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Dealing with the episodic nature of the Hobbit
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Those aficionados on TheOneRing.net forum are sharp; they don’t miss a word coming from the creators of the upcoming Hobbit movies.
Back in January, Philippa Boyens gave a writers talk in New Zealand. (See Bones fleshed out despite doubts on Stuff.co.nz.) The talk was mostly about the script she wrote for The Lovely Bones, but she also discussed her work as co-author for the upcoming Hobbit movies. One of the frequent contributors the TheOneRing.net’s forum found this statement buried at the end of the story:
Boyens said the biggest challenge facing The Hobbit writers was that the book is episodic, which the two-part film would not be.
The question is how can the movies be at all true to the book if they are not “episodic”? The book reads like a serious of episodes (think TV series) that do not necessarily build upon or depend upon each other.
Guillermo del Toro happened by the forum this evening and was glad to help explain what Boyens meant. He stated that The Hobbit goes though a series of “episodes” with this basic structure: BANQUET-TRAPPED-FREED. This pattern is repeated four times with the events surrounding the Trolls, the Goblins, the Spider, and the Elves. He does not criticize how Tolkien wrote the book, but recognition of this structure is necessary in order to decide how to deal with the story. He uses his past experience to help explain.
…when studying for PANS LABYRINTH, I found out that the “predictable outcome” of these episodes is part of the charm of this particular form of tale. So, don’t be afraid, we are truly trying to preserve the charm of it- the whimsy of it-
…
We need to make sure there are “long lines” emotionally (growth, friendship, etc) amongst Thorin & Co and dramatically (how episodes “build” upon each other ) that will make everything feel more fluid.
That, plus Dol Guldur, which makes the “comings and goings” of Gandalf have their own storyline throughout the two films.
Del Toro not only answers the “episodic” question, but this last line also answers a question that many fans have been wondering about: Will the events at Dol Guldur with the Necromancer be shown in both movies, or only the last one?
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