LOTR: Return of the King, Sequence Analysis

LOTR: Return of the King, Sequence Analysis

Niamh Gallagher

The sequence of were Frodo enters the lair of the giant-spider Shelob begins with a wide shot of the opening of the cave; a low key backlight down the centre passageway shines in blues and glooms that gives the impression of a dangerous place that has an uncanny and supernatural element to it. Using a wide shot here makes Frodo small and vulnerable compared to the large environment he is in. This effect plays on the audience’s feelings, making the viewer worry for the character whom they have grown to love over the course of the films. The lighting of the sequence is dark and rancid which connotes with death and shadow, elements which are important to the whole scene and the director using low key lightning to convey this sense of eeriness.

As Frodo continues deeper into the bowels, the walls create the impression that they are closing in almost, trapping Frodo between them. As he furthers into the cave it becomes darker, enveloping Frodo in shadows and creates suspense that Shelob could be hiding in them waiting to strike at any moment. The camera cuts to a POV shot from Frodo’s perspective so that we as an audience are in the position of him, causing us to empathise with Frodo as he is forced deeper into a trap. The cave becomes covered in spider webs, playing on the common affliction arachnophobia. The audience can also emphasise with Frodo on this point as the repulsiveness of spiders creates a horrid tension as the cave becomes more unnatural with its tomb and hive-like walls clad in sticky webs.

A shot cuts to something watching Frodo, stalking him as it peers through cracks in the walls As an audience we know he is prey to something, Shelob to be exact, and is slowly being hunted. In the audience this develops uncertainty, as we do not know what will happen to Frodo. As he descends further into the trap, a low angle shot looks up at Frodo that enhances his defencelessness and how weak he is. The foreground is blurred and out of focus and drawing our attention to Frodo. The camera then refocuses on the foreground in a mid shot to a skeleton discarded on the ground, which connotes with death and doom, foreshadows what could become of Frodo if Shelob catches him and this casts uncertainly that he ever will escape and finish his quest.

More webs appear on the walls and the corridors narrow and close in on Frodo, the webs becoming denser in texture too. A webs function is to trap and this is referencing what Shelob will do to Frodo when she catches. Behind Frodo is a light but he is moving away from it and safety and as he moves the camera tracks backwards so that we as an audience go into the trap with him, increasing our empathy towards the character. The camera snaps to a shot that is a POV of Shelob behind a wall and thick webs that obscure most of the screen that shows the spider hiding as it watches the helpless Frodo.

The camera stays with Shelob’s POV as the spider turns the corner where we see an oblivious Frodo with his back to her, the trap about to be sprung. This makes tension and suspense as we as a viewer do not know at what moment Shelob will choose to attack. The camera goes back to a mid shot of Frodo who has come to the realisation that he is being watched. The mid shot changes to a close up which positions us closer to him as a viewer as more realisation from Frodo that he is alone and in peril. The camera pans to Frodo’s POV of his choice of what way to choose; either left or right. As an audience we know that he makes the wrong decisions and this makes us fear for his safety and the outcome.

The camera tilts down in Frodo’s POV as if he is looking down and we see the remains of Shelob’s victims and we feel sympathy for Frodo as they have died horrific, painful and slow deaths and we do not want that to the fate of Frodo. The ghastliness of the remains are confirmed with cut ins of distorted and twisted expressions on their faces. The camera changes to a handheld device which mimics Shelob’s POV of her crawling and climbing the walls towards Frodo. The movements are unnatural and add to the supernatural element.