I remember watching this version of The Hobbit as a youngling and the dwarves’ singing as they ransacked Bilbo’s home in the guise of “cleaning up” always stuck with me. The portrayal of Gandalf is another highlight that has been knocking around in my mind for decades. I loved his long nose and beard and his demeanor colored how I imagined Gandalf in the novels long before Ian McKellen completely defined the role. I fondly recalled the movie and after all these years it still holds up well in some ways.
One of the first things a viewer will notice is the music. In the first half of the movie there seems to be a song every five minutes. It’s great because one of the issues this film faces is comparisons to the Peter Jackson films. Thankfully, Peter Jackson did not make a musical so the emphasis on music here appropriately stands out. “The Greatest Adventure (The Ballad of the Hobbit)” sung throughout the film by Glenn Yarbrough provides a wonderfully 70s folksy feel to the movie. It’s a song that feels like a teenage boy would sing under a tree back in the day to impress girls.
The animation looks excellent as well, especially the beautifully drawn backgrounds. Elrond with his celestial crown has the most interesting look of any character. The dwarves are unique from each other. The Dwarven armor looks a little bit like Dwemer armor from Morrowind. Bard the guardsman looks like a 1970s NBA player with his thigh length shorts. Gollum is darker and larger than the superior Andy Serkis version but serviceable enough. It shouldn’t surprise anybody how technically proficient the animation considering it was done by Topcraft which eventually went on to become Studio Ghibli.
The largest complaint I have with this film is Gollum and only because Serkis did such an amazing job. His Gollum is everything Gollum should be and nothing it shouldn’t be. It almost seems unfair to compare this animated Gollum to such a great portrayal. Tolkien purists will have other complaints such as the cutting of the Arkenstone and other changes. Those changes do not bother me so much because the novel still exists. If I wanted an exact representation of Tolkien’s Hobbit, I would go to my bookshelf.
I am excited to show this version to my son when he is a few years older; it is very family friendly. The violence is extremely network-TV appropriate. Overall it was done well enough to earn a Hugo nomination for Best Dramatic Presentation (it deservedly lost to Star Wars). Honestly, I would probably watch this Hobbit again before the Peter Jackson version. In a vacuum, I think those films are good enough. But if I want to watch ten hours of Peter Jackson, I will watch Lord of the Rings. Those movies still feel epic in a way that has not been matched. The 1977 Hobbit is only ninety minutes long and hits enough of the book that every Tolkien fan owes it to themselves to watch it at least once.
The Keasy Depot 