Domande frequenti

Because the names of the blue wizards (or Ithryn Luin in Sindarin) do not exist in the Hobbit books, neither in the Lord of the Rings books, they are presented only in two books. In "Unfinished Tales", Tolkien wrote that names were "Alatar" and "Pallando". In The "Peoples of Middle-earth", Tolkien suggested that the names of the Blue Wizards were Morinehtar and Rómestámo. As you can see, the trilogy producers did not obtain the adaption rights of any of the two books, nor the permission to use their materials.

Before filming The Hobbit, New Line Cinema already have settled a lawsuit over the films' profits with the Tolkien Estate/Tolkien Trust, and it did not want to risk a new one regarding the copyright issue. Therefore, the filmmakers added the line (of Gandalf states that two Blue Wizards whose names he cannot remember) to the dialogue between Bilbo and Gandalf when they discuss the wizard's name.

In the book: Glamdring (owned by Gandalf), Orcrist (the sword of Thorin II Oakenshield), Sting (used by Bilbo Baggins and later passed it to his heir Frodo Baggins), Andúril (the sword of Aragorn II Elessar) and all High-elven blades described as shining with a cold light, if any Orcs were near at hand.

Peter Jackson notes, in his DVD commentary on The Fellowship of the Ring (about why the filmmakers opted not to make Andúril and Glamdring glow), that this was an oversight, not a deliberate change from the books.

In the Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings film series, Goblins of the Misty Mountains and Goblins of Moria are portrayed as an Independent race and can be distinguished as different from orcs, but in the books, Goblins are Orcs. Tolkien explained in a note at the start of The Hobbit that he was using English to represent the languages used by the characters, and that goblin (or hobgoblin for the larger kind) was the English translation he was using for the word Orc, which is the hobbits' form of the name for them. In The Lord of the Rings, as when the Uruk-hai are first described: "four goblin-soldiers of greater stature".

Also in The Hobbit, Gandalf asks Thorin if he remembers Azog the goblin who killed his grandfather Thror.

While writing his memoirs, elderly hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) tells his nephew Frodo (Elijah Wood) how, 60 years earlier (his younger self played by Martin Freeman), he set out on an expedition with the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) and 13 dwarves, led by the dwarf Thorin (Richard Armitage), on a quest to reclaim the dwarven kingdom of Erebor in the Lonely Mountain, which was attacked, destroyed, and taken over by the fierce dragon Smaug.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is based on the first six chapters of the novel The Hobbit, or There and Back Again (1937) by British author J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973). Chapters seven through 13 were adapted for Lo Hobbit - La desolazione di Smaug (2013) and the remaining chapters 14 through 19 are dealt with in Lo Hobbit - La battaglia delle cinque armate (2014). The screenplay was written by New Zealand screenwriters Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyes, and Peter Jackson (who also directed), along with Mexican screenwriter Guillermo del Toro.

Yes. In fact, all returning characters are played by the same actors who played them in The Lord of the Rings trilogy: Il Signore degli Anelli - La compagnia dell'Anello (2001), Il Signore degli Anelli - Le due torri (2002), and Il Signore degli Anelli - Il ritorno del re (2003), These include Frodo, Gandalf, Elrond (Hugo Weaving), Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), Saruman (Christopher Lee), and Gollum (Andy Serkis). Bilbo is played by Ian Holm at the start of the movie, and then later, in the flashback in which the movie takes place, the younger Bilbo is played by Martin Freeman.

The prologue, showing Smaug's attack on Erebor and the city of Dale, took place in the year 2770 of the Third Age (TA). This is 170 years before Bilbo journeys with the Dwarfs to Erebor (2940 TA), and 230 years before Bilbo's 111th birthday party as seen in the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring (3000 TA). The Battle at the gates of Moria, seen in a flashback, took place in 2799 TA, 29 years after Thorin and his fellow Dwarfs were exiled from Erebor by Smaug (141 years prior to the start of An Unexpected Journey and 201 years prior to Fellowship). In the beginning of the movie, it is stated that Bilbo's journey to Erebor started 60 years prior to his 111th birthday party.

