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

SCENEPippin

FILM FORMAT35mm

YEAR2001

CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001749

FILM NOTES

New Line Cinema staked its future on Peter Jackson's adaptation of Tolkien when The Fellowship of the Ring arrived in December 2001, a gamble that paid off by launching one of the most ambitious trilogies in Hollywood history, shot back to back to back in New Zealand. The trailer campaign that preceded it was itself a cultural event, building anticipation for a fantasy epic on a scale audiences had rarely seen attempted. It set the template for how modern blockbuster franchises would be marketed and remains a touchstone for the era.

This cell carries the name Pippin, one of the four hobbits whose journey anchors the story, a character prized by collectors for his place in the Fellowship's core group even at this early promotional stage. Frodo Baggins appears here as well, the ring bearer at the heart of the tale, underscoring that this piece comes from the trailer's introduction of the hobbits before the wider adventure unfolds. As a trailer cell, it represents the studio's first public offering of these characters, a piece of the marketing history that helped launch the trilogy into legend.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

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

Gauge: 35mm; the strip holds three frames, each with four perforations visible on the upper edge and four on the lower edge.
Perforations: Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched holes appear cleanly cut with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack: A variable-area optical soundtrack track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single-track variable-area stripe.
Edge print: Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour: The base appears with a slight warm-neutral tint; the dye image reads with natural colour saturation showing no obvious red shift or fading.
Projection history: Fine longitudinal lines consistent with projection are visible across the frame area; no splices or cue marks are seen.
Picture: Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be from the same continuous shot, and the title card reading 'the two towers' is consistent with a Fellowship of the Ring trailer closing on its sequel title.
Era check: A single variable-area optical track alongside a colour positive 35mm print is consistent with a 2001 theatrical release print era for this title.

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 000063609

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