Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Universal Pictures released The Fast and the Furious in the summer of 2001, a modest studio production that became a cultural spark point for street racing cinema and launched one of the industry's most durable franchises. Built on a lean budget and a cast of then-rising names, the film's success reoriented action moviemaking toward car culture, practical stunt work, and ensemble crews rather than lone heroes. Its influence on sequels, spinoffs, and an entire genre of vehicular spectacle is difficult to overstate, making early artifacts from this production consistently sought after.
This piece pairs Brian O'Conner, played by Paul Walker, with Mia Toretto, played by Jordana Brewster, two figures whose relationship anchors much of the story's emotional throughline. Brian is the undercover cop drawn into the family he is meant to investigate, while Mia represents the personal stakes that complicate his mission. A cell naming these two together points to a shared scene central to that dynamic, the kind of pairing collectors prize for its narrative weight and its connection to Walker's early screen presence.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of The Fast and the Furious (2001).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched holes appear cleanly cut with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along one edge, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data-block strip in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, consistent with a dual-format optical release print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
The base shows a warm amber-gold cast across all three frames; dye image appears intact with no obvious fading.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, consistent with a theatrical release print of the film on record.
Era check
The combination of a variable-area optical track with Dolby Digital data blocks between perforations is consistent with a theatrical release print from the early 2000s, matching the 2001 release date 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 000062879
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
