News from the set [2]

But you only need a couple of shots of it Norc once they are in the river- the passage of time is easily dealt with- light when they escape, moonlit when they wash up n the bank- simple, save a load of time. The exciting bit is not floating down the river its getting ther inthe first place.
This is what PJ does, its like the troll scene again- take a one line reference and turn it into a wasteful 20 minutes of film for which you have to cut out more important character development to fit in.

"I simply cannot BELIEVE the way we have to explain everything to you Petty"

my sentiments exactly 'The Artist formerly known as Halfwise er Nigel'

the barrel scene wount take any more than five-ten minutes I think. and, yes, you can have only barrels but! you get a more aaah.. how do I explain it.. You feel the misery kind of, when you see the dwarves floating down, cold and wet ..

yeah, explain everything xD

I do see what you mean Petty, you can easily stay true to the book by having them in closed barrels, but I feel it works better on screen to have them in open barrels. That and if closed you will have a logical problem such as breathing adding the closed barrels won't even be a problem, because it is Bilbo who pushes them into the river, the the elves (thinking they are empty barrels). I would be more concerned about the drunken elves problem if I were you.

Good point Norc, if ever there was a dodgy bit from the book it was the drunken Elves. I dont like that bit of the book at all, it doesnt fit with how I see them, maybe I shouldnt mind it as they probably were more rustic than Elves elsewhere but 'drunk' elves is a bit yucky. I really hope they dont film them rolling about and being silly. I would indeed worry more about this than the barrel scene.

Knowing PJ, he'll exploit that bit! He did have the drinking game in ROTK, but he showed that Legolas had a higher tolerance than Gimli, so I feel like it wouldn't make sense for him to show drunk elves... but hey, who knows what he's thinking?

That scene is one of the bits I am looking forward to! (Or it would be if it wasn't PJ adapting it).
He better keep in the line between the butler and the elf complaing about the weight of the barrels-
"Get on with the work!" growled the butler. "There is nothing in the feeling of weight in an idle toss-pots arms."
Bet PJ dumps it though.

(Besides them being drunk explains why they don't worry to much about the barrels when there is still more drinking to be getting to- perfectly understandable).

I really wonder if we shouldn't ban the Ladies from this thread, Petty, as they just don't seem to have the discernment or sensitivity to know how great and interesting and atmosphere-building Tolkien is, and how disrespectful and dull and trite PJ is...

{{{Not including you , of course, Queen TIn in my summation of the gentler sex. As you are a High Elve, I see you as being nearly almost as discerning and sensitive as the average male fan. }}}

Elves should NOT be seen drunk, they are supposed to be immortal beings with their spiritual essence in another dimension hence Arwen looking all glowing in fellowship, getting pissed up on wine is going to play havoc with their otherworldlyness, this is not Jersey Shore.

Well, I'm kind of looking forward to seeing the drunk elves

AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggg!!!

NNNNNnooooooooo! nononononononoonononon NO.

maybe I should explain why x)

well, I can't wait to read Mrs Figgs and others reactions to it and drunken elves? hell yeah! it would be seeing Legolas doing his jump-on-a-running-horse-trick but fail xD

poor old Legolas splat! on his little nose.

There IS a serious logic problem with the dwarves in open barrels: how do they escape? I'm imagining (in theoretical PJ mode, mind you) barrels that are just sitting there when an elf looks at it, then sprouts legs and prances a few steps only to plop right back down when the elf turns around again. Then it dives over the edge at the trap door. Oh, yeah, it's coming all right. Brace yourselves.

But you see, to make this work, you need REALLY drunk elves....

Elves have a physical body which can be damaged- not fair they can get pain but not pleasure- so only fair (and proper) they can get blind drunk when they are supposed to be working.
It also nicely demonstrates without the need for a verbal explanation that the wood elves are not quite like the lot at Elronds place.

Pettytyrant101 wrote:It also nicely demonstrates without the need for a verbal explanation that the wood elves are not quite like the lot at Elronds place.

I think this is the key! The hobbit as it should be adapted would have the less ethereal wood elves that get drunk, but as PJ is making the LOTR prequal not the hobbit we may well not get drunk elves (what would the dwarves do for the funnies if the elves do the drinking?)

it also says somewhere that wood elves import extra strong wine

Maybe we should just accept The Hobbit was not a Prequel. LotR was a Sequel but The Hobbit not a Prequel.

Or, alternatively, why not accept it's Bilbo's account of his adventures suitable for telling to hobbbit children (as well as adults). Bilbo's version for me --- not PJ's.

I like Halfwise's idea, about legs sticking out and barrel's running. Petty could play a role in the movie! He could mentor the actors on how it's done too. (I assume Petty moves house occasionally? ) Oh the irony!

An interesting thought just crossed my mind. (Well, interesting to me, anyhow). PJ will serious-up Ther Hobbit to fit better as a Prequel to his LotR movies. But at the same time, he'll try to inject humour into The Hobbit Movie. So we'll have axe-heads in dwarve's skulls, and fat jokes presumably, but we won't have cockney trolls and talking purses. I feel sick.

(I assume Petty moves house occasionally?)- Orwell

One of the advantages to barrel life is you can roll to a new location whenever you like- getting the jacuzzi plumbed back in- that's the trick.

You are so very right (sadly) Orwell- we will get a Hobbit with all Tokiens charm and wit remoed replaced by farting, belching, dwarf-tossing crap. Now I feel sick too!

The lowest common denominator just don't understand, Petty... ...

ELVES SHOULD NOT GET DRUNK THEY ARE ETHEREAL!

The blasted dwarves can be in the blasted barrels and then pop the blasted lids off when they get in the blasted river! Dohhh!

Elvses are Elvses and Elvses dont have spinning rooms and pavement pizzas. They dont get the munchies and they dont have hangovers and they dont get beer goggles and start fiddling with squirrels! Dooohh!

Mrs Figg wrote:ELVES SHOULD NOT GET DRUNK THEY ARE ETHEREAL!

Not in The Hobbit, my love. Not the Mirkwood elves leastwise! Sorry, Mrs Figg, but I'm with the Professor on this!

But it makes them ordinary, and Elves arnt ordinary. Anyone can get drunk, its banal, I never thought of Elves as banal.

No it shows the wood elves are more earthy, they are more interested in what grows and what happens to it when you ferment it They also like to be more indulgent in physical things than others elves- they love to feast and dance. Do remember elves come in different flavours- if they were all the same that would be bland.

I like the feasting and dancing and being more rustic and earthy, but I do think the connotation of drunkeness has changed since Tolkien wrote the hobbit, now its associated with Lager Louts and Hen Nights in Essex, fighting outside pubs and a kebab before vomiting on the cat. Not really Middle Earth is it?

Who feasts and dances without a drink? I for one dont get pavement pizza and kebab when I read those parts of TH. I get a sense of merry-making- and being a Scothobbit merry-making automatically assumes the drinking of alcohol. So it always made perfect sense to me.