Gandalf's Staff

[Folwren]

Hollo, all!

Haven't started very many threads, and none of them have been succesful, but I hope this topic (which has been burning in my mind for some time) gets some sort of comments from some people.

I couldn't decide very easily where to put this thread. It has attributes both concerning movie and book, but I think, over all, it'd best go here, where this is where the conversation may end up being.

To start off with,

In the books, when you read them, did you ever consider the significance of Gandalf's staff? (Or any of the wizards' staffs, for that matter.) What did it mean, and why was it necessary?

Consider Gandalf's fight with the Balrog. In the book, he strikes his staff against the bridge to break the stone, and in doing so, his staff shatters. He and the Balrog fall, and then they fight. They fight a long time, down under the earth, and then up above in the highest turret. In the end, Gandalf is victorious, and yet. . .he dies. He dies and is sent back. With what? More power. . .and a new staff is given him.
It think it is arguable that the wizards' staffs simbolize their power. When Gandalf breaks his staff on the stone, and later, after defeating the Balrog, dies, I believe that becuase he broke his staff, it was evident that he knew he was putting every ounce of his power and strength into defeating this Balrog, and after the job was done, he had nothing left. He had to die, so to speak.

To back this theory up, consider Saruman. When Gandalf came to him as the White, he took away his power. And what else? He broke his staff. Several lines, therefore, are drawn in the book between the wizard's power and the wizard's staff.

So saying, turn now your thoughts to the movie. If you think that my opinions above are correct, then you'll probably think now that they completely botched the meaning of Gandalf's and Saruman's staff in the movie.

Think about it. In the Fellowship when Gandalf goes to Saruman, they end up disagreeing and a 'staff fight' ensues. In the end, Saruman takes Gandalf's staff. A thing he shouldn't possibly be able to do unless he is greatly stronger than Gandalf. What does Gandalf do when he escapes? Gets a new one. Bah. In the book, it only states that

'They took me and they set me alone on the pinncale of Orthanc. . .'

No hint if a fight, and I should hope not.

Anyway, to get on. . .

When Gandalf fought the Balrog, his staff did not break upon contact with the bridge, a fact which rather bugs me, and it also helps the part where Saruman's staff is broken by Gandalf become less important and without meaning.

And the lastly, but certainly not least, and a thing that made me furious - when Gandalf met with the Nazgul in Gondor, what happened?? His staff is completely shattered!!! Broken to bits, ruined! His power is wrenched from him just like that. He's a wimp, he's an old man. . .It was infuriating, to say the least. May as well kept that part out of the movie than put it in even the EE. He get's a new white staff, too, I notice.

So, either the movie people didn't know what the staffs meant, or they chose to ignore it utterly, making the entire thing obsolete and unimportant.

Please state any thoughts on the matter. . . particularly agreements or disagreements with the very long post I have just made. Perhaps an excuse of why the movie makers did what they did in this matter. . .or maybe a confirmation of having observed what I just layed out.

-- Folwren