Posted on 03/14/2002 5:07:26 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
This is a continuation of the infamous thread New Zealander Builds Hobbit Hole originally posted on January 26, 2001 by John Farson, who at the time undoubtedly thought he had found a rather obscure article that would elicit a few replies and die out. Without knowing it, he became the founder of the Hobbit Hole. For reasons incomprehensible to some, the thread grew to over 4100 replies. It became the place for hobbits and friends of hobbits to chit chat and share LoTR news and views, hang out, and talk amongst ourselves in the comfort of familiar surroundings.
In keeping with the new posting guidelines, the thread idea is continuing here, as will the Green Dragon Inn, our more structured spin-off thread, as soon as we figure out how to move all the good discussion that has been had there. As for the Hobbit Hole, we will just start fresh, bringing only a few mathoms such as the picture above with us to make it feel like home, and perhaps a walk down memory lane:
Our discussion has been light:
It very well may be that a thread named "New Zealander builds Hobbit hole" will end up being the longest Tolkien thread of them all, with some of the best heartfelt content... Sorry John, but I would have rather it had been one with a more distinguished title!… post 252 - HairOfTheDog
However, I can still celebrate, with quiet dignity, the fact that what started as a laugh about some wacko in New Zealand has mutated and grown into a multifaceted discussion of the art, literature, and philosophy that is Tolkien. And now that I've managed to write the most pompous sentence of my entire life, I agree, Rosie… post 506 - JenB
Hah! I was number 1000!! (Elvish victory dance... wait, no; that would be too flitty) … post 1001 - BibChr
Real men don't have to be afraid of being flitty! Go for it. – post 1011 – HairOfTheDog
Seventeen years to research one mystical object seems a bit excessive… post 1007 - JenB
Okay...who's the wise guy who didn't renew Gandalf's research grant?… post 1024 – Overtaxed
To the very philosophical:
…Judas Iscariot obviously was a good man, or he wouldn't have been chosen to be one of the Apostles. He loved Jesus, like all of the Apostles, but he betrayed him. Yet without his betrayal, the Passion and Crucifixion would never have occurred, and mankind would not have been redeemed. So without his self-destruction infinite good would not have been accomplished. I certainly do not mean this to be irreverant but it seems to me that this describes the character of Gollum, in the scenes so movingly portrayed above… Lucius Cornelius Sulla
To fun but heartfelt debates about the integrity and worth of some of the characters…
…Anyone else notice how Boromir treats the hobbits? He's very fond of them but he seems to think of them as children - ruffling Frodo's hair, calls them all 'little ones'. He likes them, but I don't think he really respects them… post 1536 - JenB
Yes... Tolkien told us not to trust Boromir right off the bat when he began to laugh at Bilbo, until he realized that the Council obviously held this hobbit in high esteem. What a pompous dolt… post 1538 - HairOfTheDog
…I think almost every fault of his can be traced directly back to his blindness to anything spiritual or unseen. He considers the halflings as children, because that is what they look like. He considers the only hope of the ring to be in taking it and using it for a victory in the physical realm. He cannot see what the hobbits are truly made of, he cannot see the unseen hope of what the destruction of the ring might mean--the destruction of Sauron himself, and he cannot see the unseen danger that lies in the use of the ring itself… I just feel sorry for Boromir--he is like a blind but honorable man, trying to take the right path on the road but missing the right path entirely because he simply cannot see it… post 1548 - Penny1
Boromir isn't a jerk, he's a jock… post 2401 – Overtaxed
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Oh, I think by the time Frodo reaches the Cracks, he's not even himself anymore! I think he's not only on the brink of a dangerous place physically, he's on the brink of losing himself completely during the exchange with Gollum. But for some reason, the take-over isn't complete till he actually has to throw the Ring in. The person speaking to Gollum is not Frodo, but the "Wheel of Fire" that Sam sees. After the Ring is destroyed, Frodo not only comes back to himself, but comes back with the unbearable (to him) knowledge of what it's like to be completely without compassion. I think that's why it's so important to him to be compassionate in the Shire… post 2506 - 2Jedismom
…Regarding Frodo's compassion... it's a little too much at the end. Even Merry tells him that he's going to have to quit being so darn nice. But you're right. He's learned a lesson about evil that very few ever learn since it wasn't an external lesson but an internal one. (Those kinds of lessons have the greatest impact) Not only did he totally succumb to it, but he was rather ruthless to my little Smeagol… post 2516 - carton253
Well that Frodo was a big mean bully! (to Smeagol)… post 2519 – Overtaxed
So as you can see, everything JRR Tolkien (and Peter Jackson) is welcome here in our New Row, our soon-to-be familiar New Hobbit Hole…; philosophy, opinion, good talk and frequent silliness.
