The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Aiden Turner, Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom, Lee Pace
The Dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellan), continue their quest to reclaim Erebor and its treasure, from Smaug, with Bilbo secretly still in possession of a mysterious and magical ring. After successfully crossing over (and under) the Misty Mountains, Thorin (Richard Armitage) and Company must seek aid from a powerful stranger before taking on the dangers of Mirkwood Forest--without the aid of their Wizard. If they reach Lake-town, which lies at the edge of the Lonely Mountain, it will be time for the Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, to fulfill his part of the contract with the Dwarves. The party must complete the journey to the Lonely Mountain, and seek out the Secret Door, which will give them access to the hoard of the dragon Smaug before the last moon of Autumn, or all hope of the Dwarves reclaiming Erebor will be lost forever.
Courage plays a powerful role in this film, and nowhere is courage better illustrated, than in the character of Bilbo, and the courage that grows in this little Hobbit’s heart, as he journeys ever closer to the end of his long journey.
Bilbo’s courage is shown when it is Bilbo who stands guard for the Company, as they are being pursued, after escaping from the Goblins. He warns Gandalf that they are being pursued, not only by the dangerous Orcs, but by a massive bear as well, who Gandalf calls Beorn, the Shapeshifter. As the Company flees into Beorn’s humble cottage, hoping for sanctuary, Bilbo is the only one among them to draw his sword, ready to protect Gandalf and the others from the imminent danger. When Gandalf leaves Bilbo and the Dwarves on the borders of Mirkwood, Bilbo tells Gandalf that he found something while he was lost in the Goblin King’s lair. While he really found the One Ring in Gollum’s cave, Bilbo tells Gandalf that he found his courage when they were fleeing from the Goblins…and Gandalf tells Bilbo that this is very good, because he will need courage to finish his quest.
Bilbo’s courage is illustrated again when he and the Dwarves venture into the forest of Mirkwood. He ventures up into the warm light above the darkness that is choking the forest and his Company, to find their path again, when they become lost in the darkness. When Bilbo and the Dwarves are attacked by giant spiders, it is Bilbo who bravely attacks the beasts and cuts his friends free from the webs that hold them captive. When the Dwarves are captured by the Mirkwood Elves, it is Bilbo who bravely follows them into the Wood Elves kingdom and frees them from their cells. It is Bilbo – not Thorin, who up until this point, has been the leader of their Company – who leads the Dwarves to their escape in the river, hiding them in wine barrels so they can reach Lake-town.
Bilbo’s greatest test of courage comes when the Company finally reaches the Secret Door of Erebor. After Bilbo solves the map’s riddle and discovers that it is moonlight that reveals the keyhole, Thorin tells him that Bilbo must now venture into the Dragon’s lair to retrieve the Arkenstone. Although Balin tells Bilbo that he doesn’t have to go through with this quest, Bilbo tells him that he promised Thorin that he would do this, and he feels that he must try to finish his quest and fulfill his promise. Bilbo’s courage is put to the test when he must face Smaug alone and find the precious Arkenstone.
While Bilbo’s courage grows stronger in this film, so too, does his connection to the One Ring that he stole from Gollum. Several times throughout his journey, we see Bilbo gazing at the Ring in his hand. When the Company is hiding in Beorn’s cottage, Bilbo gazes at the Ring as he lies awake. When the Company reaches the boundaries of Mirkwood, Bilbo holds fast to the Ring hidden in his pocket…almost as if he is trying to draw courage from it before venturing into the dark and malignant forest…and yet, when he is confessing how he was changed in the Goblin tunnels, he doesn’t share the secret of this magic Ring with Gandalf, but instead tells the Wizard that he found his courage in the cave.
When the Spiders attack the Company, Bilbo uses the Ring for the second time, to hide from the spiders and defend his captured comrades. It is in this moment that the Elven sword that Gandalf gave Bilbo gets its name: Sting. We also hear echoes of Gollum’s lust for the Ring in Bilbo’s voice when he and the Dwarves are attacked by giant spiders, and he drops the Ring. Much like Gollum did in his cave, Bilbo desperately searches for the Ring. When a creature emerges from the Earth, Bilbo slays the beast with his newly christened sword, Sting, for daring to touch his Precious, when the creature crawled out of his hole. Bilbo even makes a point of saying "mine" to the beast after he has slain it. Bilbo uses the Ring again when he steals silently into the Elven Kingdom to rescue his friends after they are captured by Legolas and his guards and gets them to safety by sneaking them down the river in wine barrels.
Hope is a powerful theme in this story, and nowhere is hope illustrated more vividly, than in the King’s Jewel (aka the Arkenstone) and Thorin’s quest to reclaim both the jewel and his kingdom from the dragon Smaug. Gandalf restores Thorin’s hope, when he gives Thorin the key to his grandfather’s kingdom and tells Thorin that he will help him reclaim his birthright from Smaug. This hope is tested when Thorin and company are captured by Thranduil, who tells Thorin that he will support Thorin’s claim to Erebor, if Thorin will honor his grandfather’s promise to the Elves and give them the white jewels that Thranduil covets. When Thorin refuses…reminding the Elven King of how he betrayed Thorin and his people when they came to him for help, Balin tells Thorin that their only hope was in the deal that Thorin could have made with Thranduil…but Thorin’s hope for rescue rests not in the Elves…but in Bilbo.
