December 30, 2003

Witch King and Gandalf's Staff
Danny

If the witch king does break Gandalf's staff, I will be upset. Here is why. The extended features are going to have Gandalf splitting Saruman's staff. That is going to make it a clear symbol to the viewer that the stave is an emblem of a wizard's power. Splitting Saruman's staff will be easily understood as stripping Saruman of his power. It is also a powerful statement of Gandalf's superior strength, and not by any small matter. Recall that in film terms, Saruman had to fight Gandalf to overpower him. For Gandalf to break Saruman's staff will be a resounding defeat on film.

So I have two problems with the idea of the Witch King breaking Gandalf's staff. First off, I have never beleived the Witch King to be stronger than Gandalf the White. Gandalf fought off several Wraiths at weathertop, and made quick work of dispelling them when they were attacking those retreating from Osgiliath (both in book and film.) Gandalf was Gandalf the white sent back with his full strength where he had willingly allowed himself to be lower in the order when he came as the Grey. The Witch King does confront Gandalf at the gate of Minas Tirith, and the Nazgul retreats (granted that was partly because Rohan had arrived but also because Gandalf wasn't about to let him into the city). Gandalf later says that had Denethor's madness not happened he could have prevented the sad happenings of Theoden's death. So that implies to me that Gandalf could have and perhaps would have pursued the Witch King and defeated him. Gandalf also was not a living man so it is safe to assume he could have been the catch to the prophecy about the witch king. So it has always seemed very clear to me that Gandalf was second in power only to Sauron as Gandalf the White. It would be dissapointing to me to see the witch king do something as crushing and defeating as breaking Gandalf's staff. I do wonder however if that is what was alluded to when the Witch King says "I will break him" refering to Gandalf.

The other reason I don't like that idea is because it would imply that Gandalf's power was broken. As I already mentioned, breaking Saruman's staff was a big symbol of Gandalf taking Saruman's position and much of Saruman's power being lost. Symbols like that are often stronger in film where a viewer is in the habbit of reading implications into visual information in order to understand film. Gandalf's staff was already a clear icon of his power at Edoras too. So breaking his staff would seem to me to imply Gandalf's losing a great deal of his power.

So there is one thing that I personally think would significantly hurt the extended DVD. I would love a confrontation with Gandalf and the Witch King though I would prefer it to be at the gates of Minas Tirith. That is not likely with how it works in film (which was quite good I must say.) If the confrontation is to be included, than I beleive that Gandalf should come across as the stronger as I beleive he does in the books.