I'm 2/3 of the way through a LOTR movie marathon that anyone who has me on Facebook will probably be aware of, so Mr. Boro kindly asked me to join in on this. I hadn't seen the movies in probably 4 or 5 years, so now the FotR and TTT are clearest in my mind. I also haven't read the books in like 8 years, so I probably won't compare the movies to them all that much, my memory of them is pretty weak (I think I'll need to reread them very soon, along with The Hobbit before the movie comes out).
I'm probably going to be the first to say that I prefer the White over the Grey. In Fellowship Gandalf actually sorta bothers me a bit. First he seems very oblivious. He has no idea that Bilbo's been holding on to the ring for 60 some years, and then he has absolutely no idea that Saruman is evil. Then he's super manipulative. Putting Frodo at the council (in my opinion) knowing that he's going to volunteer to take the ring, and then getting Frodo to make the decision between really super cold mountain and warmer safe mines (without telling him about the Balrog that he knows is there). I also made a joke on Facebook that it's interesting how when the Fellowship has to jump across that big gap, that the Ringbearer and long last King are the last ones to jump across (while Gandalf is the second).
But then Gandalf the White. I think he's totally awesome. I like that he's more ethereal, to me it makes him more of a wizard. He's been out of the world for what felt like lifetimes to him, and is aware that he's only been brought back for a specific purpose. I like that he has a moment where he seems to have forgotten his name, and the joy that seems to cross his face when he remembers being called Gandalf. It just shows that that is not necessarily his true name, just something that mortals have chosen to call him, something that seems almost quaint and sweet to him, which to me makes him seem more powerful and important.
He still has his snarky sense of humour, teasing Gimli about how he's not going to be as safe as the hobbits are. I also love the scene when he reunites with Shadowfax, showing he still has that respect for nature and his old friends. And my favourite line is when he tells Hama, "You would not part an old man from his walking stick?" and gives a little wink at his companions.
As the White he no longer seems to be oblivious to anything, he knows exactly what he's doing (for example, knowing the exact moment that he would arrive at Helm's Deep with Eomer), and he knows who he can and cannot trust.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boromir88
And secondly, I took note of how different Gandalf treats Theoden and Denethor. With Theoden, Gandalf goes into an advisor's role. He counsels Theoden, but ultimately lets Theoden make his own decisions. With Denethor, however, Gandalf becomes far more assertive, to the point where he takes authority over the Steward, with command of Gondor's forces. I'm wondering why Jackson (and co.) would want to portray Gandalf treating the two rulers differently, and if there is also a noticeable difference in the books, with the way Gandalf treats them?
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I think the main reason is simply that Theoden is a king, and Denethor is not. Gandalf's fondness for Aragorn is also probably a reason that he doesn't like Denethor, since he is making the decisions that Aragorn is meant to. Gandalf the White also seems to have a good understanding of people's character. He knew that Eomer woulld come to his uncle's aid, he knew that Merry and Pippin would try to get the Ents to help (and that the Ents eventually would), and therefore I think he knew that Theoden would eventually step up and be a true king, while Denethor would just go bonkers.
The White just seems to be in more control than the Grey did. Sure the Grey was a nice guy, but I don't think he was as much of a wise wizard.
(oh and I adore Sir Ian, he's fantastic and did a great job all around)