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Post by Ardo Whortleberry on Aug 4, 2009 3:14:05 GMT -6
Concerning the subject of two Hobbit Movies ~~~
Two feature-length films would be fine, IF the intention was merely to lovingly draw out all the details in the original story. But the purpose appears to be mainly that of exploiting the success of LOTR to an even further degree, and making sure that the great Ian Mc Kellan gets optimum "face-time" in the Hobbit movie(s)...
And I do not call Sir Mc Kellan "great" in a sarcastic manner - he really is Great, and I mean that without reservation! And, ( of course! ) there is no one else who should be considered for the role of Gandalf, and it would be a huge disappointment if someone else had been chosen to fill his shoes ( and his hat and cloak ) for the Hobbit films...
But although Gandalf plays a tremendously big role in the original story, the story is really more about Bilbo, the comfortable, stodgy stay-at-home Bilbo, who gets this wild and dangerous Adventure dropped in his lap one day, and also how his eyes get opened up [ as the story progresses ( as well as the eyes of the reader ) ] to the vast world outside the confines of Hobbiton...
Of course, we all miss Gandalf when he "leaves the scene" ( about halfway through the story ) and then we are surprised, gratified and reassured, even delighted, when he makes his reappearance later on in the story - but how can we miss him if he doesn't go away? ---
my guess is that the movie-makers feels like there just isn't enough big battle sequences in the original story ( only one measly little battle! Even if it is a big one ) and Elrond only has a small part in the original story, as well... Also, Sauron and the "Eye" have no part in "The Hobbit" - ( just a couple of vague references to "The Necromancer", who is really "out of the picture" in the story ) - And their main concern will be with tying up all the loose ends in the "Prelude" ( "The Hobbit" ) with the PJ version of LOTR - making them consistent and coherent... More will be made of "Bilbo's magic ring" as being "The One Ring" as well, otherwise, the two movies will not "jive", people might wonder: "What's going on here?" if the Ring were to be even slightly de-emphasized ( or, at least, that might be the movie-makers' logic )...
When I used to spend many of my idle hours day-dreaming about how a movie version of LOTR might be ( before one came to be ) I used to wish that each "book" ( Books I - VI, the first & second halves of FOTR, TTT & ROTK ) in the "Trilogy" would each come out as a full-length movie version, because that would be the only way to include as many of the details of the original story as possible...
But I look forward to the release of "The Hobbit" in a two-part format with a bit of trepidation... But, we shall see...
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Post by Ardo Whortleberry on Aug 4, 2009 4:12:45 GMT -6
Who do you think should be cast to play the characters in The Hobbit Movie?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In a way, I'd almost like to see a cast of mostly "unknowns" filling the roles - In the case of a Sean Connery playing the part of a "Thorin", for instance, I have the feeling that the whole time I was watching the movie, I would be thinking: "That's Sean Connery playing the role of Thorin" ( instead of thinking "That's Thorin" )...
Of course, it would be jarring to have anyone else but Mc Kellan playing Gandalf ( & no one could do it better ) and it would also be jarring to see a different Elrond besides Hugo Weaving ( although, I'm sorry to say, I was never happy with his portrayal of Elrond - he always just seemed mad all the time, and not "Kind and wise" [the way he was described in "The Hobbit", anyway] ) -
I thought I read at a site associated with New Line ( some time back already ) that Ian Holm would not be able to reclaim his role as Bilbo on account of age and ill-health ( the Bilbo role in "The Hobbit" to be much more strenuous and arduous than it was in LOTR ) - if he is making a "comeback", well fine and good! ( although, the role of Bilbo is supposed to be for a hobbit around the age of fifty - not a Hundred & Eleven - so there would have to be some "de-aging" going on )
I guess I had never even heard of Mr Holm before LOTR ( or had not taken notice of him, if I had seen him in anything ) and when I saw him as Bilbo, I was a little disappointed, only because he was another actor who didn't quite fit the way I pictured Bilbo to be... He acquitted himself quite well in the role, however...
Oddly enough, since LOTR, I have seen Mr Holm in a couple of movies ( which both came before LOTR, but which I had never seen up until now ) which made me realize what a very fine actor he is! [ the movies were: "The Madness Of King George III" & "Chariots Of Fire"... In "Chariots" - I had no idea it was Mr Holm playing that part of the personal training coach until the credits ran at the end of the movie... boy, was I surprised! ...
