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[CapitalismSucks DonkeyBalls]

As cool as Glorfindel is, I absolutely see the reasoning behind replacing him with Arwen in the movie. I think making Frodo appear so much weaker than he was in the books during the ford scene was the real crime.

I know! He goes 17 days in the book with that stab wound. In the film, he can't make it 17 hours. Time and the passage of time is such an odd thing in the films.

 

[Loxley]

Plus, it would mean the inclusion of another character that would need to be developed to an extent, only to be dropped from the narrative. Or developing Glorfindel's character beyond Tolkien's writing and having him play a more significant role in the story, which would add a significant amount of runtime to the trilogy.

Definitely. It probably just wasn't worth the hassle.

Also, Weta annunced a new Hobbit Chronicles art book: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies : Chronicles - The Art of War

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Chronicles – The Art of War goes behind the lines to explore how thousands of artisans brought the defining film of Peter Jackson’s adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit to the screen. More than 1,000 intricate illustrations, stunning photographs and never-before-seen imagery illuminate fascinating insights shared by cast and crew, including exclusive content from the extended edition of the final film. Also included is an exclusive, fold-out battle map illustrated by Weta Workshop Designer Nick Keller!

256 pages

Includes fold-out battle map

Discover the challenges and reactions of the stars of The Battle of the Five Armies as they recount their experiences and excitement. Join the choreographers of the film’s action to examine the battle strategies and formations of each of the five armies, and learn how a dozen stunt performers became thousands of digital troops. Pore over archive-quality photography of staggeringly detailed weapons and armour and browse galleries of fearsome war beasts and monsters.

From the sorcerous ruins of Dol Guldur and the fiery conflagration of Lake-town, follow the filmmakers on to the blood-soaked battlefields of the Lonely Mountain, and climb the steps of Ravenhill to witness the final, tragic duel of Thorin Oakenshield and Azog, the Pale Orc.

As the story of The Hobbit reaches its shattering climax amidst an epic landscape of war and tragedy, join Weta Workshop senior concept designer Daniel Falconer behind the scenes one last time as this sumptuous final book in The Hobbit: Chronicles series celebrates the epic conclusion of The Hobbit film trilogy.

These books have all been well-worth the money (with the glaring exception of the individual Smaug book) and I expect this one to be no different. Will definitely be adding this to the collection.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

CinemaSins: Everything wrong with The Hobbit: The Battle of fhe Five Armies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbY8yzy3cQ0

Definitely. It probably just wasn't worth the hassle.

Also, Weta annunced a new Hobbit Chronicles art book: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies : Chronicles - The Art of War


These books have all been well-worth the money (with the glaring exception of the individual Smaug book) and I expect this one to be no different. Will definitely be adding this to the collection.

WETA's merchandising has been consistently good.

 

[Spider from Mars]

I am reading the Lord of the Rings for the first time in earnest right now and I am riding the struggle bus real hard. Fellowship was a chore at times because of how plodding the pace was and the overly descriptive writing was slowing it down even more. I pressed on and the fucking Frodo and Sam chapters in Two Towers are going to be my coup de grâce. Perhaps modern storytelling sensibilities have made me too concerned about the pace of plot and interesting characters, or having seen the films and know generally what is going to happen is making me less interested, but I haven't struggled this hard with a book since Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Perhaps I'm just a dolt.

Also, Fuck Tom Bombadil

 

[Vashetti]

I am reading the Lord of the Rings for the first time in earnest right now and I am riding the struggle bus real hard. Fellowship was a chore at times because of how plodding the pace was and the overly descriptive writing was slowing it down even more. I pressed on and the fucking Frodo and Sam chapters in Two Towers are going to be my coup de grâce. Perhaps modern storytelling sensibilities have made me too concerned about the pace of plot and interesting characters, or having seen the films and know generally what is going to happen is making me less interested, but I haven't struggled this hard with a book since Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Perhaps I'm just a dolt.

Also, Fuck Tom Bombadil

Oh I think FOTR is the best part of the LOTR book. I'm particularly fond of the section where the Hobbits are on the road and they head through the Old Forest, the Barrow-downs, etc.

