Return of the King Analysis

The scene begins with Frodo entering the cave with an obscured wide shot of him stumbling forward. The lighting is low key within the cave but behind Frodo, we can see the safety and light being left behind, suggesting he is entering the danger and leaving behind the security of his own safety. His silhouette is consumed in the darkness and is tiny in comparison to his surroundings, which gives the impression that something massive lives within these rocks. The low-key lighting connotes the evil that lurks within and creates a sense of tension and mystery, as we do not know what is waiting for him inside.

In the next shot, we see a tiny Frodo walking deeper into the cave looking vulnerable and isolated; it also creates suspense for the audience watching, as we cannot see where he is heading. Within the darkness at the end, there is a blue-ish hint of light, connoting a slight sense of hope that leaves the audience rooting for Frodo, having the impression of ‘Light at the end of the tunnel’. The contents of the cave are hidden by an obscuration of the cave walls, giving again a sense of tension as we, as the audience do not know what Frodo is heading into.

The shot cuts to a POV of Frodo turning the corner; this use of camera movement puts us in Frodo’s shoes and has us seeing what he sees, giving the audience a more personal connection to the fear and unknowing that Frodo himself is feeling. The cave walls resemble crates, meaning, whatever lives inside is a strong creature and could easily kill Frodo if it can do such things to the solid rock. It also adds to the unnatural scene Frodo is in and this is further empathised by the blue tint of lighting, which is supernatural and connotes the coldness and danger of the lair. The POV tracking shot also tells us that Frodo cannot see Shelob the Spider and creates tension through the lack of information we are given.

The next shot is unusual, and appears to be the POV of Shelob hidden within the walls, looking down at Frodo. This clearly means Frodo is being hunted by the beast and is unknown to the stalking, but we, as the audience are given this privileged information, further adding the sense of suspension. The shot is a frame within a frame, and we see Frodo in a tiny space, connoting that he is trapped, isolated and alone, he is high-lighted by a hint of light showing that he is the target and prey of Shelob. The spider seems to be looking down on Frodo, further empathising the vulnerability of him and the increasing sense of paranoia of always being watched.

The environment in the next shot seems to change our perspective of the cage, because we are given a shot of Frodo walking past a dead creature in a mid-shot to close up transition, so the audience knows now that whatever is in this cave will kill Frodo. The bones of the creature are considerably large, meaning the creature that killed it, must be bigger, so the audience are given an image of just how large this enemy is. Frodo walking towards the dead creature connotes the fact that the deeper he gets into the cave, the closer he is becoming to his own death.

We are also shown a quick medium of spider webs, enhancing the fact that Frodo is trapped and he finally recognises the realisation of his danger.

The next shot consists of a mid shot of a focused Frodo, with his face hidden in the dark surrounded by webs; this again, connotes his isolation and his entrapment. The camera then pans to a close-up of his face, now high-lighted with a hint of light as he is looking for a way out. The close up gives more of an effect as it shows his fear close up and translates to the audience, who are still rooting for Frodo’s safety. His looking around suggests he hears something and is being circled by Shelob who still hasn’t made a full appearance. The fact that Shelob still has not been shown, and we are still awaiting the attack makes the scene more suspenseful and fearful, as we do not know when Shelob will appear.

Next, we are quickly shown cut-ins of dead creatures through different stages of mummification; a skeleton, a decomposing creature and a freshly dead bird, all trapped in the spider’s web. We fear for Frodo more, as we realise his death will not be quick, but it will be a long, torturous one if caught. One of the creatures is a dead magpie, which is symbolic to the magpie song: “One for sorrow, two for joy…” and the fact that there is only one magpie, connotes the sorrow that is coming when Frodo is caught. By now, with the short cut ins, and suspense added with the music and the realisation that Frodo is in fact in great danger, the audience will be on the edge of their seats, full of tension and fear for the beloved character.

The scene becomes more terrifying as the camera becomes a POV of Shelob, in strange angles and movements, moving along the walls with sickening skittering sounds. The frame within a frame of Frodo trying to escape shows the walls seemingly closing in on him as the spider is catching up. This adds a sense of danger for Frodo as he is about to be trapped and caught like prey. The fact that Frodo’s cape is flapping like a fly creates a metaphor of a fly getting caught in a regular spider’s web, which seemingly is the case now as Frodo is about to be trapped, like a fly.

The camera is hand-held, tracking and spiralling around the caves walls; this gives it a more natural movement, which strangely contrasts with the unnatural existence of the giant spider. The wide shot shows the obscuring cave walls and the little light in the direction Frodo is running towards, meaning that is the only way out, but due to how near the spider is to Frodo now, we know there is little chance to escape. This keeps us hoping for Frodo but in reality, we know he is doomed.