The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.

Director:

Peter Jackson

Writers:

J.R.R. Tolkien (novel), Fran Walsh (screenplay)

Stars:

Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom

Top Rated Movies #10 | Won 4 Oscars. Another 114 wins & 124 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alan Howard	...	Voice of the Ring (voice)
Noel Appleby	...	Everard Proudfoot
Sean Astin	...	Sam
Sala Baker	...	Sauron
Sean Bean	...	Boromir
Cate Blanchett	...	Galadriel
Orlando Bloom	...	Legolas
Billy Boyd	...	Pippin
Marton Csokas	...	Celeborn
Megan Edwards	...	Mrs. Proudfoot
Michael Elsworth	...	Gondorian Archivist
Mark Ferguson	...	Gil-galad
Ian Holm	...	Bilbo
Christopher Lee	...	Saruman
Lawrence Makoare	...	Lurtz

Storyline

An ancient Ring thought lost for centuries has been found, and through a strange twist of fate has been given to a small Hobbit named Frodo. When Gandalf discovers the Ring is in fact the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron, Frodo must make an epic quest to the Cracks of Doom in order to destroy it. However, he does not go alone. He is joined by Gandalf, Legolas the elf, Gimli the Dwarf, Aragorn, Boromir, and his three Hobbit friends Merry, Pippin, and Samwise. Through mountains, snow, darkness, forests, rivers and plains, facing evil and danger at every corner the Fellowship of the Ring must go. Their quest to destroy the One Ring is the only hope for the end of the Dark Lords reign.

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Plot Keywords:

ring | quest | hobbit | elf | orc | 

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Taglines:

One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them, One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for epic battle sequences and some scary images

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although in the movie it seems to be only a few weeks or so, in the book, the time between when Gandalf leaves to research the Ring, tries to find Gollum, and when he returns to send Frodo on his adventure is a span of seventeen years. This was significantly shortened in the film for continuity reasons.

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Goofs

After Gandalf pounds his magical staff into the stone on the bridge of Khaza-Dûm, a wideshot is shown in which the head of the staff is on the left side of his face (our left), but in the following close-up, it is on his right

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Quotes

[first lines]
Galadriel: The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it. It began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the Elves, immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven to the Dwarf lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who, above all else, desire power. But they were, all of them, deceived, for ...

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits after the title has been shown.

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Alternate Versions

One photograph from unused publicity shots shows the four hobbits making there way through a swamp, presumably the Migewater Marshes from the novel. This sequence does not appear in the final cut of the movie but is included in the Extended Edition DVD

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Connections

Referenced in Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan (2011)

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Soundtracks

Flaming Red Hair
Music Composed and Performed by David Donaldson, David Long, Steve Roche (as Stephen Roche), Janet Roddick with Peter Daly, Chris O'Connor, Ruairidh Morrison, and Grant Shearer
Courtesy of Mana Music

User Reviews

The Fellowship of the Ring: Not just a Movie, but the Door to another Dimension

The first part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Fellowship of the Rings opened the door to a whole new world for me. I'd never read any of Tolkien's books when I saw the film for the first time at the theatre and, now that I've read them, in retrospect I think being a neophyte to the mythology made my LOTR movie experience all the more miraculous.

I loved The Two Towers and Return of the King almost as much as FOTR, but not quite, because seeing Fellowship for the first time was like taking a journey to a fabulous new place and meeting incredible new friends that you don't want to leave. I've never felt anything quite like what this epic evoked in me. It was akin to being a child again, with that tireless sense of wonder and enjoyment of each and every moment, maybe because as a child you are discovering your surroundings, and whatever age you are, when you watch the Fellowship of the Ring you are rendered in awe upon being introduced to the purity and beauty of Middle Earth and darkly enthralled by the majesty of Eisengard, Saruman, Sauron and all of their mighty malice. One of the things that makes this movie so special (and there are so many!) is that you fall in love not only with the "good" characters, but also with the "evil" ones. For example, Christopher Lee was amazing as Saruman, and I can't imagine the movie without him.

Some films that might be comparable to the Lord of the Rings trilogy are: The Fifth Element, the Star Wars Trilogy parts IV, V and VI (forget the newer prequels), the Matrix trilogy (especially the first part), Interview with a Vampire, the Legend of Sleepy Hollow (with Johnny Depp), Logan's Run and The Island. They are all excellent movies and works of art that weave that movie magic that keeps you spellbound and entranced for the duration of their runtime.

But after seeing The Fellowship of the Ring, I knew I had found the movie by which I would judge all other movies. Based on J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved books, Peter Jackson has set a new standard in the industry of cinema, one that I honestly think has not and won't be surpassed, at least not in my lifetime, not even by PJ himself.

It is truly an instant classic that will stand the test of time and be loved by generations to come. God Bless Tolkien and Jackson and everyone involved in the conception and making of this film, for creating a world that is at my fingertips, only takes the touch of a button to go to whenever I want, and makes me forget everything else.

The LOTR Trilogy is undoubtedly MY precious, the non plus ultra of all movies!

Details

Official Sites:

New Line Productions Official Facebook

Country:

New Zealand USA

Language:

English Sindarin

Release Date:

19 December 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: The Motion Picture

Filming Locations:

Fort Dorset, Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand

Box Office

Budget:

$93,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$47,211,490, 23 December 2001

Gross USA:

$315,544,750

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$887,832,826

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, WingNut Films, The Saul Zaentz Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

178 min 208 min (Special DVD Extended Edition) 228 min (Blu Ray Extended Edition) 171 min (DVD Widescreen Edition)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital EX SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1