A lot of background on many events in Middle-earth is described in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and its appendages, as well as The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. The attack of Smaug on Erebor was not the only confrontation between Dwarfs and dragons; the Dwarfs who had settled in Erebor had been driven away from their former homes by dragons almost 200 years before. In the film, Azog the Defiler kills Thror during the Battle at the gates of Moria, after which Thorin cuts off Azog's arm, assuming that the Orc later died of his wounds. In the books, Thror was already killed by Azog 9 years prior to the battle, when he tried to enter Moria alone. This started a war between Orcs and Dwarfs, which was won by the Dwarfs during the battle at the gates of Moria, at the cost of many lives; Azog was killed in this battle, although not by Thorin, but by his cousin Daín Ironfoot (who is not seen until The Battle of the Five Armies). Although he is the major antagonist in the three Hobbit movies, Azog is not present in the Hobbit, but his son Bolg is seen in The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of the Five Armies).

Bilbo is 49 when he sets out on his quest, and arrives in Lake Town by barrel on September 22nd - his (50th) birthday. This is mentioned explicitly in the text of his birthday speech in The Fellowship of the Ring.

In J.R.R. Tolkien's timeline, this would be easy to answer; Aragorn was 87 years old when he first met Frodo in The Prancing Pony in Bree. Bilbo found the One Ring 77 years earlier, making Aragorn a 10-year-old boy being fostered by Elrond (under the name "Estel") at the time that Bilbo visited Rivendell with Thorin and Company. Jackson has Frodo leave the Shire with the Ring much sooner than he does in the books, compressing the timeline of the films by approximately 16 years. This is evidenced by the fact that the Hobbits Sam, Merry and Pippin are already adults at the time of Bilbo's birthday party in the films; whereas, according to Tolkien, the three would have still been children (by Hobbit standards). In the extended edition of The Two Towers, Aragorn tells Éowyn that he is 87 years old at a point that seems to follow his birthday of March 1st (assuming that the Battle of the Hornburg takes place in March 3002 of the Third Age). If all of this holds true (and assuming that Aragorn's birthday didn't slip his mind) then Aragorn would have been 25 years old in Jackson's adaptation of The Hobbit at the time when Bilbo is traveling with Thorin and company. Although Aragorn is not present in any of the Hobbit movies, he is briefly mentioned in The Desolation of Smaug.

Initially, this project was planned for one and later two films, following the original book more closely. Shortly before Guillermo Del Toro left the directing position, he agreed with MGM that a third movie should be developed to bridge the gap between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, since both books were so starkly different in tone and film audiences may have a hard time reconciling the two films. By the time Peter Jackson became director, he continued developing the idea of a third film and also decided that there were large chunks of the book's story where Gandalf is unseen and that this could be explained with information that later appears in The Lord of the Rings books and its appendices. In order to fill in these scenes, characters like Galadriel and Saruman, whose presence is implied in the appendices, were added to the film, although they are absent from the book itself. Additionally, extra characters like the Orcs help give the first film its own story arc with a beginning, middle and end that doesn't rely on the ultimate goal of the Dragon which will not occur until the second film and also provides a motivation for the originally unnamed orcs to serve as an obstacle. From a show business perspective, the popularity of The Lord of the Ring films probably lead to demand for a re-occurrence of the characters in The Hobbit.

Hobbits, Dwarves, Elves, Trolls, Wizards, Goblins and Orcs are prominently featured and have speaking roles. A Dragon, Eagles, a Nazgûl, and some Men are seen but do not have speaking roles. Wargs, forest animals, stone-giants, and giant spiders are also seen.

