The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, released in 2001, is an epic fantasy film helmed by director Peter Jackson. The screenplay was co-written by Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens, adapting the first volume of J. R. R. Tolkien’s 1954 novel *The Lord of the Rings*. It serves as the opening chapter of a three-film trilogy. Its large ensemble cast includes Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, and Andy Serkis. The narrative unfolds in Middle-earth, where the Dark Lord Sauron seeks the One Ring—a vessel containing a portion of his power—to reclaim his dominion. The Ring falls into the hands of the young hobbit Frodo Baggins. To prevent Sauron’s resurgence, Frodo and eight companions, collectively known as the Fellowship of the Ring, embark on a hazardous journey to Mount Doom in Mordor, the sole location where the Ring can be unmade. The film was financed and distributed by New Line Cinema, an American studio, but was entirely filmed and edited in New Zealand, Jackson’s homeland, in tandem with the trilogy’s other two installments.
The film premiered on December 10, 2001, at London’s Odeon Leicester Square, followed by a US release on December 19 and a New Zealand release on December 20. Critics and audiences lauded it as a landmark in filmmaking and a milestone for the fantasy genre, commending its visual effects, performances, direction, screenplay, musical score, and fidelity to Tolkien’s work. During its original theatrical run, it earned $868 million worldwide, ranking as the second-highest-grossing film of 2001 and the fifth-highest-grossing film ever at that time. Subsequent reissues have boosted its total to $897 million. Alongside its sequels, it is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. At the 74th Academy Awards, it received thirteen nominations, including Best Picture, and won for Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, Best Original Score, and Best Visual Effects. In 2007, the American Film Institute listed it among the 100 greatest American films, making it both the most recent and the only 21st-century release on that list. In 2021, the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the United States National Film Registry, citing i
- release_year
- 2001
- director
- Peter Jackson
- screenplay_by
- Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson
- based_on
- J. R. R. Tolkien's 1954 The Fellowship of the Ring
- production_company
- New Line Cinema
- filming_location
- New Zealand
- runtime
- Not specified in article
Lore & Background
The film premiered on 10 December 2001 at the Odeon Leicester Square in London and was released on 19 December in the United States and on 20 December in New Zealand. It was financed and distributed by American studio New Line Cinema, but filmed and edited entirely in Jackson's native New Zealand, concurrently with the other two parts of the trilogy. The film grossed $868 million worldwide during its original theatrical run, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 2001 and the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time at the time of its release. Following subsequent reissues, it has grossed $897 million.
Reader's Guide
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is widely recognized as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. It was acclaimed by critics and audiences, who considered it a landmark in filmmaking and an achievement in the fantasy film genre, with praise for the visual effects, performances, direction, screenplay, musical score, and faithfulness to the source material. At the 74th Academy Awards, it was nominated for thirteen awards, including Best Picture, winning for Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, Best Original Score, and Best Visual Effects. In 2007, the American Film Institute named it one of the 100 greatest American films in history, being both the most recent film and the only film released in the 21st century to make it to the list. In 2021, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.
Did You Know?
- Elijah Wood was the first actor cast, on 7 July 1999, and was selected from 150 actors who auditioned.
- The nine cast members playing the Fellowship got a tattoo of the Elvish symbol for the number nine, except John Rhys-Davies, whose stunt double got the tattoo instead.
- Sean Connery was approached for the role of Gandalf but did not understand the plot; Patrick Stewart turned it down as he disliked the script.
- The film was filmed and edited entirely in New Zealand, concurrently with the other two parts of the trilogy.
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