Although the dwarves exhibit a lot of stubborn arrogance throughout The Hobbit trilogy, they also have some of the most amusing and lighthearted scenes, such as when they tease Kili about his love of “elven women” while he is mistaken for a male elf in Rivendell, and when they all swim butt naked in a very regal fountain in front of some very unimpressed onlookers.
One of Peter Jackson and the creative team’s most ingenious strategies for minimizing some of the more somber and terrifying passages in the narrative is the comedy of the dwarfs.
There are entire characters who exist primarily to break up the tension and sadness in the movie, such as Alfrid, the Master of Laketown’s servant, and the Master himself, who are both ludicrous and farcical at various points in the trilogy.
Some fans believe that the comic parts in The Hobbit cheapened the film and were disrespectful to Tolkien’s original vision while he was writing the book in the 1930s, while others believe that these are the most redeeming aspects of what could otherwise be difficult to swallow action pictures. This use of humor to alleviate tension is demonstrated in perhaps one of the film’s funniest scenes.
When Bilbo initially returns with the news of the gigantic bear-like figure he has seen in the hills, the rest of the company is terrified. Except for Gandalf, who clearly knows something they don’t. He tells them about the home and their goal, and when Thorin asks, “Whose house? “Are they a friend or an enemy?” And Gandalf’s remark makes it clear that he is referring to the horrific beast described by Bilbo: “Neither. He will either assist us or kill us.”
The group has no choice but to dash as fast as they can towards the unknown. This sequence has a fantastic sense of terror, as the dwarves almost don’t know what they’re running from, whether it’s the army of orc riders on wargs chasing them through the trees or the enormous bear whose home they’re pelting towards.
There are so many humorous aspects about this sequence, from the fact that there is a comically large open space between them and the home, yet they appear to make it there in no time, to the way they slam directly into the door and bounce back off in their eagerness to flee.
But by far the funniest aspect of this scene is Bombur. Bombur begins at the back of the line as the most terrified member of the company, frozen at the approaching enemy, but as Gandalf urges the thirteen dwarves to “Run, quickly, to the house!” Bombur quickly gains speed.
He rapidly overtakes even the strongest and fittest of them, including the two greatest warriors, Thorin and Dwalin. His legs propel him fairly quickly past the others, but what makes this so amusing is the surprised and disbelieving expression on every member’s face as he flies by them.
If the audience were to stop the movie as he passes each member, they would notice raised eyebrows, jaws hanging wide, and even an unusual expression of admiration as Bombur shimmies to the front of the queue and passes Gandalf and his encouraging words to reach Beorn’s door first.
He couldn’t be more comical right now, with his long, donut-shaped beard dangling about his waist and trying to trip him up, as well as the absurdly large black spoon in his hand for no apparent reason.
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