Lord of the Rings fans all over the world will recognize the intimidating tower of Orthanc, with its black spikes like shards of obsidian, where Gandalf is detained by Saruman the White, after he realizes that the white wizard’s mind has been polluted by the influence of the evil Lord Sauron. The famous scene, in which Gandalf the Grey is spun through mid-air up to the tower after his harrowing battle with his superior, ends in his incarceration on the top of the 500 ft tall tower, with a sheer drop on all sides. How on Middle Earth did he ever escape?
In the original book by J.R.R.Tolkien, Gandalf reveals his torment at the council of Elrond. He tells the gathering of elves and dwarves, men and hobbits, of his misfortunes in being captured and held in Sauroman’s tower ‘like a fly in a treacherous web.’ He regales the others with the tale, telling them that he left the shire at the start of June. The film omits the scene in the book whereby Radagast the Brown, who can be seen in The Hobbit films, meets Gandalf at Bree on the night of Midsummer (usually around the 24th June,) telling him that Saruman has requested a meeting with him. Gandalf asks Radagast to implore the birds and beasts of the lands, who are the Brown wizards' dear friends and allies, to send word of any news or dark tidings that may concern him, which Radagast does. Gandalf spends the night recuperating, and then rides to Sauroman’s tower the following morning to seek his counsel.
There are many changes between the books and the movies, but one scene that is essential in both is this auspicious meeting between the two wizards. Saruman, who has already been influenced by the palantir at this point, has designs on the One Ring and craves the power for himself. When he cannot persuade Gandalf to join him in his mission, he decides to incarcerate him so that he cannot go back to the shire and warn Frodo that the nine Nazgul riders are on their way. They take him high up onto the tower of Orthanc and leave him there, with no way out, and he paces back and forth to exhaustion. But exactly how long was he there for? The answer lies in his escape.
For Radagast, who had no reason to suspect that the Order of the Wizards had been tainted by Sauron’s evil. He was too pure of heart to have succumbed to Sauron, subsequently he had no idea of Saruman’s treachery, and invited Gandalf to meet in complete good faith, not knowing that he was sending Gandalf to this torturous captivity. He heeded the Grey wizard's words, and informed the beasts to find Gandalf and deliver news to him if anything of importance arose.
The beautiful extended scene in the film, in which Gandalf catches the moth, whispers a secret message to it, and sends it flying away into the moonlight, doesn’t happen in the books. It is actually Radagast the Brown who sends the Great Eagle, known as Gwahir, to Orthanc, bearing tidings for his friend. Before this point, Gandalf states ‘I had no chance of escape and my days were bitter.’ Then, there comes a night ‘When summer waned’ that the eagle flies unbidden to the tower. The watchful servants of Sauroman do not know to be keeping watch for a bird of all things, so he is able to slip past undetected.
When the Eagle arrives and sees Gandalf in such dire straights, he rescues the wizard, and they fly away together. The summer ‘waning’ usually happens sometime around mid-September in the English countryside, around which the books are heavily based, which means that in total Gandalf was trapped on Orthanc for upwards of two months. There is no information of how he survived this time, with no shelter, no mention of food or water, but Saruman, who had not yet completely succumbed to the Dark Lord and abandoned all humanity, may have provided some minimal care during this time.
Gwahir can only fly him so far, and drops Gandalf off at a safe place where he is able to make his way to Rivendell to receive treatment and healing from his old friend Elrond. Here he finds Frodo and the other hobbits safe, if also a little shaken after their experience with the Morgul Blade on Weathertop. Frodo regains consciousness on October 24th, days after his encounter with the Witch King, marking exactly four months since both he and Gandalf left the Shire. Although this is only the start of the journey for the fellowship, and there are many more hardships to come along the way, it is clear that they have friends in all manner of creatures, including the birds and the beasts, the tree giants known as Ents, and a whole host of others to help them along their way.