More on The Hobbit

Friends have just seen it and disagreed with all my criticisms. We did though debate the difference between books and films. My view is that there is a story which is expressed as a book, then it is expressed as a film. The book is not expressed as a film but the story is. It makes sense because you can describe what a character is thinking in a book, but in a film, this is far more difficult. On the other hand, visuals are immediate and powerful; working with words is very different. It is always lovely when a film accords with the vision the book generates but it's best not to expect it to.