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
-----------------------------------------
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.
I'm going to spend time with my family tonight but I'll be in and out.
You should be able to do that! I posted those links to Sam in this message here.
And, RMD, if you're looking for a DVD-ROM drive for your computer, check out these prices! You should be able to get a decent one for under $50. We can recommend New Egg, we bought a lot of the components in our current computers from them!
I don't know, some of the things Jackson says in the extra stuff on the theatrical video shows that he understands Tolkien very well, he said stuff about what Tolkien was trying to accomplish that goes beyond what you'd get just from reading the books, it would require research on his life as well.
I haven't seen the SE version yet, though.
Extended Edition Easter Eggs
Demosthenes @ 1:29 pm EST
We reported this a couple weeks ago, but with the Extended Edition now in general release, it's worth reviewing the easter eggs that are floating around on your new DVD!
If having two discs filled with amazing special features wasn't enough, the four-disc Extended Edition of The Fellowship of the Ring features two very cool Easter Eggs that just add to the awesomeness of the set.
These first two eggs are found on discs one and two of the set, and each one is of a video that many LOTR fans would be quite happy to have on DVD.
The first one is actually the MTV Movie Awards spoof on the Council of Elrond scene that is pretty hilarious. I've wanted to see this again since it first aired (and was repeated a thousand times on MTV), and now it's on DVD.
To find this one, go into the Scene Selection menu on disc one, and head to the final page where you'll find the real Council of Elrond scene. High light that scene and press "down" to find an image of the Ring. Press enter to view the entire clip from MTV complete with an introduction from Peter Jackson.
(NB: This Easter Egg is not necessarily kiddie-safe. Parents might want to watch this bit themselves before they unleash their children on it.)
The second egg can be found on disc two, and is the awesome four-minute "Fan Preview" of The Two Towers that was shown at the end of The Fellowship of the Ring this past March as it was on the way out of the theaters.
To watch this awesome trailer, go to the Scene Selection menu and navigate your way to the final page where you'll find the chapter with the Fan Club Credits. Move the cursor to the numbers on the far right of the screen, and when it's on "48" press down to make an image of the Two Towers appear. Press enter to view the trailer in full anamorphic widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio.
Thanks to Bernie and TORn staffer Scorpio for this information.
These really work! press the "48" once so that the official fan club credits appear in the menu... then press the down arrow from the 48 again and the two towers will appear.... -Hair.
I'm shocked at you Hair... shocked I tell you...
I came home and guess what was waitin' fer me?... I only had about a half hour to spare, so I did a little screenin'
First scene I went to wuz the prologue (love that added Isildur footage), the went straight to the elves runnin' away, er... I mean, departin' middle Earth... you were right Corin, watched it twice ... Then the cavers of Isengard, Moria, and the first part of Lorien.. at which time Missus g came in with the kids and gave me "the look"... so I turned it off...
didn't get back from choir practice till 2200, and reville was 0400, so I didn't watch anymore... ...Missus is gone most of the day with the kids...I live 5 minutes from work so I may go home fer lunch...hee hee hee...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.