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Actors: Orson Bean, John Huston, Richard Boon, Hans Conreid, Brother Theodore
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about The Hobbit |
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Bilbo Baggins (voice by Orson Bean) is a small hobbit, happiest when he is sitting at the door of his hobbit hole, smoking his pipe and enjoying the slow-paced life of Hobbiton. But all of this is suddenly changed when the wizard Gandalf (voice by John Huston) appears with a dozen dwarves, headed by Thorin (voice by Hans Conreid). They are there to hire an expert burglar, of which Bilbo is purported to be, but by whom Bilbo really does not know. Before he knows it, Bilbo is on his way to Laketown where the last surviving dragon, Smaug (voice by Richard Boon), watches over the great dwarvish treasure that Thorin is determined to reclaim. Along the way, Bilbo will be forced to battle monstrous trolls, descend into the world of the goblins, escape the clutches of the creature Gollum (voice by Brother Theodore), free his friends from the huge spiders, and eventually steal into the cavern of the great Smaug himself...
I can vividly remember watching this film when I was a child and being absolutely entranced by this fantasy world. I had no idea it was based on a book until I was older and was able to devour Tolkien's books. I admit that the animation style takes a little getting used to, but I thought that it very ably suited the fantasy epic portrayed. All of the voices were perfect for the film and the voice of Gollum is particularly creepy - you can really tell that this creature has lost his sanity just by listening to the voice. I particularly enjoyed the soundtrack where they took care to use songs from the book. These were wonderful and I love that they took the time to put them in. Even though there is quite a bit of violence in the story, the animators took care not to show anything, just showing weird swirls of color and blackouts, I didn't even know that the characters were dying until I watched it when I was older. Still, it is a little too scary for young children to watch, regardless of its cartoon status. As far as the sound quality goes, I would have to agree with other viewers in that it is very poor on this DVD. If you are a fan, it is definitely worth your time to find a used copy of the older VHS version (and pray that Peter Jackson decides to make this film!).
--Debbie, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of The Hobbit |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 40%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzle - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
**Fantasy or Science Fiction?**
- fantasy story on another world/distant past
Explore/1st contact
Yes
Explore plotlet:
- fighting across a fantasy world
If a cartoon...
- animated cartoon
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- thief/con artist
Age:
- long lived adults
Has special powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character:
- Invisibility
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
Hair type
- (man) short/medium curly
Body type
- average (man)
Events of movie makes character more...
- introspective
How sensitive is this character?
- soggy whimpering jelly muffin
Sense of humor?
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- white/grey
Hair style
- (man) long, like a girl
Body type
- average build (man)
How much in movie?
- 60%
Main Adversary
Identity:
- magical being, male
Age:
- long-lived adults
Profession/status:
- not employed but independently wealthy
Has special powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist:
- is very quick
- can talk to animals
- mind reading
- super strength
- can fly
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 20%
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physical condition
- very athletic
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Setting
Earth setting:
- during "Tolkien" (fairytime) times
Takes place on Earth?
Yes
Mountains?
Yes
Forests?
Yes
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Tone of movie
- upbeat
Any profanity?
- None
If Soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Orchestra/classical
Is this movie based on a
- book
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Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Debbie
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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