New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson fulfills his lifelong dream of transforming author J.R.R. Tolkien's best-selling \fantasy \epic into a three-part motion picture that begins with this holiday 2001 release. Elijah Wood stars as Frodo Baggins, a Hobbit resident of the medieval "Middle-earth" who discovers that a ring bequeathed to him by beloved relative and benefactor Bilbo (Ian Holm) is in fact the "One Ring," a device that will allow its master to manipulate dark powers and enslave the world. Frodo is charged by the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) to return the ring to Mount Doom, the evil site where it was forged millennia ago and the only place where it can be destroyed. Accompanying Frodo is a fellowship of eight others: his Hobbit friends Sam (Sean Astin), Merry (Dominic Monaghan), and Pippin (Billy Boyd); plus Gandalf; the human warriors Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Boromir (Sean Bean); Elf archer Legolas (Orlando Bloom); and Dwarf soldier Gimli (John Rhys-Davies). The band's odyssey to the dreaded land of Mordor, where Mount Doom lies, takes them through the Elfish domain of Rivendell and the forest of Lothlorien, where they receive aid and comfort from the Elf princess Arwen (Liv Tyler), her father, Elrond (Hugo Weaving), and Queen Galadriel (Cate Blanchett). In pursuit of the travelers and their ring are Saruman (Christopher Lee) -- a traitorous wizard and kin, of sorts, to Gandalf -- and the Dark Riders, under the control of the evil, mysterious Sauron (Sala Baker). The Fellowship must also do battle with a troll, flying spies, Orcs, and other deadly obstacles both natural and otherwise as they draw closer to Mordor. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) was filmed in Jackson's native New Zealand, closely followed by its pair of sequels, The Two Towers (2002) and The Return of the King (2003). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Elijah Wood - Frodo Baggins
Ian McKellen - Gandalf
Ian Holm - Bilbo Baggins
Viggo Mortensen - Aragorn
Sean Bean - Boromir

2001	Best Editing (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	John Gilbert
2001	Best Director (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Peter Jackson
2001	Best Costume Design (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Richard Taylor
2001	Best Costume Design (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Ngila Dickson
2001	Best Cinematography (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Andrew Lesnie
2001	Best Art Direction (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Dan Hennah
2001	Best Art Direction (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Grant Major
2001	Best Adapted Screenplay (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Peter Jackson
2001	Best Adapted Screenplay (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Philippa Boyens
2001	Best Adapted Screenplay (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Fran Walsh
2001	Best Composer (winner)	Broadcast Film Critics Association	Howard Shore
2001	Best Song (winner)	Broadcast Film Critics Association	Enya
2001	Best Music Score (winner)	Los Angeles Film Critics Association	Howard Shore
2001	Best Production Design (Runner-up) (winner)	Los Angeles Film Critics Association	Grant Major
2001	Best Adapted Screenplay (nominee)	Writers Guild of America	Fran Walsh
2001	Best Adapted Screenplay (nominee)	Writers Guild of America	Philippa Boyens
2001	Best Adapted Screenplay (nominee)	Writers Guild of America	Peter Jackson
2001	Best Director (nominee)	Directors Guild of America	Peter Jackson
2001	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic (winner)	Screen Actors Guild	Ian McKellen
2001	Best Editing (nominee)	British Academy of Film and Television	John Gilbert
2001	Best Costume Design (nominee)	British Academy of Film and Television	Ngila Dickson
2001	Best Production Design (nominee)	British Academy of Film and Television	Grant Major
2001	Best Cinematography (nominee)	British Academy of Film and Television	Andrew Lesnie
2001	Best Film Music (nominee)	British Academy of Film and Television	Howard Shore
2001	Best Actor (nominee)	British Academy of Film and Television	Ian McKellen
2001	Best Adapted Screenplay (nominee)	British Academy of Film and Television	Peter Jackson
2001	Best Adapted Screenplay (nominee)	British Academy of Film and Television	Philippa Boyens
2001	Best Adapted Screenplay (nominee)	British Academy of Film and Television	Fran Walsh
2001	Best Director (winner)	British Academy of Film and Television	Peter Jackson
2001	Best Picture (winner)	British Academy of Film and Television	Tim Sanders
2001	Best Picture (winner)	British Academy of Film and Television	Barrie M. Osborne
2001	Best Picture (winner)	British Academy of Film and Television	Peter Jackson
2001	Best Original Song (nominee)	Golden Globe	Enya
2001	Best Original Score (nominee)	Golden Globe	Howard Shore
2001	Best Director (nominee)	Golden Globe	Peter Jackson
2001	Best Director (nominee)	Broadcast Film Critics Association	Peter Jackson
2001	Best Composer (nominee)	American Film Institute	Howard Shore
2001	Best Digital Effects (winner)	American Film Institute	Jim Rygiel
2001	Best Production Design (winner)	American Film Institute	Grant Major
2001	Best Picture (winner)	American Film Institute	Tim Sanders
2001	Best Picture (winner)	American Film Institute	Fran Walsh
2001	Best Picture (winner)	American Film Institute	Peter Jackson
2001	Best Picture (winner)	American Film Institute	Barrie M. Osborne
2001	Best Makeup (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Peter Owen
2001	Best Makeup (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Richard Taylor
2001	Best Score (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Howard Shore
2001	Best Song (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Enya
2001	Best Song (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Nicky Ryan
2001	Best Song (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Roma Ryan
2001	Best Picture (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Peter Jackson
2001	Best Picture (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Fran Walsh
2001	Best Sound (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Christopher Boyes
2001	Best Sound (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Michael Semanick
2001	Best Sound (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Gethin Creagh
2001	Best Sound (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Hammond Peek
2001	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Ian McKellen
2001	Best Visual Effects (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Jim Rygiel
2001	Best Visual Effects (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Randall William Cook
2001	Best Visual Effects (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Richard Taylor
2001	Best Visual Effects (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Mark Stetson
2001	Best Supporting Actress (winner)	National Board of Review	Cate Blanchett
2001	Special Achievement in Filmmaking (winner)	National Board of Review	Peter Jackson
2001	Best Production Design (winner)	National Board of Review	Grant Major
2001	Best Supporting Actor [Runner-up] (winner)	Toronto Film Critics Association	Ian McKellen
2001	Best Director [Runner-up] (winner)	Toronto Film Critics Association	Peter Jackson
2001	Best Original Score (winner)	Chicago Film Critics Association	Howard Shore
2001	Best Cinematography (winner)	Chicago Film Critics Association	Andrew Lesnie
2001	Best Cinematography (nominee)	American Society of Cinematographers	Andrew Lesnie

