The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

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

2:59 (179 min)

Adventure, Fantasy, Action

New Zealand, United States

8.8/10
2 998 686

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8.4/10
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8.9/10
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All about film

Video 23

Photo 402

Actors and characters

1:54

Photo 402

Production

New Line Cinema, WingNut Films, The Saul Zaentz Company

Release date

18 December 2001

Budget

$93 000 000

Revenue

$883 407 846

Director

Peter Jackson

Scenario

J.R.R. Tolkien

Author

Composer

Howard Shore

Producer

Barrie M. Osborne

All team (169)

Actors

Elijah Wood

Frodo

Ian McKellen

Gandalf

Viggo Mortensen

Aragorn

Sean Astin

Sam

Ian Holm

Bilbo

Liv Tyler

Arwen

Christopher Lee

Saruman

Sean Bean

Boromir

All actors and roles (10)

• The management of New Line Cinema insisted on a two-minute prologue, and as a result, the introduction stretched to 7.5 minutes.
• There were supposed to be 144 hobbit extras at Bilbo's party to most closely match the text of the book, but only 100 were hired to save money.
• In some scenes, Gandalf was voiced by John Astin, the father of actor Sean Astin, who played Sam.
• John Astin, Sean Astin's father, auditioned for the role of Gandalf.
• Stuart Townsend began filming as Aragorn, but was fired after four days, as Peter Jackson decided the role required an older actor.
• David Bowie was considered for the role of Elrond.
• Howard Shore worked on the film's music for a total of about two years.
• Producer Tim Sanders left the project after filming began.
• Daniel Day-Lewis turned down the role of Aragorn.
• When composing the music for the film, Howard Shore drew inspiration from the works of Richard Wagner.
• John Howe and Alan Lee can be spotted in the prologue among the nine human kings.
• John Howe designed the appearance of the Moria orcs.
• Originally, Elijah Wood was supposed to read the voice-over in the prologue. However, the creators later decided that the story of the Ring should be told by an older character. Ian McKellen recorded the monologue, but the creators felt he wasn't quite right for the role. Ultimately, it was decided that Cate Blanchett, who played Galadriel, would read the voice-over.
• The bridge in the Shire was built by the New Zealand army from polystyrene.
• Bilbo Baggins' birthday cake had 111 candles. The cake itself was made of polystyrene. The lit candles caused the entire structure to catch fire.
• Several patrons of the Prancing Pony walked on stilts to emphasize the difference in height between people and hobbits.
• The large trees in Lothlórien Forest were made of rubber.
• The final battle was filmed in unbearable heat. Many actors playing Uruk-hai were carried off the set due to heatstroke.
• The filming locations were very carefully guarded: at least three people were arrested attempting to trespass on the set.
• Tolkien's descendants were initially negative towards the idea of filming the book. But since Tolkien sold the rights in 1968 for $15,000, they could not influence the filming process. Only his grandson, Simon, spoke out in support of the adaptation, which immediately led to a worsening of relations with other relatives.
• The "Lord of the Rings" trilogy brought approximately $200,000,000 to the economy of New Zealand. The New Zealand government even created a special "Lord of the Rings" ministry tasked with exploring the opportunities offered by film production.
• Fans were offered the opportunity to have their names mentioned in the credits of the extended edition of the film. This pleasure cost $39.95.
• For 13 weeks, the film was in the top ten highest-grossing films in the US based on weekly results.
• In August 2002, the film set a record for DVD/videocassette sales in the UK, selling over 2.4 million copies.
• Hobbiton was built a year before filming began to give it a natural look.
• 29 costumes for the Black Riders were made.
• Throughout the Council of Elrond, leaves fall in the background. Half a dozen people were above the set, scattering leaves according to specific intervals. Many bags of fallen leaves were collected. Since the leaves darkened rather quickly, each leaf had to be repainted.
• A rubber doll with a frightening face was superimposed over Ian Holm’s face in the scene where Bilbo looks at the Ring in Rivendell.
• The luminous floor leading to the caves of Moria was painted with the same paint as the road signs.
• Galadriel's house – Lothlórien – became the largest miniature built for the trilogy.
• A large amount of hair was imported into New Zealand to make wigs. Some of the hair was purchased in Russia.
• The New Zealand government concluded a special agreement with the filmmakers regarding taxation, after the New Line studio threatened to move production of the film to another country.
