Being a fan of The Lord of the Rings, I have likely watched the prologue of The Fellowship of the Ring at least two dozen times. It is that welcoming sign into the film; the hints of information that let any audience member, even the newbie, know that something big is about to expand across his of her screen. But even though I could probably quote Galadriel's voiceover word for word, I have never thought to analyze this first seven minutes, to really look at what makes up one of the longest prologues in film.
LIGHTING:
The prologue is more a study of digital lighting than reality. I am fully aware that the film was digitally graded so that Peter Jackson could easily change a shot from day to night, sunny to gloomy, and vivid and bright to sepia-toned. The prologue has been given an almost sepia finish to evoke an antique film. It is like the eyes can actually see the patina of time on the images. Along with the vintage sheen, the lighting shifts greatly between the characters and objects shown. The Elves, Galadriel in particular, have a bright glow that makes them appear as heavenly beings. The Dwarves have a darker light, almost sturdy, and the men have an eerier glow which lets you know they will soon go to the dark side. The shot of Sauron actually seems to suck the light out of the shot except when the ring is shown which glows with pure, red evil. The battle scenes are fittingly gloomy, yet the Elven army retains their subtle glow even in armor. The shot with the most artisitc lighting isn't even a real shot at all but is entirely CG (computer generated). This is Gollum squatting in his deep cavern beneath the Misty Mountains. As he fondles his "precious" the light trickles through some unseen cracks in the rocky walls and backlights his skeletal frame. Suddenly, as if he knows you are watching, he turns towards the audience, and his nocturnal eyes reflect just the merely hint of green light. It will send shivers down your spine. With all these quick changes in lighting, the audience gets an idea of how truly expansive the world of Middle Earth is. The different races, the multiple locations, and the dichotomy of good and evil is all presented with just a sense of light and dark.
SHOTS AND ANGLES:
The prologue of The Fellowship of the Ring is a mixture of closeups and roller coaster panaramic shots. It begins with several closeups of the different races, each shot slowly pulling back to show more of a face or to show several faces grouped close together. The Elven shot begins on Galadriel's glowing face, then the audience gets to see two male Elves glowing behind her, each tranfixed with the rings of power upon their fingers. This pattern repeats with the dwarves and men. Once they have been introduced, the camera switches to the helicopter shot of a Middle Earth map. The audience flys over this map from region to region until settling on Mordor. Here the shots become more expansive as battle scenes are shown. Suddenly we're seeing thousands of creatures fighting upon the rocky hills edging Dagorlad. They are mere specks, ants battling to the death. To keep us involved there is the occasional closeup of Elrond or a Gondorian knight, but as a whole we see mass bloodshed (without the blood). Then Sauron appears. Whenver Sauron is on screen, the camera moves in, the opposite of what is did previously. It is as if he is so magnetic, even you can't resist him. Once he has been defeated, the camera returns to its panaramic shots, this time of mountains and picturesque streams and forests. It has been freed from Sauron's charisma and may run free. There are some establishing shots tossed in that show the audience some important places: Gollum's cave, the Andruin, and the Shire, and then the prologue comes to an end in a lovely meadow with a sigh or relief.
THE SOUNDTRACK:
The best part of the entire prologue in my opinion is the first fifteen seconds when there is no picture, just darkness. The voice of Galadriel, one of the oldest beings of Middle Earth, suddenly begins whispering some unknown language. Luckily she also translates it into English for us, but that whispering tingles along our eardrums even without comprehension. We WANT to know what she's saying, even if we know the language is beyond us. Her voice is low, mysterious, and slow. It draws out the drama until you perch at the end of you seat knowing it must be revealed soon. Then the images open up, yet the voice continues. While the next six minutes and forty-five seconds unfold in a feast of visual effects and romantic closeups, the story is continued over it all. We can hear glimpes of the battle, echoes of a yell, even the strangled gasps of Gollum, but over it all Galadriel continues to narrate. It is a great way to connect to the audience. She is speaking to you, telling you what she has seen and what she knows. She wants you to be involved: therefore, you are! I dare anyone to watch the first seven mintues of The Fellowship of the Ring and not be curious of what will happen next.
