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 independent feature shot on a shoestring budget, financed largely on credit cards by writer director Kevin Smith. Distributed by Miramax after a notable run through the festival circuit, it became a touchstone of nineties independent cinema, prized for its dialogue driven humor and convenience store setting. The film introduced the View Askewniverse and helped define a generation of low budget filmmaking, proving that sharp writing could outweigh production polish.
This cell centers on Jay and Silent Bob, the loitering duo who became the franchise's most recognizable pair. Jay, the motormouth, and Silent Bob, his wordless counterpart, anchor much of the film's comic rhythm outside the Quick Stop. Collectors seek this pairing because it represents the earliest appearance of characters who would recur throughout Smith's later work, making this an origin point piece rather than a later sequel callback. A frame holding both figures together captures the foundation of their dynamic as it first appeared on screen.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm monochrome positive release print of Clerks (1994).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds two frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both visible edges; spacing appears even and the punched holes appear cleanly cut with rounded rectangular profiles.
Soundtrack
Not visible in this capture; the area beside the picture frame that would carry a soundtrack is obscured by the black rebate and image framing.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture; no legible key numbers, manufacturer text, or SAFETY FILM legend can be read.
Base & colour
The base appears with a slight cyan-green tint typical of modern safety stock; the dye image reads as neutral black-and-white silver, consistent with a monochrome print.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are apparent in this capture.
Picture
Positive black-and-white image; both frames appear to be consecutive frames from the same shot, consistent with a monochrome release print of Clerks (1994).
Era check
A monochrome 35mm positive print on what appears to be a cyan-base safety stock is consistent with a mid-1990s theatrical release print of a black-and-white film such as 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 000063088
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
