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National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING
A
AUTHENTIC
CROWN CERTIFIED
Film cell NFV-000001787 Tap to enlarge
MOVIEThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Movie Trailer
SCENEBoromir and Aragorn
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2001
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001787

FILM NOTES

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring arrived in December 2001 from New Line Cinema, a studio that staked its future on Peter Jackson's gamble to film all three volumes of Tolkien's trilogy back to back in New Zealand. The trailer campaign that preceded release was itself a cultural event, building anticipation for a fantasy epic on a scale Hollywood had rarely attempted. The film's success reshaped blockbuster filmmaking and launched a franchise that dominated the following two years of cinema.

This cell comes from that promotional reel, a trailer frame carrying the noted pairing even though the accompanying names here point to Aragorn and Legolas, two members of the Fellowship whose bond becomes central to the saga. Aragorn, the exiled heir to Gondor's throne, and Legolas, the Woodland Elf archer, represent the alliance of races drawn together against a common threat. Trailer cells like this one were cut for promotional use, meant to stir curiosity before the film's premiere, and collectors prize them as early physical artifacts of a franchise's very first public impression.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

Consistent with a 35mm trailer print carrying a Return of the King title card.

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 and punches appear clean across all visible frames.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the lower edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single bilateral track.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight warm-neutral tint; dye image shows rich colour saturation without obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light horizontal abrasion lines are visible across the lower portion of the strip, consistent with a projected print.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be the same or near-identical consecutive frames from one shot; the title text 'THE RETURN OF THE KING' is visible on each frame, consistent with a trailer title card for that film rather than Fellowship of the Ring.
Era check
A variable-area optical track and the colour stock base are consistent with a 35mm release print from the early 2000s, matching the 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 000063647
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