Very creepy and atmospheric.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

I am reading the Lord of the Rings for the first time in earnest right now and I am riding the struggle bus real hard. Fellowship was a chore at times because of how plodding the pace was and the overly descriptive writing was slowing it down even more. I pressed on and the fucking Frodo and Sam chapters in Two Towers are going to be my coup de grâce. Perhaps modern storytelling sensibilities have made me too concerned about the pace of plot and interesting characters, or having seen the films and know generally what is going to happen is making me less interested, but I haven't struggled this hard with a book since Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Perhaps I'm just a dolt.

Also, Fuck Tom Bombadil

Tolkien's prose style is certainly polarising; some adore the plodding style, the overly descriptive writing, while others tend to write it off as an example of poor authorship.

My advise would be to stop now, instead of carrying on with something that just doesn't click with you. Tolkien is not the be-all and end-all of fantasy and there are many other fantasy novels out there, many of which will click with you. Not having read The Lord of the Rings doesn't "diminish your credibility" or whatever nonsense is spouted about foundation stone books and the necessity of reading them.

 

[Spider from Mars]

Tolkien's prose style is certainly polarising; some adore the plodding style, the overly descriptive writing, while others tend to write it off as an example of poor authorship.

My advise would be to stop now, instead of carrying on with something that just doesn't click with you. Tolkien is not the be-all and end-all of fantasy and there are many other fantasy novels out there, many of which will click with you. Not having read The Lord of the Rings doesn't "diminish your credibility" or whatever nonsense is spouted about foundation stone books and the necessity of reading them.

If I can finish Atlas Shrugged, I can finish anything.
I'm not hating it, it's just a bit dry. I enjoy the overall mythology and would really like to give The Silmarillion a shake after. I have never made it past The Music of the Ainur, but I will!

Also, Fuck John Galt

 

[tryagainlater]

Oh I think FOTR is the best part of the LOTR book. I'm particularly fond of the section where the Hobbits are on the road and they head through the Old Forest, the Barrow-downs, etc.

Very creepy and atmospheric.

I very much agree.

 

[Jacob]

CinemaSins: Everything wrong with The Hobbit: The Battle of fhe Five Armies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbY8yzy3cQ0

I've been waiting for CinemaSins' take on BOFA. Thanks for posting this Dantes. Will watch when I'm off work.

Definitely. It probably just wasn't worth the hassle.

Also, Weta annunced a new Hobbit Chronicles art book: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies : Chronicles - The Art of War

I've received two of the Chronicles books as gifts and they've been nice, but not enough for me to feel like spending my own money on the others. Part of me wants this one just for the map. I'd love to see how they made sense of the incoherent geography of the finished film.

 

[Ixion]

Oh I think FOTR is the best part of the LOTR book. I'm particularly fond of the section where the Hobbits are on the road and they head through the Old Forest, the Barrow-downs, etc.

Very creepy and atmospheric.

Yeah, as many others have said, Fellowship is the most mysterious and suspenseful book. The hobbits being tracked by the Nazgul was very well done.

If someone isn't enjoying Fellowship, then I doubt they'll enjoy the rest of the trilogy. Personally, it's the middle of The Two Towers that I find to be somewhat of a drag, since there's too much downtime.

I'm not hating it, it's just a bit dry.

On the contrary, I love Tolkien's "matter-of-fact" prose. It makes the world and actions seam more real in my opinion.

 

[Spider from Mars]

On the contrary, I love Tolkien's "matter-of-fact" prose. It makes the world and actions seam more real in my opinion.

It's like reading a text book. I will press on. About 100 pages into Two Towers and wish Sam would have drowned in the lake.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

It's like reading a text book. I will press on. About 100 pages into Two Towers and wish Sam would have drowned in the lake.

Indeed. The side-effect of a philologist trying his hand at writing prose.

 

[Anjelus_]

If you're not enjoying Frodo/Sam in Two Towers, you need to just stop. I can understand people disliking Fellowship's opening, but Frodo/Sam in TTT are some of the most captivating chapters in the book. I read that section of LotR in the summer between 5th/6th grade and -loved- it.

If that's not grabbing you, it's a lost cause.

Indeed. The side-effect of a philologist trying his hand at writing prose.

