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, marking George Lucas's return to the saga after a sixteen-year absence and Twentieth Century Fox's reintroduction of the franchise to a new generation. As the opening chapter of the prequel trilogy, it set the stage for the fall of the Jedi Order and reignited a cultural phenomenon, bringing Star Wars back to theaters with new technology, new characters, and a new mythology built around the Skywalker bloodline.
This cell carries the name Darth Maul, the Sith apprentice whose debut in this film introduced audiences to a striking new adversary within the saga's mythology. Maul quickly became one of the most sought-after characters among collectors, prized for his role as the physical embodiment of the Sith's return after generations in hiding. A 35mm cell bearing his name preserves a piece of that introduction, a tangible link to the character's first cinematic appearance and the visual identity that made him an instant icon of the prequel era.
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.
Tap to enlarge
