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Actors: Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Martin Freeman, Luke Evans, Ian McKellen,Richard Armitage
Director: Peter Jackson
Language: ENGLISH: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1, PORTUGUESE: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese
Region: Region Free
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Number of Discs: 5 (UV Digital Copy)
Rating: PG-13 Orig. Release Date: 2013 Studio: Warner Bros. Release Date: 11/4/2014 Run Time: 161 Min.
- Audio Commentary:
Filmmaker Peter Jackson and co-writer Philippa Boyens. The bulk of the
discussion is driven by the development, assemblage and adaptive
challenges of the second film after the decision was made to expand The Hobbit from two to three films.
- New Zealand: Home to Middle-Earth Part 2
(HD, 7:11): The cast and crew reflect on shooting in New Zealand, where
the beauty of the natural landscape outshines any CG creation.
- The Appendices Part 9: A Long Expected Journey (HD):
- Opening (HD, 3:22): Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens and a number of actors touch on the decision to expand The Hobbit
saga into three films and discuss the challenges the second installment
presented, the "ordered chaos" that was the production, and the highs
and lows of shooting Desolation.
- A Warm Welcome
(HD, 29:23): Peter Jackson, Martin Freeman, the Dwarf actors, Orlando
Bloom, Luke Evans and other members of the cast and crew tear through
Lake-town, discussing the sprawling sets to the immersive joy of walking
the streets, burying the dwarves in fish, incorporating acrobatic
wire-suspended elves into the action, the dwarves' public "trial" before
the Master, the various tricks and techniques used to achieve shots in
which Bilbo and the Dwarves appear alongside humans and elves, and the
many, many Lake-town cameos peppered throughout the film.
- Business of the State
(HD, 15:24): In the Master's chambers, Jackson directs actors Stephen
Fry and Ryan Gage to make their politicians as sleazy as possible, keeps
things light with airborne eggs and mountain oysters, and works to
balance style and silliness.
- Shelter on the Long Lake
(HD, 20:19): Bard's house, fully realized using two sets at two
different scales (1:1 and 1:1.42). Highlighted is the filming of James
Nesbitt's children (who play the Bard's daughters), the Lake-town orc
attack, Evangeline Lilly and her stunt double's work, splicing a
single-scale dwarf together with green screen magic, the Black Arrow and
its reveal, and, as Andy Serkis labels it, the most pivotal scene of
the movie: the toilet entrance.
- In the Halls of the Elvenking
(HD, 29:17): Two deleted/alternate scenes are featured in this
half-hour look at the Woodland Realm, the halls, prisons and cellar of
the Elvenking's fortress, and Thranduil and his subjects. Also covered:
Thranduil's throne chamber, the king's wine barrels, the fun of
improvisation in dwarf jail, and the rehearsal for Thorin and
Thranduil's confrontation.
- Flies and Spiders
(HD, 29:43): On to Mirkwood Forest as the cast and crew face endless
delights and challenges. Exhaustion, drunkenness and drug tripping on
the forest sets, Jackson's shout-y action-scene direction, the madness
of spiderweb cocoons and more.
- Queer Lodgings
(HD, 27:02): The locale by locale tour of Jackson's Middle-earth
continues with a revealing trip to Beorn's house, where towering sets
allow the characters (skin-changer, wizard, dwarves and hobbit) to
believably appear, in appropriate scale, alongside one another. Running
in costume is the first order of business, followed by a move from
exterior location to interior set, additional March 2012 filming, and
more.
- On the Doorstep
(HD, 18:28): With the journey to Erebor complete, the behind-the-scenes
cameras turn to location scouting for the mountainside staircase,
designing and building the dwarven statues (via bigatures and other
practical set pieces), the development of the moon light reveal and the
hidden door, a visit from Smaug himself, and the disastrous devastation
nearly unleashed by Graham McTavish.
- Inside Information
(HD, 26:12): Smaug wasn't just kept secret from the audience. The cast
and crew weren't sure what he would look like either. Martin Freeman
handles it like a pro, though, delivering take after take to... an empty
room filled with treasure. The design of Smaug and his lair is covered
at length as well, as is the construction of the Erebor interior,
Jackson and Boyens' adaptation of one of the most beloved scenes from
the book, the female dialect coach who stood in for Benedict Cumberbatch
on set, blocking Bilbo's encounter with the dragon, and the pitfalls of
CG coin simulations.
- Down the Swift Dark Stream
(HD, 15:42): On location along the Pelorus River, where Bilbo and the
dwarves come ashore after their barrel ride and meet Bard. Surprisingly,
this simple sequence quickly becomes a hilarious horror show, as
Richard Armitage and his paddling cohorts battle ice-cold water in full
costume and prosthetics.
- Barrels Out of Bond
(HD, 30:05): The complete barrel ride, in all its glory. From practical
filming to digital effects, motion capture, water simulations, large
scale sets and a 2nd unit shoot, the film's wild ride is pieced
together, bit by watery bit.
