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National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING
A
AUTHENTIC
CROWN CERTIFIED
Film cell NFV-000001800 Tap to enlarge
MOVIEThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Movie Trailer
SCENEAragorn
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2001
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001800

FILM NOTES

FILM NOTES

New Line Cinema's The Fellowship of the Ring arrived in December 2001 as a gamble few studios would have risked: a three-picture commitment to Tolkien's sprawling text, filmed simultaneously in New Zealand under Peter Jackson's direction. The trailer campaign that preceded it became its own cultural event, reintroducing high fantasy to mainstream audiences and setting box office and critical benchmarks the genre had not seen since the original Star Wars era. This marketing material, produced ahead of release, remains a distinct collecting category from the finished film itself.

This cell preserves Aragorn from that promotional reel, the ranger later revealed as heir to Gondor's throne and one of the trilogy's central figures. Trailer cells hold particular appeal for collectors, capturing a character's introduction to the public before narrative context arrived in theaters. As a single frame drawn from promotional 35mm, it documents the campaign's construction, the moment audiences first encountered Viggo Mortensen's portrayal ahead of the film proper.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

Consistent with a 35mm theatrical trailer print for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds three frames
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced and appearing cleanly punched with no visible torn or deformed holes
Soundtrack
Not visible in this capture
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-cyan tint consistent with modern safety stock; dye image appears neutral 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 show the same title card reading 'THE RETURN OF THE KING / CHRISTMAS 2003', running consecutively as a single repeated card — consistent with a trailer date card for a sequel, not a mismatch
Era check
The title card format and base tint are consistent with a 2001-era theatrical trailer reel, where a Fellowship of the Ring trailer would close on date cards for its sequels including The Return of the King
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 000063660
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