But then, I do have my own little list of "favorites" - almost all of them British actors, who I wouldn't mind seeing in one role or another ( whichever role best suited them ) in the upcoming movie... For instance: Geoffrey Palmer Michael Kitchen Alun Armstrong Clive Swift [ both from: ] Geoffrey Hughes [ "Keeping Up Appearances" ]
[ Mr Hughes wouldn't be such a bad choice to play all three of the Trolls, ( Tom, Bert & William ) simultaneously, with the help of a little "movie-magic" ]
P.S. If Sean Connery were to be in the movie, playing the part of the Elven-King ( instead of Thorin ) might work out well, too....
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Post by Ardo Whortleberry on Aug 6, 2009 1:44:29 GMT -6
A few more of my favorite ( British ) actors, who could find a spot in "The Hobbit" - although I'm still not sure exactly which roles would best suit them:
These actors were all in the BBC series "Monarch Of The Glen":
Richard Briers [ "Hector Mac Donald" ] Alexander Mac Kenzie [ "Golly" ] Hamish Clark [ "Duncan" ] Julian Fellows [ "Lord Kilwillie" ] ( actually, come to think of it, Mr Fellowes would be an excellent choice for a Bombur ) ( so would the aforementioned [ in my previous post ] Geoffrey Hughes, though )
It's too bad there are basically no female roles in "The Hobbit", although perhaps some female roles might get "expanded"... Although Lobelia Sackville-Baggins was not mentioned specifically in the original text, she certainly would have been present when Bilbo had finally returned to Bag-End to find that auction in progress...
Susan Hampshire ( also from MOTG - "Molly Mac Donald" ) is one of my favorite ( BBC ) actresses... Of course, there's always Judi Dench and Patricia Routledge... Stephanie Cole ( of "Waiting For God" & "Doc Martin" ) would make a pretty good Lobelia... Helen Mirren would also make a great Lobelia...
Martin Clunes ( of "Doc Martin" fame ) would make a good grumpy dwarf...
I also vote for Anthony Howell ( of "Foyle's War" - but I don't picture him as being one of the dwarves... He might be another good choice for the Elven-King )
Also getting down to more "specifics"; Geoffrey Palmer ( mentioned before last time ) could be Balin - especially for conveying the kindness and caring that Balin came to show for the "burglar'...
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Post by Stormrider on Aug 6, 2009 5:46:39 GMT -6
Ardo:
You have some interesting ideas for casting. I am not all that familiar with British actors and actresses or any from down under. I guess I could go with "unknowns" for the rolls in the movie--after all, it seems many of those chosen for LOTR by PJ were not all that known and became re known because of roll in the movies.
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Post by Ardo Whortleberry on Aug 7, 2009 5:05:03 GMT -6
Ardo: You have some interesting ideas for casting. I am not all that familiar with British actors and actresses or any from down under. I guess I could go with "unknowns" for the rolls in the movie--after all, it seems many of those chosen for LOTR by PJ were not all that known and became re known because of roll in the movies. I don't much about "down under" either, but British TV is the best! ( at least, I like to think so ) -- Of course, it goes both ways - some American TV shows have been very popular in the UK for years ( like "Dallas" & even "Everybody Loves Raymond" ) --- I got really hooked on the British programming years ago, mainly through the auspices of PBS TV - Productions like "Masterpiece Theatre" & "Mystery!" - then, came a trickle of "Britcoms" - for years, there was mainly "Are You Being Served" around, but then came also "Keeping Up Appearances" & "As Time Goes By" and a number of others... There was also one PBS station in particular around here ( KTEH, based in San Jose - the heart of the "Silicon Valley" ) which seemed to broadcast almost exclusively in British programming - besides the shows I already mentioned, they also would show other offerings, such as "East-enders" ( the long-running Brit Soap Opera/Drama ) "Monarch Of The Glen" ( set in Scotland - a comedy/drama Soap Opera - but with a definite beginning & end ) Various detective/mystery shows ( besides "Mystery!" )... In recent times, the independent station of KTEH was merged with the "Big Kid On The Block" ( KQED, out of San Francisco ) - It lost some of it's own unique identity after the merger, but it still continues to show mostly British shows... [ "Brilliantly British" is how it proclaims itself ] Anyway --- There's a lot of British programming available on DVD these days - & there is a cable station - BBC America, if you get a chance, check out what you can - I heartily recommend all ( and/or any) of it!!!
