National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

New Line Cinema released Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in December 2001, adapting the first volume of J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved trilogy. The film marked a turning point in epic fantasy filmmaking, demonstrating that ambitious literary adaptations could achieve both critical acclaim and enormous commercial success. Its theatrical trailer generated significant anticipation in the months before release.

These three consecutive frames capture Frodo Baggins in extreme close-up, his eyes just visible above a surface against a dark background. The near-identical framing across all three cells reflects the trailer's deliberate pacing at this tense moment, making the sequence a coherent and visually striking representation of Elijah Wood's portrayal of the young hobbit.