The Hobbit (1967 film)

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The Hobbit
Deitch 1967 The Hobbit title screen.png
Title screen
Directed by Gene Deitch
Written byGene Deitch
Based on The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Produced by William Snyder
Zdenka Deitchova
Narrated byHerb Lass
Cinematography Adolf Born
Music by Václav Lidl
Release date
  • 30 June 1967 (1967-June-30)(New York)
[1]
Running time
11 min 42 sec
Language English

The Hobbit is a 1967 fantasy animated short film by Gene Deitch [2] and the first attempt to adapt J.R.R. Tolkien's 1937 novel The Hobbit (upon which it is loosely based) into a film. [1]

Contents

While originally planned as an ambitious full-length adaptation, [3] the short film actually released was an "ashcan copy", [4] [5] created solely to fulfil a contractual obligation and retain the rights [3] and never intended for public exhibition. [5]

At less than twelve minutes, it is also one of the shortest films based on Tolkien's work. [6] It has no connection to the 1977 Rankin/Bass animated film or Peter Jackson's film trilogy.

Plot

The film is short and lacking in detail, barely resembling the original story [7] with the exception of the encounter with the trolls (renamed "Gromes") and Bilbo Baggins's encounter with a creature called Golüm. A Princess Mika, described as a "child", is introduced to avoid having Bilbo as a bachelor. [1]

A dragon named Slag has ravaged a town in Dale called Golden Bells, though General Torin Oakenshield and Princess Mika survive. They ask a wizard, Gandalf, for help; he tells them that the Great Book prophesies Slag's death, for which they must have a Hobbit. They visit Bilbo at his home in Hobbiton; he refuses to help, but Gandalf and Mika persuade him. They set off and meet two Gromes; Bilbo (not Gandalf, who does not come with them) tricks them into fighting each other, and at dawn, the Gromes turn into trees.

Bilbo vanishes from his companions. He has fallen into a hole in the mountains occupied by Grablins, landing in Golüm's lake. He finds Golüm's magic ring and escapes. He crosses Mirkwood and reaches the Lonely Mountain. He manages to steal the Arkenstone from Slag's hoard and uses a bow to shoot it into Slag's heart, killing him. Bilbo marries Mika and they return together to Hobbiton. The narrator ends the story that Gandalf may come back to bring Bilbo to another adventure.

Production

Producer William L. Snyder of Rembrandt Films had the film rights to Tolkien's work from 1964 to 1967 and intended to make a feature-length animated film of The Hobbit, working with Deitch as an animator and Bill Bernal as a writer.

A proposed deal with 20th Century-Fox fell through, but Snyder was nevertheless required to meet his contractual obligation to produce a "full-color film" of The Hobbit by the 30th of June that year or lose his rights to the material (which had grown significantly in value due to a recent increase in interest in the works of Tolkien). [3]

Snyder asked Deitch to make a 12-minute version, quickly and cheaply, [8] purely to fulfil the wording of the contract. [3] As such, this version — which was never intended for public exhibition — has been considered an "ashcan copy" by many including Deitch himself. [4] [5]

The short is only slightly animated; it consists mostly of camera movements over still pictures, with some cut-outs moving on the screen. [1] Rushing through production, Snyder "premiered" the film on June 30, 1967 — the last day before his film rights would expire. He paid people a dime to give back to him, and then came and watched the film in a small Manhattan projection room. He had them sign statements that they had paid to see a Hobbit film, allowing Snyder to retain the rights. He then sold the rights back to Tolkien for approximately $100,000. [8]

The film remained unknown to Tolkien fans until 2012 when Deitch posted about the film's history on his blog. He stated that the film had been produced and released in 1966, but subsequent document discoveries confirmed that this happened in 1967. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

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The Hobbit, or There and Back Again is a children's fantasy novel by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald Tribune for best juvenile fiction. The book is recognized as a classic in children's literature and is one of the best-selling books of all time, with over 100 million copies sold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gandalf</span> Fictional character created by J. R. R. Tolkien

Gandalf is a protagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. He is a wizard, one of the Istari order, and the leader of the Fellowship of the Ring. Tolkien took the name "Gandalf" from the Old Norse "Catalogue of Dwarves" (Dvergatal) in the Völuspá.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smaug</span> Wily dragon in J. R. R. Tolkiens The Hobbit

Smaug is a dragon and the main antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 novel The Hobbit, his treasure and the mountain he lives in being the goal of the quest. Powerful and fearsome, he invaded the Dwarf kingdom of Erebor 171 years prior to the events described in the novel. A group of thirteen dwarves mounted a quest to take the kingdom back, aided by the wizard Gandalf and the hobbit Bilbo Baggins. In The Hobbit, Thorin describes Smaug as "a most specially greedy, strong and wicked worm".

