The Hobbit: TBotFA EE Anticipation thread

[sauronsfinger]

I know the palantír vision was filmed, because Doug Adams mentioned seeing it in the cut of DoS he viewed in October 2013...but it was removed from the released version. There is some speculation that it might possibly have been kept over for BotFA, but personally I don't really think it would work now, because Smaug dies so early on. It would have to be used as a prologue before Lake-town, I supposed...

The business with the rabbit sled and Orc through DG could still be re-inserted, but I don't know how much of that was tied up in the discarded "Beorn at DG storyline," which may have rendered it unusable.

As for Alfrid, although part of me wants to see him get his comeuppance, I think the comic ending would detract from the other main deaths. I would favour either his story being left open-ended, or a variation on the canon death of the Master, alone and starving with his money in the wastelands much later on in the film, perhaps after the funeral, before the return journey for example.

Happy New Year Elen!!!!

regarding your comments about the vision of Gandalf and Smaug - when the dragon is killed and we go to Dol Guldur we first see Gandalf hanging in a gibbet. That could be the opportunity for the vision scene since he does not know the beast has just been killed by Bard. His vision could be abruptly interrupted by the large orc who has come to torment him. I think it would work like that plus underline why it was important to kill Smaug.

I also am no fan of Alfrid but would like to see the little weasel meet his deserved fate in the EE. CHRONICLES describes a few ways to do it and they all would be fun to watch in a sadistic sort of way.

[kzer_za]

The part where the Master riles Laketown up against the dwarves after Smaug's death is a great scene from the books. And it would fit great with the political situation they set up in DoS. I don't know why they decided to kill the Master off and give Alfrid a major role.

[Passdagas the Brown]

Not to mention that the "comedy moment" of the dragon falling on top of the Master immediately deflated the significance of the dragon being killed.

But yeah. Stephen Fry, rather than Ryan Gage, would have been a more enjoyable source of comedy and tension within the Laketown camp...

[Elentári]

The part where the Master riles Laketown up against the dwarves after Smaug's death is a great scene from the books. And it would fit great with the political situation they set up in DoS. I don't know why they decided to kill the Master off and give Alfrid a major role.

Yes, it was a great moment in the books, presumably they didn't use the idea, even for Alfrid instead, because they had 4 dwarves with the Lake-towners, and it could have turned nasty for them - although that would probably have been more realistic!

Happy New Year Elen!!!!

regarding your comments about the vision of Gandalf and Smaug - when the dragon is killed and we go to Dol Guldur we first see Gandalf hanging in a gibbet. That could be the opportunity for the vision scene since he does not know the beast has just been killed by Bard. His vision could be abruptly interrupted by the large orc who has come to torment him. I think it would work like that plus underline why it was important to kill Smaug.

Likewise, to you and yours, sf!

The vision works for Gandalf, who doesn't know Smaug is dead, but at the point you suggest the audience already knows the situation at Lake-town. That's why I think it would work better as a new opener. It's rather like the Mouth of Sauron scene in RotK, where seeing Frodo's mithril shirt doesn't have the same impact for the audience as Gandalf & co because we've already seen what has happened in Cirith Ungol. that of course, doesn't mean we won't get to see it in the EE, but that may be Jackson's reasoning behind the ultimate omission of the scene...

[Elentári]

Well...Doug Adams suggests Alfrid's 'comeuppance' will feature in the EE, on the Tracksounds podcast, around the 43m mark:

http://tracksounds.com/.../soundcast/index.htm

Doug also briefly mentions some differences in the "EE version" of the movie he saw back in October...

...there's a lot of material to go back in...a lot of it thematically and dramatically important

.

I'll x-post this in the Hobbit Music thread as well, since it's far more relevant there!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

It's hard to say how consistent with the final EE the preliminary version that Doug saw will turn out to be.

(Probably the most interesting thing that he says is what you posted in the other thread)

[Passdagas the Brown]

Interesting. There's so much to look forward to, though Alfrid's comeuppance is the least of it. I like the implication, in the TE, that he survives. One's moral choices should not be judged by whether they lead to life or death. Alfrid seems to slither his way to safety, and that's a fine ending for him.

Especially as rumors have it that he is accidentally launched by a catapult into a troll's mouth... Please, Lord, let that not be in the EE...

[Dave_LF]

Interesting. There's so much to look forward to, though Alfrid's comeuppance is the least of it. I like the implication, in the TE, that he survives. One's moral choices should not be judged by whether they lead to life or death. Alfrid seems to slither his way to safety, and that's a fine ending for him.

Yes, exactly. I thought his TE resolution (or lack thereof) was perfect, even if it was an accident of time constraints (much like Sauron's). In the end, both he and Bard survived. Bard has family and honor, Alfrid has wealth; but he's degraded by the choices he made to obtain it.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Two words: skull avalanche.

You know that Jackson won't pass up an opportunity to add a ridiculous end to their favorite character.

[Passdagas the Brown]

I would take back all my criticisms of PJ if he included a sequence where Alfrid and Legolas inexplicably travel to the Paths of the Dead, and are buried by a skull avalanche.

[yovargas]

I suddenly wish I had greater gif-making powers....

[Elentári]

Speculative article about what to expect in the EE from trailer clips that weren't in the TE - particularly the "everything I did, I did for them"

The Line of Thorin Would Not Be So Easily Cut

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I read that article earlier. It is reasonably well thought out, but still complete speculation. I was amused to see people reacting to it as if it was some kind of confirmed information (I know that is not what you are doing, Elen!).

[Dave_LF]

That "he's been down there for days!" bugged me because days had not passed. You can't really even imagine that more time passed than was shown on screen because we already established that it only takes a day to get from Laketown to Erebor in the last movie (where that fact was an important plot point), and the scene where Fili et al depart from the shores Long Lake can't be any later than the morning after the attack given how people are behaving. And even that is problematically late since everyone's acting like the attack just ended (there are even people who are just now climbing out of the water), even though it must have taken place at least several hours earlier to explain the change from pitch darkness to full daylight.

[Elentári]

Heheh...

courtesy of PeckishOwl

[Elentári]

Video compiling images and scenes that might make the Extended Edition of 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the five Armies'

[Frelga]

It's... blocked in my country.

Ve haf vays... but ve can't be arsed to use them.

[Elentári]

Oh, shame...

[Frelga]

I'm sure it will turn up. If not... ve do haf vays.

[Elentári]

According to someone on TORn it's because of the music used...though apparently this one should be viewable for you: