The Hobbit Film Trilogy Thread

[gkgyver 1,646]

Yes, in case Theoden becomes possessed again.

[KK 3,307]

Wow, you guys are picking on such tiny details, many of which I've never noticed....

I guess you know you've seen the films far too much for your own good when you let such insignificant things bother you. I can see why Quint and Steef often get pissed at the cynicism in the LotR threads.

Some of the flaws I agree with, but there are complaints here that honestly don't warrant discussion.

[Faleel 5,365]

Um......

When did we complain?

[Bilbo 3,709]

Wow, you guys are picking on such tiny details, many of which I've never noticed....

I guess you know you've seen the films far too much for your own good when you let such insignificant things bother you. I can see why Quint and Steef often get pissed at the cynicism in the LotR threads.

Some of the flaws I agree with, but there are complaints here that honestly don't warrant discussion.

Think you're being harsh. I noticed a lot of these faults and slips because I've seen them x number of times too many but they certainly don't spoil anything for me. They're just fun to point out.

[Jay 37,379]

KK, which complaints are you referring to?

[Incanus 5,716]

I had a funny but enlightening encounter the other day when I got to talking with a fellow student about film music. He professed to like film scores, bringing up Inception in the second sentence (I had to keep my mouth shut about Zimmer at this point when acidic remarks crept on my tongue at the mere mention of his name) but we also ended up talking about The Hobbit and this guy was really grateful about the good amount of references to the old themes in the movie, saying that they had exactly the right nostalgia factor for him. He of course was oblivious to any "foul play" of music editing in the film and just probably enjoyed every tracked statement of the Shire theme in the film along with the Ring themes. So I guess PJ knows his viewers to a degree. We many never know how audiences would have reacted to Shore's new themes though, which is kind of sad when you consider how good material there is for Bilbo on the soundtracks.

[gkgyver 1,646]

Would you be offended if I said that your friend has questionable senses concerning the perception of music married with picture?

[Incanus 5,716]

Not at all. As I said he was a fellow student, not a close friend.

[Smeltington 1,441]

As much as I disliked hearing the tracked music and such, just like most people here did, I admit that it was probably more satisfying for people that don't know any better.

I'd like to think Shore's new themes could have made an impact similar to what the Shire theme, Fellowship theme, etc did in FotR, but I didn't pick up on any of the new themes just from my two viewings in the theater, other than Misty Mountains, and Azog's theme (which I did not recognize at the time as being based on a LotR theme). Shore was less overt with most of his new themes, and now that I've listened to the soundtrack over and over and read about the themes online, I know and love many of them. But on the whole, they just don't stick out in the film unless you've made an extra effort to consider them.

Many of the renditions of the shire theme were syrupy sweet in FotR, and the Fellowship theme blasted loud and clear during lots of heroic scenes, so that you couldn't help noticing them. There were lots of other, more subtle themes that you wouldn't likely identify after just a few viewings, but there were also those obvious, accessible ones that you could easily latch onto.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Incanus 5,716]

Makes you very glad that we go that 2-disc soundtrack album doesn't it.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

No, it makes me angry that most of it wasn't used in the film! Makes me want to punch PJ in the face!

[Incanus 5,716]

No, it makes me angry that most of it wasn't used in the film! Makes me want to punch PJ in the face!

Relax BB and listen to the music! I know it is a shame it was used in the film but let's get over that and you just make us more of those great videos of the original music conformed to the picture.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

OK, but I really need to punch someone in the face!

[Incanus 5,716]

OK, but I really need to punch someone in the face!

You could always tape a picture PJ on a teddy bear or another stuffed toy and punch that in the face to release all that frustrated anger.

[Smeltington 1,441]

Or, before you start fussing about PJ, you could listen to Bilbo's fussy theme! It could be a great outlet.

That's because most (if not all) statements of the new themes were cut out of the final film (Bilbo's theme appears only once, Radagast's theme doesn't appear, Smaug's theme appears only once...). The only theme that was given the opportunity to shine was the Company's theme (and Thorin's, to some extent, but that sounds like half-a-theme).

