[The Saucepan Man]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Every scene with 'Denethor' was pretty much a wash out imo.<P>Which is quite sad as he is one of the most complex characters inthe book.<BR> <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>I have a lot of sympathy with that view, lindil. Denethor in the book is undoubtedly a very complex character. A noble and learned Steward of Gondor laid low by despair, his loss of hope exascerbated, provoked even, by his use of the Palantir.<P>But there was never going to be enough time in any film, let alone this film, to lay the groundwork to bring out the nobility of Denethor's character and make it work on screen. And so (as I expected) he was reduced to a boorish and incompetent villain. <P>Personally, however, I think that this characterisation works well in the film. It enhances the despair that we are compelled to feel for Minas Tirith as Sauron's troops approach. It enables those who have not seen the TTT EE to feel sympathy for Faramir and understand why he brought Frodo and Sam so close to Minas Tirith before letting them go, and also give further insight into Boromir's reasons for making a play for the Ring. And it gives Gandalf the opportunity to take centre stage in the Seige of Minas Tirith (without the lengthy scenes of dialogue that this would otherwise entail).<P>I didn't feel that, in the context of the film, Denethor's Palantir was necessary. The hopeless situation faced, together with the loss of his favoured son and the near loss of his remaining son, were sufficient, for me, to make this Denethor's actions believable.<P>I didn't really have a problem with Gandalf thumping Denethor. It was a good "movie" moment, and elicited a suitable reaction from the audience where I was (myself included).<P>My only real gripe with Denethor's characterisation in the film is with his death scene. Quite apart from any issue as to whether Gandalf pushed him onto the pyre, I didn't like the way in which Denethor appeared to have a change of heart and not want to kill himself after all. In the book, the dignified (albeit misguided) way in which he conducts himself in his final moments stands out. And I feel that this would have worked with this characterisation of Denethor too. I would much have preferred to have seen him accepting his fate, rather than him having second thoughts and blundering off in flames, inevitably toppling over the precipice. Heck, the shot of him falling didn't even look that good in the end.