids the Dwarves in escaping the Orc Warg Riders near Rivendell. In contrast, [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] never wrote of any such incidents. * In the book, it was Bilbo who alerted the party when the trapdoors in the [[Orcs#Orcs and Goblins|Goblin]] cave open. In the film, the dwarves realize this just as they fall into the hole.* The leader of the Orc pack pursuing the Company on their journey is revealed to be Azog, who has survived the Battle of Azanulbizar in these films.* While at Rivendell with Thorin's party, Gandalf meets with [[Elrond]], [[Galadriel]], and [[Saruman]] (the latter two of which do not appear in the book) -- the film's version of the [[White Council]] -- and relates Radagast's news about Mirkwood, but Saruman discounts Radagast's news about the Necromancer, who he says must be no more than a human pretending to be a [[Wizards|Wizard]]. This conflicts with Tolkien's version, in which the White Council already knew that the Necromancer was Sauron and was at Dol Guldur, since Gandalf had already confirmed this 89 years earlier, and Saruman had discovered two years earlier (although he did not inform the Council of this) that [[Sauron]] had learned of [[Isildur]]'s loss of [[the One Ring]] at the [[Gladden Fields]] by the river [[Anduin]] and his servants were searching the area. Accordingly, in Tolkien's version, in the year of the events of ''The Hobbit'', Saruman finally agreed to an attack on Dol Guldur because he wanted to prevent Sauron from finding the Ring. * Also at the White Council meeting, Galadriel relates how the Witch-king of Angmar, after his defeat near [[Fornost]], had been killed and sealed in a tomb in that could not be opened in the [[High Fells of Rhudaur|High Fells]]. This is a serious departure from canon (Tolkien's writings), in which the Witch-king had not died, but fled. In fact, [[Glorfindel]] had stopped pursuit of the Witch-king and prophesied, "Do not pursue him! He will not return to these lands. Far off yet is his doom, and not by the hand of man will he fall." This prophecy, of course, was the basis for the later dramatic moment in ''The Lord of the Rings'' in which [[Éowyn]] was able to kill the Witch-king because she was not a man. This prophecy no longer makes sense if the Witch-king had already been killed and is now (as Radagast implies) just a spirit raised by a Necromancer who could "summon the dead." Furthermore, per Tolkien the White Council knew the Witch-king had not been killed because he and the rest of the [[Nazgûl]] had previously been fighting with [[Gondor]] and had captured (and presumably killed) the last king of Gondor at [[Minas Morgul]] in TA 2050, long after he had fled Fornost.* When traveling along the mountain pass, Bilbo observes the stone [[Giants]] hurling rocks at a distance, "across the valley." Bilbo and his companions take refuge under a hanging rock during the thunderstorm (thunder-battle), but are never involved in the stone-giants' game.* In the book, Bilbo finds the One Ring by chance when his hand happens to fall upon it as he is crawling through one of the dark [[Goblin-town]] tunnels, well before he comes across Gollum. In this film, he sees [[Gollum]] fighting with a Goblin and we see Gollum drop the Ring during the fight.* In the book, the Goblins only had tunnels, not rope bridges. * Gollum has six teeth in the book, not nine.*In the film, Gandalf does not use multi-colored fire when lighting the pine cones.--->
 
==Music==
==Music==
The score for ''The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'' was composed by [[Howard Shore]], and was performed and recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios.<ref name="DougAdamsAUJ">{{webcite|author=[[Doug Adams]]|articleurl=http://www.musicoflotr.com/2012/11/the-hobbit-unexpected-journey.html|articlename=The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Soundtrack Album Coming December 11|dated=1-November-2012|website=[http://www.musicoflotr.com Doug Adam's Blog]|accessed=20-November-2012}}</ref>
The score for ''The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'' was composed by [[Howard Shore]], and was performed and recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios.<ref name="DougAdamsAUJ">{{webcite|author=[[Doug Adams]]|articleurl=http://www.musicoflotr.com/2012/11/the-hobbit-unexpected-journey.html|articlename=The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Soundtrack Album Coming December 11|dated=1-November-2012|website=[http://www.musicoflotr.com Doug Adam's Blog]|accessed=20-November-2012}}</ref>

Revision as of 03:30, 3 July 2014

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit film trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien's 1937 novel The Hobbit. It was released on 14 December 2012 in North America. It was followed by The Desolation of Smaug in 2013 and will be followed by The Battle of the Five Armies in 2014.

