MOVIEThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Movie Trailer
SCENEGimli, Frodo, Merry and Pippin
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2001
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001756
FILM NOTES
New Line Cinema released The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001, launching Peter Jackson's ambitious adaptation of Tolkien's trilogy. The trailer campaign that preceded the film's premiere was itself a cultural event, reintroducing audiences to Middle-earth after decades of failed attempts to bring the saga to the screen. Shot largely in New Zealand and championed by a studio betting heavily on fantasy's box office future, the film would go on to reshape blockbuster filmmaking and prove that literary epics could carry mainstream appeal.
This cell gathers four members of the Fellowship as they appeared in early promotional material: Gimli the dwarf, alongside hobbits Frodo, Merry, and Pippin. Trailer cells like this one predate the film's release, capturing the marketing moment when Jackson's vision was first offered to the public. Collectors prize these frames for the ensemble grouping itself, a rare pairing of Rhys-Davies's Gimli with three of the four hobbits, representing the anticipation and introduction phase of a franchise that had not yet proven itself but soon would.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring trailer (2001)
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even; edges of the perforations appear cleanly punched with no visible tearing
Soundtrack
Dual variable-area optical track visible along one edge; Dolby Digital data blocks visible in perforation gaps; DTS timecode line visible as a thin stripe — all three formats present simultaneously as found on 2001-era theatrical prints
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote characters reliably
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight warm-neutral tint; dye image reads as a colour positive with no obvious fading or red shift visible
Projection history
Light longitudinal scratches are visible running parallel to the film length on the base side; no splices or cue marks seen
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot; subject matter is consistent with a fantasy epic matching the film on record
Era check
The combination of dual variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, and DTS timecode stripe is consistent with a theatrical release print from the early 2000s, matching the 2001 release date 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 000063616
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
