MOVIEThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Movie Trailer
SCENEGandalf, Legolas and Gimli
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2001
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001764
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 what fantasy filmmaking could achieve on screen. The teaser and trailer campaign that preceded it became part of the event, building anticipation through footage that introduced audiences to Middle-earth's scale and its central company of travelers. That marketing push is remembered almost as fondly as the films themselves, a rare case where the promotional reels carry lasting collector interest alongside the finished feature.
This cell draws from that trailer, framing three members of the Fellowship together: Gandalf, the wizard whose guidance anchors the quest, Legolas, the elf whose presence signals the alliance of Middle-earth's peoples, and Gimli, the dwarf representing that same unlikely unity. Trailer cells like this one hold appeal because they predate the finished cut audiences came to know, preserving an early glimpse of characters who would soon become iconic. Collectors seek these groupings for the way they capture the promise of the ensemble before the story fully unfolds.
Authentication Findings8 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 top edge and four on the bottom edge.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched holes appear cleanly cut with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical soundtrack track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, consistent with a standard mono or stereo optical print; Dolby Digital pixel blocks appear present in the inter-perforation gaps on the bottom edge, and a thin DTS timecode line appears along the outer bottom edge.
Edge print
Text reading 'The Fellowship of the Ring' appears within the picture frames as a title card; edge print along the strip reads 'cr' at the upper right; no key numbers or SAFETY FILM text are legible at this capture resolution.
Base & colour
The base appears with a slight blue-tinted carrier; the dye image shows warm golden tones in the title text and cool blue-grey tones in the rocky scene, with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
Horizontal white scratches and abrasion lines are visible across the lower portion of the strip between the picture and bottom perforations, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be from the same continuous shot and display the title 'The Fellowship of the Ring', consistent with a trailer title card for the film on record.
Era check
The combination of a variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, and DTS timecode line is consistent with a 2001-era theatrical release print carrying the standard multi-format soundtrack configuration used at that time.
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 000063624
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