Oh, yeah, of course she had to grab it and start playing all kinds of stuff. She was pleasantly surprised. She usually plays recorder and flute with her classes, and had thought of the Irish whistle as "shrill". But she is changing her mind a bit I think...
Can't post much today at all, must work, the Balrogs are cracking their whips....
Look everyone! Fox coverage....
| New Lord of the Rings: Two Towers of Power |  |
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By Roger Friedman  The Two Towers | The Rolling Stones | Laurie Colwin | Fox Is First, Yet Again
New Lord of the Rings: Two Towers of Power I've now seen advance footage of the second installment of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and all I can say is "look out." This may be another Oscar nominee for Best Picture. Last week New Line Cinema held two sneak previews of 16 minutes of assembled footage of The Two Towers which featured a look at some new characters and a glimpse of a giant war scene. It was all very impressive, especially the new computer-generated character Gollum, who puts Jar Jar Binks to shame. Two Towers, from what we saw, is more character driven than the first film. It feels a little amped up and that may be the result of the re-shoots this past summer. The scenes we saw had incredible energy even if you don't know a word from the book (and that would include this reader, whose only interest in J.R.R. Tolkien's books extended to The Fellowship of the Ring). But nothing was more impressive than New Line's Mark Ordesky's knowledge of the entire Tolkien canon. When he finished explaining it to us, we were all afraid there'd be a quiz. Later Ordesky, executive producer of the trilogy and the man who shares credit with director Peter Jackson for making it all work, admitted: "I read the books about 12 times since I was a teenager." Bernard Hill, the British actor who plays Theoden, the king of Rohan, said that when the actors arrived in New Zealand this summer for re-shoots, Ordesky amazed them with the same speech. "We couldn't believe it," said Hill, who attended the preview with actors John Rhys-Davies and Miranda Otto. New Line will open Towers on Dec. 18, with a built-in audience. The first installment has made about a billion dollars worldwide so far. |
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In anticipation of the December 18 release of the central film in Peter Jackson's epic trilogy, "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," New Line Cinema will debut the film's main theatrical trailer at 12:01AM, Monday, September 30, exclusively on America Online worldwide. The new trailer will debut in North American theaters on Friday, October 4, and widen throughout the world through the month of October[More]
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What does this mean "exclusively on AOL worldwide"? How do I see it?
Let your family know you want a set for Christmas! I'll bet your brothers and sisters would be delighted to get one for you!
Great article, but pleeeeze...Spongebob Squarepants puts Jar Jar Binks to shame...
On second thoughts, make that ten minutes for the geeks to get over their AOL revulsion.
I'd rather march into Mordor than log on to AOL ever again...
But I am making some nice Christmas ornaments out of AOL CDs...
Please...do we HAVE to keep using the JJ word?? I DETEST that creature...
Tried that last year...didn't work. But I DO have a birthday coming up...hmmm. Maybe if I start dropping heavy hints I'll at least get my own cheapie paperbacks back for my birthday?
I can't complain about last Christmas, though...my brother gave me a beautiful copy of The Hobbit (hence the double copies!) complete with fold out maps and Tolkien's notes and other goodies. It's an older sort of collector's edition. Really nice!
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