A tradition of excellence from New Line Home Video continues with the first release of 2001's \epic The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, a DVD that quite simply takes sound, and especially picture, to a new level. The image on this disc, framed at the original aspect ration of 2.35:1 (but also available in a separate severely cropped pan-and-scan version) is stunning. Stunning might not even be enough to describe how good it looks. The Oscar-winning cinematography is perfectly realized, with solid and deep blacks and lush, wonderfully saturated colors. The sound is equally impressive with a 5.1 EX Dolby Digital English track that is startling strong. Recorded loudly, this track will certainly put all sound systems to the test with vibrant use of the surrounds and deep bass. Also available are a surround track and subtitles in English. As for supplemental materials, they are a mixed bag. The focus is on three \documentaries, but there is far too much repetition among them. The longest, "A Passage To Middle-earth," at 40 minutes, is really the only one that needs to be watched, as all the information, from interviews to behind-the-scenes segments, are basically the same. A real plus are 15 featurettes taken from the original website for the film. Each lasts only a few minutes, but adds in its own distinct way. Also included is a music video from Enya, a preview of the video game for the second film, theatrical trailers and television spots, and a look at the four-disc special extended set, released three months after this two-disc set. In addition to some online DVD-ROM content is a ten-minute preview for the second film in the series, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Granted, there is a supplement-heavy special edition of this film (if you want a commentary track from director Peter Jackson, among others, better look for that one), but this release is still a outstanding presentation of a spectacular film. ~ Trent Fordham, All Movie Guide

These movies followed The Lord Of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring [Widescreen]...
	The Lord Of the Rings: The Two Towers [Fullscreen] (PG-13)
These movies cover the same subjects as The Lord Of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring [Widescreen]...
	The Hobbit (NR)
	The Lord Of the Rings (PG)
	The Dragon Chronicles the Maidens of Heavenly Mountains
	J.R.R. Tolkien: Master of the Rings - The Definitive Guide to the World of the Rings
These movies are similar to The Lord Of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring [Widescreen]...
	The Beastmaster (PG)
	The Dark Crystal (PG)
	Dragonslayer (PG)
	Excalibur (R)
	Legend [Collector's Edition] (R)
	The Neverending Story (PG)
	Zardoz (R)
	Merlin (NR)
	Willow (PG)
	Beowulf [Director's Cut] (NR)