Synopsis

The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers.

Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever... Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities... A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.
Warner Bros. Press Release[5]

Plot

On his eleventy-first (111th) birthday, the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins decides to write down the full story of the adventure he took 60 years before for his nephew Frodo. Bilbo writes about how, prior to his own actual involvement, the Dwarf Thrór was king of Erebor and brought an era of prosperity to his kin until the arrival of Smaug the Dragon. Drawn by the amount of gold that the Dwarves have amassed, Smaug destroyed the nearby town of Dale before driving the Dwarves out of Erebor. Thrór's grandson, Thorin Oakenshield, sees King Thranduil and his Wood-elves on a nearby hillside and is dismayed to find them taking their leave rather than aiding his people. This makes Thorin develop an everlasting hatred of Elves.

Following this, Bilbo is tricked by the Wizard Gandalf the Grey into hosting a party for Thorin and his band of Dwarves, which doubles as Bilbo's recruitment as the Dwarves' "burglar" to help them recover their treasure and their home from Smaug. Bilbo reluctantly joins the company on their journey to the Lonely Mountain, Thorin previously believing he would refuse. The group is captured by 3 Mountain Trolls, Tom, Bert, and William, but Bilbo is able to stall the Trolls from eating them until dawn, when Gandalf saves the company by exposing the Trolls to sunlight, turning them into stone. They search the Trolls' cave and find treasure and Elven blades. Thorin and Gandalf each take an Elf-wrought blade -- Orcrist and Glamdring, respectively. Gandalf also finds an Elven short-sword, later to be known as Sting, which he gives to Bilbo. Being Elven blades of the First Age, Gandalf says they glow when near Orcs or Goblins. However, only Sting actually does so.

The group encounters Radagast the Brown, a Wizard who lives in the forest of Greenwood. He tells them of a strange presence he encountered at Dol Guldur and how it is poisoning the forest. The group is then chased by Orcs on Wargs, with Radagast drawing them off with his Rhosgobel Rabbits-pulled sled. Gandalf leads them through a stone passage to Rivendell as the Wargs and Orcs above are slain by Elven riders. Elrond discloses the map's indication of a secret door that will be visible only on Durin's Day. Gandalf talks with the White Council (Elrond, Galadriel, and Saruman the White) about his involvement with the Dwarves, explaining the presence Radagast encountered and expresses mild suspicion that this Necromancer is the Dark Lord. The others are skeptical, believing Sauron to have been defeated forever, and that this Necromancer is not a true threat. Elsewhere, at Weathertop, Yazneg, the leader of the attacking Orc party, reports back to his master Azog of his failure, who then kills the unfortunate Orc. Azog then issues a bounty upon Thorin's head, and races off with the rest of his party.