The Dwarf-kingdoms refer to the Houses or Clans founded by the original Seven Fathers of the Dwarves. The most renowned of the Seven Fathers was Durin I, also known as Durin the Deathless. The Seven Houses were as follows: (1) the Longbeards (Durin's Folk), who founded the great Dwarf-kingdom of Khazad-dum (Moria) and other strongholds in Erebor, the Ered Mithrin (Grey Mountains) and the Iron Hills, (2) the Broadbeams, who founded the dwarf-city of Belegost on the east side the Ered Luin near Mount Dolmed (Blue Mountains); Bifur, Bofur and Bombur of Thorin's company were probably Broadbeams, (3) the Firebeards, who founded the dwarf-city of Nogrod in the Ered Luin south and east of Mount Dolmed, (4) the Ironfists originated in the Orocarni (Red Mountains) far in the East. The Ironfists and Stiffbeards might have inhabited the northern end of the range, (5) the Stiffbeards originated in the Orocarni (Red Mountains) far in the East; The Ironfists and Stiffbeards might have inhabited the northern end of the range, (6) the Blacklocks originated in the Orocarni (Red Mountains) far in the East; the Blacklocks and Stonefoots might have been concentrated in the southern end of the range, and (7) the Stonefoots originated in the Orocarni (Red Mountains) far in the East; the Blacklocks and Stonefoots might have been concentrated in the southern end of the range. The Noegyth Nibin (Petty-dwarves) were not a distinct Dwarven folk but were exiles from several Dwarven Houses and were the first of the Dwarves to enter Beleriand. They died out early in the First Age.

The expression "you haven't aged a day" should be understood as a rhetorical phrase, not taken literally. Bilbo looks much younger than he should have looked, considering his age. This is obvious if you follow his appearance both in the first and in the third installment. (In a few months, his face and body age faster than in all previous decades together.) This expression is there to stress Gandalf's overall suspicion over some puzzling moments of the adventure Bilbo and he had together, yet never strong enough to enforce action. Gandalf is not much overwhelmed when he discovers that Bilbo has the ring. He just does not know which ring it is. Gandalf even says in one moment (when the ring is called "precious" by Bilbo), "it's been called that before, but not by you", which is revealing his thought process and that the ring is something he has focused on for quite some time. Seeing that Bilbo looks far younger than he should is another signal for him, which is why he uses that particular expression. It reveals his mind state as much as his unwillingness to destroy abruptly his vision of a protected and serene Shire. In the discussion with Saruman, he is rebuked for not paying closer attention to moments like these, which, for the wizards, should be much more obvious. Also, it is hinted that Gandalf has visited the Shire several times since Bilbo's adventure, so it is probable that Gandalf means he hasn't aged a day since the last time they met, which must have been decades after the Quest of Erebor. Certainly, Frodo was familiar enough with Gandalf to be quite fond of him.

Trolls were created by the fallen Vala Morgoth during the First Age in mockery of the Ents—ugly, stupid, large, clumsy, but also cunning, strong, brutish, and an effective weapon in battle. They were made in the years of the Great Darkness, before the Sun and Moon were set in the sky. If caught in the direct rays of the Sun, common Trolls return to the stone from which they were made. There are four common strains of Trolls: Hill-trolls, Cave-trolls, Snow-trolls and (the most numerous) Stone-trolls. Bert, Tom and William were Stone-trolls. A hardier breed of Troll, the Olog-hai, surfaced during Third Age in southern Mirkwood and on the western borders of Mordor. Bred by Sauron near the end of the Third Age, the Olog-hai were much more cunning than other Trolls and they could endure sunlight as long as they were under Sauron's protection. The Olog-hai spoke the Black Speech of Mordor.

In The Lord of the Rings, both the books and the films, every time Frodo wears the One Ring to become invisible, the use of this power calls the attention of the Eye of Sauron in Mordor and his Ring Wraiths, whom Sauron had sent out to find the ring. However, in The Hobbit, Bilbo is able to use the Ring's invisibility power without this danger. Since the story takes place 60 years before the events of The Lord of the Rings, the explanation is that Sauron has not yet gathered all his power in Mordor and cannot as easily detect the use of the One Ring, especially since it has been lost with Gollum beneath the mountains for 500 years. This is also alluded to in the scene in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey when Gandalf meets with Galadriel, Saruman, and Elrond, and says that he suspects Sauron is planning to return. Sixty years later, in The Fellowship of the Ring, when Bilbo uses the Ring at his birthday party, is the first time Sauron felt someone using the Ring, which is why Gandalf is so hasty to get it to Rivendell.

The immediate answer would be that Gandalf had taken a few moments to clean it up. However, simply rubbing it with a rag or his cloak probably wouldn't have been sufficient to give it a shiny new look, though an in-universe explanation could be that an Elven Blade can never be tarnished. In reality, it's a simple continuity error. In the commentary track for the DVD and Blu-ray release of the movie, Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh explain that the few moments inside the troll cave were shot later than the scenes outside the cave after the group discovers the hidden treasures. Therefore, the prop Sting had been furnished by the prop department was all cleaned and polished for the camera.

