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National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING
A
AUTHENTIC
CROWN CERTIFIED
Film cell NFV-000001750 Tap to enlarge
MOVIEThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Movie Trailer
SCENEPippin
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2001
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001750

FILM NOTES

New Line Cinema's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring arrived in December 2001 as a landmark gamble, adapting Tolkien's trilogy in one sweeping production shot back to back to back. Directed by Peter Jackson, it redefined fantasy filmmaking, blending New Zealand's landscapes with pioneering effects and a cast that would become inseparable from Middle-earth in the public imagination. The teaser and full trailers preceding release built enormous anticipation, offering audiences their first glimpses of Hobbits, wizards, and the looming shadow of Sauron long before the film itself unspooled.

This cell carries Pippin's name into the frame, though the figures pictured are Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee, his fellow Hobbits and companions on the road out of the Shire. Trailer cells like this one exist to tease character and camaraderie without giving away plot, capturing early promotional footage prized by collectors for its scarcity and its connection to the marketing campaign that introduced the Fellowship to the world.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

Consistent with a 35mm colour release print of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

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 deformed perforations visible
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the lower edge beside the picture area, appearing as a two-track variable-area format
Edge print
Text reading 'THE TWO TOWERS' is printed in the picture area of each frame; no key numbers or manufacturer edge codes are legible in this capture
Base & colour
Base appears with a warm-neutral tint; dye image shows strong colour saturation with no visible fading or red shift
Projection history
A horizontal band of surface abrasion or emulsion disturbance is visible across the lower portion of all three frames, consistent with a projected print
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be the same or near-identical consecutive frames from one shot, matching a title card sequence consistent with the film on record
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack, colour positive stock, and 35mm four-perforation format are all consistent with a theatrical release print from the early 2000s
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 000063610
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