Tolkien's style is deliberately archaic, but that doesn't make it bad. He's quite an excellent writer.

 

[Loxley]

I think I've said before that I hated Tolkien's writing style at first. It was sort of like the first time I had to read Shakespeare in school, I thought to myself, "Who talks like this? How is this even English?".

Obviously I got through that period

 

[Megalosaro]

Personally I love Tolkien's style. The first half of Fellowship is god tier reading. I actually wish he went into MORE detail after the Fellowship forms, but he kind of loosens up a bit.

 

[Loxley]

Woohoo, Friday. Here's some good weekend material - the third and final part of Dantès' extensive Tolkien FAQ:

What are some of Tolkien’s inspirations?

In terms of inspiration; Tolkien used many sources to create and develop his Legendarium. The Norse mythos refers to specifically the three Eddas (Elder, Prose, Poetic) where themes relating to the Dwarven aspects of Tolkien Legendarium were borrowed and the names of many of Tolkien's Dwarves. The Volsunga Saga as well was the direct inspiration for characters such as Gollum and Smaug. The character Fafnir in particular. Welsh mythos also inspired Tolkien to create the Tale of Beren and Luthien. The Mabinogion also inspired one aspect of the One Ring (invisibility) while Plato's Ring of Gyges the other (corruption). Finnish mythos (The Kalevala) also greatly inspired Tolkien's Legendarium.

What are the origins of Tolkien’s dragons?

Dragons are one the great mysteries of Tolkien's mythos and need some explaining.

We have to look back again to the Lost Tales for his first writings on dragons:

"Now those drakes and worms are the evillest creatures that Melko has made, and the most uncouth, yet of all are they the most powerful, save it be the Balrogs only. A great cunning and wisdom have they, so that it has been long said amongst Men that whosoever might taste the heart of a dragon would know all tongues of Gods or Men, of birds or beasts, and his ears would catch whispers of the Valar or of Melko such as never had he heard before. Few have there been that ever achieved a deed of such prowess as the slaying of a drake, nor might any even of such doughty ones taste their blood and live, for it is as a poison of fires that slays all save the most godlike in strength. How so that may be, even as their lord these foul beasts love lies and lust after gold and precious things with a great fierceness of desire, albeit they may not use nor enjoy them. Thus was it that this lókë (for so do the Eldar name the worms of Melko) suffered the Orcs to slay whom they would and to gather whom they listed into a very great and very sorrowful throng of women, maids, and little children, but all the mighty treasure that they had brought from the rocky halls and heaped glistering in the sun before the doors he coveted for himself and forbade them set finger on it, and they durst not withstand him, nor could they have done so an they would."

"Many are the dragons that Melko has loosed upon the world and some are more mighty than others. Now the least mighty - yet were they very great beside the men of those days - are cold as is the nature of snakes and serpents, and of them a many having wings go with the uttermost noise and speed; but the mightier are hot and very heavy and slow-going, and some belch flame, and fire flickereth beneath their scales, and the lust and greed and cunning evil of these is the greatest of all creatures: and such was the Foalókë whose burning there set all the places of his habitation in waste and desolation. Already greater far had this worm waxen than in the days of the onslaught upon the Rodothlim, and greater too was his hoarded treasure, for Men and Elves and even Orcs he slew, or enthralled that they served him, bringing him food to slake his lust [?on] precious things, and spoils of their harryings to swell his hoard."

Later in the Lost Tales Tolkien give another description:

"Now the end of this was that Melko aided by the cunning of Meglin devised a plan for the overthrow of Gondolin. For this Meglin's reward was to be a great captaincy among the Orcs - yet Melko purposed not in his heart to fulfil such a promise - but Tuor and Earendel should Melko burn, and Idril be given to Meglin's arms - and such promises was that evil one fain to redeem. Yet as meed of treachery did Melko threaten Meglin with the torment of the Balrogs. Now these were demons with whips of flame and claws of steel by whom he tormented those of the Noldoli who durst withstand him in anything - and the Eldar have called them Malkarauki. But the rede that Meglin gave to Melko was that not all the host of the Orcs nor the Balrogs in their fierceness might by assault or siege hope ever to overthrow the walls and gates of Gondolin even if they availed to win unto the plain without. Therefore he counselled Melko to devise out of his sorceries a succour for his warriors in their endeavour. From the greatness of his wealth of metals and his powers of fire he bid him make beasts like snakes and dragons of irresistible might that should overcreep the Encircling Hills and lap that plain and its fair city in flame and death."

