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

SCENEGimli, Frodo, Merry and Pippin

FILM FORMAT35mm

YEAR2001

CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001755

FILM NOTES

New Line Cinema released The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in December 2001, launching Peter Jackson's adaptation of Tolkien's trilogy and reshaping large scale fantasy filmmaking for a generation. The teaser and full trailers that preceded the film's release became cultural events in their own right, building anticipation across theaters worldwide and giving audiences their first glimpse of Middle-earth before the film itself arrived. That promotional material remains sought after as the earliest cinematic record of this world.

This 35mm cell preserves a moment from that trailer campaign, gathering Gimli, Frodo Baggins, and Merry Brandybuck together on film. Elijah Wood's Frodo anchors the fellowship's emotional core, while John Rhys-Davies brings weight to Gimli, the dwarf warrior, and Dominic Monaghan rounds out the group as Merry, one half of the hobbit duo whose loyalty defines much of the story. A trailer cell like this one captures characters before the narrative fully unfolds, making it a marker of introduction rather than resolution, valued by collectors for that early, formative placement in the saga's visual history.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

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

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 one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single-track waveform; Dolby Digital pixel blocks are visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge
Edge print: Text reading '00-OD' is visible along the top edge; additional manufacturer or key-number text is present but not fully legible at this size
Base & colour: Base appears with a slight warm-neutral tint; dye image reads as a colour positive with no obvious fading or red shift
Projection history: Light longitudinal scratching is visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate
Picture: Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot and are consistent with a theatrical trailer for the film on record
Era check: The combination of a variable-area optical track with Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks is consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print from the early 2000s, matching the 2001 release period of the film on record

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 000063615

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