MOVIEThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Movie Trailer
SCENEMerry and Pippin
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2001
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001743
FILM NOTES
New Line Cinema released The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in December 2001, the first installment of Peter Jackson's adaptation of Tolkien's trilogy. Shot back to back with its two sequels in New Zealand, the production was a gamble that redefined what fantasy filmmaking could achieve, blending practical effects, early digital work, and a scale rarely attempted for the genre. The teaser and theatrical trailers that preceded release became cultural events in their own right, building anticipation for a saga that would go on to sweep the Academy Awards and reshape the blockbuster landscape for the decade that followed.
This cell is drawn from that promotional material and carries the name Merry and Pippin, though the figures identified in the frame are Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee, the hobbit companions at the emotional center of the story. Trailer cells like this one circulate among collectors precisely because they capture the marketing campaign that introduced audiences to Middle-earth before the film itself arrived in theaters, preserving a moment from the promise of the journey rather than the finished feature.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical trailer print for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame visible 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 missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the lower edge beside the picture, appearing as a dual variable-area (stereo) format; a band consistent with Dolby Digital data blocks is also visible between the lower perforations and the picture area.
Edge print
Not fully legible at this resolution; partial text reading 'THE TWO TOWERS' is visible as title-card text within the picture frames themselves, not as edge print.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-cyan tint consistent with a colour print stock; dye image appears saturated and not visibly faded or red-shifted.
Projection history
No prominent scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames show the same or near-identical composition, consistent with a title-card hold frame; the title 'THE TWO TOWERS' appears on screen, which is consistent with a Fellowship of the Ring trailer closing on its sequel title card.
Era check
The dual variable-area optical track combined with apparent Dolby Digital data blocks between perforations is consistent with a 35mm release or trailer print from the early 2000s, matching the 2001 record date.
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 000063603
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