"Now the years fare by, and egged by Idril Tuor keepeth ever at his secret delving; but seeing that the leaguer of spies hath grown thinner Turgon dwelleth more at ease and in less fear. Yet these years are filled by Melko in the utmost ferment of labour, and all the thrall-folk of the Noldoli must dig unceasingly for metals while Melko sitteth and deviseth fires and calleth flames and smok-es to come from the lower heats, nor doth he suffer any of the Noldoli to stray ever a foot from their places of bondage. Then on a time Melko assembled all his most cunning smiths and sorcerers, and of iron and flame they wrought a host of monsters such as have only at that time been seen and shall not again be till the Great End. Some were all of iron so cunningly linked that they might flow like slow rivers of metal or coil themselves around and above all obstacles before them, and these were filled in their innermost depths with the grimmest of the Orcs with scimitars and spears; others of bronze and copper were given hearts and spirits of blazing fire, and they blasted all that stood before them with the terror of their snorting or trampled whatso escaped the ardour of their breath; yet others were creatures of pure flame that writhed like ropes of molten metal, and they brought to ruin whatever fabric they came nigh, and iron and stone melted before them and became as water, and upon them rode the Balrogs in hundreds; and these were the most dire of all those monsters which Melko devised against Gondolin."

"And now came the Monsters across the valley and the white towers of Gondolin reddened before them; but the stoutest were in dread seeing those dragons of fire and those serpents of bronze and iron that fare already about the hill of the city; and they shot unavailing arrows at them. Then is there a cry of hope, for behold, the snakes of fire may not climb the hill for its steepness and for its glassiness, and by reason of the quenching waters that fall upon its sides; yet they lie about its feet and a vast steam arises where the streams of Amon Gwareth and the Hames of the serpents drive together. Then grew there such a heat that women became faint and men sweated to weariness beneath their mail, and all the springs of the city, save only the fountain of the king, grew hot and smoked."

Christopher Tolkien had this to say:

“In The Silmarillion the dragons that came against Gondolin were 'of the brood of Glaurung', which 'were become now many and terrible'; whereas in the tale the language employed suggests that some at least of the 'Monsters' were inanimate 'devices', the construction of smiths in the forges of Angband. But even the 'things of iron' that 'opened about their middles' to disgorge bands of Orcs are called 'ruthless beasts', and Gothmog 'bade' them 'pile themselves'; those made of bronze or copper 'were given hearts and spirits of blazing fire'; while the 'fire-drake' that Tuor hewed screamed and lashed with its tail."

Very interesting; origins differ it seems and of course Balrogs riding dragons into battle evokes great imaginary.

The father of all dragons may have been a corrupted Maia who took dragon form, others were corruptions of Melkor engineered by him with the use of his great power, which he was wasting away on such things. The descendants of the great dragons of the First Age retained the sentience of their earlier kin.

And of course Tolkien was using dragons of lore as his inspiration; the dragon of Beowulf and Fafnir of the Volsunga Saga.

Tolkien had this say of dragons in general in his famous lecture on Beowulf.

"As for the dragon: as far as we know anything about these old poets, we know this: the prince of the heroes of the North, supremely memorable – hems nafn mun uÞÞi meðan veröldin stendr - was a dragon-slayer. And his most renowned deed, from which in Norse he derived his title Fáfnisbani, was the slaying of the prince of legendary worms. Although there is plainly considerable difference between the later Norse and the ancient English form of the story alluded to in Beowulf, already there it hadthese two primary features: the dragon, and the slaying of him as the chief deed of the greatest of heroes – he wæs wreccena wide mærost. A dragon is no idle fancy. Whatever may be his origins, in fact or invention, the dragon in legend is a potent creation of men's imagination, richer in significance than his barrow is in gold. Even to-day (despite the critics) you may find men not ignorant of tragic legend and history, who have heard of heroes and indeed seen them, who yet have been caught by the fascination of the worm. More than one poem in recent years (since Beowulf escaped somewhat from the dominion of the students of origins to the students of poetry) has been inspired by the dragon of Beowulf, but none that I know of by Ingeld son of Froda."

