in the fellowship of the rings. Why did that bird wait so long to save gandalf? And why didn't that bird just fly them to the mountain instead of having them walk? Jeez
... because he didn't know earlier that Gandalf was captured in Orthanc you might have noticed this moth Gandalf talked to earlier in the movie, it informed Gwaihir ('the bird') about what had happened; in the book, it's Radagast, a wizard, who sends the Eagle.
Tolkien gives a rather detailed explanation for this in one of his Letters; he basically says (also in L#210) that he already 'used' the Eagles to the edge of credibility and plausibility; they are extremely proud creatures and normally not willing to bear anyone else (after all, they are no air transportation company); Gandalf was an exception because he had earlier helped/rescued/healed the Eagles' Lord and was also a friend of Radagast who was held in respect among the birds. Another reason is the fact that flying via Eagle is not exactly the most inconspicuous way of travelling and Sauron or the Nazgûl would probably have discovered the fellowship's real intentions a lot earlier - which would have ruined the whole plan that relied on the assumption that Sauron would never expect anyone to be willing to give up the Ring
The most relevant reason, though, is the fact that otherwise the best book in the universe would never have been written
__________________ Life is complex: it has both real and imaginary components.
EDIT: I don't mean to insult you btw....Welcome to the forum, you may PM me if you have any questions regarding the forum and all it's members, or if you just want to talk about the weather, which latley has been so bi-polar...and consequently so have I...
well to be brutally honest the eagle didn't drop gandalf off early thinking "oh well, I can't take him all the way or else Peter Jackson won't be able to make a film, based on that book some guy wrote a few years back where I wasn't allowed to take Gandalf and frodo to mordor either." is he?!?!? I mean, there's got to be some reason why the eagle didn't do it
although I do think that it was VERY VERY good that he didn't, cos now we've got hours of film to watch!!
__________________ "Shame about the French, really. Obsessed with raisins. Humiliated grapes, really. Think about it."
- Captain Jack Sparrow
a bird!......A bird.....A Bird......A BIRD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Discos - hold my sword, now am mad!!
__________________
"In the year of our Lord 1314, patriots of Scotland, starving and outnumbered, charged the fields at Bannockburn. They fought like warrior poets. They fought like Scotsmen. And won their freedom."
i agree with discos i am a huge lotr fan i have read the books too and also agree with daniel tehre would be no movie and it would mess up the book too because that wanst in there
__________________
"LIKE A BED OF ROSES THERE'S A DOZEN REASONS IN THIS GUN"
KMC Community Forums
May 17th, 2005 09:22 AM
you might have noticed this moth Gandalf talked to earlier in the movie, it informed Gwaihir ('the bird') about what had happened; in the book, it's Radagast, a wizard, who sends the Eagle. 
?
some anaesthetics... please... anyone... quickly 
