The Lord of the Rings... Back in Theaters

 

To say that JRR Tolkien's Middle-earth is nothing new to us at Hollywood Jesus would be quite an understatement. Our Managing Editor, Greg Wright, "spent five... years assembling the site's Rings coverage--and enjoyed the heck out of himself doing it!" At least that's what Greg says in his mini bio at the top of the Lord of the Rings Index page--where you can find links to all our archived articles about the movies.

 

Mark Sommer, Fantasy Editor

HJ's "Rings coverage" is how I found out about Hollywood Jesus, back in the days when we had a Lord of the Rings Forum. I was one of the main contributors to the postings there. (Unfortunately, the Forum was lost when HJ had to change Internet hosts. How many times I have wished I had a back up copy of those postings!) Anyway, I was completely floored when Greg asked me to contribute an article. For better or worse, you can still find it there under the title, Addicted to the Ring.

 

I won't bore you with more details. Suffice to say that after losing touch with HJ for a few years, I began contributing articles about C S Lewis and JRR Tolkien in August of 2007. Some 1,047 posts later, I am still here. During all that time, I haven't been so excited about the prospects of seeing JRR Tolkien on the big screen again... until now.

 

Lord of the Rings fans have long known of plans to film The Hobbit. We've known, and we have gone through excruciating pain watching Peter Jackson struggle through the briars and brambles which kept springing up in the way that led to the big screen. Now that PJ is actually filming (Pinch me! Is it really happening?), our hopes and dreams of watching Bilbo go "there and back again" seem to be nearing fruition.

 

But one event--actually three--has fueled my enthusiasm more than even seeing production started on the Hobbit movies. It's (they're) coming this month.

 

As I reported recently, the extended versions of the three Lord of the Rings movies are going to be shown in select theaters starting this week. There will be special events on three sequential Tuesdays, beginning with The Fellowship of the Ring on June 14, 2011. FathomEvents.com has a link to a partial list of participating theaters, and you can also put your zip code in their search box to find additional theaters and buy tickets. Click here to visit the website.

 

So, what's the big deal? Many of you have your own copies of the Extended Edition which you can watch any time you want. So do I. You may even be planning to upgrade to Blu-ray when the set comes out at the end of June. Why go through all the hassle of interrupting your week, fighting the crowds, and--most importantly--making sure you have tickets purchased in advance?

 

Here are couple reasons why I'm going:

 

The Lord of the Rings was made to be watched on the big screen. As advanced as television is today, there is nothing like the experience of watching a movie--especially one that you love--in its "native environment." There is also the crowd factor. It may be fun to watch a movie in your own living room with a few close friends and family, but experiencing a film in a theater crowded with people you don't even know has its own unique quality. Just experiencing an audience laughing as you laugh and gasping as Frodo meets that new danger... there's nothing like it.

 

If that weren't enough, FathomEvents.com tells us

The events will begin with a new and personal introduction for each film from The Lord of the Rings™ director Peter Jackson captured from the set of his current film, and The Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hobbit, and will be immediately followed by the Extended Edition feature presentations which altogether include nearly 3 hours of additional feature footage carefully selected by Peter Jackson. [Emphasis added.]

So, Tuesday, June 14, my wife and I plan to make the 25-minute trip across town to experience the adventure once again. Even though it means returning home way too near the 5:00 am alarm, it will be worth it!

 

In other (selected) news...

Earlier today, May 30, 2011, several sources are reporting that the official titles and release dates have been confirmed in a press release issued by the studios.

Yesterday, Peter Jackson confirmed on his official Facebook page that "both the White Council and Dol Guldur will feature in the movies."

Very early this morning (Friday afternoon Eastern time in the western hemisphere) Producer/Director Peter Jackson confirmed on his official Facebook page that Orlando Bloom will be returning to Middle-earth in the Hobbit movies.

Official casting announcements straight from Peter Jackson!

McKellen says, "Martin Freeman has left The Hobbit." But not to worry; he'll be back. "Gandlaf" also provided some confirmation and background on three other actors who are to be in the films. Details and a link to Gandalf's Blog are only a click away.

Jackson Makes Casting Announcements

Peter Jackson announces a replacement for the role of Fili, and the actor who will play the Elven King Thranduil.

Peter Jackson has posted a ten-minute video from the Hobbit set on his official Facebook page. You can view of copy of the video right here on Hollywood Jesus. Just click through.

The rumors that Peter Jackson is shooting the Hobbit movies with cutting-edge 48-frames-per-second technology (instead of the industry standard 24 frames per second) are true. Click through to find out what Peter Jackson and another film industry expert are saying.

According to an article in today's The Hollywood Reporter, Andy Serkis, who is reprising his role as Gollum for the films, will also do some "second unit" directing for The Hobbit.

It is Monday in New Zealand, and production on the Hobbit movies has officially begun. Click through for the official Press Release.

The official blog of the Hobbit movies has been updated. Click through for details.

  

 

I couldn't resist that tag line as this chapter describes how Bilbo gets his friends out of a seemingly impossible trap. As most of you may know, Steve McQueen was famous for his role in the film, The Great Escape. However, I've got a feeling that some words of Gandalf might seem more appropriate as we discuss Tolkien's inspiration later on.

 

We left Thorin at the end of Chapter 8, imprisoned in the underground palace of the King of the Mirkwood Elves. Bilbo and the Dwarves were still free outside, but not for much longer. At the beginning of Chapter 9, the weak and hungry adventurers set off in a vain attempt to walk out of the forest. Before they staggered far, the Elves returned to round them up and take them to their King for questioning. Bilbo was able to slip on the magic ring and pass unnoticed into the palace. Without Gandalf around to negotiate, the Dwarves' audience with the Elvenking turned into a typical Middle-earth stand-off between the two peoples. The Dwarves did not want to tell the King anything about their journey which might result in the Elves getting a share of their treasure. So the prisoners were put in solitary confinement until they were prepared to talk.

 

It should be noted that the Dwarves were given food and drink by the Elvenking, who was a much kinder being than their previous captors. In The Lord of the Rings we learn that the Elvenking's name is Thranduil, and he has a son called Legolas, who, although he is not mentioned in our tale, is expected to make an appearance in the Hobbit films.

 

Things were in some ways tougher for Bilbo at this point as the onus was on him to come up with a plan and get his friends out. This is somewhat in contrast to the team effort and group think in The Great Escape (despite the appearance of the hobbit-like Richard Attenborough in that film).

At this point in the drama, students of modern management techniques might expect our hero to apply some creative problem solving to his situation. However, such methodologies were unknown at the time of writing, so poor Bilbo had to scratch his head and think. Tolkien gives us a good description of Bilbo's predicament and the danger he is in of being caught and imprisoned himself, "like a burglar that can't get away..."

Click through to read Andrew's full analysis...

 

We like to hide our issues. Harry is no better than we are. When he fails in his independent study of his discipline, he tells Snape that yes, he was practicing and sure, it seems to be going fine. As a result of his inability to focus and practice his discipline, and his tendency to be independent and proud, he loses a dear friend in the end of the book.