September 26, 2002

Gandalf on the Bridge
Brett C.

Radagast, I don't think Gandalf had any intention of going after the Balrog when it fell in the pit - he quite clearly turns away in the movie and is preparing to leave when the whip drags him down. Otherwise, he would have jumped in after the demon when it was cast down. Also in the text it says he 'grasped vainly at the stone' so it was clearly Tolkiens intention that he was trying to avoid being pulled down after the demon.

Lady of Rohan, I agree I was puzzled when Gandalf fell and the Fellowship did nothing, but this matches the intention of the text, if not quite the spirit, since it says they were 'roted with horror' at the site. Still, maybe this is one of the times when Mr Bakshi did a better job than PJ - in the animated movie, Aragorn dives for Gandalf's hand and just misses, leaving the Ranger lying full stretch on the bridge as Gandalf calls his last line as he disappears into the depths.