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 one of the most anticipated releases in cinema history, a Lucasfilm production that returned George Lucas to the director's chair after sixteen years away from the saga. Released through 20th Century Fox, it introduced a new generation to the galaxy far, far away and reignited the franchise for the modern blockbuster era, breaking box office records and setting the stage for two more prequel installments.
This cell preserves a frame from the Multi-Troop Transport sequence, tied to the Trade Federation's invasion of Naboo. The MTT stands as one of the film's signature war machines, a vehicle collectors prize for its role in the droid army's ground assault. As a piece of 35MM film history, this frame represents a physical fragment of the actual print struck for theatrical exhibition, a tactile connection to opening week screenings and the visual vocabulary Lucas built for the prequel trilogy's military hardware.
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.
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