Well, I figured someone would point that out, and it's valid, but I also didn't pick out very many themes as easily on the album as I did in LotR, either, without having read about them and knowing what to look for. I think even if all the album material had ended up in the film, we still wouldn't have a lot of themes that would be obvious to plain old regular people who saw the movie just a couple of times. And I think it's just a show of restraint on Shore's part that is responsible for this, because some of the new themes are really solid. You get the feeling they could come into their own later on, if Shore wanted them too, just like the Gondor theme did in RotK.

Bilbo's fussy theme was the one that was most obvious to me on album, though. Radagast too, except it might not have been obvious that it was a "theme" since it's only prominent for a brief portion of the album.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Faleel 5,365]

I think it also depended on whether you listened to the individual tracks that "leaked" prior to the OST release, or waited for the OST/Film.

[Incanus 5,716]

I did listen to the soundtrack prior to seeing the film, which of course caused the oddly mixed feelings while watching the movie at the theater when there was so much different music present in the film. But I do remember that I very soon started to spot the new themes, Thorin's and Erebor first and then the Hobbit themes, Radagast (I had heard the preview without knowing would that music be a theme or quirky underscore) and the very obvious bad guy themes. The Company Theme was also very familiar due to the fact that it had been playing on the net a long time thanks to the teaser trailers.

I felt it a natural continuation of the music of LotR and thus the music was easy to "read" so to speak from the get go and I listened with special keenness as I knew Shore was approaching AUJ much like LotR and paid attention to small nuances a tad more even than usually when exploring a new score. So I was conditioned by the 3 previous scores to approach this music in a certain way. It also set certain expectations to it and I am glad to say they were mostly fulfilled.

[Smeltington 1,441]

The theme that stood out the most on my first listen, apart from the obvious Company's theme, was Azog/the Necromancer's theme. I think I also noticed Thorin's theme, since it's repeated quite often on the first disc.

I watched the film before hearing the OST, so that was when I first noticed Azog's theme. Thorin's was one that I started to recognize from listening to the OST, without knowing exactly what it represented. I only just recently read through a guide that somebody had linked here, and learned all the themes, and it's really opened up the score for me and helped me enjoy it even more.

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[BloodBoal 7,538]

Yep.

[Jay 37,379]

The Misty Mountains Theme and Gandalf's Theme were basically the only ones I picked up on before I began paying real close attention to the score

[gkgyver 1,646]

The Misty Mountains Theme and Gandalf's Theme were basically the only ones I picked up on before I began paying real close attention to the score

Well, I spotted Gandalf's theme by thinking "what is that clip of music doing in this cue from Fellowship?"

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[KK 3,307]

Oh boy, The Hobbit soundtrack thread is going to go nuts once this is released.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Incanus 5,716]

And thus begins years of diligent processing of the AUJ Extended Edition documentaries and their musical riches!

[gkgyver 1,646]

Will we never learn about getting hopes too high?

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Incanus 5,716]

Never!

Hardly ever!

[Faleel 5,365]

Let's hope those 3 minutes and 34 seconds of credits include a shitload of unreleased music! Or even better: let's hope for 5.1 audioon these appendices!

Were not the credits from the LOTR EE's taken from the film/OST credits?

[gkgyver 1,646]

I never watched the credits ...

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Then how do uou find out who the third assistsnt ADR is?

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[chuck 155]

It’s much more than a Mutton-chop yet not entirely a French Fork.

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[Jay 37,379]

Thomas Robins (due who played Deagol) only plays the younger Thrain seen in the prologue in AUJ, not adult Thrain. (which is a ridiculous name, since he was already an adult having freaking fathered Thorin in the prologue)

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Jay 37,379]

He would have been in Film 1 when there was only 2 films, but now he won't be seen until TDOS, though the original actor (Mizrahi) was replaced by Anthony Sher, who refilmed all his scenes.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Jay 37,379]

I knew what you meant.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Barnald 365]

Just to make things even more confusing, it seems as though it'll all be one Thrain in DoS, played by Antony Sher.

[Jay 37,379]

Well, there'd by no reason to have a young Thrain again. I think Thrain's only scene will be a flashback to Gandalf getting the map from him in Dol Guldur (even though AUJ seems to postulate that Gandalf had never been there before; It's all very confusing)

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Jay 37,379]

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Jay 37,379]

I can't imagine Thrain will be in AUJ EE after the prologue, unless there is a flashback to Gandalf getting the key from crazy Thrain inserted into the middle of the Unexpected Party sequence, which would be a strange thing to cut from the TC and leave for the EE