MOVIEThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Movie Trailer
SCENEGimli, Frodo, Merry and Pippin
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2001
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001757
FILM NOTES
New Line Cinema released The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001, adapting Tolkien for the big screen with a scale and ambition rarely attempted before. Directed by Peter Jackson, it launched a trilogy that reshaped fantasy filmmaking and set new standards for effects, casting, and location work. The trailer campaign built anticipation across a global fanbase, offering early glimpses of Middle-earth before the film's premiere, and those promotional strips remain sought after as artifacts of that cultural moment.
This cell preserves a trailer frame naming Gimli, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin, four of the story's central travelers, grouped as they would appear in early marketing meant to introduce the Fellowship's core cast. Frodo Baggins, played by Elijah Wood, carries the burden of the Ring, while Merry Brandybuck, played by Dominic Monaghan, represents the loyal hobbit companions accompanying him. Collectors prize trailer material like this for its role in film history, capturing the introduction of characters who would become defining figures in modern fantasy cinema.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Movie Trailer (2001).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge; spacing appears even; punched edges look clean with no visible torn or deformed holes.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a dual-bilateral (two-track) pattern; Dolby Digital pixel blocks are visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge; a narrow DTS timecode stripe also appears present along that edge.
Edge print
Not clearly legible in this capture; faint edge markings are present but cannot be reliably quoted.
Base & colour
Base appears neutral to very slightly warm; dye image shows strong, saturated colour with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light horizontal scratching is visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has been projected.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot; subject matter is consistent with a mountainous outdoor scene matching the Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring trailer.
Era check
The combination of dual-bilateral optical track, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, and DTS timecode stripe 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 000063617
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
