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National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING
A
AUTHENTIC
CROWN CERTIFIED
Film cell NFV-000001789 Tap to enlarge
MOVIEThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Movie Trailer
SCENEAragorn
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2001
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001789

FILM NOTES

New Line Cinema released The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in December 2001, the first installment of Peter Jackson's ambitious trilogy adapting J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy epic. Filmed entirely in New Zealand and released alongside a marketing campaign that reshaped how studios sold event films, the trilogy went on to earn critical acclaim and box office dominance, culminating in the Academy Award sweep for its final chapter. The teaser and theatrical trailers played a significant role in building anticipation, offering early audiences their first glimpses of Middle-earth before the films themselves arrived.

This cell preserves a frame from that promotional reel, marking the character Aragorn, the ranger and heir to Gondor's throne whose journey from reluctant wanderer to king anchors the trilogy's emotional and political arc. Trailer cells like this one hold particular appeal for collectors because they capture a film's earliest public presentation, the raw promise made to audiences before the story unfolded in full. Aragorn's presence in a promotional strip speaks to his centrality in the marketing itself, a character whose destiny was teased from the very beginning of Jackson's adaptation.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

Consistent with a 35mm theatrical trailer print associated with The Lord of the Rings franchise

Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds three frames
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with no torn or deformed holes visible
Soundtrack
Not visible in this capture
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Base appears neutral to slightly cool; dye image shows strong colour saturation with no visible 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 the same title-card shot, showing the text 'The Return of the King' — consistent with a trailer end card naming a sequel
Era check
A positive 35mm colour print with this perforation layout and saturated dye image is consistent with a release or trailer print from the early 2000s 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 000063649
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