The Hobbit Hole III - Journey to the Cross-roads!

[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to The Hobbit Hole!

Journey to the Cross-roads
The Two Towers Edition

Come on! Come in! -if you would like to have some seedcakes and a pint and relax a while. (If it is a special occasion, we still have a few bottles of the old wineyards left!)

Our first thread ( New Zealander builds Hobbit hole ) reached 4,100 posts, and we thought that was big. Our second thread (The New Hobbit Hole ) held us for over 48,000 posts, and we loved it dearly. We talked about moving to a new thread for the last 38,000 posts, but we are really slow to muster! Finally, the time has come. Tomorrow (at 12:01 am, to be precise!) The Two Towers comes out, and we start a new chapter.

[Corin Stormhands]

I really love every last one of you, all the cantankerous dwarves, happy hobbits, useful-enough men, and glorious elves! I value your fellowship, and consider you all to be my friends.

Sorry I missed all the mushiness. But I must echo the sentiments.

You guys are better than therapy.

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

You guys are better than therapy.

Cheaper, too!

[HairOfTheDog]

I think it was a dramatic way of showing a close call. I think it was a dramatization of the moment where Frodo almost gets the attention of the Lord of the Nazgul leaving the gate at Minus Morgul, with a twist that it was Faramir who saved him, and not his own will overcoming the command. I wish it had been more subtle too, but PJ isn't subtle!

Before them went a great cavalry of horsemen moving like ordered shadows, and at their head was one greater than all the rest: a Rider, all black, save that on his hooded head he had a helm like a crown that flickered with a perilous light. Now he was drawing near the bridge below, and Frodo's staring eyes followed him, unable to wink or to withdraw. Surely there was the Lord of the Nine Riders returned to earth to lead his ghastly host to battle? Here, yes here indeed was the haggard king whose cold hand had smitten down the Ring-bearer with his deadly knife. The old wound throbbed with pain and a great chill spread towards Frodo's heart.

Even as these thoughts pierced him with dread and held him bound as with a spell, the Rider halted suddenly, right before the entrance of the bridge, and behind him all the host stood still. There was a pause, a dead silence. Maybe it was the Ring that called to the Wraith-lord, and for a moment he was troubled, sensing some other power within his valley. This way and that turned the dark head helmed and crowned with fear, sweeping the shadows with its unseen eyes. Frodo waited, like a bird at the approach of a snake, unable to move. And as he waited, he felt, more urgent than ever before, the command that he should put on the Ring. But great as the pressure was, he felt no inclination now to yield to it. He knew that the Ring would only betray him, and that he had not, even if he put it on, the power to face the Morgul-king-not yet. There was no longer any answer to that command in his own will, dismayed by terror though it was, and he felt only the beating upon him of a great power from outside. It took his hand, and as Frodo watched with his mind, not willing it but in suspense (as if he looked on some old story far away), it moved the hand inch by inch towards the chain upon his neck. Then his own will stirred; slowly it forced the hand back, and set it to find another thing, a thing lying hidden near his breast. Cold and hard it seemed as his grip closed on it: the phial of Galadriel, so long treasured, and almost forgotten till that hour. As he touched it, for a while all thought of the Ring was banished from his mind. He sighed and bent his head.

And in looking for that close call I found this, where Gandalf predicts war very soon against Minist Tirith. The watchers of the film have no knowledge at all yet of Minis Tirith, Osgoliath or Gondor's current plight, if you think about it, and PJ had to bring that in somehow, so the need to go there quickly would be easier to explain.:

"Things at the moment, if you wish to have a piece of my mind as plain as possible. The Enemy, of course, has long known that the Ring is abroad, and that it is borne by a hobbit. He knows now the number of our Company that set out from Rivendell, and the kind of each of us. But he does not yet perceive our purpose clearly. He supposes that we were all going to Minas Tirith; for that is what he would himself have done in our place. And according to his wisdom it would have been a heavy stroke against his power. Indeed he is in great fear, not knowing what mighty one may suddenly appear, wielding the Ring, and assailing him with war, seeking to cast him down and take his place. That we should wish to cast him down and have no one in his place is not a thought that occurs to his mind. That we should try to destroy the Ring itself has not yet entered into his darkest dream. In which no doubt you will see our good fortune and our hope. For imagining war he has let loose war, believing that he has no time to waste; for he that strikes the first blow, if he strikes it hard enough, may need to strike no more. So the forces that he has long been preparing he is now setting in motion, sooner than he intended. Wise fool. For if he had used all his power to guard Mordor, so that none could enter, and bent all his guild to the hunting of the Ring, then indeed hope would have faded: neither Ring nor Bearer could long have eluded him. But now his eye gazes abroad rather than near at home; and mostly he looks towards Minas Tirith. Very soon now his strength will fall upon it like a storm.

Film-wise, what we don't know is what exactly was reported back about the incident. If the beast was slain, if the message got back, or what message it was.

[RMDupree]

Sorry I missed all the mushiness.

I'm sorry you missed it too!

You guys are better than therapy.

I echo THAT sentiment completely!

[Corin Stormhands]

Funny that it's an Elf-friend that gets the ball rolling on this......

Not when you remember that it's all Elrond's fault anyway...

[ksen]

So just what would Sauron know? A hobbit was in Osgiliath with the Ring in the company of Gondorian fighters. It probably wouldn't be too much of a stretch for Sauron to assume that the Gondorians would take the Ring back to Minas Tirith, which is where he was guessing the Ring was going in the book (at least according to Hair's quote, thanks Hair).