Against the Council's wishes, Gandalf sends Bilbo and the Dwarves toward the Misty Mountains. While passing through the mountains, Bilbo and the Dwarves encounter a battle between three stone giants, and are forced to take refuge in a cave. Elsewhere, Azog and his Orcs follow the Dwarves' trail to the Misty Mountains. While the company sleeps, Bilbo decides to leave and return to Rivendell after talking to Bofur, who believes in him. He is overheard by Thorin, who believes he has been proven right that the hobbit is not up to the quest. But before Bilbo can leave, they are all captured by Goblins and taken to their leader, the Goblin King. Gandalf arrives and saves the Dwarves from the Goblins. They then fight their way out of Goblin-town, killing the Goblin King during their escape. Bilbo was separated from the Dwarves right after their capture and encounters Gollum, who accidentally drops a mysterious ring while killing a stray Goblin to feed on. Picking up the ring and placing it in his pocket, Bilbo finds himself confronted by Gollum. They play a Riddle-game, wagering that Bilbo will be shown the way out if he wins, or eaten by Gollum if he loses. After Bilbo wins by asking Gollum what he has in his pocket, Gollum realizes Bilbo has stolen the ring and attacks him. Bilbo discovers the ring grants him invisibility and evades a furious Gollum, following him to find the way out and deciding out of pity not to kill him, despite having the chance to do so.

Bilbo rejoins the group once he sees them after hearing Thorin voice his doubts he will return, keeping the ring he found secret. The moment of triumph is cut short as they are ambushed by Azog and his hunting party. After taking refuge in cliffside trees before the Wargs uproot most of them, the final tree is partially uprooted, leaving most of the Company hanging over the cliffside. Thorin then charges Azog in an attempt to save the others, but is badly wounded and knocked to the ground. Bilbo defends Thorin from being killed, and as Azog's other orcs move in, Fíli, Kíli and Dwalin rush in and attack them, and a fight ensues. The group is then saved by Eagles, who fly them to safety on the Carrock. Gandalf wakes the unconscious Thorin, who finally accepts Bilbo for his courage and bravery. As the party sees the destiny of their journey, the Lonely Mountain in the distance, Smaug awakens.

Scenes

  1. Prologue: The Fall of Erebor **
  2. "In a Hole in the Ground There Lived a Hobbit"
  3. Very Old Friends
  4. Mr. Baggins *
  5. An Unexpected Party
  6. "Blunt the Knives" **
  7. A Map, a Key and a Contract
  8. "Misty Mountains"
  9. "... The World Ahead"
  10. The Battle of Azanulbizar
  11. Radagast the Brown
  12. Trollshaws
  13. Roast Mutton
  14. A Troll-hoard
  15. The Hill of Sorcery
  16. Warg-scouts
  17. Rivendell **
  18. A Short Rest **
  19. Moon Runes
  20. The Defiler
  21. The Last Homely House *
  22. The White Council **
  23. "Why the Halfling?"
  24. Over Hill
  25. Under Hill
  26. The Great Goblin **
  27. Riddles in the Dark
  28. Biter and Beater
  29. The Ring
  30. Escape from Goblin-town
  31. The Pity of Bilbo
  32. "Home Is Behind..."
  33. Out of the Frying Pan...
  34. A Good Omen
  35. Credits

* denotes a scene only available in the Extended Edition cut of the film.
** denotes a scene which includes extended content only available in the Extended Edition cut of the film.

Cast

See also: The Hobbit (film series)#People involved
Actor Role
Richard Armitage Thorin[6]
Erin Banks Lobelia Sackville-Baggins (Extended Edition only)
Timothy Bartlett Master Worrywort
Manu Bennett Azog
Cate Blanchett Galadriel[6]
Glenn Boswell Dwarf Miner
Jed Brophy Nori[6]
Adam Brown Ori[6]
John Callen Óin[6]
Benedict Cumberbatch The Necromancer
Smaug
Luke Evans Girion (Extended Edition only)
Sonia Forbes-Adam Belladonna Baggins (Extended Edition only)
Martin Freeman Bilbo Baggins[6]
Stephen Gledhill Old Gammidge (Extended Edition only)
Tim Gordon Old Hob (Extended Edition only)
Mark Hadlow Dori[6]
Bert[6]
Peter Hambleton Glóin[6]
William[6]
Dan Hennah The Old Took[7] (Extended Edition only)
Ian Holm Older Bilbo Baggins[6]
Brian Hotter Otho Sackville-Baggins (Extended Edition only)
Barry Humphries Goblin King[6]
Stephen Hunter Bombur[6]
William Kircher Bifur[6]
Tom[6]
Christopher Lee Saruman the White
Sylvester McCoy Radagast the Brown[6]
Ian McKellen Gandalf the Grey[6]
Bret McKenzie Lindir
Graham McTavish Dwalin[6]
Mike Mizrahi Thráin
James Nesbitt Bofur[6]
Dean O'Gorman Fíli[6]
Lee Pace Thranduil
John Rawls Yazneg
Thomas Robins Young Thráin
Andy Serkis Gollum[6]
Kiran Shah Goblin Scribe
Oscar Strik Young Bilbo Baggins (Extended Edition only)
Conan Stevens[note 1] Bolg[6]
Ken Stott Balin[6]
Jeffrey Thomas Thrór
Aidan Turner Kíli[6]
Stephen Ure Fimbul
Grinnah
Eric Vespe Fredegar Chubb (Extended Edition only)
Hugo Weaving Elrond[6]
Elijah Wood Frodo Baggins[6]