• Although the audience meets Bilbo in the Shire, Ian Holm never filmed on location, performing all his scenes in front of a blue screen.
• The sounds made by the cave troll are, in most cases, a combination of walrus, tiger, and horse sounds.
• The script for each of the three films was largely rewritten during filming due to numerous suggestions and ideas added by various actors.
• Storyboards that were too complex to create on paper were made on computers. George Lucas and Rick McCallum gave Peter Jackson a lot of advice regarding computer storyboarding.
• The film crew numbered approximately 3,000 people.
• It took about a year to develop the design of the hobbits' feet. Approximately 1,800 feet were created for the four main hobbits alone. Attaching the prosthetic feet to the actors' feet required about an hour and a half.
• The scene in which the Fellowship flees from the Uruk-hai across the river was never filmed due to a flood that completely washed away the set.
• 28 separate hobbit homes were built for the Shire. None of them were alike.
• When producing high-budget films, the presence of two or three filming units shooting simultaneously is common practice. However, for this trilogy, five or six teams sometimes shot at the same time.
• Typically on set, the director reviews 20-25 minutes of footage each day. Because multiple teams were filming 'The Lord of the Rings' simultaneously, the length of footage shot daily was 3-4 hours.
• To record the music for the chase scene in the caves of Moria, Howard Shore enlisted a Māori choir.
• The production budget for the trilogy was around $300 million, and another $200 million was spent on promotion.
• In their free time from filming, most of the actors took up surfing. Viggo Mortensen was among them, and one day he seriously injured his face. Despite the makeup artists' best efforts to hide Viggo's bruises, the result left much to be desired. Therefore, Peter Jackson decided to film the actor in such a way that only one side of his face was always visible. In the scene in the caves of Moria, where the Fellowship finds Gimli's relative's tomb, only one side of Aragorn's face is always visible.
• Initially, the studio Miramax expressed interest in the project, but they wanted to fit all the events into one film.
• Peter Jackson initially intended to include Tom Bombadil in the film, but the scene with his participation was never filmed due to lack of time.
• Orlando Bloom initially auditioned for the role of Faramir.
• The roles of extras were played by soldiers of the New Zealand army. However, they left the set ahead of schedule, deploying as peacekeepers to East Timor.
• The film's trailer appeared online on April 7, 2001, and was downloaded 1.6 million times within the first 24 hours.
• Sam Neill and Tom Baker were considered for the role of Gandalf.
• Christopher Lee reread the trilogy every year since its first publication, and he – was the only member of the cast who had personally met Tolkien.
• When Christopher Lee and J.R.R. Tolkien corresponded, the latter would have been pleased if Lee were to play Gandalf in a film adaptation of the book. Years later, Christopher Lee tried to secure the role of Gandalf in Peter Jackson's film. However, he was offered the role of Saruman. As Lee wanted to be in the film regardless, he accepted the offer.
• Christopher Lee was also the first actor officially cast in the trilogy, largely due to his excellent knowledge of J.R.R. Tolkien's works. Furthermore, makeup artists frequently consulted with Lee regarding the appearance of various monsters.
• Anthony Hopkins and Kate Winslet turned down roles in the film.
• Initially, the creators wanted to make the orcs entirely computer-generated.
• The runtime of the rough cut of the film was 4 hours and 30 minutes.
• A computer program called 'MASSIVE' was specifically written for the large-scale battles, allowing each of the 20,000 units to 'think' and fight in its own style.
• Gandalf is approximately 210 centimeters tall. Hobbits are approximately 90-120 centimeters tall. To emphasize this huge difference in height, Ian McKellen (Gandalf) was often positioned much closer to the camera than Elijah Wood (Frodo). However, this shooting technique is effective only if the camera doesn't move and the actors remain in place. Therefore, the creators had to develop a series of special platforms on which the actors stood, and which moved simultaneously with the camera.
• During the filming of a fight scene, Viggo Mortensen had a tooth chipped. Viggo wanted to glue the fragment back onto the remaining part of the tooth to continue filming, but Peter Jackson decided to send the actor to the dentist during the lunch break.
• 1460 eggs were served for breakfast to the film crew daily.
