“How do you go on when in your heart you begin to understand there is no going back” –Frodo Baggins
Erin Williams
Henderson
May 15, 2013
Table of Contents
Abstract Page 2
Introduction Page 3
Cinematic
Angles Page 4
Music Page 5
Special Effects Page 5
Dramatic
Set Page 6
Costumes Page 6
Literary
Frodo Page 7
Aragorn Page 7
Conclusion Page 8
Works Cited Page 9
The use of film elements to develop a central theme in The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
The principal objective of this paper is to demonstrate the effectiveness of Peter Jackson’s development of cinematic, dramatic and literary elements to contribute to a central theme of the effect of corruption on physical, mental, and emotional aspects of life.
By studying the film The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, as well as completing additional research, it can be concluded that director Peter Jackson was very efficient in contributing to the depth of the literary aspects of the film by adding further meaning to his movie through cinematic elements such as special effects, music, camera angles, dramatic elements such as sets and costumes, and literary elements using characters Frodo and Aragorn.
Introduction
As one of the most monumental movie series of its time, The Lord of the Rings trilogy also offers deep literary elements that made it enticing to all. Although it seemed as though author J.R.R. Tolkien simply created a story in his mind, further research concluded that Tolkien was a mastermind who was inspired by language, religion and personal experience. It had been said that The Lord of the Rings was the “unfilmable book” (Ficher) however director Peter Jackson took on the vast task to bring these incredible books to life. By bringing this epic story onscreen, Jackson brought the series to a new level by adding aspects of film such as music, camera angles, costumes, and house hold faces to Tolkien’s magical world. By doing this, Jackson brought his own spin to the trilogy, but he also presented it in a way in which views for many generations could be affected by the central themes in the films. However, when looking at Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, it became clear that Peter Jackson did an impeccable job of using the cinematic, dramatic and literary elements to develop the central theme of the effects that corruption and evil can have on every aspect of life, whether physical, mental or emotional. More specifically, Jackson used elements such as mood, costumes, special effects, and music to portray the negativity that dwells from prolonged exposure to rot and corruption.
Cinematic
Angles
As a viewer of a movie, one is often distracted by the action and plot line to notice minute details that have went into creating a film. In The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson was in charge of so many elements, it was hard to appreciate all the thought and symbolism that was put into aspects such as camera angles. A few simple angles include high angle, ‘eye level’ angle, and low angle, each of which have its own symbolism attached to it. To portray the central theme of corruption, Jackson used the high angle shot to produce the emotion of the evil lingering about the characters, like a heavy burden the characters would have to be carrying the effects of the rot with them. During Frodo, Sam, and Gollum’s ascent of The Stairs of Cirith Ungol, there are many high angle shots to suggest the overhanging uneasiness Gollum asserts, which is rooted to his corruption due to the Ring. Similarly, when Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli confront the Army of the Dead and the protagonists are initially surrounded by the army, a high angled, long shot was created to stimulate the tension and fear which was felt from the three characters being confronted with such an overwhelming amount of death and decay.
Music
More obvious than camera angles, the music in the trilogy was very symbolic of which themes were present at the time. At the corrupted moments of the movie, such as the Battle at Pelennor Fields, when Frodo enters Shelob’s lair and the many scenes with the Orcs, are backed by dark, deep, drumming musical themes, while in comparison, the Shire, hope and the Rohirrim are musically symbolized by lighter, more string based melodies. As a viewer, music adds an extra emotion depth and connection to the characters and events on screen. By using multiple music themes, Jackson certainly made that connection stronger and brought the value of his movies to the next level.
