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National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING
A
AUTHENTIC
CROWN CERTIFIED
Film cell NFV-000001780 Tap to enlarge
MOVIEThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Movie Trailer
SCENEThe Lord of the Rings Title Card
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2001
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001780

FILM NOTES

New Line Cinema released The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in December 2001, the opening chapter of Peter Jackson's adaptation of Tolkien's trilogy, filmed in New Zealand across a then unprecedented, unified production for all three films. The teaser and theatrical trailers that preceded it were themselves cultural events, building anticipation for a fantasy epic on a scale rarely attempted, and helping usher in a new era of blockbuster marketing built around online fan communities eager for every frame of footage.

This cell preserves the moment when the film's name first appears on screen within that promotional reel, the kind of card that announces scope and tone before a single character speaks. Such title cards are prized by collectors because they mark the threshold between anticipation and story, the studio's declaration of what is about to unfold. As the introductory gesture of the trailer itself, it stands as a compact artifact of the marketing campaign that helped launch one of cinema's most ambitious undertakings into the public imagination.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of The Lord of the Rings trailer (2001).

Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with no visible torn or deformed holes
Soundtrack
A multi-line optical soundtrack area is visible along the bottom edge, showing what appears to be a variable-area optical track alongside additional data tracks consistent with Dolby Digital pixel blocks between perforations
Edge print
Not fully legible in this capture; partial text visible along the lower edge strip but cannot be quoted with certainty
Base & colour
Base appears neutral to very slightly warm; dye image is rich and dense with strong yellow-gold rendering in the title logo
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks seen in this capture
Picture
Positive image; three consecutive frames each showing the same title card, consistent with a trailer title hold, matching the Lord of the Rings title treatment on record
Era check
The combination of a 35mm four-perforation format, dense dye image, and multi-format optical soundtrack area is consistent with a 2001 theatrical release print
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 000063640
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