- A Chance Meeting (HD, 20:37): Plucked from Tolkien's Appendices, Desolation's
opening scene was devised and shot only after the two-film project
became a trilogy; a trilogy with a middle installment that demanded a
compelling beginning the filmmakers had yet to conceive. And so Jackson
and his team returned to Bree, a nostalgic trip home for those who
worked on The Lord of the Rings.
- Erebor Rekindled (HD, 27:59): Jackson and the filmmakers dream up a fresh third act after the Hobbit
films became a trilogy; initially out of necessity, eventually out of
enthusiasm. The final goal to show just how dangerous Smaug could be.
Talk about the end result. An entirely different sequence -- one teeming
with visual effects -- in which the dwarves harness their heritage,
relight Erebor's forge, and go on the offensive.
- Into the Fire (HD, 7:58): A glimpse into the near future and all that The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies will offer audiences when it arrives in theaters this December.
- The Appendices Part 10: The Journey to Erebor (HD):
- Summoning Smaug: Last of the Fire-Drakes
(HD, 1:16:31): "There are certain characters in movies where you just
have this understanding going in that, unless you get this right, you're
actually jeopardizing the movie." This extensive overview of Smaug's
development, design, animation, voice casting and performance is one of
the more engrossing documentaries in the set, and leaves little to the
imagination.
- "The
Last and First Dragon" (26:36) offers a history of dragons, Tolkien's
fascination with the creatures, the good professor's creation of one of
literature's most unforgettable villains, Smaug's influence on books and
movies ever since, and the work of refining ideas to bring a living,
breathing monster to the screen.
- "Conversations
with Smaug" (24:50) focuses on Benedict Cumberbatch's audition,
casting, commitment to the role, approach to the character, motion
capture and performance (one that's entertaining in its own right), and
the challenge of visualizing a talking dragon and designing, modeling
and finalizing a striking digital Smaug.
- "Into
the Dragon's Lair" (25:36) delves into Smaug's personality and
expressiveness, comparisons between Tolkien and Jackson's dragon,
Bilbo's incorporation into the sequence, the look of Smaug's fire breath
and flame blasts, and combining Cumberbatch's performance with other
elements to build the final digital creature.
- The Peoples and Denizens of Middle-earth
(HD, 1:11:48): A three-part documentary follows, one that pulls back
the curtain on the development, design, casting, costuming and
performances of the peoples and creatures introduced in The Desolation of Smaug.
- "Beorn:
The Shape-shifter" (25:08) spends a great deal of time with Beorn,
whose screentime is much shorter than the featurette devoted to his
creation. Jackson, conceptual designers John Howe and Alan Lee, author
Tom Shippey and other key members of the production team discuss
Tolkien's Beorn, his uniqueness in the mythology of "The Hobbit," the
development of his look, prosthetics and costuming, the visual
translation of his transformations, the design of the digital
monster-bear, and Mikael Persbrandt's audition, casting, approach to the
character, and performance.
- "The
Spawn of Ungoliant" (16:49) returns to the spiders of Mirkwood, but
takes far more time exploring their use in the film, their ties to
Shelob and the spiders in The Lord of the Rings, their design
and the inspirations that led to their final look, their modeling and
animation, and finally the vocalization of their language, the
difficulty in creating their thin, creaking hiss-voices, and casting old
friends from past Peter Jackson films as the spiders.
- "The
Men of Lake-town" (30:17) is the longest of the three "Peoples and
Denizens" chapters, and for good reason. It has the most ground to
cover. Infusing history, culture and mythology into every costume,
profession and performance was no easy task, and the filmmakers didn't
breeze through the process. A great amount of thought was invested in
developing a convincing, lived-in, diverse Lake-town with more stories
hinted at on screen than could ever possibly be told.
- Realms of the Third Age: From Beorn's House to Lake-town (HD, 1:34:07): Behind-the-scenes documentary, yet another wealth of thorough dissections of all things Middle-earth. Tracks the design, construction and functionality of the many, many sets featured throughout the film. "Realms" is broken into four parts:
- "Beorn's House" (26:40)
- "Mirkwood Forest" (17:00)
- "The Woodland Realm" (21:05)
- "Lake-town" (29:55)
- The Music of The Hobbit
(HD, 1:00:54): Saga's music is given an amount of attention, from the
composition of new themes to composer Howard Shore's creative process
and inspirations, the orchestral recording sessions, and more. Talks
Shore's process, his compositional nuances, and the evolution of the
score explored in greater depth and detail, the manner in which
Middle-earth's culture, history, mythos and visualization in the final
film informed the music and each theme's personality is explored as
fully and completely as any fan could hope for.
- "Overture: Music of the Wilderland" (21:36)
- "1st Movement: The World of Men" (20:25)
- "2nd Movement: In the Halls of Erebor" (19:14)
After bringing "The Lord of the Rings" to the screen, Oscar winners Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh once again, return to Middle Earth where the dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from Smaug.
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