Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Kill Bill: Volume 1 arrived in 2003 through Miramax, a Quentin Tarantino production that split what was originally shot as a single film into two volumes, this being the first. Its release marked a stylistic turning point for the director, blending martial arts cinema, spaghetti western framing, and anime influence into a revenge narrative built around a single wronged woman. The film was a commercial and critical event, cementing Uma Thurman's lead role as one of the defining action heroines of the decade and expanding Tarantino's reputation beyond dialogue driven crime films into genre pastiche on a larger canvas.
This cell centers on the Bride herself, the character at the heart of the entire saga, credited by that name rather than her given identity for much of the story. Collectors seek pieces tied directly to her because she is the throughline of both volumes, the figure around whom every other role orbits. A cell simply marked with her name, on 35mm stock from the original theatrical run, represents a foundational strip of the print, the kind of frame that anchors a collection built around character rather than scene.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003).
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 appear clean with no torn or deformed holes visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area; a second narrower track or digital data region appears present, consistent with a dual-format optical release.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
The base carries a light cyan-teal tint typical of modern safety stock; the dye image appears warm with no obvious red shift or fading.
Projection history
Fine longitudinal lines consistent with projection are visible across the frame area; no splices or cue marks are seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be the same or near-consecutive shot, and the content is consistent with a theatrical release print of the film on record.
Era check
The cyan-tinted polyester safety base, variable-area optical soundtrack format, and perforation style are all consistent with a 2003-era theatrical release print.
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 000062973
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
