When was Hobitit first broadcast on Finnish television?
Hobitit first aired on Yle TV1 on the 29th of March 1993. The nine-episode series ran through to the 24th of May 1993 and was rerun in 1997-1998.
Questions about Hobitit
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What is Hobitit based on and who directed it?
Hobitit is a Finnish television adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, directed by Timo Torikka. It grew out of a six-hour stage play called Taru sormusten herrasta produced by Ryhmäteatteri theatre company at the Suomenlinna Summer Theatre in 1988 and 1989.
How does Hobitit differ from other Lord of the Rings adaptations in its approach?
Hobitit tells the story exclusively from the perspective of Frodo Baggins and Sam Gamgee, omitting all events those two characters do not witness. Major battles such as Helm's Deep, the Pelennor Fields, and the Morannon are excluded entirely. The narrator is an older Sam, recounting events to young Hobbits years after the War of the Ring.
Who played Gollum in the Finnish Hobitit television series?
Kari Väänänen played Gollum in Hobitit. He also played Aragorn, known as Strider, in the same series. Reviewer Jukka Kajava praised Väänänen's Gollum in Helsingin Sanomat.
How was Hobitit received by critics and the Finnish Tolkien Society?
The Finnish Tolkien Society wrote that Hobitit had captured the spirit and atmosphere of Tolkien's book despite its small budget. Jukka Kajava praised the series in Helsingin Sanomat when it first aired, though he was more critical during the 1997-1998 rerun, noting the adaptation's concreteness might limit a viewer's imagination. Juho Gröndahl, writing in the society's magazine Legolas in 2004, credited the series's success to its focused perspective on Frodo and Sam's journey.
What filming techniques did Hobitit use to create its settings?
Hobitit was filmed at Ryhmäteatteri's stage in Helsinki and Yle's studio production facilities. Scale models represented locations such as the Shire and Bree. Studio scenes used bluescreen technology with chroma key compositing to add landscapes digitally, while some sequences were shot outdoors with natural backgrounds.