• Over 1600 pairs of latex ears and feet were used for filming. Each pair was 'prepared' in a special oven. Each pair of feet could only be used once, as they could not be removed from the actors' feet without damage.
• During filming, Liv Tyler left a pair of elven ears on the dashboard of her car. When she returned, they had already melted.
• Dominic Monaghan wore a special foam costume that made him appear thicker. To avoid dehydration, he drank three liters of water daily.
• Sean Astin gained 30 pounds (approximately 13.6 kg) for the role of Sam.
• Viggo Mortensen performed all of his own stunts in the film.
• Orlando Bloom performed almost all of his own stunts in the film. He broke a rib while performing one of them.
• During filming, John Rhys-Davies (Gimli) developed an allergic reaction to his makeup.
• The map that Gandalf examines in Bilbo's house is an exact copy of the map drawn by Tolkien for 'The Hobbit'.
• Peter Jackson gifted Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis with rings used in the filming. However, the actors believed each of them had received the only copy of the ring.
• Twenty minutes of the film were shown at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. This is where the actors first saw the completed scenes.
• Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, was renamed Middle-earth for the film's premiere.
• Peter Jackson’s children are mentioned in the end credits in the roles of cute little hobbits.
• Peter Jackson originally wanted to cast either Daniel Day-Lewis or Russell Crowe in the role of Aragorn.
• Initially, the producers wanted to make two films. However, after a meeting with the head of New Line Cinema, it was decided to rewrite the script for a trilogy.
• Kate Blanchett jokes that she agreed to star in the film only because she always wanted to have pointy ears.
• Ian McKellen tried to imitate J.R.R. Tolkien to achieve Gandalf's accent.
• The scene where Gandalf bumps his head on the ceiling in Bilbo's house was not scripted and happened entirely by accident during filming: Ian McKellen hit his head, but, remaining in character, continued the scene. Peter Jackson liked this take so much that he included it in the film.
• Viggo Mortensen, who speaks English, Spanish, and Danish fluently, requested that more scenes be added to the script where Aragorn speaks Elvish.
• The Orcs in Isengard were played by employees of "WETA Workshop," who also made the weapons for the film.
• The phrases in Elvish that can be heard in the film are not only quotes from the book, but were also composed based on J.R.R. Tolkien's own Elvish dictionary. The actors speak Elvish, imitating Tolkien's pronunciation.
• The Elves of Lothlórien have light blue eyes, while the Elves of Rivendell have dark blue eyes.
• Approximately 3,100 frames (78% of the entire film) underwent special color correction, using 5D Colossus software and high-resolution Imagica XE scanners. Since only 78% of the film was shot in digital format, it was impossible to create fully digital copies for theaters. Therefore, the digital frames were recorded onto intermediate matte negatives with an aspect ratio of 1.77:1 along with the non-digital original negatives and printed onto anamorphic Kodak film with an aspect ratio of 2.39:1, using an optical printing motion picture film recorder.
• During theatrical screenings, many claimed to have seen a car in the background of the scene where Sam tells Frodo it's the furthest he's ever been from home. When the film was released on DVD, Peter Jackson reviewed the scene frame by frame and found no car. However, in the supplemental materials for the extended edition of the film, editor John Gilbert states that a car was indeed present in the scene and was not removed from the frame because the filmmakers believed no one would notice. The car was removed from the frame for the DVD release. In later magazine publications, Jackson admits that a car could be seen in the frame when viewing the film in theaters.
• The end credits of the extended edition of the film last approximately 30 minutes, which is explained by the inclusion of many members of the official 'Lord of the Rings' fan club in the credits.
• The portraits hanging above the fireplace in Bag End are based on the appearance of Peter Jackson and Frances Walsh.
• Viggo Mortensen always kept Aragorn's sword with him, which, he said, helped him constantly stay in character.
• When Frodo falls into the snow and loses the ring, the viewer sees a close-up of the ring with Frodo in the background. To achieve the effect of dual focus, a huge ring was made (6 inches (approximately 15 centimeters) in diameter, which was used to film this episode.
• The scream of the Black Riders belongs to Frances Walsh.