Durin's Day falls on the Dwarves' New Year. Their New Year occurs on the first day of the last moon of autumn. However, Durin's Day happens only in years when this moon and the sun appear in the sky together. The fact that another observance of Durin's Day is fast approaching is probably the biggest impetus for starting the quest to retake Erebor since it's the only time the secret door can be found.

Most of the changes actually take part in the second half of the film. At the beginning, there is an extension in Erebor. Thror teases Thranduil with white jewels he desires which help us understand his motivations later on. This way, the deep animosity between the Elves and Dwarves can be understood slightly better. Added dialogues with Gandalf in Rivendell are an improvement for understanding the story. For instance, the last of the 7 Great Rings of the Dwarves is mentioned. It will have a meaning at a latter point in the story-therefore, it is quite unclear why it was removed from the theatrical version. There is also a better exposition for the dwarf Bifur-for example, the axe stuck in his head is mentioned-an unusual device which was just taken for granted in the Theatrical version.

Yes, they were shot in 3D at 48 FPS. Each is also available in 3D at 24 FPS and 2D at 24 FPS. At the time of the film's release, viewers could check with their local theatres to find the format they wanted to see.

Peter Jackson had previously signed on only as an executive producer. The main reasoning appeared to be timetable conflicts with other directing commitments Jackson already had made. The fact that Jackson was in a financial conflict with New Line Cinema at the time may have also played a role. There may have also been the matter that The Lord of the Rings movies were hugely popular movies a decade after their releases. This would raise the expectations considerably for The Hobbit, while the novel is in many regards (e.g. story structure) quite similar to the Rings trilogy, which had become much more popular than The Hobbit throughout the 20th century. With Peter Jackson at the helm, expectations possibly rose to unrealistic proportions. This lead to potential mass disappointment with the fan base, arguably comparable to when George Lucas decided to create his prequel trilogy to the original Star Wars trilogy himself, and when Steven Spielberg created a fourth Indiana Jones movie after nearly 20 years. Jackson himself also experienced firsthand just how high expectations could rise when he was listed as director, having met with some harsh criticism for his post-LOTR movies (namely King Kong and The Lovely Bones). His official reason, as stated by himself on the bonus material on the Blu-ray version of An Unexpected Journey, was that filming The Lord of the Rings films in one megaproject was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, once for which he did not have the energy to repeat it, hence his desire to see the project realized by another director.

However, after months of pre-production without any prospect of the films being green-lit, del Toro left the project. When the financial conflict with New Line Cinema was suddenly settled and no replacement had yet been found, Jackson felt he had spent enough time in pre-production to overcome his reluctance, and agreed to step in as director. Moreover, due to the delays in production, his schedule had been cleared. He has directed all three films with shooting started in February 2011. Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, who all wrote the screenplays of the previous Middle-earth trilogy, wrote the screenplay for The Hobbit parts 1, 2 and 3. The movie has been split into three parts with added expanded content from the book (i.e., drawing story elements from the Appendices). It is clear that the maker's intentions for this film go beyond a mere introductory prequel. The choice to extend the single, relatively-small, 297-page (paperback) book was allegedly Jackson's, and he claims it is due to the sheer amount of content in the expanded universe so that the story can be told in its entirety as well as fan service, though there have been valid claims that the huge financial investment and potential profits were a factor in the final choice.

Strangely enough, he didn't. It takes longer for Thorin and Company to reach the Lonely Mountain from Bag End in the films than it did in the book. In both, they left Bag End on a Thursday. April 27th. The Company arrives at Lake-town on September 22nd (Bilbo's birthday) in the book. They depart Esgaroth around October 9th and reach the Mountain at or near October 12th. It takes as much as another two weeks to find the Secret Door and wait for Durin's Day. In The Desolation of Smaug, Bilbo and the Dwarves reach Lake-town on October 25th and Erebor on October 27th (Durin's Day in the film).

Yes, he does. Peter Jackson appears briefly at the beginning of the film. He is barely recognizable, because of makeup and prosthetics. He is a limping dwarf who tries to escape from Erebor after Smaug has attacked it.