Well said Luthien! Bilbo's party truly is the picture of Hobbit nature. Cheery and dancing and frankly bubbling with mirth.
By the way, I love your avvie. *wants to steal avvie*

Bringing up an interesting subject, do you think the party scene was better in the movie or the book? Just curious as to what you guys will say.....

When I first started reading fotr when I was nine, this was my favorite chapter. I loved it because it was so full of happiness and magic and hobbitiness. I've always totally loved Bilbo's speech(although I didn't quite get it all back then), and I want to say something like that at my graduation.

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I'd arrive as an Elf [not a guest of honor, just a friend. Possibly even a friend who helps Gandalf with his fireworks! ^^ Even though Elves don't arrive there, so in reality I'd probably just be a nameless Hobbit. ^^;; ]
I always imagined Bilbo's Party to be something like it was in the film. Full of magic, happiness, dancing, and food. Perhaps a bit less..dark than the film, but the film covered it pretty well.

Oh, I loved this chapter. It's one of the very best that I have read so far.
I think that it would have been Alot of noise, it would have lit up pretty well the entire sky, there would be Hobbits as far as the eye could see, a dwarf mixed in here or there along with Gandalf moving about trying to perpare the fireworks, laughter rolling so loudly that u could only hear the people that were talking to you dirrectly and were right in front or beside of you, music added in, dancing on top of tables, and plenty of food and drink. They took merry making to a whole new level.
Well, I would probabley have been a Hobbit or an Elf. Uh...probabley a Hobbit. I would have been eating here and there and singing and dancing and hanging out wtih Merry if at all possable. Just having a good time.
Tinuviel's Tears, Personaly I think that in this particular scene I like the book better. However I did really like it in the movie when Merry and Pip lit the fireworks and it got all over their faces. lol

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I believe that Bilbo's party is an very memeorable time and a time of great happiness and frivolity. I love it. I believe that Party really gives the readers a sense of life in The Shire and how hobbits live there lives. I love the fact that Hobbit parties are completley full of merriment and joy. It signifies a time during the third age wherein hobbit wcould be hobbits and in particular Merry, Pippin, Frodo and Sam were able to shine and show us what their real characters were like before the quest of the ring that would leave a scar upon their souls forever. In short, Bilbo's party rules!

If i was to go I would without a doubt have to be a hobbit because i love their way of life and the fact that they are so at one with nature and food hee hee. I love mushrooms!

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Oh wow, I don't think I'd be able to decide whether I like it better in the book or movie. It was so magnificently done, with the feasting, drinking, crowd, and fireworks. The book definitely gives you a more in-depth look at it, as well as bringing in the dwarves, which I thought was really cool. And I really liked the giving away of gifts that Tolkien talked about, and then the giving away of Bilbo's gifts after the party. Lobelia made me laugh there.

OT: I would definitley go as a hobbit! I would be comfortable with all the other hobbits, and be able to eat and drink to my hearts content. The other people would also be comfortable around me, so I think it would a much more enjoyable experience than, say, going as a dwarf.

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I really liked Bilbo's party! I think it would be a lot of fun. The whole Shire's there, and everyone's just drinking, eating, dancing, and having a great time. Such a hobbit scene. I think the movie did a pretty good job with it, too.

I also like it because a lot of the rest of the book (and the next two) is dark, and this is carefree and happy.

~Iri

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I like how they did the scene in the movie too. It truly looked like what a Hobbit party would be. The fireworks were accurate enough too. I also like Tolkien's idea of GIVING presents on your birthday as well as recieving them. In the book, I believe it said that the gifts were so good that people went through the entrance of the party, recieved a present, and then snuck out of the party and got back in line to get another present! I'll tell you something now, if I was a hobbit that attended that party, that would surely be what I would be doing!!!

Bilbo's party was a good start for the book because it shows how hobbits live. Everyone was buzzing with excitement when they heard that Bilbo was throwing a birthday party, and everyone was counting down the weeks, days, hours, until it was time. They eagerly awaited the invitations, and jumped for joy when they got them. This party was definately something that the Shire and everywhere around it was looking forward to.

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When the cold of winter comes
Starless night will cover day
In the veiling of the sun
We will walk in bitter rain
But in dreams
I can still hear your name
And in dreams
We will meet again
When the seas and mountains fall
And we come to end of days
In the dark I hear a call
Calling me there
I will go there
And Back again

To answer your question Tinuviel--

Bilbo's birthday party in the books holds a rather special place in my heart since I read it first, but I have to give some credit to PJ for making it almost as good. He really put a lot of thought into making that special scene as heartfelt and "bookish" as possible. I really felt like that chapter had come to life.

Okay, now I don't know whether I liked the book version or the movie version!! I've officially confused myself.

^:lol: That's alright Larael. I do that quite frequently. It happens.
Honestly, it's been ages since I posted that question, and I didn't even remember about it. I'm glad you answered though because now it gives me an excuse to post. Yay!

I have a feeling that I'm going to confuse myself as well because I liked them both for different reasons. In the book, I liked the descriptions of the decorations and Gandalf's fireworks and just in general thought that the party was an excellent opening chapter that caught my interest right away and made me eager to read more. However, the movie scene had so many nice added elements that were missing in the book. In particular I liked the Merry and Pippin exploding the firework, the Frodo urging Sam to dance with Rosie Cotton, and the pricless Frodo Funky Chicken dance.

Actually, I think I've surprised myself with this. I think I may have to say that I liked the movie version better.

I love it how, after a bit of explanation we find our opinions on things to be changed.

I especially loved the new elements PJ added to the party scene. It provided some humour and genuine happiness before everything became too serious. He captured the amount of joy [and I think perhaps, a bit of naïvete too] perfectly.

Very true.

The happy and carefree elements of the party scene are actually really imprtant in that sense because they give us something to compare to later, particularly with Frodo. When we're first introduced to the Shire and Frodo, they're happy and ordinary and innocent. Later, after the destruction that came from the War of the Ring and the incredibel journey Frod underwent, we see both a Shire and a Frodo that are dramatically changed. It makes you realize how different they've become when you look at them at the beginning of the story versus them at the end of the story. I also agree with you that it was a kind of a nice, not so intense intro to a pretty intense story, so it was kind of nice to come into it softly.

Aye, and that element of comparison for Frodo and the Shire was actually missing from the movie. Tolkien captures the changes magnificently, and Frodo is able to complete the "hero cycle" by being changed in such a way. Sadly, this was competely missing from the movie. [If PJ had added 'The Scouring of the Shire'...]

I know. I was sad that they didn't show the way the Shire had been destroyed and rebuilt at the end of ROTK. Of course, that would have required taking up even more time in the movie because they also would have had to explain Galadriel giving the gifts to the fellowship, in particular the dirt and mallorn seed to Sam.
The films are fantastic, but the books are certainly better in that respect. We get to know the characters and see their changes so much more clearly in the books.

I was wondering if PJ originally had planned to include the Scouring of the Shire, since Frodo catches a glimpse of that in the Mirror of Galadriel in FotR. Or if it was solely a reference to the book, which he didn't intend on elaborating on..?

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I've been wondering that too. I could've been that he intended to put it in the movie, or he might have put it in as a secret between him and the LOTR book fans. But, I think he must have put it in to make it quite clear that the whole world would be taken over if Frodo failed, which, would be pretty obvious to most who think that.

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When the cold of winter comes
Starless night will cover day
In the veiling of the sun
We will walk in bitter rain
But in dreams
I can still hear your name
And in dreams
We will meet again
When the seas and mountains fall
And we come to end of days
In the dark I hear a call
Calling me there
I will go there
And Back again