Return of the King Analysis

The scene begins with Frodo and Gollum entering the cave. The cave has a low-key lighting; this darkness connotes horror, evil and danger. It also adds a mysterious feeling, as you don’t know what’s going to happen or what’s there. This also creates suspense as information is withheld from the audience. In this shot their bodies have been reduced to nothing but silhouettes. This connotes that they are both being consumed by the vast darkness that they are entering. In the shot the opening to the tunnel is behind them and looks out onto the grey sky. This connotes that they are leaving the light and going into the darkness. As the silhouettes of Frodo and Gollum enter deeper into the cave the walls seem to be closing in on them, this gives a claustrophobic feel, making it seem that they are trapped and that there is no escape from the darkness within the cave. It also makes Frodo seem small in this environment.  This feeling is strengthened by the use of a wide shot as it makes Frodo and Gollum seem even smaller.

The next shot is also filmed as a wide shot. This shot also consists of a frame within a frame, which makes the cave feel all the more claustrophobic as most of the frame is obscured by walls. In this shot Frodo takes up very little space, which makes that fact that Gollum has left, leaving him alone and isolated, very noticeable. It also makes us feel as though Frodo might be thought of as an insect to the great spider Shelob, the monster of the domain.  In the top right of the frame a faint light can be seen. This might connote that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, a hope of escape for Frodo. Because of the way that the camera is so far away from Frodo it makes us feel distant from him, making us feel helpless if he gets into danger. It also makes us get the impression that it is a point of view shot from the view point of Shelob. The darkness that almost completely obscures Frodo also makes us feel as though he is in danger, as we cannot see where he is going.

The next shot cuts to a point of view shot which appears to be Frodo’s as he turns a corner into a new section of the tunnels. From his viewpoint we can see deep craters gouged out of the rock wall. These craters appear to be unnatural and it seems that that where made by something. This connotes that whatever dwells in the deep tunnels has great power and strength if they have the power to create deformations within the rock. As the camera pans to the left to show us the rest of the tunnel we see a blue-ish light at the end of it. This light appears to be unnatural and the colour connotes cold, horror and a dangerous feeling. As it moves it appears to the audience that Frodo is being drawn to the light very much the same as a moth would be drawn to the light of a flame before being consumed by its flames. This connotes that he is being drawn to a trap. However as he moves deeper into the dark cave, he is leaving the comfort of the natural light outside of the cave. The purpose of the point of view shot is to make us aware of the fact that Frodo can’t see the spider, Shelob, which is most certainly following him.

The next shot is unusual, as it appears to be a point of view shot of Shelob watching Frodo from within the deep, hidden and secret tunnels of her domain. This idea is strengthened by through the use of the hand-held camera. This adds a natural feel which makes the viewer believe that whatever is watching him is alive. The way in which the camera moves away in a tracking shot also makes Frodo look all the more alone. The way that the camera is looking on Frodo from a slightly high angle makes Frodo feel vulnerable, however it also makes the viewer realise that Frodo doesn’t know he is being watched. The fact that we know that he is being watched means that we as the audience have privileged information. This shot is also a wide shot.  This shot is also a frame within a frame with most of it obscured by wall; this also implies that the spider is watching Frodo. The shot also has very little light, which adds to the mysterious feel of the tunnels. 

The next shot begins with a mid-shot of Frodo looking worried. The low angle shot also makes us think that something is wrong, as it is the first type of this shot that we have seen so far. However as Frodo walks out of the frame the camera tilts down with the background fading out and the foreground becoming focused revealing a skeleton of about human size. This connotes that the best, Shelob, must be large and powerful for her to take out such a large prey.