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National Film Vault

OFFICIAL FILM AUTHENTICATION BY CROWN GRADING
A
AUTHENTIC
CROWN CERTIFIED
Film cell NFV-000001964 Tap to enlarge
MOVIEThe Matrix
SCENENeo and Trinity
FILM FORMAT35mm
YEAR1999
CERTIFICATE IDNFV-000001964
Film Record Public record
National Film RegistryLibrary of Congress · Inducted 2012

“A visionary and complex film, the science-fiction epic "The Matrix" employed state-of-the-art special effects, production design and computer-generated animation to tell a story—steeped in mythological, literary, and philosophical references—about a revolt against a conspiratorial regime.”

Selected for preservation as culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.
Directed by
Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Studio
Warner Bros. Entertainment · Village Roadshow Pictures · Silver Pictures · 136 min
Box office
$467.2M worldwide on a $63M budget
Honors
Academy Awards — 4 wins, 4 nominationsBritish Academy Film Awards — 2 winsSaturn Award — 2 wins
All 8 wins · 4 nominations on record
  • Academy Awards: Best Sound Editing
  • Academy Awards: Best Visual Effects
  • Academy Awards: Best Film Editing
  • Academy Awards: Best Sound
  • British Academy Film Awards: Best Sound
  • British Academy Film Awards: Best Special Visual Effects
  • Saturn Award: Best Director
  • Saturn Award: Best Science Fiction Film
Scholarship
Named in the title of 1 peer-reviewed work
Examples
Sources: Wikidata · Library of Congress · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.

FILM NOTES

The Matrix arrived from Warner Bros. in March 1999 and changed the vocabulary of American action cinema almost overnight. Written and directed by the Wachowskis, it fused cyberpunk philosophy with martial arts choreography and bullet time photography, becoming a touchstone of late nineties science fiction and a box office phenomenon that spawned two sequels and an enduring cultural footprint.

This 35mm cell preserves a frame pairing Neo, the reluctant hero played by Keanu Reeves, with Trinity, portrayed by Carrie-Anne Moss, the operative who first draws him into the truth about the Matrix. Their partnership anchors the trilogy's emotional core, making shared appearances of the two a natural focus for collectors tracing the arc of the franchise. As a physical artifact from the original release print, it stands as a tangible link to a film that reshaped how audiences understood the boundary between the real and the simulated.

Authentication Findings 8 checks

Consistent with a 35mm colour release print of The Matrix (1999).

Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no visible tearing or distortion.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along one edge, appearing as a dual bilateral variable-area pattern; a separate digital data track consistent with Dolby Digital pixel blocks is visible in the inter-perforation zone on the same edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight cool-neutral tint; dye image reads as a balanced colour positive with no visible red shift or fading.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks or prominent scratches are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames run consecutively as a single continuous shot, consistent with a release print of The Matrix (1999).
Era check
The combination of dual bilateral variable-area optical track and Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks is consistent with a 1999 theatrical release print era, when that combined soundtrack format was standard.
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 000063824
Original Film Capture As received
The film strip as photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size