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National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING
A
AUTHENTIC
CROWN CERTIFIED
Film cell NFV-000001804 Tap to enlarge
MOVIEThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Movie Trailer
SCENEBoromir and Aragorn
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2001
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001804

FILM NOTES

New Line Cinema released The Fellowship of the Ring in December 2001, launching Peter Jackson's adaptation of Tolkien's trilogy after years of anticipation among fantasy readers and cinephiles alike. Shot in New Zealand and marketed with an aggressive theatrical trailer campaign, the film redefined what large scale fantasy filmmaking could achieve, earning critical acclaim and box office dominance while setting the template for the two sequels that followed. Its trailers themselves became cultural artifacts, teasing scale, sound design, and character before the film's release.

This cell pairs Aragorn and Boromir, two men bound by lineage, duty, and the burden of Gondor's future, drawn from promotional material meant to stir anticipation rather than reveal plot. Their pairing in a trailer moment speaks to the tension and camaraderie central to the Fellowship's journey, a dynamic collectors prize for its resonance with the saga's themes of leadership and legacy. A trailer cell like this captures the film in its promise stage, before audiences knew the full story, making it a keepsake of expectation itself.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

Consistent with a 35mm theatrical trailer release print carrying a Lord of the Rings title card.

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 cleanly punched with no torn or deformed holes visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
Base appears neutral to very slightly warm; dye image shows rich, saturated colour with no visible fading.
Projection history
No scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are visible on the frames shown.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be the same or near-identical title-card frame bearing the text 'THE RETURN OF THE KING', consistent with a trailer end-card rather than action footage.
Era check
Variable-area optical track, saturated colour dye image, and clean four-perforation 35mm layout are all consistent with a release-era 35mm theatrical trailer print from the early 2000s.
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 000063664
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