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

SCENEAragorn

FILM FORMAT35mm

YEAR2001

CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001799

FILM NOTES

New Line Cinema released The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in December 2001, the opening chapter of Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy. Shot in New Zealand across a marathon production schedule, it introduced audiences to a fully realized Middle-earth and became a benchmark for fantasy filmmaking, earning both critical acclaim and enormous box office returns. Its teaser and theatrical trailers were cultural events in their own right, building anticipation for a saga that would go on to sweep the Academy Awards.

This piece comes from the trailer material for that release, preserving Aragorn, the ranger and rightful heir whose arc anchors much of the fellowship's journey. Trailer cells like this one served as the first public glimpse of a character before the film proper, offered as a promise of the story to come. Aragorn's presence alone carries weight for collectors, since he stands among the most sought-after figures from the saga, and any piece tied to his introduction in these early marketing frames holds particular interest for those tracing the character's screen history from its very beginning.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

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

Gauge: 35mm; the strip holds three frames, each with four perforations visible on both edges.
Perforations: Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean.
Soundtrack: Not visible in this capture; the area beside the picture frames is obscured by the decorative film-strip overlay.
Edge print: Text reading 'FUJICOLOR' is visible along one edge, reversed, indicating emulsion-up orientation.
Base & colour: Base appears neutral to slightly warm; dye image shows rich colour saturation with no obvious fading.
Projection history: No scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are visible in this capture.
Picture: Positive image; all three frames appear to be the same title-card frame repeating, showing 'THE RETURN OF THE KING – CHRISTMAS 2003', which is a sequel date card consistent with a Lord of the Rings trailer strip.
Era check: Fujicolor stock, four-perforation 35mm positive, and a 'Christmas 2003' release date card are all consistent with a 2001–2003 era New Line Cinema theatrical trailer reel.

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 000063659

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