© 2022 Keriane Kellogg All Rights Reserved
Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Aiden Turner, Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom, Lee Pace
The Dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellan), continue their quest to reclaim Erebor and its treasure, from Smaug, with Bilbo secretly still in possession of a mysterious and magical ring. After successfully crossing over (and under) the Misty Mountains, Thorin (Richard Armitage) and Company must seek aid from a powerful stranger before taking on the dangers of Mirkwood Forest--without the aid of their Wizard. If they reach Lake-town, which lies at the edge of the Lonely Mountain, it will be time for the Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, to fulfill his part of the contract with the Dwarves. The party must complete the journey to the Lonely Mountain, and seek out the Secret Door, which will give them access to the hoard of the dragon Smaug before the last moon of Autumn, or all hope of the Dwarves reclaiming Erebor will be lost forever.
Courage plays a powerful role in this film, and nowhere is courage better illustrated, than in the character of Bilbo, and the courage that grows in this little Hobbit’s heart, as he journeys ever closer to the end of his long journey.
Bilbo’s courage is shown when it is Bilbo who stands guard for the Company, as they are being pursued, after escaping from the Goblins. He warns Gandalf that they are being pursued, not only by the dangerous Orcs, but by a massive bear as well, who Gandalf calls Beorn, the Shapeshifter. As the Company flees into Beorn’s humble cottage, hoping for sanctuary, Bilbo is the only one among them to draw his sword, ready to protect Gandalf and the others from the imminent danger. When Gandalf leaves Bilbo and the Dwarves on the borders of Mirkwood, Bilbo tells Gandalf that he found something while he was lost in the Goblin King’s lair. While he really found the One Ring in Gollum’s cave, Bilbo tells Gandalf that he found his courage when they were fleeing from the Goblins…and Gandalf tells Bilbo that this is very good, because he will need courage to finish his quest.
Bilbo’s courage is illustrated again when he and the Dwarves venture into the forest of Mirkwood. He ventures up into the warm light above the darkness that is choking the forest and his Company, to find their path again, when they become lost in the darkness. When Bilbo and the Dwarves are attacked by giant spiders, it is Bilbo who bravely attacks the beasts and cuts his friends free from the webs that hold them captive. When the Dwarves are captured by the Mirkwood Elves, it is Bilbo who bravely follows them into the Wood Elves kingdom and frees them from their cells. It is Bilbo – not Thorin, who up until this point, has been the leader of their Company – who leads the Dwarves to their escape in the river, hiding them in wine barrels so they can reach Lake-town.
Bilbo’s greatest test of courage comes when the Company finally reaches the Secret Door of Erebor. After Bilbo solves the map’s riddle and discovers that it is moonlight that reveals the keyhole, Thorin tells him that Bilbo must now venture into the Dragon’s lair to retrieve the Arkenstone. Although Balin tells Bilbo that he doesn’t have to go through with this quest, Bilbo tells him that he promised Thorin that he would do this, and he feels that he must try to finish his quest and fulfill his promise. Bilbo’s courage is put to the test when he must face Smaug alone and find the precious Arkenstone.
While Bilbo’s courage grows stronger in this film, so too, does his connection to the One Ring that he stole from Gollum. Several times throughout his journey, we see Bilbo gazing at the Ring in his hand. When the Company is hiding in Beorn’s cottage, Bilbo gazes at the Ring as he lies awake. When the Company reaches the boundaries of Mirkwood, Bilbo holds fast to the Ring hidden in his pocket…almost as if he is trying to draw courage from it before venturing into the dark and malignant forest…and yet, when he is confessing how he was changed in the Goblin tunnels, he doesn’t share the secret of this magic Ring with Gandalf, but instead tells the Wizard that he found his courage in the cave.
When the Spiders attack the Company, Bilbo uses the Ring for the second time, to hide from the spiders and defend his captured comrades. It is in this moment that the Elven sword that Gandalf gave Bilbo gets its name: Sting. We also hear echoes of Gollum’s lust for the Ring in Bilbo’s voice when he and the Dwarves are attacked by giant spiders, and he drops the Ring. Much like Gollum did in his cave, Bilbo desperately searches for the Ring. When a creature emerges from the Earth, Bilbo slays the beast with his newly christened sword, Sting, for daring to touch his Precious, when the creature crawled out of his hole. Bilbo even makes a point of saying "mine" to the beast after he has slain it. Bilbo uses the Ring again when he steals silently into the Elven Kingdom to rescue his friends after they are captured by Legolas and his guards and gets them to safety by sneaking them down the river in wine barrels.
Hope is a powerful theme in this story, and nowhere is hope illustrated more vividly, than in the King’s Jewel (aka the Arkenstone) and Thorin’s quest to reclaim both the jewel and his kingdom from the dragon Smaug. Gandalf restores Thorin’s hope, when he gives Thorin the key to his grandfather’s kingdom and tells Thorin that he will help him reclaim his birthright from Smaug. This hope is tested when Thorin and company are captured by Thranduil, who tells Thorin that he will support Thorin’s claim to Erebor, if Thorin will honor his grandfather’s promise to the Elves and give them the white jewels that Thranduil covets. When Thorin refuses…reminding the Elven King of how he betrayed Thorin and his people when they came to him for help, Balin tells Thorin that their only hope was in the deal that Thorin could have made with Thranduil…but Thorin’s hope for rescue rests not in the Elves…but in Bilbo.
© 2022 Keriane Kellogg All Rights Reserved