National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING

AUTHENTIC

CROWN CERTIFIED

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MOVIEThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Movie Trailer

SCENEGandalf, Legolas and Gimli

FILM FORMAT35mm

YEAR2001

CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001740

FILM NOTES

New Line Cinema released The Fellowship of the Ring in December 2001, the opening chapter of Peter Jackson's adaptation of Tolkien's trilogy, shot back to back with its two sequels in New Zealand. The film's promotional campaign, including the theatrical trailer this cell derives from, helped ignite one of the defining fantasy franchises of modern cinema, reintroducing Middle-earth to a mainstream audience and setting a new benchmark for large scale fantasy filmmaking.

This 35mm cell preserves a moment from that early trailer featuring Gandalf, Legolas and Gimli, three members of the Fellowship whose pairing here reflects the alliance-building at the heart of the story, wizard, elf and dwarf united against a common threat. Trailer cells like this one circulate among collectors precisely because they capture the film's first public presentation, the images chosen to introduce these characters to audiences before the full narrative arrived in theaters. Owning this frame connects a collector to that initial unveiling, the moment Middle-earth's key figures were first framed for the world.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

Consistent with a 35mm theatrical trailer release print of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Gauge: 35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames
Perforations: Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no torn or deformed perforations visible
Soundtrack: A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, consistent with a mono or stereo optical print; Dolby Digital pixel blocks appear present in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge
Edge print: Text reading 'the Fellowship of the Ring' appears as title lettering within the frame image itself; edge print along the strip margin reads partially as 'CT' or similar code at the far left, remainder not fully legible in this capture
Base & colour: Base appears with a slight blue-teal tint in the border areas; the dye image within the frames reads as warm and saturated with no obvious fading or red shift
Projection history: Light horizontal abrasion lines are visible across the frame area consistent with a projected print; no splices or cue marks seen
Picture: Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be the same or near-identical shot, consistent with a trailer title card frame; image content matches a Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring theatrical trailer print
Era check: The combination of Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks alongside a variable-area optical track is consistent with a 35mm release or trailer print from the 2001 era when that dual-format soundtrack configuration was standard

Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.

This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.

Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.

CROWN SERIAL 000063600

Original Film Capture As received

The film strip as photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation

Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size