The Lord of the Rings | breakdown of an underrated scene

A close analysis of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring scene in which Gandalf (Ian Mckellen) discovers that Saruman (Christopher Lee) has changed to serve Sauron and the subsequent battle between the two wizards. I wanted to make a video essay breaking down one of the most underrated scenes in the trilogy. There is not only a lot to be said about the film techniques themselves but also the emotion and thematic struggle of the setting.
My Little Thought Tree is my channel for drawing out the deeper meaning and emotion in film, TV, and the world at large through relaxed, analytical video essays. I am a professional counsellor and often draw on my psychology and therapy background to better understand characters, themes, and emotion in fiction. I upload every Saturday and occasionally on Tuesdays, if I'm feeling productive.
Harry Potter scene analysis - • Harry Potter scene ana...
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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Intro
01:17 The Symbolic Battle
05:59 What Time Do You Think We Have?
12:11 Fight
Music (in order)
Chill Astronaut - Many Meetings
Chill Astronaut - Rohan's Theme
ODYSSEE - Milano
Chill Astronaut - Isengard's Theme
Chill Astronaut - One Ring To Rule Them All
Chill Astronaut - The Fellowship's Theme
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[@kylegonewild]

I love how Gandalf's body language and tone with Saruman before the reveal is very reverent even while rushed due to circumstances. Gandalf places a great deal of trust in Saruman's counsel. When they come to blows, it may not look all that cool but I think it gets to the heart of what a real fight between two very powerful wizards would eventually boil down to: physically incapacitate and disarm your opponent as quick as possible. Conjuring some great elemental monstrosity is wasted effort if you can just batter them against the wall and disarm them.

[@RJ_Ehlert]

I had no idea that viewers didn't like the wizard fight. It was one of my stand-out favorites. I believe that low power magic is best for a narrative. It not only makes non-magic users feel more relevant, it lets us feel tension for the wizards as we know they are not so powerful as to be invulnerable.

[@playermartin286]

Yes but the fight looks pretty silly

[@knarftahw]

That's the difference between the virgin viewer and the chad LotR fan. It was good.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

I just find it so funny thinking of Saruman having a lobby in his tower

[@thevikingbear2343]

Saruman's true power shines when he is fighting a mountain via conjuring lightnings miles away. It is an amazing scene specially when Gandalf realizes they are but fucked due to Saruman.

[@m.s.5370]

OH! It's that one! I thought it was gonna be the one with the balrog, where that meme comes from: "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Also, fun fact: the reason Saruman can spin Gandalf in place the way he does, is because he's using both staffs. One to hold his head in place and the other to spin his feet.

[@B-MC]

Thats really cool! And had me thinking that Saruman is thinking "finally, a second staff. Now i can do the head spin thing!"

[@wasprider7239]

I always thought that the awkward and painful look of the spinning reflected some type of imbalance of force being applied by either staff.

[@kuroshthegreat8073]

Hey man just want to compliment you on the growth of your channel and the quality of your videos. I remember ages ago I saw your comments on those good will hunting videos, analyzing the scene and saying you'd like to start your own channel. Impressive what you've accomplished since then. Keep up the good work.

[@juliansantos8478]

I personally love this fight scene. To this day, I am very impressed with how they get hurt. I feel it much more powerful than any other wizard fight. Even when Saruman throws a fireball at him on the third, it doesn't make as much of an impression on me as this fight.

[@bear4772]

I really like this scene and the fight between them, what may seem underwhelming actually shows how evenly matched these two are, both get hurt because neither one is drastically more powerful than the other. It shifts smoothly between the choice of staying to fight and try and win the battle or leaving to ultimately try and win the war. Its well portrayed i think.

[@gwenmorse8059]

This is one of my favorite scenes in this movie. I'm not a big fan of combat in movies, although the bullet-time effects in the first Matrix held my interest. The dialogue and acting was so good in this - it really felt like two close friends, each of whom was disappointed in the other's life choices :D, who have that core of respect and affection. Until the moment the fight started, if either changed sides they would have been accepted by the other with a backslapping hug and a shared beer.

[@WhiteWave3]

If you’d like ideas for which LOTR scene to do next, may I suggest: The scene with Aragon and the dead king The scene of Theoden healing and mourning his lost son For Frodo

[@tiamzy]

Modern audience find the actual fight goofy but I personally dig this. You're right. It's more impactful. I'd like to add that the fact that we don't know exactly how Gandalf actually ended up on TOP of the tower after hitting the ceiling added an air of mystery/charm/mysticism into it. It was left to our imagination and that makes it more magical in my opinion.

[@RolandTFlakfizer]

"True (and many) colours." Nice.

[@gillian2325]

ive always really loves the fight between gandalf and saruman because in reminding us of their physical limits, it reminds us why sauron is so much more than they are and shows us exactly how foolish saruman is for thinking he was somehow a match for sauron. also, it's always reminded me of the fight between Fin Raziel & Bavmorda.in Willow which is one of my favorite fight scenes.

[@Mjumiman]

Always love your analysis videos. Makes me appreciate these movies even more than I already do, after watching them for the first time recently!

[@isabelnat1683]

Just started rewatching LOTR, perfect timing. Great video, loved the analysis

[@tiggerdyret]

You are actually not wrong to bring up climate change. Though it was a very different world when Tolkien wrote the books the central themes of this series has always been technology vs nature and how industrialization and war would ruin the purity of the natural world. At it's time it the world had just come out of two world wars, so of course the story relates more to that, but I'm sure Tolkien would agree with your comparison to climate change as it is basically the result of the industrialization, that was going on at the time. Even back then they knew there would be consequences to the rapid growth. They just didn't know what they would be.

