National Film RegistryLibrary of Congress · Inducted 2019
“A hilarious, in-your-face, bawdy-yet-provocative look at two sardonic young slackers (Dante and Randal). One toils as a New Jersey convenience store clerk while his alter-ego video store friend works when the mood strikes him.”
Selected for preservation as culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.
Directed by
Kevin Smith
Studio
Miramax · View Askew Productions · 92 min
Box office
$3.2M worldwide on a $28K budget
Honors
Sundance Filmmaker Trophy Dramatic — 1 winAll 1 wins · 0 nominations on record
Sources: Wikidata · Library of Congress · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Clerks arrived in 1994 as a black-and-white微-budget landmark, shot by Kevin Smith on credit cards and convenience store night shifts, then picked up by Miramax for wider release. It became a defining text of American independent cinema in that decade, proving that dialogue, character, and observational comedy could carry a feature without gloss or spectacle. The film's DIY origin story is as celebrated as its script, and it helped launch the View Askewniverse that would follow.
This cell centers on Quick Stop Groceries, the counter and storefront that anchors the entire film, with Dante Hicks, Randal Graves, and Silent Bob present as the trio most associated with that setting. Dante's reluctant shift, Randal's restless commentary, and Silent Bob's quiet presence together define the shop's atmosphere and the film's comic backbone. For collectors, this grouping represents the heart of Clerks itself, the location where its humor and friction were built, making it a natural focal point for anyone assembling pieces tied to the film's identity.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Clerks (1994).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no visible tearing or deformation.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a dual-band waveform consistent with a stereo variable-area print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers clearly.
Base & colour
Base appears neutral to very slightly warm; the black-and-white dye image shows good silver density with no visible fading or colour shift.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive black-and-white image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, and the black-and-white photographic style is consistent with Clerks (1994).
Era check
The dual variable-area optical soundtrack, black-and-white positive image, and neutral safety base are all consistent with a mid-1990s theatrical release print of Clerks (1994).
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 000063067
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