Was Glorfindel of Rivendell the same as Glorfindel of Gondolin?

Yes. With the publication of The Peoples of Middle-earth, certainty has become possible: the first essays in the section "Last Writings" of that book discuss Glorfindel and his history. Those texts make it very clear that after his death in the flight from Gondolin, Glorfindel was re-embodied in Aman and was later sent back to Middle-earth as an aid or an emissary. Tolkien seems to have been uncertain as to whether he returned in the Second Age by way of Numenor or in the Third Age as a companion of Gandalf.

Did the Balrog’s have wings?

Debates on this topic have been frequent and intense, in part because people unknowingly interpret the question in very different ways. Most participants in these debates agree on the following:

That the Balrog in Moria had "wings" of some sort, or if you prefer, a "shadow" shaped like wings. Those "wings" were probably not made of flesh and blood, but rather of some sort of "dark emanation" or "palpable darkness".

Many of the most intense arguments seem to have resulted from different uses of the word "wing". In this consensus statement, the word "wing" is used only as a convenient symbol for the feature of the Balrog under discussion, without reference to any standard definition. In particular, the statement does not specify whether the "palpable darkness" always had a wing-like shape.

So what are the different definitions that people use? The Oxford English Dictionary divides its relevant definitions of the word "wing" into two groups. Group 1 includes definitions that for the most part refer to physical parts of a creature's body. For example "each of the organs of flight of any flying animal" (but broadened to include cases where similar organs are not used for flight, such as penguins' wings and even "the enlarged fins of flying fishes").

Group 2 includes definitions relating primarily to a thing's shape or position. For example, “an appliance or appendage resembling or analogous to a wing in form or function", including “an artificial apparatus attached to the human arms or shoulders" and "one of the planes of an aeroplane". Even broader, "a lateral part or appendage: in various connexions."

With a Group 2 definition of "wing", the question "Do Balrogs have wings?" is more or less trivial: Tolkien's description clearly fits (at least at the time described in the quotes below), as does the consensus statement above. With a Group 1 definition of "wing", the question is more interesting and the answer less obvious: it depends on the specific definition, and even then not everyone will agree.

The consensus statement above was not reached quickly, and even with a Group 1 definition some newcomers believe that a simple yes or no is clear from the description of the Balrog in "The Bridge of Khazad-dum". The debates generally begin as follows:

Those in favour of wings point out that when the Balrog steps onto the Bridge, "its wings were spread from wall to wall".
But those against point out that the word "wings" was first used in the phrase "the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings", and deduce that the word "wings" refers to the "shadow" itself rather than to a part of the Balrog's solid central body. (The "shadow" was seen when the Balrog first appeared: "it was like a great shadow, in the middle of which was a dark form", and it is likely the "cloud" in the phrase "It came to the edge of the fire and the light faded as if a cloud had bent over it".)

They also that claim that as the Balrog came closer to the Fellowship its uncertain appearance became clearer, so what first looked like a "shadow" or "cloud" and later "like wings" was finally recognized as "wings" once the Balrog was nearby. Those against wings do not agree with this interpretation.

Progress beyond this point is difficult, but again, most of those on both sides of the debate agree with the consensus statement. One substantial remaining point of disagreement is whether the "wings" always had a wing-like shape (supported in part by Tolkien's use of the direct phrase "its wings") or if their form was variable (supported in part by the "cloud" description), and there is no firm evidence known for either position.

 

[Loxley]

Massive thanks again to Dantès for putting all of these together

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Massive thanks again to Dantès for putting all of these together

Thank you. Just doing my part for this community.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

As far as wings and Balrogs; it's quite obvious which camp Ted Nasmith is in:

 

[Tizoc]

Just got my LOTR Hardcover! Finally I can read this book in a clear font size XD.

