Shelob's Lair 13

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=85 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="005dba33.gif"> <div> <IMG SRC="009ef530.jpg" border=0 width="239" height="83" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">     |   <A HREF="http://www.frodolivesin.us/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.frodolivesin.us/"><U>  </U></A><A HREF="http://www.frodolivesin.us/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.frodolivesin.us/"><U>home</U></A></div> <div>                back to  <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Shelobs Lair"><U><B>Shelob's Lair</B></U></A><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Shelobs Lair"><U><B> </B></U></A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#DDDDDD" BORDERCOLORDARK="#9999CC" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#808080 HEIGHT= 36 ><NOBR><div> <A 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it, it's no wonder that he breaks down here.  (Not forgetting that immediately before starting off, he'd found out all their food was gone and sent his best friend packing.)  </B><B>What's amazing is how long it took him to get to this point, and how hard he fought to free himself during what we've seen on the previous two pages.  </B><B> If he hadn't fallen down straight onto his back here, he might have kept going even longer. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The pictures on this page aren't pretty.  They aren't even beautifully angsty.  After the first couple of frames where we see him collapse, Frodo doesn't look like Frodo.  We haven't seen him like this before, not even when he was under the Ring's control.  It's difficult to watch not only because it's so emotionally hard to see Frodo in that state, but also... can I say it?  He's ugly (at least for several frames).  He's a gibbering idiot who cowers in the corner and turns into a pile of goo.  [See below for a brief look at </B><A HREF="#shelobslair13_ugly" TITLE="Shelobs Lair 13"><U><B>how it's possible for Elijah Wood to look ugly</B></U></A><B>.]  No, we've </B><I><B>never </B></I><B>seen Frodo like this, not in the 50 years since he was created. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>So, as a long-time Frodophile, am I unhappy about him being shown like this?  Not if we take this situation (that is, his being </B><I><B>alone </B></I><B>in Shelob's lair) as a given.   (The chain of events that </B><I><B>led </B></I><B>to him being alone in Shelob's lair is a different story.)  And this moment isn't one that has made fans as angry as, say, Frodo dropping his sword at Weathertop or standing in front of the Nazgul in Osgiliath.  Part of what makes it relatively accepted is, I think, seeing everything that Frodo's been through up to this point.  Who </B><I><B>wouldn't</B></I><B> "lose it"?  And, of course, he doesn't stay this way.  I don't mind Galadriel's voice reminding him of the phial, because he doesn't remember it on his own in the book, either.  And as soon as he does remember it--that is, as soon as he recognizes a possible way to go forward--he acts on it. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Most visibly in frames </B><A HREF="#shelobslair13_19" TITLE="Shelobs Lair 13"><U><B>19</B></U></A><B>-20, there's another glimpse of that tongue placement that seems to show up when Frolijah is horrified/scared out of his wits.  </B><B>Not only his facial expressions, but his entire body language tells us he's fallen apart.  His hand seems useless and almost lifeless, and  he draws his legs up to push himself as much as possible into the "wall" behind him.  </B><B>In the last two frames (</B><A HREF="#shelobslair13_27" TITLE="Shelobs Lair 13"><U><B>27- 28</B></U></A><B>), the camera's shifted so we're looking at Frodo from the side.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="shelobslair13_top"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B></div> <div> <B>1</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="78220510.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="337" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>2</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="78320510.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="337" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>3</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="78620520.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="338" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>4</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="78720510.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="337" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>5</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="78820510.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="337" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>6</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="789204f0.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="335" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>7</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="78a20510.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="337" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>8</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="78c20500.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="336" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>9</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="78e204d0.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>10</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="78f204d0.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>11</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="79020500.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="336" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>12</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="791204e0.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="334" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>13</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="79220490.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="329" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>14</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="79420510.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="337" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>15</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="795204d0.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>16</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="796204d0.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>17</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="79720510.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="337" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>18</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="79920510.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="337" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>19  </B><B> <A NAME="shelobslair13_19"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="79a20500.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="336" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>20</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="79b20490.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="329" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>21</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="79c20510.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="337" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>22</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="79d20500.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="336" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>23</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="79e204d0.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>24</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="7a020510.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="337" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>25</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="7a120430.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="323" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>26</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="7a220550.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="341" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>27 </B><B> <A NAME="shelobslair13_27"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="7a320510.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="337" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>28</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="7a4204f0.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="335" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>But there's hope ahead!  Next time we get closeups... and the phial... and some action!</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="7cfd00f0.gif" border=0 width="720" height="15" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="shelobslair13_ugly"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>Advanced Cinematography: Making Frolijah Look Ugly</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>Part acting, part camera angle and lighting, everything had to work together to make a Frolijah who looks as bad as he does in this shot.  The caps below are basically what we saw above (they're matched up by number as closely as possible), but extremely overlightened to show what the darkness is hiding.  The turn of Elijah's head and the camera angle get his face in the correct position to be divided into light and dark, with the lighting emphasizing the stark contrast between the two.  It goes beyond dividing his face exactly in two and creates areas of darkness even on the side of his face we see.  The side we don't see is completely hidden in the darkness.  Those sharp divisions don't help his looks any.   In the following pics, it's a bit easier to see that, without the angles and the lighting that are used, he'd look more like himself.  (He'd still look pretty pitiful, though.)</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>[between 8 and 9]</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="7a520500.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="336" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>[9]</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="7a6204d0.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>[10]</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="7a7204d0.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>[11]</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="7a820500.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="336" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>[13]<IMG SRC="7a920490.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="329" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>34    1924</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="7aa204e0.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="334" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>[15]</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="7ab204d0.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>[between 15 and 16]</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="7ac20540.jpg" border=0 width="800" height="340" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="142" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 66 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="#shelobslair13_top" TITLE="Shelobs Lair 13"><U><B><IMG SRC="02e7d3c0.jpg" border=0 width="125" height="60" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>