Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex · Library of Congress. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace arrived in 1999 as George Lucas's return to the saga he began in 1977, released by 20th Century Fox after sixteen years away from the Star Wars universe. It reopened the franchise to a new generation and reignited one of cinema's most devoted fan bases, setting box office records and proving that the Skywalker mythology still commanded cultural gravity. As the first chapter of the prequel trilogy, it carries historical weight regardless of critical reception, marking a genuine turning point in blockbuster filmmaking and merchandising alike.
This cell isolates Qui-Gon Jinn, the Jedi Master whose calm authority and belief in the Force's living will set much of the prequel trilogy's philosophy in motion. As Obi-Wan's mentor and Anakin's first Jedi advocate, he is a foundational figure for collectors tracing the saga's spiritual lineage. A single-character 35mm cell like this one preserves him on his own terms, without surrounding cast, offering a clean frame of reference for those building a focused study of the character's screen presence within this film.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges look clean with no torn or deformed holes visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible below the picture area, appearing as a dual bilateral waveform strip running the full length of the strip; a thin digital timecode line consistent with a DTS track is also visible immediately above the optical track.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer text or key numbers.
Base & colour
The base shows a warm amber-tan tint in the clear areas; the dye image reads as a warm, slightly yellow-shifted positive consistent with a projected colour print.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible across the frame area, consistent with repeated projection through a gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, and the content is consistent with a live-action science-fiction feature matching the film on record.
Era check
The combination of dual bilateral variable-area optical track, DTS timecode line, four-perforation 35mm format, and warm polyester base stock is consistent with a theatrical release print from the late 1990s, matching the 1999 release of the film on record.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000030122
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
