Why did Linda have to die?

Actually, in the novel, Linda felt the same thing. Though she caused her own death by not listening and following the others, her tone and last words implied that Rogo intentionally let her slip through his hands.
In other words, it was in the book, and they already made numerous changes to the source material.

That is what makes her death so powerful and shocking. Just as in a 'real life' situation in which people are faced with life and death, death can come out of nowhere. As a dramatic device, I appreciate the suddenness of it and it helps to make the film more realistic.

"Thus, we began our longest journey together."
Adult Scout, To Kill A Mockingbird

idk, she was kinda bitchy to old Ernie B.



Oh dear, now more than ever we can use you in our sadly depleted organization.

Irwin Allen's principal thesis here is the arbitrariness of death; people are dying because they are imprisoned in a death-trap and it is inevitable; there is no meaning to it, and it is fruitless to look for meaning. As stated earlier, this is the same fate the character suffers in the 1969 novel; Linda Rogo is a headstrong and highly self-motivated person, but she isn't an expert at negotiating inverted catwalks, so off she goes. Ultimately her death is the catalyst for Reverend Scott's ultimate sacrifice, which enables the remaining survivors to gain access to the ship's hull.

The tagline for this film in 1972 was 'WHO WILL SURVIVE?'. Linda's death was meant to be a shock, coming as it did, almost at the point of the survivors' deliverance. I seem to recall a young lad somwhere, who fell off a boat(?) or something, and suffered a similar third-act demise, seemingly to no real point. I think it was a James Cameron film...?

Actually I thought the timing for Mrs. Rosen's death was terrible in the book.
I guess that's how it goes though.

The movie was just on TCM a few minutes ago as part of a Shelly Winters marathon. I definitely want to read the book because this is one of my all-time favorite movies.

I looked up the characters in the book on the net which had one line descriptions of each character. They say that Linda is a washed up Broadway actress. Of course in the movie her back story is a former hooker or stripper.

Ever played Grand Theft Auto? You get big points for killing a hooker.

When I first saw the movie, I knew nothing about Linda being a bitch. I thought she was just a very beautiful woman who loved ugly old Ernest Borgnine, so when she died, that set off Borgnine who then turned on Scott.

Scott was now having his faith sorely tested as to if he was doing the right thing trying to save these people, hence why Linda died.

Had it been Nonnie, it's unlikely Martin or anyone else would have protested, tho Scott could have been just as devastated, but it had to be Linda to set off Rogo.

I would next read the book and was flabbergasted to read Linda was the bitch. In the novel, as noted by another post, her death was her own fault by her own actions.

When I got the movie on VHS a few years later, my brother and I were now stunned at Linda's behavior toward Belle and so on. Stevens' performance would just make her like a tough earthy woman, not as alienating as she was in the book.

Stevens' did portray Linda much more sympathetic as she showed concern over Belle when she died.

But I still look at Linda's death here for the same reason, tho, like you, my brother didn't understand why Linda had to die.

Rogo's reaction to his wife's death was to further challenge Scott's faith.

FUNNIER STILL, another thread suggests Scott killed himself. My other brother essentially felt the same way; that Scott took the coward's way out rather than make certain they all survived.

I look at it Scott felt it was better for them to focus on saving themselves than trying to figure out how to get him back off that wheel.