Music

The score for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was composed by Howard Shore, and was performed and recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios.[8]

Two editions of the soundtrack was released by WaterTower Music on 11 December 2012:

The song featured in the credits to An Unexpected Journey, Song of the Lonely Mountain, was performed by Neil Finn and released 12 November 2012. It was first released on RollingStone.com.[9]

Distribution

Theatrical release

An Unexpected Journey had its world première in Wellington, New Zealand, on 28 November 2012. The film was released in cinemas in New Zealand on 12 December, 13 December in Europe, 14 December in India, Canada and United States, and 26 December in Australia.

Home media

An Unexpected Journey was released on DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, and as a digital download on 19 March 2013.[10] The release date in the United Kingdom was 8 April.[10]

An extended edition of An Unexpected Journey includes an additional thirteen minutes of footage. It was be released in the UK on digital download on 22 October and on Blu-ray and DVD on 4 November.[11]


Promotional posters

See also: Category:Images of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey posters
Promotional posters for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The first promotional poster.  
The second promotional poster.  
The third promotional poster.  
The fourth promotional poster.  

Trailers

Template:VideosHD

See also

External links

Notes

  1. Conan Stevens was initially cast as Azog. (see: Peter Jackson, "Casting News for The Hobbit" dated 19 May 2011, Facebook (accessed 21 December 2011)).

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Titles and Release Dates Announced" dated 31 May 2011, The Hobbit Blog (accessed 21 December 2011)
  2. "Andy Serkis to serve as Second Unit Director" dated 8 April 2011, The Hobbit Blog (accessed 21 December 2011)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Peter Jackson, "Production begins in New Zealand on The Hobbit" dated 20 March 2011, Facebook (accessed 21 December 2011)
  4. "The Hobbit Trilogy titles and release dates" dated 2 September 2012, The Hobbit Blog (accessed 2 September 2012)
  5. "THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY", Warner Bros. (accessed 19 November 2012)
  6. 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 6.18 6.19 6.20 6.21 6.22 6.23 6.24 6.25 Brian Sibley, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Official Movie Guide (2012)
  7. Daniel Falconer, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Chronicles: Art & Design, p. 30
  8. Doug Adams, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Soundtrack Album Coming December 11" dated 1 November 2012, Doug Adam's Blog (accessed 20 November 2012)
  9. "Neil Finn Reaches Epic Heights on 'Song of the Lonely Mountain' – Song Premiere" dated 12 November 2012, RollingStone.com (accessed 20 November 2012)
  10. 10.0 10.1 lilymilos, "Sneak Peek of ‘Desolation of Smaug’ on Hobbit Blu-ray" dated 6 February 2013, Middle-earth Network News (accessed 9 February 2013) Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "UKDVD" defined multiple times with different content
  11. Orlando Parfitt, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Extended Edition deleted scene (Exclusive)" dated 31 July 2013, Yahoo Movies (accessed 19 August 2013)

Template:Films