New Zealanders revel in limelight 
of Hobbit premiere

An Air New Zealand plane painted with Hobbit characters flew low over Wellington’s Embassy Theatre, bringing roars of approval from the crowd.

British actor Martin Freeman, who plays the lead role of Bilbo Baggins, said he thought director Peter Jackson had done an amazing job on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

“He’s done it again,” Freeman said. “If it’s possible, it’s probably even better than The Lord of the Rings. I think he’s surpassed it.”

While it is unusual for a city so far from Hollywood to host such a premiere, Jackson’s filming of his Lord of the Rings and now The Hobbit has created a film industry in New Zealand. The film will open in cinemas around the world next month.

One talking point is the choice by Jackson to shoot it using 48 frames per second instead of the traditional 24 in hopes of improving the picture quality.

Some say the images look so realistic that they take away from the magic of the film medium. Jackson likens it to advancing from vinyl records to CDs.

“I think 48 frames is pretty terrific and I’m looking forward to seeing the reaction,” he said. “It’s been talked about for so long, but finally the film is being released and people can decide for themselves.”

A handful of animal rights protesters held signs at the premiere. A couple wore grim reaper outfits and held up signs like “3 horses died for this film.”

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) is protesting after several animal handlers said three horses and up to two dozen other animals had died during the making of the movies because they were housed at an unsafe farm.