[@joecerone]

The beauty of creating something genuinely original and authentic is that is can apply to SOO many different things, making the work absolutely timeless.

[@cameroncrooks5797]

Favourite KZbin channel currently, loving the videos recently, keep it up👏🏼

[@thevikingbear2343]

I love this fight. It is superior to 99% of the Harry Potter magic fights when they throw light at each other. Yes, the Dumbledore Voldemort fight is the only one that stands out, but even the Harry Voldemort fight is just throwing light at each other. For those reasons this is one of my top magic fights in cinema.

[@shmlamesshmlansty4812]

Thanks for making all these awesome analysis videos man, I’ve been stressed out with my first year of college and I appreciate that I can watch this channel to calm down a bit and reflect

[@FelipeGomes-ek8lf]

Love these scene videos

[@Sandra-hc4vo]

really nice video. I love both characters!

[@wasprider7239]

I never noticed until this video that the camera movement from the central room into Saruman's "office" moves as though it is coming from the palantir. It's almost as if the camera is giving us Sauron's point of view for a moment.

[@abracadaverous]

Thank you for persevering and making this video, even though you seem to be trapped in a room full of rabbits. Well done, friend!

[@suzannax]

I bet they're well cute though, even if their assistance isn't required for epic movie scene analysis.

[@mylittlethoughttree]

They're my girlfriend's bunnies called Hendrix and Lennon, they're great

[@suzannax]

@@mylittlethoughttree Aww, fab names

[@danieltidey5599]

12:13 "Saruman's ... many colours" I see what you did there

[@robertmatthews9650]

I’m loving these scene breakdowns. I definitely support you doing more if you choose to.

[@ktsn4505]

Came for the James Acaster video...stayed for the analysis. Cheers!

[@jmace2424]

The sheer hypocrisy of Saruman roasting Gandalf for loving the leaf when he himself gets it imported in BULK! 🤣

[@Suho1004]

I've always hated the actual fight between Gandalf and Saruman, not because it's not "cool," but because I've always thought their struggle would have been more restrained. A knock-down, drag-out slug fest just doesn't seem like the way two Maiar would fight. You haven't changed my mind, but I appreciate your perspective and insights. I can at least see where you are coming from.

[@Zarith7480]

Sarumans narration at the beginning of the scene is a great nod to the fact that in the books one of his chief powers is his voice.

[@SuperAlfern]

Its not a nod. Show dont tell is the most important rule when adapting a book to a movie.

[@giulioaprati338]

Hell yes, do more

[@jmace2424]

Saruman clearly didn’t clear and protect his browser history when we see the Eye of Sauron. 🤣 could have made a NordVPN ad there haha

[@jordanjoestar-turniptruck]

I think this fight is so cool. There's something so understated about their magic that makes it feel more intense and scary. Also, I can't imagine how much of a visual mess "Saruman of many colors" would have been in this sequence.

[@mylittlethoughttree]

Yeah, think leaving him just ad Saruman the white was a smart decision for the films

[@jordanjoestar-turniptruck]

@@mylittlethoughttree yeah, we can keep the kaleidoscopes for the Bakshi version

[@Alex-cw3rz]

Brilliant vid3o

[@redhammer92]

Galadriel is so dang cool.

[@nataliezmb7722]

I've heard otherd make the claim that a background theme in lord of the rings was saving the environment. From war and industrialization.

[@geodaet83]

Well, now that you mentioned Christopher Nolan, you still (not really) owe us Dark Knight Rises analysis and I think your take on some of his other (earlier) movies would also be interesting

[@francescamele8077]

Love the video, as usual. And yes, I was 100% thinking of climate change too, while you talked about holding on to your hope with all the fight and haste that comes with it vs giving in to cynical hopelessness.

[@TheReapergod36]

I felt myself getting nauseous just because all the shots you went over and over had a big sweeping motion up and down a lot of the time. The lack of clips, leading to the repeat, leading to the repeated sense of going up and down...

[@ninreck5121]

there have actually been papers written about saroman's lands paralleling the industrial revolution so you're not too far off with your climate change take

[@Sidiciousify]

The wizards in lotr were always weak looking

[@samuelbattershell3413]

Well done, But if we're gonna apply this to climate change, and I think you mean anthropogenic climate change, Saruman had long ago won the debate, assuming 1) anthropogenic climate change is happening, 2) is the massive contributor to climate change overall and 3) is a threat. The reason why is simple, the sheer number of people, if you want an atmosphere that's CO2 connect is reducing, and Humans are the main cause of it, you're gonna have to force the global population to levels below they were before the coal burning steam engine was invented in, I want to say 1800, in fact you'd have to go farther back. So unless you're in favor of mass murder on a level that would make every mass murder vomit in disgust, there is no hope. I however, reject several key notations of the anthropogenic climate change claim, thus there is hope for tomorrow to be better, however if I am wrong, my stance point allows for individuals to step up and solve it with great efficiency and effectiveness, if anyone that argues that governments should be used are wrong (and they have a fifty-year track record of being wrong with the predictions) then all that leads to is greater tyranny.

[@damanOts]

Okay

[@christopher6547]

The only way this comment could have been interesting is if you discussed climate change as it applies to Middle Earth. Otherwise, it's just a bunch of weak, regurgitated arguments.

[@WilliamSlayer]

Movies benefit a lot from a narrator...

[@frans2111]

You lost me at your climate change story

[@pilroberts6185]

Yep... ‘virtue signal, climate change, blah blah blah‘ It’s an old device of Saruman.

[@michailchambers]

I didn't like this.