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Post by Ardo Whortleberry on Aug 7, 2009 5:34:06 GMT -6
Ardo: You have some interesting ideas for casting. I am not all that familiar with British actors and actresses or any from down under. I guess I could go with "unknowns" for the rolls in the movie--after all, it seems many of those chosen for LOTR by PJ were not all that known and became re known because of roll in the movies. Well, I had never heard of Viggo Mortensen before LOTR - and he sure turned out to be a great Aragorn! Now, I had heard of Ian Mc Kellan before LOTR, in relation to his role in the ( relatively ) recent movie adaption of "Richard III" ( where the play was set in the 1930's, against a "backdrop" of Fascism )... I don't think Dominic Monaghan was particularly well known - except I did know him - again, from one of those British shows we used to watch, ( and had enjoyed very much ) - a series on "Mystery!", called: "Hetty Wainthrop Investigates" ( which starred Patricia Routledge, who is mainly recognized for her comedic role as Hyacinth Bucket { "...it's pronounced bouquet..." as she says on the show } in "Keeping Up Appearances" ) Mr Monaghan played the young & somewhat troubled young teenager who gets taken "under the wing" of Mrs. Wainthrop ( and her husband ) and who moves in with them, also becoming an apprentice in Hetty Wainthrop's Detective Agency, ( which she runs out of her home )... The funny thing is, the whole time I was watching the LOTR movies, whenever I saw him, I kept thinking: "That guy looks so familiar to me - but I can't quite place him" I kept thinking maybe I'd seen him in some silly Teen Comedies - Eventually, it somehow dawned on me and I finally made the (re)-connection... I had the sort of opposite thing happen recently, when I was being mesmerized by the "Masterpiece" five-part adaption of Dickens' "Little Dorrit", & I noticed in the opening credits of one episode ( the names were displayed in teeny-tiny little script-letters - & looking like they had been written with a quill pen ) that Andy Serkis was in the cast! I kept wondering, which one of these characters was he playing? I finally found out that he was playing Riguad, definitely the twisted villian in the story, and a psychotic killer, to boot )...
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Post by Stormrider on Aug 7, 2009 6:25:28 GMT -6
Because of Dominic Monaghan (being in LOTR and Lost!) I added the "Hetty Wainthrop Investigates" series to my Netflix selections. I received the first two episodes and I liked them. I am waiting for the next issue--I staggered the show in among my other movie selections. I also added the movie "I Sell the Dead" to my list but they don't have a realease date yet--Dom stars in that.
I knew of Ian McKellan from X-Men and a few other movies I can't recall off the top of my head. I knew of Ian Holme, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Elijah Wood, Christopher Lee, John Ryes-Davies, Bernard Hill, and Viggo Mortensen from previous rolls they had been in but none of the other names on the LOTR cast.
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Post by Ardo Whortleberry on Aug 7, 2009 15:54:24 GMT -6
Stormrider ---
I'm glad to know you had already discovered "Hetty Wainthrop Investigates" - It's one of the "milder" Mystery! shows... No grisly murders, more "human interest" stories & the pacing is rather leisurely, not intense...
I'm very surprised to hear that Sir Ian was ever in any X-Men movies... I knew that Patrick Stewart [ "Star Trek TNG" ] was in them ( another "British Invader", if I'm not mistaken - a lot of the British actors that well known in movies and TV often "started out" by working in Shakespearian Theatre back "on the other side of the Pond" - Stewart being one of these, I believe ) ---
Going back to my last post, I forgot to mention that ( over the years ) there has sometimes occurred the "transplanting" of shows ( usually sitcoms ) from the UK over to the US - where the "concept" of a Brit show was adapted so that American audiences could "relate" more easily to them...
One of the first of these was: All In The Family & then there was: Sanford & Son
More recently, there is the case of The Office
There is even a case of "doubling back" - where a Brit show, Coupling had been "inspired" by the US show, Friends ( although I think "Coupling" might have been even a little more "risque" than "Friends" ) -- which in turn led to an American version of "Coupling"! ==
Even the PBS show Antiques Roadshow was originally a British show, and ( if I'm not mistaken, which I sometimes am ) also Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?...
If you are interested in exploring a bit more of British Television ( or films ) you might want to check out a few of those titles which I mentioned previously...