• Filming often took place in remote locations, to which the film crew and actors traveled by helicopter. Sean Bean (Boromir) is afraid of flying and therefore refused to fly. To film the scene where the Fellowship crosses the snowy mountains, Bean spent two hours each day making the ascent, dressed as Boromir.
• During the filming of scenes on the Anduin River, Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davies fell out of their boats.
• Peter Jackson filmed many scenes exactly as they appeared in the animated adaptation of 'The Lord of the Rings' (1978).
• Gollum in this film differs from Gollum in subsequent films, as the scenes with Gollum for 'The Fellowship of the Ring' were filmed based on an early design. Gollum is shown briefly, partially due to discrepancies with his appearance in later films, and partially to build anticipation for the sequels.
• The reels with the theatrical copies of the film were labeled 'Changing Seasons'.
• Initially, Peter Jackson wanted British actors to play the hobbits.
• Viggo Mortensen became so immersed in the role that Peter Jackson would address him as Aragorn during conversations, and Viggo didn't even notice.
• During filming, Christopher Lee broke his left arm after hitting a door in a hotel.
• During Bilbo's birthday party, you can spot Pippin playing the guitar.
• Dominic Monaghan originally auditioned for the role of Frodo.
• Jake Gyllenhaal auditioned for the role of Frodo.
• Peter Jackson initially wanted Lucy Lawless to play Galadriel and Uma Thurman to play Arwen. However, both actresses became pregnant, and the roles went to Cate Blanchett and Liv Tyler respectively.
• The butterfly that Gandalf whispers to was born shortly before filming began and died some time after the scene was shot.
• Dominic Monaghan had hay fever while filming the scene in the cornfield.
• When Bilbo finds the ring at the beginning of the film, Gollum shouts 'My precious!', but Andy Serkis was not on set, so Dominic Monaghan had to shout the line.
• During the birthday party, Bilbo delivers a short speech. While filming shots of the reactions of the numerous hobbits gathered at the party, it was not Ian Holm who delivered the speech, but Dominic Monaghan.
• When Pippin asks about second breakfast, he gets hit on the head with an apple. Viggo Mortensen threw apples at Billy Boyd. 16 takes were filmed. According to Billy, Viggo thoroughly enjoyed himself while filming this scene.
• Andy Serkis, who played Gollum, voiced the Black Riders before they reached the Shire, before Gandalf's return, and when Arwen rides with Frodo.
• During the Council of Rivendell, when Boromir says the Ring should be taken to Gondor, the Gondor musical theme plays in the background. In 'The Return of the King,' when the heroes arrive in Gondor, the same music plays in orchestral arrangement. According to Howard Shore, he did not originally intend to develop the background music in Rivendell into a full-fledged Gondor main theme.
• Ian McKellen teased Ian Holm, saying that in Bilbo’s makeup, he resembled Judi Dench’s mother.
• The line "Nobody throws a dwarf" was added to the film after Gimli says "Toss me" in *The Two Towers* (2002).
• Lani Jackson stood in for Liv Tyler in fight scenes that were cut from the film. Jackson also played various Orcs in the trilogy.
• The title of the film is spoken in each installment of the trilogy. In this film, Elrond says: “So it is done. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring.”
• After much deliberation, it was decided to add a prologue to the beginning of the film. The creators decided to add the prologue only during post-production. When Peter Jackson flew to London to record the film’s music, he received instructions from the studio to add the prologue. Therefore, while Howard Shore was working on the music, Peter Jackson and John Gilbert (the editor) assembled footage for the prologue from a vast amount of material that had previously been removed from the film.
• Costume designer Ngila Dickson tried to follow J.R.R. Tolkien’s descriptions literally when creating costumes for the characters.
• Ian Holm was Peter Jackson's initial choice for the role of Bilbo.
• Every actor in the film wore a wig.
• After filming wrapped, Viggo Mortensen bought Arwen's horse and gifted it to Liv Tyler's stunt double.
• Peter Jackson can be spotted outside the 'Prancing Pony' holding a carrot. He was originally supposed to be holding a pipe, however, after a few puffs, he felt unwell, and the pipe was replaced with a carrot.
• On his first day on set, Viggo Mortensen filmed the scene of the fight with the Black Riders at Weathertop. Moreover, it was here that Mortensen first held a sword on screen.
• Sean Bean read Boromir's speech at the Council of Rivendell from a piece of paper he had on his lap, as he received the text the night before filming.
• During the filming of the battle scene between Gandalf and the Balrog, Ian McKellen’s scene partner was a table tennis ball.
