January 17, 2004

Wizard Rant!
Brett C.

Good word Elendur on your research into the Istari - yes there were only five, as borne out by Saruman's diatribe at Orthanc in the Two Towers that Gandalf was grown so self important he wanted "...the rods of the five wizards!" [meaning each ones staff]

And thank you Magic Fire for your kind words.

As for Elendur's idea about why the Gandalf/WitchKing scene was cut - well even as I type this it sounds out there, but I am so angry - but maybe it was cut some Tolkien fans wouldn't relise how betrayed they would feel until they had paid for the Extnded release.

Because in two seperate references in the New Line 'Weapon's and Warfare' movie book [pages 168 and 169], it states clearly that Angmar faced Gandalf during the siege and BEAT him, breaking his staff!

Excuse me while I go curse luridly again for a while.

.........****

Okay, now I'm back, let me say I would like to think that most people in this forum would have seen me over the years as a pretty easy going guy, not given to vehement slandering of the Trilogy or it's makers but rather trying to find and understand the reasons for some of the changes and appreciating that yes, it is a film adaption, and generally hoping [justifiably in the last two occasions] that the Extended cut would be truely amazing. Even though in FOTR a certain fire spirit is shown with some anatomical details I find questionable, I still really loved the scene and my enjoyment was not diminished. Faramir was harder to swallow but, like I said, I had faith the EE would restore his character and my predictions were born out, so okay good, I'm happy.

But.

Not.

This.

Time.

Because if this is true it would essentially ruin the movie for me, maybe the trilogy. Gandalf has been, since my first reading, my favourite character. I rejoiced when his exposition on the state of affairs was restored to The Two Towers. I have read and re-read the essay on the Isatri in Unfinished Tales. Parts of the book like The Shadow of the Past,The White Rider, Minas Tirith, and The Last Debate draw my attention again and again, simply becuase they are rich with his dialogue, insight, and character. He has been source of fascination and inspiration to me for over two decades.

And if I have to see him getting kicked around by Angmar....? Well, it's just wrong is what it is! I don't care if Tolkien never penned that confrontation, there is no question in my mind that while it would be a terrific contest, the best result for the Nazgul, as at the gate, would be a stalemate. Just because fate says he can't be killed by the hand of man doesn't mean he could best Gandalf. It just means circumstances would conspire to keep Gandalf from finishing him.

And if this is really on film - what were they thinking???!!! Melkor put forward the idea that maybe PJ had not even read the books and I said I was sure he was well versed in them, but was I wrong?

Gandalf's power was great enough to hold off ALL of the nine on Weathertop. All of them. The WitchKing has one of the Great Rings, but Gandalf has Narya, one of the three Elf Rings, second in power only to the One. Even if they're not instruements of warfare, they still outstrip the Rings of the Nazgul, and this is the Ring of Fire! Gandalf has always been good with flame, probably partially because of the Red Ring, and the Wraiths hate fire. Gandalf himself said to Gimli he was the most dangerous thing the Dwarf was ever likely to meet, "...unless you are brought alive before the seat of the Dark Lord." And if none of these arguements are convincing enough, Gandalf bested the Balrog. And that was when he was still the Grey. Am I supposed to believe the WitchKing, a human undead sorceror, is that much more powerful than a Maiar Fire Spirit from the very beginning of the world? Come on!

So if I have to sit there and listen to PJ's commentary or [most especially] Phillipa Boyens sweetly smiling explanation of how this was done to up the dramatic anty and make things more desperate and there's no defitive source on how the contest would have gone and blah blah blah blah...well, I'm probably going to end up throwing something heavy through the TV screen, I'm afraid.

At any rate, I actually visited Sir Ian McKellen's site to ask him if they shot it that way, though I have little hope he will be able to answer my qustion among the vast deluge he must receive.

So there it is, my rant. Hopefully what I have read and written will not come to pass - the books do often end up getting small details wrong because of last minute editing. But then I see the movie again and no, Gandalf doesn't have his staff when he talks to Pippin about death or when he strides across the Pellenor to find Aragorn after the battle, and my heart grows cold.

So if anyone knows any petition we can sign begging PJ not to do this, to cut the scene shot wome other way, let me know. I'd sign in a heartbeat. But tell your friends. Tell your fellow fans. Tell every Tolkien website out there. Gandalf getting pummelled by Angmar. It could happen.

[sniffle]