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

SCENEBoromir and Aragorn

FILM FORMAT35mm

YEAR2001

CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001784

FILM NOTES

New Line Cinema released The Fellowship of the Ring in December 2001, the opening chapter of Peter Jackson's adaptation of Tolkien's trilogy, filmed across New Zealand and marketed with an unprecedented theatrical campaign. The trailer preceding the film's release became a cultural event in its own right, giving audiences their first extended glimpse of Middle-earth before the picture even opened, and 35mm trailer cells from this campaign are prized for capturing that anticipation directly on release-era stock.

This cell preserves a moment shared by Boromir and Aragorn, two men bound by lineage, duty, and the fractured legacy of Gondor and its exiled line of kings. Their pairing in early promotional material hints at the tension and camaraderie that would define the Fellowship's journey, themes central to the saga's appeal. As a trailer fragment rather than a finished-film frame, it belongs to the promotional apparatus built to introduce audiences to these characters before the story proper unfolded, making it a natural point of interest for collectors tracing the franchise's earliest public footprint.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

Consistent with a 35mm theatrical trailer print from the Lord of the Rings series.

Gauge: 35mm; four perforations per frame visible 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 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) stripe.
Edge print: Text reading 'THE RETURN OF THE KING' is printed within the picture area as a title card overlay; edge print along the strip reads '00-OD' near the left end; no key numbers or SAFETY FILM text are legible in this capture.
Base & colour: Base appears with a slight cool-blue tint; the dye image reads as warm-toned with no obvious fading or red shift visible.
Projection history: Light horizontal abrasion lines are 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 the same shot; the title card 'THE RETURN OF THE KING' is consistent with a Lord of the Rings trailer end-card sequence.
Era check: The dual-bilateral optical track, warm colour dye image, and cool-tinted polyester base are all consistent with a 35mm release or trailer print from the early 2000s.

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 000063644

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