The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug

The first image of Bilbo from Peter Jackson's second chapter of the cinematic trilogy, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug. It's okay to consider a few things about this image now: first, Bilbo wears a blue jacket and, secondly, he is in the midst of a great treasure. Aren't you glad you take time to read this blog for all the information you glean? But seriously, we know that blue is the color of both wisdom and depression: it's from our difficulties in life, often leading to sadness, that we gain wisdom about those things greater than ourselves and those things above nature (knowledge, on the other hand, is about things pertaining to ourselves, things about nature). It's easy to deduce that the troubles of the journey has created a great wisdom in Bilbo because of the sacrifices made and fear overcome. What's important about this image is, knowing what the blue coat symbolizes, we know it's (wisdom) not only protecting Bilbo in the dragon's lair, the wisdom is his weapon, and it's through his wisdom he is able to overcome the dragon within himself (more on this in the next post on Tolkien's The Hobbit), leading us to the issue of  the gold. Just as Frodo has to overcome the power of the ring in The Lord Of the Ring, so Bilbo has to overcome the power of treasure in The Hobbit, but it's not gold: Bilbo has to overcome the lure of home, friends, safety and security, comfort and warmth, his pipe and armchair, bacon and eggs. Each of us face temptations in life, and because it's so difficult to see how Bilbo's attachment to home could be anything harmful, this is a point of the story we are apt to overlook, yet it's precisely his desire to stay home that nearly causes Bilbo to miss his destiny in taking the adventure offered by Gandalf. The image above, then, teases us with the conflict of the real treasure Bilbo will have to find within himself by overcoming the obvious treasure he can see (the gold) in favor of the lofty, higher ideals the journey has given birth to within himself (the inner-gold of bravery and selflessness).

As I busily work to get the next two posts up, we have a bit of news on the next chapter of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey:  The Desolation Of Smaug will be released next Christmas, December 13 with the third and final chapter, The Hobbit: There and Back Again coming out July 18, 2014. The image posted above has revealed that the "rest" of Tolkien's story appears to be completed in the second film; so why a third? It's being suggested that the additional material from The Lord Of the Rings (the hundred page appendix in which Tolkien explained events not elaborated upon in the actual stories) is going to be the bulk of the third film of the series and that Jackson intends to "tell more of the story" than what Tolkien did,... okay, I'm just not going to say anything: I am quite pleased with The Hobbit and will just wait.

Concept art for The Desolation Of Smaug.

Cinematic Awards: there are numerous awards being given, and nominations named, but nothing really worth your time at this point, so I am keeping track, but we'll consider all that a little closer to Oscars, but when short lists are made public, that will be posted.
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