But here are some others I forgot to add: Jeeves & Wooster ( or is it Wooster & Jeeves? -- [ with Hugh Laurie ( now of House fame ) as Bertie Wooster & Stephen Frye as Jeeves ]
The Mystery! Rumpole Of The Bailey series [ with the late, great Leo Mc Kern as Horace Rumpole ]
There is also a long running Britcom called: Last Of The Summer Wine - not one of my favorites, but Peter Sallis [ the voice of "Wallace" in the Wallace & Grommit cartoons ] is in it, and in the later episodes [ the only ones I have seen ] Frank Thorton [ who was "Captain Peacock" in Are You Being Served? & Are You Being Served Again? [ known "over there" as Grace & Favour ]
I always enjoy a good British film, too --- Some of the "classics" came from the 1950's, out of Ealing Studios: The Lavender Hill Mob; Kind Hearts And Coronets [ those both had another "late/great" in them: Alec Guiness ] but that's just for starters.... ~~~
{ re-edited on August 8th, 2009 }
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Post by Ardo Whortleberry on Aug 7, 2009 16:30:58 GMT -6
I knew of Ian McKellan from X-Men and a few other movies I can't recall off the top of my head. I knew of Ian Holme, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Elijah Wood, Christopher Lee, John Ryes-Davies, Bernard Hill, and Viggo Mortensen from previous rolls they had been in but none of the other names on the LOTR cast. I had heard of Ian McKellan ( as I mentioned before ) & Cate Blanchett & John Rhys-Davies ( him from the Indiana Jones movies [ I & III ] ) and Christopher Lee -- the names Liv Tyler & Elijah Wood were vaguely familiar to me at the time... ( I later caught a glimpse of Mr Wood in some sort of fantasy story aimed mainly at younger audiences - my guess is that he was already sort of a "child star" )... But I think just about almost everyone else in the cast ( as far as I can recall ) I had never even heard of before... I had never heard of either Sean ( Bean or Astin! ) f'rinstance... At Eight O' The Clock PM PST tonight, or shortly there afterwards, ( if all goes according to plan ) we here should finally be switching from Ye Olde Dial-Up to Broadband service... I'm hoping ( fingers crossed ) that this will make it possible to "bypass" all those glitches I have been experiencing with the Dial-Up connection...
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Post by Stormrider on Aug 7, 2009 18:27:22 GMT -6
Ardo:
I agree, the Hetty Wainthrop series is very mild and calm. It is actually kind of refreshing and reminds me more of the age when I was growing up and things were simpler. I like that feel and rather miss it.
Ian McKellen played the sinister Eric Lensherr (alias Magneto) in the X-Men movies. I saw him in "Gods and Monsters" before LOTR and afterwards he had a small role in "The DaVinci Code" movie. Of course, he has been in several classic movies based off of books and/or Shakespear.
I have added some of the British shows you mentioned above on my Netflix queue and the Alex Guinness movies and worked them in with some of my other selections. Some of your suggestions sound interesting. the Lavender Hill Mob sounds familiar.
Good luck with the new internet service.
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Post by Vanye on Aug 7, 2009 23:25:14 GMT -6
I watched the "Hetty Wainthorpe" series when our local PBS station played it several years ago & really liked it. Another BBC series i especially like is the one called "Rosemary & Thyme" which is about a couple of older women who have a gardening business & get involved in investigating murders all the time. It's fairly low key also & our PBS station played it as recently as last year. They have another one on now called "New Tricks" which features 3 older male detectives whose supervisor is a middle aged woman detective. I enjoy that one very much also. I watch many BBC series. I watch no US network series!
Well i am back online as of today-back in touch with the world-thank goodness! I've done a lot of reading in the past two months but sure missed the internet & all of you guys a lot. Vanye 8^)
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Post by Vanye on Aug 7, 2009 23:37:25 GMT -6
Oh! I nearly forgot my favorite PBS Mystery series "Brother Cadfael". Brother Cadfel is a Benedictine monk at Shrewsbury in Shropshire on the Welsh border in the 12th century. I love the series & the books too! Vanye
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Post by Ardo Whortleberry on Aug 8, 2009 5:07:35 GMT -6
Vanye, Hello!!! ~~~
Rosemary & Thyme has been one of our favorite shows ever since it turned up on KTEH a few years ago... I'm sure I have seen every episode by now, at least once...
Ditto for New Tricks, which turned up more recently...
Thanks for reminding me about Cadfael! -- Derek Jacobi is another wonderful Brit actor -- ( I wonder if there might be a spot for him in "The Hobbit"? ) That series even inspired me to go on to read several of the original Ellis Peters novels... I was disappointed to find out that the Mystery! writers sometimes tweaked plot-lines from the original stories, although that is nothing out of the ordinary, to be sure...
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Post by Ardo Whortleberry on Aug 8, 2009 5:25:42 GMT -6
Just a side note --- I should have called the "Help Line" & had someone "walk me through" the set-up process for my Broadband service : I started about 9:00 pm last night, & wasn't finally all connected up properly until about one hour ago! ( so the whole process wound up taking about six hours! )...
I'm pretty exhausted now - but I can say right now, my jaw is dropping in astonishment at the incredible difference between what I had before and what I have now - It's the difference between night and day! And ( so far ) no more "hang-ups"! Good Night To All, & I'll be comin' back at ya soon... ( I'll be able to talk so much I will run out of things to say! )
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Post by Stormrider on Aug 8, 2009 8:05:20 GMT -6
Welcome back, Vanye! Good sailing, Ardo!
More new shows to add to my list!
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