And who would expect it to be a dwarf? Ah, but this is a princely creature, standing tall even if short of stature; strong, fierce, a fighter, a survivor. A displaced king, a leader amongst his people, a second father to his sister-sons. Stubborn, proud and opinionated, but still able to admit when he’s wrong. Someone you’d be proud and glad to follow.
the armitage effect 
I will be ever grateful that his prosthetics were pared back! It let so much more of his beauty shine through although I know that his eyes can say so much by themselves. *sigh* That second picture! Oh my. 😉
I loved what Richard had to say to one interviewer over the whole “do they look enough like dwarves” question, that just as human beings can vary greatly in appearance (even within the same race) so can dwarves. To suggest it should be otherwise is actually a bit racist, as he pointed out. They aren’t garden gnomes, after all!! 😉 I think his final look works beautifully and he’s won so many new fans with his portrayal. Those eyes! You cannot look away.
Totally agree with you, I thought the same as you about that answer.=)
Great minds do think alike. 😀
Yes, I need a hero, and not just any hero. (Thank you, Tina.) Thorin’s eyes just do me in. I’d follow him even where it frightened me beyond my imagining, even knowing I might not come back. It’s that quality that comes through in TH, I think.
Those eyes are so compelling, how could you deny them?
These are gorgeous Angie. The eyes just get to me everytime. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow seeing Richard on that big screen. My nephew bought me “Plush Thorin” for Christmas he is adorable. Pride of place on my bed!!
I hope you have a wonderful time! I still haven’t received my plush Thorin. 😦 I hope it didn’t get lost somewhere coming across the pond.
My DiL gave me a Thorin action figure for Christmas! I plan to keep him on my desk at school. I really enjoyed seeing Richard as Thorin – he made a deep and engaging character from one that always seemed stilted and stuffy to me in the books.
How fun!! I really like him. I also have the mini-Lego figure. Tiny and adorable. Yes, the book really didn’t flesh out the dwarves much at all and mainly made Thorin a self-important old crank. Now they all have distinct looks and personalities and Thorin truly is a heroic character with breadth and depth.
I have been reading DJ’s Heirs of Durin blog and some of her guests writers have written some wonderful essays focusing on the dwarves, in particular Thorin (yep, RA is earning legions of new fans, just as we know he would!!!) There’s been discussion about use of the old Norse myths and legends being incorporated into how the dwarves are presented as a race, along with the information in the Appendices.
I learned more of Thorin’s back story from the appendices and other writings many, many years ago. Yes – I am a serious Tolkien fanatic! I was introduced to The Hobbit first in the 7th grade. My friends and I used to pass notes in class written in dwarvish runes! I cannot tell you how many times I have read all of his books – I even took a class on Tolkien in college! It was a very interesting study looking at Beowulf, Norse mythology, Catholic symbolism and reading some of his less known writings. Yet even with my in depth knowledge of Tolkien and my (ahem) intimate studies of Richard, I was not prepared for his presentation of the character of Thorin Oakenshield! What a very dynamic character he created!
I knew Richard would be great, but it was still almost overwhelming to see what grandeur, what presence he brought to the big screen. No wonder many Tolkien fans and scholars are totally RA fans now.
The Thorin I envisioned from reading Tolkien did not captivate me the way Richard’s Thorin did. For me, Richard took all the saga, all the lore, all the tradition, and melded all the attributes into a compelling heroic whole.
I was the same. Tolkien’s Thorin didn’t make anywhere close to the impression on me that RA’s Thorin did. Richard worked his customary magic through hard work and lots of research and his amazing talent to create a truly iconic hero.
Absolutely! Thorin in the book was not compelling or sympathetic. Richard’s Thorin is all tbhat and so very much more.
Thorin in the book was the rather cantankerous grump who actually amused me at times with his pomposity. I wouldn’t dare laugh at Richard’s Thorin. Admire him, respect him, empathize with him–desire him–but never laugh at him.