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National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING
A
AUTHENTIC
CROWN CERTIFIED
Film cell NFV-000001786 Tap to enlarge
MOVIEThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Movie Trailer
SCENEBoromir and Aragorn
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2001
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001786

FILM NOTES

New Line Cinema released The Fellowship of the Ring in December 2001, launching a trilogy that redefined large-scale fantasy filmmaking for a new generation. Peter Jackson's adaptation of Tolkien's saga, shot across New Zealand, brought unprecedented ambition to the genre, and its marketing campaign, including theatrical trailers distributed on 35mm, played a crucial role in building anticipation among audiences who had waited decades for a faithful screen treatment. The film's success reshaped Hollywood's appetite for serialized epics and cemented its place among the most significant cinematic achievements of its era.

This cell preserves a frame from that early trailer material, pairing Aragorn and Boromir, two central figures whose intertwined arcs of leadership, doubt, and sacrifice anchor much of the Fellowship's journey. Collectors seek out these two together because their dynamic, ranger and steward's son, carries the weight of Gondor's future throughout the story. A trailer frame like this one served to introduce audiences to character and tone before the film's release, offering an early glimpse of the pairing that would carry forward into the saga's unfolding drama.

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, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
Not visible in this capture; the area beside the picture frames is obscured by the decorative film-strip overlay graphic.
Edge print
Text reading 'ENTICOFOB' is visible along the upper edge; this appears reversed, consistent with emulsion-up orientation.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight warm-neutral tint; dye image shows saturated colour with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
No scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be from the same shot and carry the title text 'THE RETURN OF THE KING', consistent with a trailer end-card for a Lord of the Rings release.
Era check
The colour positive image and the title card format are consistent with a 2001-era theatrical trailer print; 'The Return of the King' title card on a Fellowship trailer strip is normal trailer reel practice.
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 000063646
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