[Corin Stormhands]

Our dog was particularly stressed by our little one's Fisher Price Road Rally. The dog liked being inside the track, until the car started moving. Then he just couldn't figure out where to go...

[Corin Stormhands]

I figure you are very busy or out of town. Check in when you can. Did you get an axe for Christmas?

Actually it's been a little of both. I am here for a little while longer today.

I did not get an axe (or anything else on my list) for Christmas. I got some very nice stuff, including a DVD player (which is really cool, so we don't have to watch on the Playstation anymore).

But I did not get the skill saw I've been asking for since last Christmas, or any of the other stuffs either. That's okay though...

[Corin Stormhands]

Isn't that picture from the show where the guy pretended to be an elf just so the landlord wouldn't think anything was going on?

[Corin Stormhands]

Okay, I'm all caught up, but I have much to do. Little one wants to play...see y'all later...

[HairOfTheDog]

Heh.... Read that Gandalf quote again with our current situation in mind, particularly with the "close the borders" proponents in mind.

I am of course, NOT SAYING WE ARE SAURON, so don't become distracted by that, but I wonder if it couldn't be argued that we might be making the same tactical error that Sauron made. It struck me when I read it.

"For imagining war he has let loose war, believing that he has no time to waste; for he that strikes the first blow, if he strikes it hard enough, may need to strike no more..."

"Wise fool. For if he had used all his power to guard Mordor, so that none could enter, and bent all his guild to the hunting of the Ring, then indeed hope would have faded: neither Ring nor Bearer could long have eluded him. But now his eye gazes abroad rather than near at home; and mostly he looks towards Minas Tirith. Very soon now his strength will fall upon it like a storm."

[HairOfTheDog]

See ya Corin! Nice talking to you!

[Alylonee]

I just loved the movie, I wish they made more movies like these. Quality viewing that's for sure. And beautiful scenery. I loved everything about the movie and was disappointed when it ended! That's probably why I want to read the book, I really don't want to wait a year to see the end! I would love the white horse in the movie that the wizard had. What kind of horse was that? Does anyone know? It looked kind of like an Arabian, but I couldn't tell.

[RMDupree]

Have you had a chance to watch anything on the DVD player yet?

It's really a jump in improved quality from the PS2. I have watched a few DVDs at my sister's house on the PS2 and the picture is always a bit grainy.

Enjoy the new DVD player, Corin. You've earned it...You've earned a Skil-Saw and axe as well, but one thing at a time. :)

[RMDupree]

Shadowfax is an Andulusian (sp? - Hair would know), I believe.

I would encourage you to read the books - or at least read The Fellowship and The Two Towers. I doubt you will be able to resist picking up Return of the King, but you can try.

Personally, I read all three after seeing the first movie and it has only made the movies better.

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

So just what would Sauron know?

In terms of intelligence-gathering, you always have to assume the worst: that your Enemy knows everything. So, assuming Sauron does get word of a Hobbit with the Ring in Osgiliath, what would it mean? Probably not much different, as you and Hair have pointed out: Sauron would still assume that the Ring would be taken to Minas Tirith. But it does change the story quite a bit... Sauron now has no reason to distrust Saruman; the reasoning behind Aragorn challenging Sauron through the Palantir is changed, and the challenge perhaps becomes needless (I wonder if it will be included in ROTK?) But while the paths have changed, the destination is still the same, I think.

[HairOfTheDog]

The horse was an Andalusian stallion named Demero. He has a story... a bit sad... his days are limited now, as all of ours are...

• Horse with Melanomas – Demero, the light grey Andalusian horse that plays Shadowfax, was purchased with a known diagnosis of melanoma. This is not uncommon in pale gray and white horses. The horse’s condition worsened toward the end of the shooting schedule. While the Production veterinarian was determining the appropriate treatment, a veterinarian from the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) examined the horse. MAF issued an “Instruction to Mitigate Suffering” and stated a recommended course of treatment. The Production veterinarian followed the recommendation. In May 2002, AHA arranged for an independent veterinarian to examine Demero. At that time, Production indicated that they had no intention of working Demero in the future due to the melanomas. The findings by the independent veterinarian were “generally consistent with the history and previous management of the case...The lack of pain or signs of irritation and general condition of Demero indicate that there is no welfare issue at present. Regular monitoring that Production has instituted is appropriate and should continue.”
  
  Upon completion of filming, the production company arranged for Demero to be retired where he will continue to receive the prescribed, on-going care. The horse will not be used in any additional filming for the completion of subsequent sequels. Demero has been confirmed to be alive and well cared for as of the date of this review.

That Excerpt was taken from here:

American Humane Association Movie Review... The Two Towers

I am an animal lover, so I was interested in the humane treatment report. As you can see, the film did not get an AHA endorsement that they could run in the credits. That is too bad. If you read the report, you can see that the reason is mostly political. Since the film was made in New Zealand, the AHA was not invited on set. The New Zealand Humane association was on set though. Beyond some quibbling over training methods and one horse that was lame and sent to slaughter (he should have been put down), their actual report is more positive than negative..

[Bear_in_RoseBear]

That is sad about Demero, I had not heard about the melanoma before.

[RMDupree]

Thanks for the info, Hair.

I knew that if anyone had the details on Shadowfax, it would be you.

So sorry to hear about the melanoma in Demero. I'm certain that he is retired in style and will be comfortable until his end. It's the least he deserves after such a fantastic performance. Why, he's more handsome than Haldir or Elrond! :)

[RMDupree]

Isn't it amazing that animals and people share certain diseases?