Sting was found in the same orc hoard as Orcrist and Glamdring, which Elrond explains to Gandalf and Thorin that their blades came from Gondolin, forged by high elves.

Gondolin was a hidden city of exiled elves during the long war against Morgoth, Sauron’s boss and mentor. The elves learned their smithy craft on the island o’ the gods, the undying lands, Valinor, where everyone sailed off to at the end of LOTR:ROTK. The fought the forces of evil for hundreds of years from their geographic redoubt. Still, they all got slaughtered eventually, along with all the other elven kingdoms of the first age. Elrond around back then, by the way, at least at the end of the first age, and is related to the elves of Gondolin.

I wish the prop makers had taken the next step and made them look like watered steel.

Overall, the props and sets of the films are first rate. All the ruins and old statues give the feeling that you are in a very old story. I’d have to go to the books and work it out, but ole Sting is several thousand years old, hundreds of leagues away from the land where it was forged, which is now sunk under the ocean, and not a touch of rust. They don’t make ‘em like that anymore.

The flying dragon dudes attack, and in the confusion, Goddam tries to snatch the ring and succeeds in temporarily taking out Sam. Frito pins him down and threatens to run him through if he doesn’t clean up his act tout de suite.

The question is, if he’s a POW, why wasn’t his sword taken away from him?

PS. Fine Bronze-Age blade, that. Short enough to exploit the cubit-long lever arm of elbow to wrist, weighted and balanced for maximum mass at point of impact, narrow in span but thick of metal near the hilt for strength in parry. The ultimate multi-purpose weapon for close-quarter brawling.

It is primarily a hacking sword, but with more than enough point for effective thrusting and a sharp edge on the back half of the leaf to leave a nasty slash when pulled backwards, as when hamstringing a horse. Chop, stab and slice in one motion. Odysseus would have carried one just like it at Troy.

You’ll recall that I’m a Tolkien fan of the first order. But I learned from the Lord of the Rings movies to grab onto those parts of the film that represent classic scenes from the books, done faithfully, done beautifully.

I bought the DVD the other day so that I could watch it in comfort, pausing for refreshments or relief. With this second and third viewing I can say that there are a few scenes that are wonderful but mostly they turned an adventure story into an action flick.

I’ll start with the best bits. The riddle game with Gollum is fantastic, I could watch it again and again, it is close enough to may own imagination to make it fun to watch. Same goes for the Trolls, Rivendell, and that explanation part about the great Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor. While the party at Bagend seemed to go on and on, the sets were spot on. And, of course, Hobbiton, which is absolutely perfect. But I’m biased in that regard, having been there.

You are right about the action bits. Dwarves are hardy folk, or so the books say, and can endure great hardship. But come on! The great fall down into Gobblin Town and they don’t have a scratch? They navigate their escape as though they defy physics and statistics alike.

It is a trend in action films that I’ve come to find annoying. I was watching the beginning of the latest version of War of the Worlds, and Tom Cruise manages to drive out of a town that was clogged with abandoned vehicles, falling buildings, flying vehicles, and all the other tropes. I don’t mind a lucky or artful dodger in a protagonist; but if overdone it becomes tedious and distracting.

I didn’t notice the Gandalf discontinuity but I’ll watch for it. For half of the LOTR trilogy he is Gandalf the White, who is Gandalf the Grey on steroids. The scene of the White Council at Rivendell shows Gandalf the Grey as he was sixty years before…old, tired, scared, and his boss doesn’t believe anything he’s bringing to the table. (Gandalf doesn’t yet realize that Saruman has his own agenda.) When he dies and becomes Gandalf the White, he’s basically taking Saruman’s job.

Continuity errors are to be expected on a shoot this big, but they do hurt a film. I kept watching to see how Bilbo got his sword back when the eagles spirited him away. If you’ve got the DVD, I recommend watching some of the making of the film extra features, especially concerning the location filming.