Special Effects
Perhaps the most visual representation of the effects that corruption has lies within the special effects. Because Lord of the Rings was such has fantasy based novel, Jackson had no choice but to do a significant portion of his film using special effects. When creating the King of the Dead, he used an overlay of a human skull and rotten flesh. When the King was angered of threatened more of the skull should show, whereas when he was relaxed the rotten skin would show. The visual representation of corruption links to the physical aspect of life. Although members of the Army of the Dead have been dead for many decades, it is not the fact that they are dead that makes them rot, it’s the evil and treachery that they have been emerged in for so long. John Howe, the conceptual artist on set, used special feature “lighting at Minas Morgul to foster the idea of rot” (Howe). By again, overlaying multiple lightings of the evil palace, he used the one that “evoked macabre” (Howe). With the rust dripping down the sides, this feature represents all three aspects of corruption. Firstly, the physical appearance of rust is literal to the decay of the function of the object. Secondly, it relates to the emotional and mental aspects of corruption because through prolonged exposed to evil, one often feels as though they have lost their way and are not sure of themselves, which connects to characters Frodo and Aragorn. When the rust begins to fall down the building, it does not have a set path, but goes where it can within the limits of the building.
Dramatic
Set
A very important element in portraying the theme of rot and corruption was credited to the set. Although another small detail that viewers sometimes do not pick up on, the set was incredibly symbolic throughout the trilogy. The most influenced by decay was the set of Shelob’s Lair. Even though the set was not biggest, or the most extravagant, and incredible amount of detail was put into fostering a corrupted environment for Shelob to live in. The rocks at the bottom of the lair were smoother and more worn, whereas the rocks at the top of her cave were sharp and pointed. This is similar to the helplessness one feels under long exposure to evil. Parallel to the character Gollum, at first Gollum is very violent and brutal, but with his original personality, like the rocks. However after decades of being tortured by the temptation and evil of the Ring, Gollum becomes more subject to his desire for the Ring and it becomes more of his person, instead of jagged fragments of his greed.
Costumes
Lord of the Rings has been famous for its intricate designs and costumes. Once again, costume designers Richard Taylor and Nglia Dickson put a tremendous amount of work in the symbolism of the costumes, where much was gone overlooked. Specifically with the Orcs, Taylor and Dickson had the tremendous idea to add “bits of rot” (Dickson) to each Orc.The longer the Orc’s were around Sauron’s evil, the more “bits of rot” (Dickson) they were to have. Although such a simple detail, it connects to the physical theme of corruption.
Literary
Frodo
The affects that the Ring had on Frodo was very obvious throughout the Trilogy. Although Frodo set out on his journey with the Ring as an object, by the Return of the King, the Ring has become Frodo’s worst best friend. He constantly had it on his mind, and was obsessed with it. The power had finally tainted Frodo’s good heart and affected his personality, his thoughts and his being. When Gollum tricked Frodo into distrusting Sam on the Stairs of Cirith Ungol, it was the monument of Frodo’s corruption because he was emotionally exhausted from the Ring, mentally fatigued from his journey, and physically tired from not being able to sleep.
Aragorn
Aragorn was seen for most of the Trilogy as a tough ranger but he was actually emotionally unstable. Even though he is the heir to the Throne of Gondor, because his ancestors had faltered under the power of the Ring, he did not want to subject himself to the same disappointing fate. So although he was not corrupted by an outside source, Aragorn’s faltering self-confidence led him to not only let himself down, for a time, but all of Middle Earth.
Conclusion
As a director, Peter Jackson did an immaculate job of portraying the central theme of the effects of corruption on life in his movie trilogy, which was inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel. It is not surprising that all three of the films have landed themselves spots in the “All Time Worldwide Top 40 Box Office” (Box Office Mojo, 2013). The Lord of the Rings is not just a tremendous film, but an incredible story with many connections the human condition with the idea that prolonged exposure to rot will impact ones life drastically in a negative way, hopefully something that viewers of all ages and all generations can certainly acknowledge and hopefully appreciate.
Works Cited
Box Office Mojo. (2013, May 15). All Time Box Office. Retrieved May 2013, from Box Office Mojo: http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/
IMDb. (2013). Awards For Peter Jackson. Retrieved May 2013, from IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001392/awards
IMDb. (2013). The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King. Retrieved May 2013, from IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167260/plotsummary?ref_=tt_stry_pl
Jackson, P. (Director). (2003). Lord of the Rings: Return Of The King [Motion Picture].
SparkNotes. (2013). The Return Of The King. Retrieved May 2013, from Sparknotes: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/returnking/themes.html
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