Recall that LotR was originally written for Tolkien's son who was fighting in WW2 wasn't it? I'm guessing all that detailed description was to fully immerse the reader in the setting that the characters are in.

 

[Loxley]

As far as wings and Balrogs; it's quite obvious which camp Ted Nasmith is in:

Given that the films were my first exposure to this universe, I was hardcore #TeamWings for a long time. Mostly because it just looks so cool. But the more I've read Fellowship over the years, the more I've sort of admitted to myself that they do sound more figurative than literal. Either way, wings or no, Balrogs are still some of the most intimidating creatures in any work of fiction I've ever read.

 

[hunnies28]

Thanks Edmond and Loxley!

Started reading Felllowship yesterday for no reason. It's weird how I keep finding details that I somehow missed last time.

Spoiler

I suck at reading

 

[Jacob]

Just got my LOTR Hardcover! Finally I can read this book in a clear font size XD.

Recall that LotR was originally written for Tolkien's son who was fighting in WW2 wasn't it? I'm guessing all that detailed description was to fully immerse the reader in the setting that the characters are in.

Technically it was written because Tolkien's publishers asked for a sequel to The Hobbit, but Tolkien's soon Christopher was one of the first people to read the book while it was a work in progress and JRRT mailed chapters to him while he was stationed overseas.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Just got my LOTR Hardcover! Finally I can read this book in a clear font size XD.

Recall that LotR was originally written for Tolkien's son who was fighting in WW2 wasn't it? I'm guessing all that detailed description was to fully immerse the reader in the setting that the characters are in.

Christopher was certainly at the forefront of Tolkien's mind when he was writing certain chapters of the novel.

Given that the films were my first exposure to this universe, I was hardcore #TeamWings for a long time. Mostly because it just looks so cool. But the more I've read Fellowship over the years, the more I've sort of admitted to myself that they do sound more figurative than literal. Either way, wings or no, Balrogs are still some of the most intimidating creatures in any work of fiction I've ever read.

Yes, I like to think that Tolkien had a wry smile on his face when drafting that particular section and was thinking: "This will confound them for years to come." Then proceeding to smoke his pipe.

 

[Leeroy3101]

I'm teaching The Hobbit at the moment, and we're nearing the end. As we get close to The Battle of The Five Armies I can't help but think "How did Jackson think it was smart to dedicate a whole movie to ten whole pages?!".

I learn to despise The Hobbit the more and more I watch the film. Way to drop the ball PJ.

 

[Turin]

I'm teaching The Hobbit at the moment, and we're nearing the end. As we get close to The Battle of The Five Armies I can't help but think "How did Jackson think it was smart to dedicate a whole movie to ten whole pages?!".

I learn to despise The Hobbit the more and more I watch the film. Way to drop the ball PJ.

Still, I did like this scene a lot.

I would have preferred a calm moment for Bilbo before Gandalf shows up though

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Now available from the Vanderstelt Studio: "The Company of the Ring shall be Nine"

The Lord of the Rings. The Nine Walkers: Gandalf, Frodo Baggins, Aragorn, Samwise Gamgee, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli,Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took. All nine characters are available collaged together in this Fine Art Giclee, available in either Paper or Canvas editions.

The Paper edition outer dimensions measure 20 x 36 inches, with actual art measuring approximately 17.5 x 35 inches.Printed on Breathing Color's "Elegance Velvet" Fine Art Archival Paper. No corners cut here: we use the best materials in the industry! Limited to 2000 pieces worldwide.

The Canvas edition actual art measures 17.5 x 35 inches, with an additional 2.5 inch border all around the art, designed to be "Gallery Wrapped" or stretched, if you choose that option. Printed on Breathing Color's "Lyve" canvas and sealed with a gloss varnish.Limited to 100 pieces worldwide.

Paper and Canvas editions come with a signed and numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

Link


And nine single portraits are also available:

Link

 

[Fathead]

That looks amazing.

 

[Turin]

They look great but Aragorn looks like he's cringing about something.

 

[Jacob]

They look great but Aragorn looks like he's cringing about something.

He just saw The Hobbit.



For real though, that's some pretty cool art.

 

[Loxley]

Andrew Lesnie, cinematographer for The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and many other films has passed away.

