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National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING
A
AUTHENTIC
CROWN CERTIFIED
Film cell NFV-000001821 Tap to enlarge
MOVIEThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Movie Trailer
SCENEGaladriel
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2001
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001821

FILM NOTES

New Line Cinema's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring arrived in December 2001 as a landmark gamble, adapting Tolkien's dense mythology into a trilogy filmed simultaneously in New Zealand under Peter Jackson's direction. The teaser and theatrical trailers that preceded it built enormous anticipation, introducing audiences to Middle-earth's scale and cast before the film itself premiered. That marketing campaign became historic in its own right, part of the reason this era of fantasy filmmaking is remembered as a turning point for the genre.

This cell preserves a moment from that trailer featuring Galadriel, the Elven queen of Lothlorien, played by Cate Blanchett. Her character carries an air of ancient wisdom and quiet power within the story, a presence collectors prize for its mystique. Trailer cells like this one capture Middle-earth as it was first revealed to the public, a single frame from the campaign that announced the trilogy's arrival.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring trailer (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; punched edges appear clean with no torn or deformed holes visible
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, consistent with a mono or stereo optical print; a secondary narrow band that may be a DTS timecode line is also present along the same edge
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 full colour saturation with no visible fading or red shift
Projection history
Several fine longitudinal lines run the length of the strip, consistent with projection wear; no splices or cue marks are visible
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with a theatrical release print of the film on record
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack, full-colour dye image on what appears to be a safety base, and perforation layout are all consistent with a 35mm theatrical release 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 000063681
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