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 winsAll 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
Biofilms: the matrix revisited — Trends in Microbiology, 2004
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 1999 as a genre-redefining event, blending cyberpunk philosophy with action choreography that reshaped Hollywood spectacle for a generation. Directed by the Wachowskis, it introduced bullet time and a dense mythology of simulated reality, drawing both mainstream audiences and cult devotion. Its influence extended into fashion, visual effects, and philosophy courses alike, cementing its place as one of the defining studio productions of its decade, a rare case where a blockbuster became a cultural touchstone still referenced decades later.
This 35mm cell preserves a moment featuring Agent Jones and Agent Smith, two of the sentient programs enforcing order within the Matrix. Smith in particular stands as the franchise's most collected figure, the recurring antagonist whose calm menace anchors the series across its sequels. A pairing with Jones suggests the agents functioning together as a unit, part of the film's recurring visual grammar of pursuit and control. For collectors, frames holding these enforcers represent the machinery of the Matrix itself, a tangible artifact from the story's original architecture of surveillance and threat.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of The Matrix (1999).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by 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 missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the lower edge beside the picture, appearing as a dual bilateral variable-area pattern; a band of dense digital data blocks consistent with Dolby Digital is also visible between the optical track and the perforations on the lower edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base shows a warm amber-brown tint consistent with a colour dye image; no obvious red shift or significant fading is apparent.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible running through the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, and the content is consistent with a live-action production matching the film on record.
Era check
The combination of a dual bilateral variable-area optical track alongside Dolby Digital data blocks between perforations is consistent with a theatrical release print from the late 1990s, matching the 1999 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 000063836
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