RIP

 

[Curufinwe]

Really sad. He always seemed like a really nice bloke on the behind the scenes videos.

 

[Vashetti]

As I said in the other thread announcing his death, it's almost like losing a friend after the amount of time he's seen in the Appendices. RIP

To brighten the mood, Richard Armitage has done an interview and one of the questions has some great tidbits for the TBOTFA EE:

Are there any cut scenes that you're particularly keen for fans to see in the extended edition?

"Yeah, there's a big funeral scene which was cut from the final film, and I know they were quite upset that that had to be lost, so I'm looking forward to seeing that. There's also a fantastic chariot chase during the battle - they built this incredible chariot with a crossbow on the back, and I think we had Dwalin and Balin and a couple of the other dwarves on the chariot. I heard a sneaky rumour that they may do a limited cinema release just because some of the footage is so epic, and WETA Digital have been working like crazy to get it finished."

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/...-and-forward-to-hannibal.html#~pb9HT00hwaDYDg

 

[CapitalismSucks DonkeyBalls]

Now available from the Vanderstelt Studio: "The Company of the Ring shall be Nine"

Link


And nine single portraits are also available:

Link

Absolutely amazing. Might have to send this to my wife as a hint for a birthday present.

 

[Cheebo]

Depressing loss. While Peter Jackson did a very poor job in writing and directing the Hobbit films Lesnie's cinematography was impeccable and lived up to his great work in LOTR. Andrew Lesnie helped define how Middle-Earth looked to so many.

 

[Jacob]

RIP Mr Lesnie. 59 is still too young.

 

[hunnies28]

R.I.P. 59 is too young.

 

[Loxley]

 

[Any Questions]

Thanks for the recent update on dragons. Always good to catch up with this thread

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Thanks for the recent update on dragons. Always good to catch up with this thread

Yes, Tolkien's dragons are rather interesting in their origins and their actions during the three chronicled ages of Arda.

 

[CapitalismSucks DonkeyBalls]

The father of all dragons may have been a corrupted Maia who took dragon form, others were corruptions of Melkor engineered by him with the use of his great power, which he was wasting away on such things. The descendants of the great dragons of the First Age retained the sentience of their earlier kin.

So is it safe to assume that all dragons in Middle Earth were highly intelligent similar to Smaug? Also, as was mentioned earlier about the possibility of uncorrupted orcs, could the same potentially happen to dragons? How dense was their population? It would seem that there were very few dragons in all of Middle Earth.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

So is it safe to assume that all dragons in Middle Earth were highly intelligent similar to Smaug? Also, as was mentioned earlier about the possibility of uncorrupted orcs, could the same potentially happen to dragons? How dense was their population? It would seem that there were very few dragons in all of Middle Earth.

Varying degrees of intelligence, some more in the mould of Glaurung, others engineered purely for destructive purposes a la Ancalagon.

As they were engineered by Melkor his discord was inherent to them; as long as that residual discord persisted, they would always be swayed to his side, the antithesis of the Music.

In terms of numbers, a few survived the War of Wrath and those that did, persisted until they were depleted greatly during the Second and Third Ages. More Cold Drakes than Fire Drakes though.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Also, for anyone interested in Dragon art, John Howe's book is well worth reading through:

 

[Edmond Dantès]

I am proud to present the Tolkien Estate's new updated website

http://www.tolkienestate.com/en/home.html

Enjoy what is now a great resource of information.

 

[bengraven]

Very awesome and can't wait to read the dragon material.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Very awesome and can't wait to read the dragon material.

Yes, Tolkien's dragons are rather interesting in their origins and their actions during the three chronicled ages of Arda.

 

[Loxley]

I am proud to present the Tolkien Estate's new updated website

http://www.tolkienestate.com/en/home.html

Enjoy what is now a great resource of information.

Very cool.

And that John Howe book is amazing.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Very cool.

And that John Howe book is amazing.

Yes, the Estate's website is now one of the better resources for Tolkien and his works, as it should be.

A concerted effort by the scholarly community.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Which Silmarillion Character are you?

http://www.selectsmart.com/FREE/select.php?client=Silmarillion

 

[Turin]

Well, that was fun.