Thorin Oakenshield is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 novel The Hobbit. Thorin is the leader of the Company of Dwarves who aim to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug the dragon. He is the son of Thráin II, grandson of Thrór, and becomes King of Durin's Folk during their exile from Erebor. Thorin's background is further elaborated in Appendix A of Tolkien's 1955 novel The Return of the King, and in Unfinished Tales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bilbo Baggins</span> Protagonist in J. R. R. Tolkiens The Hobbit

Bilbo Baggins is the title character and protagonist of J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 novel The Hobbit, a supporting character in The Lord of the Rings, and the fictional narrator of many of Tolkien's Middle-earth writings. The Hobbit is selected by the wizard Gandalf to help Thorin and his party of Dwarves reclaim their ancestral home and treasure, which has been seized by the dragon Smaug. Bilbo sets out in The Hobbit timid and comfort-loving and, through his adventures, grows to become a useful and resourceful member of the quest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bag End</span> Fictional location in Tolkiens novels

Bag End is the underground dwelling of the Hobbits Bilbo and Frodo Baggins in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. From there, both Bilbo and Frodo set out on their adventures, and both return there, for a while. As such, Bag End represents the familiar, safe, comfortable place which is the antithesis of the dangerous places that they visit. It forms one end of the main story arcs in the novels, and since the Hobbits return there, it also forms an end point in the story circle in each case.

<i>The Return of the King</i> (1980 film) 1980 animated musical television film by Jules Bass

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<i>The Hobbit</i> (1977 film) 1977 animated film directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr.

The Hobbit is a 1977 American animated musical television special created by Rankin/Bass and animated by Topcraft. The film is an adaptation of the 1937 book of the same name by J. R. R. Tolkien; it was first broadcast on NBC in the United States on Sunday, November 27, 1977. The teleplay won a Peabody Award; the film received a Christopher Award.

Balin is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's world of Middle-earth. A Dwarf, he is an important supporting character in The Hobbit, and is mentioned in The Fellowship of the Ring. As the Fellowship travel through the underground realm of Moria, they find Balin's tomb and the Dwarves' book of records, which tells how Balin founded a colony there, becoming Lord of Moria, and that the colony was overrun by orcs.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the real-world history and notable fictional elements of J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy universe. It covers materials created by Tolkien; the works on his unpublished manuscripts, by his son Christopher Tolkien; and films, games and other media created by other people.

<i>The History of The Hobbit</i> 2007 nonfiction book about The Hobbit

The History of The Hobbit is a two-volume study of J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 children's fantasy novel The Hobbit. It was first published by HarperCollins in 2007. It contains Tolkien's unpublished drafts of the novel, with commentary by John D. Rateliff. It details Tolkien's various revisions to The Hobbit, including abandoned revisions for the unpublished third edition of the work, intended for 1960, as well as previously unpublished original maps and illustrations drawn by Tolkien.

The first authorised adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 novel The Hobbit was a stage production by St. Margaret's School, Edinburgh in March 1953. Subsequently, The Hobbit has been adapted for a variety of media including stage, screen, radio, board games and video games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gollum</span> Monster in Tolkiens fantasy series

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Meriadoc Brandybuck, usually called Merry, is a Hobbit, a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, featured throughout his most famous work, The Lord of the Rings. Merry is described as one of the closest friends of Frodo Baggins, the main protagonist. Merry and his friend and cousin, Pippin, are members of the Fellowship of the Ring. They become separated from the rest of the group and spend much of The Two Towers making their own decisions. By the time of The Return of the King, Merry has enlisted in the army of Rohan as an esquire to King Théoden, in whose service he fights during the War of the Ring. After the war, he returns home, where he and Pippin lead the Scouring of the Shire, ridding it of Saruman's influence.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Shire</span> Fictional region of hobbits

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Lee, Stuart D. (2020). A Companion to J.R.R. Tolkien. Wiley. pp. 518–519. ISBN   9781119656029 . Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  2. ↑ IndieWire article on 1966 animated adaptation
  3. 1 2 3 4 Gene Deitch (6 January 2012). "GeneDeitchCredits: William L. Snyder". Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024. [Snyder] set me to the task of making The Hobbit into a feature-length animated movie.[..] I had proposed [..] cel-animated figures over elaborate 3D model backgrounds. [..] I was thinking big! [..But..] Months later, [Snyder] had a preposterous order for me: Make a [12-minute] version of THE HOBBIT [because] the Tolkien craze had exploded, and the value of the film rights reached outer space [but these would] expire in one month [so they needed to fulfil] just the letter of the contract – to deliver a 'full-color film' of THE HOBBIT by June 30th [ditching] all my previous year's work, and hoke up a super-condensed scenario on the order of a movie preview [..] and get it to a New York projection room on or before June 30th, 1966! [sic]
  4. 1 2 Wirestone, Clay (March 13, 2015). "The Weird History of the 'Ashcan Copy'". Mental Floss . Archived from the original on 30 June 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 Gene Deitch. "GeneDeitchCredits: William L. Snyder [COMMENTS SECTION]". Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024. [..replies from Deitch in comments..] I'm sure you understand that our ['instant Hobbit'] was never intended to be publically shown [..] My 35mm HOBBIT movie print was in fact, an 'Ashcan Copy.'
  6. ↑ Robb, Brian J.; Simpson, Paul (2013). Middle-earth Envisioned: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: On Screen, On Stage, and Beyond. Race Point Publishing. pp. 101–102. ISBN   9781937994273 . Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  7. ↑ The 1966 Hobbit Movie You Never Knew Existed - Collider
  8. 1 2 Blackham, Robert S. (2012). J.R.R. Tolkien: Inspiring Lives. History Press. ISBN   9780752490977 . Retrieved 7 April 2020. Note: This source says that the film was made in 1966.


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