The New Hobbit Hole

[JenB]

Grrr, I'm tired.... I woke up a good half hour early, realized my sister was late for class, so I got up, went to wake her up, and the ungrateful girl said she was sick and not going to school. Then I had to get my littlest brother to school, with all his stuff, in time to get to my class - which, as it turns out, is canceled! On the bright side, I have use of the (admittedly almost out of gas) car today, so I'm going to the bookstore!

[ecurbh]

Ping.

Welcome to the Hobbit Hole htur_75! I will let HairOfTheDog know to add you to the ping list for the Green Dragon Inn reading group.

[BibChr]

It's funny with me: I find that I tend to tear up over that scene more while reflecting on it, or replaying it — say, on my long drive home from work. It gets me wiping my eyes. But not as much actually watching it (though that's happened too!). It does very much resonate. I'm more moved, for some reason, at Aragorn's heart-pierced sorrow and heartfelt "Be at peace, son of Gondor."

It is indeed a wonderful movie, to stand up to so much re-watching, re-hashing, and analysis. Still teared me up on fifteenth viewing. And when the music changes preparatory to the previews -- fuggedaboudit!

Dan

[HairOfTheDog]

Good Morning! - I am not awake... stumbling and blinking... see you in a few more sips~

[Overtaxed]

Morning Hobbits! How are we on this fine foggy morning?

A bit tired - stayed up too late last night. Is there Daylight Savings Time in the Shire? All my schedules are out of whack and I'm running late for everything. Oh well, at least I'm more in synch with Kitty's schedule!

[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to Free Republic htur! Hope you find us hospitable!! I have added you to the Green Dragon Ping list at your brother's request!... More from there today, If I can get it together. We are tweeking the format a little (if you read back about fifty posts or so on this thread you will see what we are going to be doing with it.

I was going to post an update yesterday, but I had to do my taxes, and got too depressed. I had to pay more money. Not only no refund but had to write a big ole check too. I made it out to "Blood Sucking Leeches" you thing they will cash it? Still blinking.

[ecurbh]

I had to do mine yesterday too - ICK! Do they have income tax in the Shire?

[htur_75]

Thank you. I look forward to talking with all of you. Some I know from previous chats, but I am sure there are more for me to meet.

[2Jedismom]

Good Morning everyone! Did everyone have a good weekend? I finished reading The Hobbit to the boys...did I tell you? Last Friday. Matthew wanted me to go ahead and start reading the FOTR, but I decided I needed to read something Joshua could enjoy a little bit too. ( He usually went to sleep while I was reading.) Maybe Charlotte's Web?

Anyway, I've started reading FOTR to myself again. I was struck more than ever by how closely PJ stuck to Tolkien's words during the party and when Bilbo departs! It's word for word in most parts. I can just see it. Like when Bilbo says "I want to see mountains again, Gandalf--mountains;" and the discussion between Bilbo and Gandalf about him leaving the Ring to Frodo. I think that is what I am most grateful to PJ for...sticking so closely to the words that I've loved so long. It's like he realized that Mr. Tolkien was "the best" at saying what he wanted to have said and by using them almost unaltered in the script, he acknowledged it publicly.

Gosh, I'm pretty gabby this morning.

[ecurbh]

Have they done The Chronicles of Narnia yet? That is my second-favorite series.

[Overtaxed]

I was going to do them yesterday but I got sidetracked. Hehehe

I haven't gotten over last year's taxes yet. I'm sure the only time there were taxes in the Shire was during Sharkey's reign.

[2Jedismom]

Re: Chronicles of Narnia

I know the BBC did a version that is supposed to be very good. It's in our church library. I have never seen it, though.

I read the Narnia series when I was a teenager and liked them, but it just goes to show that I'm not a big fantasy reader. There were good but I had no desire to re-read them.

Tolkien is truly a big exception for me. I never get tired of reading The LOTR and can pick up a book and begin reading anywhere in it and enjoy it. No other fantasy story (or any other genre for that matter) appeals to me like LOTR.

I like Watership Down a lot, though.

[ecurbh]

I've never seen the Narnia films. I read the books several times in Jr Hi and High School, and in fact wrote a big English paper studying the allegorical elements in them (back when you could do such a thing in a public school). These are the only other fantasy books I have ever read, and in fact I have not read them since I got started on Middle-Earth over a decade ago. But I still highly recommend them, and am planning on getting a set for my nephew next Christmas.

[2Jedismom]

Definitely! I still have my set from my youth and I thoroughly intend to read them to my boys!

Most books I read are quick paperbacks that I enjoy for a moment and then get tossed into the Goodwill bin or donated to the church or passed along to my mom. If I keep something, then you know I liked it a lot! Remember, my LOTR books are from the mid-70s! ;-)

Did you ever get your Two Towers back? Did you see Merry and Pippin on the front?

[ecurbh]

Not yet, but I think the person is not really reading them any more. It was probably a heat-of-the-moment thing right after seeing the film.

[Sam Cree]

I bet there weren't taxes, I see the Shire as alot closer to our founders vision of what the U.S. would be than what we got.

Did you see where a poster on the time machine thread said he would use the time machine to go back to the original constitutional convention and give the founders a heads up on what was coming?

[Penny1]

2J, that was what really stood out to me on my 2nd or 3rd viewing of the movie. I had read FOTR for the second time since the movie had come out, so when I went to see it all the dialogue was really fresh in my mind. So there I was sitting in the theater absolutely blown away at how much of the dialogue was EXACTLY the same as the book, literally word-for-word as you said.

[JenB]

2JM; the BBC versions of Narnia were a large disappointment for me. I would not recommend them at all. I love the series; it was one of my first introductions to fantasy. Would you believe that I had never met a faun, a dryad, or a dwarf that wasn't from Disney before Narnia? Even now I enjoy them, though more for the symbolism than the story. I'd say your boys will probably like them a lot. If you do read them, I would recommend reading them in the order that Lewis wrote them, not the "chronological order" that some sets promote. (That is, I recommend starting with Lion, Witch and Wardrobe, not Magician's Nephew. It's a better introduction to the series, IMO, and a more powerful story too.)

Anyway, I recommend Narnia. Aren't your boys really too little for Watership Down? But if you personally like that story, you might like Tailchaser's Song, by Tad Williams. It's like Watership Down, only with cats. Cat fans will also like that story.

[LinnieBeth]

Ooooohhh, really nice pics. But, I need some captions---
What are all those feet about?
Who is pointing to something??(what) out to the Orc?

[ecurbh]

Those are discarded prosthetic hobbit feet. They shredded and recycled them when they were finished to prevent scavenging by souvenier hunters.

The pointing guy is the director of the films, Peter Jackson (known affectionately as PJ).