Ocularcentrism, horror and The Lord of the Rings films

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Abstract

The majority of the analyses of The Lord of the Rings films centre on extratextual
dimensions: the political economy of film production, of audiences and fandom, and
the impact of technology on envisaging the series. Instead, this article explores the
aesthetic qualities of the films, focusing on the visualization of the chapter ‘Lothlórien’
from Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring, and ‘The passage of the marshes’ and
‘Shelob’s lair’ from The Two Towers. In making The Lord of the Rings, Director
Peter Jackson engages with the cinematic possibilities of vision and images of the
eye; he then borrows spectatorial conceits from the horror film in order to relate the
ocularcentric to the vulnerability of the individual body of Frodo Baggins. In visualizing
the trilogy, an obsession is born, not only with the image of the eye, but also
with the horror of being watched and of watching.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)41-50
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Adaptation in Film and Performance
Volume5
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 8 May 2012

Keywords

  • The Lord of the Rings
  • Tolkien
  • Peter Jackson
  • spectatorship
  • horror film
  • vision
  • ocularcentrism

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