shaynew1 said:
#1 is one of my favorite pages in the whole book. i don't know why the huge, egregious departure from the source was necessary.
I know I know...books. Sorry. I feel better though.
To the uninitiated, that scene reads like a stalemate: Gandalf and the Witch King trade barbs, but Rohan arrives before the contest can be decided. I think that's how Jackson read the scene, and he wanted to up the stakes before Theoden saves the day. I think he missed the nuance and then extrapolated in exactly the wrong direction.
Instead, after the Witch King rides through the gates, Gandalf commands him to stop (he does), go back (he does), and fall into the abyss (oh, hi Eowyn). The Witch King retorts, "die now, and curse in vain," but his own curses are empty.