The Return of the Flashback

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

Originally Posted by Boromir

I love this because I think it just goes to further show Denethor's loss of control over his mind.

Well, that it shows perfectly (and thanks for the link). I for one don't like that aspect in the flashback so much because I have always thought that Denethor was rather a desperate guy than a mental case. Of course, it isn't very sane to burn yourself and your last son alive, but still, I like to think that it was because he had lost all his hope while staring into his palantir and not because he was lunatic.

Another interesting thing in this flashback is Faramir's reaction. It's heartbreaking, really, to see him just standing still and listening to Denethor saying how Faramir's brother was a better person. How can you be mad at him for dragging Frodo to Osgiliath when he has a father like that!

Originally Posted by Captain Grishnahk

One of my favorite FLASHBACKS in the movies is when Gandalf is talking to Pippin.

*Witch King draws sword*
**stabb!!!***
Frodo: AAAEEEIIIIAAAHHHHG!!!

That made me think... why is that flashback there? Is the general movie audience so feeble-minded that they can't recall, who the Witch King is without showing the stabbing again? Sure, it's a nice scene, but I don't think it contributes the reintroduction of the WK very much. The shot of the Witch King preparing for a battle in a dark room is ten times scarier to me than the Weathertop flashback - I mean, we know that Frodo escaped from five wraiths alive there. Although it would have been a fatal stab if they hadn't reached Rivendell in time, the knowledge that he survived lessens the Witch King's credibility quite a bit and makes the scene less frightening.