[Brinniel]

I nearly cried when Haldir died. And each time I hear the song that plays during his death scene, my heart breaks in two.<P>In case anyone was wondering, this is my theory of why PJ had Haldir die:<BR>***In every book, the tragedy of a major character dying occurs, except for TTT. Helm's Deep was a major battle, and PJ wanted the audience to really feel the devastation of war. Perhaps watching the deaths of cameos would be sad, but definately not enough to allow one to really feel heartbreaking emotions. <BR>PJ could not kill off major characters like Aragorn, Legolas, or Gimli. No, they were too important. And Theoden could not be killed off yet. <BR>Perhaps add a whole new character to TTT and kill him off, but then again it wouldn't affect the Tolkien fans. Instead, it would make them happy, as they wouldn't like to see a new character in the first place. Besides, having a character in an hour of the movie before he dies might not even be sad enough. The only solution was to bring a character from FOTR.<BR>Unfortunately, that character was Haldir. Though he was only in 30 sec of the movie and 5 min of the extended version, he seemed likable enough and the audience had a year to think on him. Plus, Tolkien fans have read much more on him and would consider him more than a cameo. In conclusion, Haldir would be perfect to kill off, as he would surely set off all kinds of emotions.***<BR>That is my theory.<P>I really did appreciate Haldir's death scene. Unlike Boromir, he did not have a chance to keep fighting or exchange last words with Aragorn. Instead, PJ had him briefly watch the battle and others die while he himself was dying. I think that part really brings in the reality of war. I never really did like death speeches in movies, as they seem a bit corny. In a real life battle, a soldier does not often get his last words. And I think without the death speech or last words is what makes Haldir's death so tragic.