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National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING
A
AUTHENTIC
CROWN CERTIFIED
Film cell NFV-000001833 Tap to enlarge
MOVIEThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Move Trailer
SCENEFrodo
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR2001
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001833

FILM NOTES

New Line Cinema released The Fellowship of the Ring in December 2001, launching a trilogy that redefined what fantasy filmmaking could achieve on a theatrical scale. Directed by Peter Jackson and shot across New Zealand, it brought Tolkien's Middle-earth to audiences with a scope and sincerity rarely attempted before, and its trailer campaign became part of the cultural anticipation surrounding the film's arrival, circulated in cinemas well ahead of release.

This cell preserves a frame of promotional film from that early trailer, marked simply as Frodo. As the central figure of the story, Frodo Baggins is the character through whom the entire journey unfolds, making him a natural focal point for collectors assembling pieces from the franchise's earliest marketing. A trailer cell like this one captures a fragment of that introductory campaign, the footage designed to draw audiences toward a story just beginning to reach the world.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring trailer.

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 the lower edge beside the picture area, appearing as two thin white lines on a dark stripe consistent with a stereo variable-area track; Dolby Digital pixel blocks are not clearly resolved; DTS timecode line not visible in this capture; SDDS outer-edge tracks not visible in this capture.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer text or key numbers clearly.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-cyan tint consistent with a colour print stock; dye image reads as warm-toned with strong blacks, no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
Faint horizontal lines consistent with projection wear are visible across the frame area; no splices or cue marks seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, consistent with a theatrical release print of the film on record.
Era check
The stereo variable-area optical track, colour dye image, blue-base stock, and four-perforation 35mm format are all consistent with a 2001 theatrical release print.
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 000063693
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