[Kalimac]

I've seen that spiked-wheel picture as well, though I do remember reading somewhere that they had filmed a couple of different possible ways for Saruman to die and that there are some pictures floating around out there which contain scenes that were never intended to be in the movies, or which were vetoed later on. So just because it was filmed doesn't mean it's going to be in there. Personally, I hope it isn't - after all, isn't Saruman supposed to turn into smoke and vaporize after he dies? Having die like any ordinary mortal wouldn't be ... well, *right*.<P>That being said, I don't really have any problem with the Scouring being cut. It works wonderfully in the book, but in a movie there are only so many high points in the struggle against evil before people start feeling like they've been pulled up and down too many times. If I can be heretical and mention the movie "Speed" - First Act, the elevator - very scary. Second and Third Acts - the bus - really, really scary. Fourth Act - the subway bomb. At that point it was starting to get less scary and more repetitive as in "All right, how many more forms of transportation can this guy co-opt?" In the ROTK movie, after the Act 1 of Shelob and the Acts 2 and 3 of Mount Doom and the Pelennor Fields, the Scouring would start dragging things pretty badly. <P>As for Saruman's fate - well, there's no reason Wormtongue can't kill him in Orthanc and have him dissolve there. We're probably being set up for something like that in TTT when there's that shot of the tears on Wormtongue's face as he looks at the Orc army.