Just a last comment of interest I didn’t have room for in my final paper. I argue that trailers use repetition not just to hammer advertising into our heads, but to signal genre placement for the upcoming film. In the case of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, it’s amazing how redundant the literary referents are. Not only is the whole thing based on Tolkien’s books with inter-titles that call the story legendary, but Sir Ian McKellen, Britain’s foremost Shakespearean actor, provides the voice-over narration. Additionally, Liv Tyler is featured disproportionately to her role in the film, as she is the ‘thinking man’s sex symbol.’ For a great film, it’s amusing how hard the trailer tries to justify itself as worthy of an intellectual audience.
The real end.