• When Liv Tyler was offered the role in the film, she had not read any of Tolkien’s books. However, to prepare for the role, she read the books and learned some Elvish.
• Orlando Bloom was cast as Legolas two days after he graduated from drama school.
• All scenes featuring Cate Blanchett were filmed in one month.
• Before filming began, it was necessary to determine whether it was possible to realistically recreate battles involving thousands of warriors using special effects. Peter Jackson invested his own money in the development of a computer program.
• It took Orlando Bloom two months to learn how to use a bow and arrow.
• Elijah Wood never wore a full mithril chainmail during filming, only the upper part of it.
• Ian McKellen hadn't read the books when he was offered the role. McKellen agreed to star in the film only because of Peter Jackson's enthusiasm.
• Rick Porras's (one of the producers) wedding ring served as a model for creating the One Ring.
• Weta Studio created approximately 45,000 props for the film.
• Costume designer Ngila Dickson made around 19,000 costumes for the film.
• Viggo Mortensen joined the cast while filming had already begun. Before that, he had never met Peter Jackson and hadn't read Tolkien's books. Viggo's eleven-year-old son convinced him to take on the role of Aragorn.
• The musical Elvish theme originally appears in 'Dogma' (1999), for which Howard Shore also composed the music.
• Warwick Davis, Timothy Spall, and Robert Trebor auditioned for the role of Gimli.
• Robert Atkins Downes and Jason Carter auditioned for the role of Aragorn.
• According to Total Film magazine (November 2005), the Lord of the Rings trilogy ranked 9th on the list of '100 Greatest Films of All Time'.
• When Bilbo prepares tea for Gandalf, he mentions cold chicken and pickled cucumbers, which is a quote from The Hobbit.
• According to the American Film Institute in 2007, the film ranked 50th on the list of 'Greatest Films of All Time'.
• The film contains close-ups of fingers fiddling with the ring. While some shots show well-maintained nails, others show nails that have been bitten quite short. It is on these shots that the hands of Elijah Wood are present, who has a habit of nail-biting.
• Sean Connery was invited to play the role of Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He was offered a fee of $10,000,000 and 15% of the box office receipts for all parts. After briefly familiarizing himself with the role in the original source material, and failing to understand the point of the film, he declined. Thus, he missed out on over $300,000,000.
• The nighttime cries of opossums were used as the screeches of goblins in the caves of Moria.
• When Arwen flees from the Dark Riders, she utters the incantation: “Nîn o Chithaeglir lasto beth daer; rimmo nîn Bruinen dan in Ulaer” (Waters of the Misty Mountains, heed the great word, turn the rushing waters against the servants of the Ring).
• At the time of filming the scene where the Fellowship mourns the death of Gandalf, none of the actors of the Fellowship had yet met Ian McKellen or seen him in Gandalf's costume.
• In the scene where Boromir is buried in a boat, a silicone dummy of Sean Bean was used.
• The film is based on the novel The Lord of the Rings (1954-1955) by J.R.R. Tolkien.
• Ian Holm, who played Bilbo Baggins, voiced Frodo Baggins in the BBC Radio adaptation of The Lord of the Rings in 1981.
• Eight of the nine members of the Fellowship got a tattoo of the Elvish symbol '9'. Elijah Wood has the tattoo on his lower abdomen, Sean Astin and Billy Boyd on their ankles, Orlando Bloom on his forearm, and Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, and Sean Bean on their shoulders. John Rhys-Davies refused to get a tattoo. Peter Jackson also got a tattoo of the Elvish symbol '10'.
• The filmmakers went to great lengths to attract two artists who had created illustrations for Tolkien's works – Alan Lee and John Howe. Lee received a package containing Peter Jackson's film Heavenly Creatures (1994), along with a letter outlining his intentions for the film. Just three hours after receiving the package, Lee agreed to participate. Producers called John at his home in Switzerland. Due to the time difference, John was woken up at 2 a.m., but despite the late hour, he agreed to join the project.
• Two sets were built for Bilbo Baggins' house: the first was standard size, and the second was one-third smaller than the first, reaching the height of Ian McKellen.
• Despite receiving a 'PG' rating in the UK, the film included a special title card stating that it contained scenes that may be unsuitable for children. Following 'Jurassic Park' (1993) and 'The Lost World: Jurassic Park' (1997), 'The Fellowship of the Ring' became the third film in history to receive such a title card.

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