MOVIEThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Movie Trailer
SCENEBoromir
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2001
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001795
FILM NOTES
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring arrived in December 2001 from New Line Cinema, the studio's gamble on adapting Tolkien across three films shot back to back. Directed by Peter Jackson, it redefined what fantasy epics could achieve on screen, blending New Zealand landscapes with practical craftsmanship and early digital innovation. Its trailer campaign built enormous anticipation, teasing the scope of Middle-earth before audiences had seen a frame of the finished film.
This cell preserves a piece of that early promotional reel, centered on Boromir, portrayed by Sean Bean. As the noble but conflicted Man of Gondor, Boromir carries some of the trilogy's most human tension, making him a favorite among collectors who value character-driven frames over spectacle alone. A trailer cell like this one captures the film in its announcement phase, a single strip once projected to stir curiosity, now a physical artifact of that anticipation, tying Bean's portrayal directly to the franchise's earliest public presentation.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print from the Lord of the Rings trailer reel.
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge; spacing appears even and the punched holes appear cleanly cut with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, with what appears to be a second narrower track adjacent to it, consistent with a stereo optical pair; Dolby Digital data blocks are visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge; a DTS timecode stripe appears as a thin line along the opposite edge.
Edge print
Text reading '00-OD' is visible along the top edge; a circular purple or violet stamp or ink mark appears adjacent to that text; additional fine edge printing is present but not fully legible at this size.
Base & colour
The base appears with a slight warm-neutral tint; the dye image reads as a fully developed colour positive with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks or prominent scratches are visible in this capture.
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 title card from a Lord of the Rings trailer reel.
Era check
The combination of Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, DTS timecode stripe, and dual variable-area optical track is consistent with a late-1990s to early-2000s release print, matching the 2001 production date 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 000063655
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
