“Far over the Misty Mountains cold…”
The dwarves’ song begins [See Full Lyrics Below] [Notes on Music]
One of the most moving moments of the trailer, as the dwarves rise one-by-one to join Thorin in singing of “the deep places of their ancient homes.” [See Full Lyrics Below] [Notes on Music]
Random note: Many people on Facebook and in our forums initially thought they had spotted Aragorn in this scene — you can guess the reaction to that — but when you look at the screen cap you can see that the figure above to the right is clearly Kili.
Demosthenes: This little sequence of around 10 frames, where the dwarves sing “Over the misty mountains cold…” is without a doubt the most visceral part of the trailer. Oddly, I think it’s the core of it, too, giving the audience more insight into the drive of Thorin & Co in just a few lines than anything else here. There’s grim determination, nostalgia for loss and, I guess, a clannish bond written across the faces of the entire group.
maegwen: We hear the opening lines of the song with this scene and it carries on as the trailer moves forward. After this scene in Bag End the song skips a number of lyrics and jumps ahead to a later part of the song. Were the lyrics edited only to fit the time constraints of and images in the trailer? We hope the song isn’t heavily edited in the film, as it is a truly beautiful sequence.
Ostadan: ‘Over Misty Mountains Cold’ gave me a chill, no pun intended. The original is pretty long for film purposes, perhaps, but hopefully they will get large chunks of it in verbatim from the book.
Quickbeam: Peter Jackson’s best decision: True to the original book and the Rankin/Bass animated HOBBIT (1977) the Dwarves’ plaintive song moves the hearts of the audience and Bilbo himself, awakening the ‘Tookish’ part of him.
Tehanu: I thought of old Gregorian plainchant, which is great – very suitable, as it’s a very “masculine” kind of singing. Or maybe Russian Orthodox.
‘Far Over the Misty Mountains Cold’ continues
“The firelight flickered — it was April — and still they played on,
while the shadow of Gandalf’s beard wagged against the wall” ~ The Hobbit
maegwen: Compare the passage from the book with this scene in the trailer — Could they have captured the moment better? Doubt it.
greendragon: The shot of Gandalf smoking is almost exactly the same as FOTR, when he smokes in Bag End just after Bilbo has left. PJ’s certainly doing all he can to make us feel like we’re revisiting an old friend!
” .. to dungeons deep and caverns old…”
Closeup of Thorin as he continues singing
maegwen: When the first stills of the dwarves were released there was the inevitable grumbling that Thorin too good-looking, too tall, too Klingon (?) but I think the trailer shows us that Armitage brings enough gravitas to the role to portray Thorin as the autocratic, stubborn leader that he is. (Yes, I admit I was on the “too good-looking” train. And then on the “looking good” train. I got over it.)
Balin rises to join Thorin in song, followed by the other dwarves, one-by-one
“The pines were roaring on the height…”
Bofur joins in the singing
maegwen: It bears repeating how beautiful this scene is, aurally and visually — the lighting is exquisite.
The dwarves continue singing as the trailer moves on to….
(Just one whole year to go…)
Calisuri: Lovin’ the use of the Map. I didn’t even think about the ‘3D’ nature of these title caps.
Demosthenes: By the way, this movie is in 3D! (It makes more money that way)
” the winds were moaning …”
Is this Dol Guldur?
Random note: “The stronghold of Sauron in the southern regions of Mirkwood, where he dwelt in secret as the Necromancer.” ~ Encyclopedia of Arda
Calisuri: Dol Guldur does not look like a very friendly place. I wonder what poor souls skulls are chilling nicely on that ledge. And look at the thorns!!
Gandalf in Dol Guldur
Demosthenes: Gandalf descending a set of stairs. Note the skulls. Also, note the spiked trees that are almost vine-like. This is very like the shots we saw in one of the early production videos of a set that Andy Serkis was coordinating. I speculated back then that I thought it was Dol Guldur. Now we have more information to make conclusions with.
Gandalf in Dol Guldur
Demosthenes: Note that its open air. This is definitely not the goblin town. I think the ominous feel means it is Dol Guldur, and Gandalf is trying to discover the secrets of the Necromancer.
Closeup of Gandalf in Dol Guldur, holding his sword and staff
Calisuri: This very much reminds me of Weathertop – can’t wait to see a collectible version 😛
Demosthenes: Weathertop is Numenorean. And Numenorean civilization is hugely influenced by that of the elves. If Dol Guldur was originally built by elves, and Unfinished Tales indicates this is a very distinct possibility, then there could plausibly be an artistic similarity across the ages.
Earl: That looks like Glamdring in Gandalf’s hand. Also, he seems to be wearing his silver scarf. So does this mean he goes to the Necromancer’s dungeons *after* the episode with the Three Trolls? Yikes!
Garfeimao: If that is Glamdring, then this happens after the Troll incident; if it is not, then it could be a flashback.
Quickbeam: I propose the logic behind the differences in Gandalf’s staff: It might be a living thing, like an unopened flower, more closed in the years depicted in “The Hobbit” but later blossomed to be more open in “FOTR.”
Closeup of Gandalf in Dol Guldur
Calisuri: My ‘guess’ is we hear a ‘snap!’ and Gandalf quickly turns to be assailed by Thrain. (More on that coming up)
Garfeimao: Yes, at the end of this little segment, we hear what could be the sound of a chain snap.
” in the night … “
Bilbo walking within Rivendell, the Last Homely House East of the Sea
Demosthenes: Bilbo in Rivendell stumbles upon the shards of Narsil. Interestingly, this could fit canon. Bilbo passed through Rivendell in TA2941. Elrond did not hand over the shards of Narsil to Aragorn II until TA2951.
Earl: Rivendell has been replicated exactly the way it was in LOTR. At the top of the flight of stairs you can see the mural depicting Celebrimbor forging the Rings of Power. Beside and behind it, you can see the outline of the mural depicting Sauron’s fall at the hand of Isildur.
Bilbo roams the gallery
Calisuri: Great use of the same room to tie-in LOTR for the general movie going public.
Earl: Once again, you can see the mural depicting the city of Ost-in-Edhil. Right behind the statue holding the Shards of Narsil should be the mural depicting Sauron’s fall at the hand of Isildur, which can be seen in the previous screen cap.
maegwen: Our communities were arguing about this, but there isn’t an argument to be made. Despite a change in perspective — and in time of day — it is positive that this scene takes place within the same room in FOTR where Aragorn encounters Boromir, and later converses with Arwen. Judging by the mural/painting on the wall and the statue cradling the shards of Narsil, it is unlikely that a different location would be created that so closely mimics the other. It’s a nice bit of continuity between the films.
