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, a Wachowski production that fused cyberpunk philosophy with groundbreaking visual effects and redefined action cinema for a generation. Its bullet time sequences, green-tinted digital world, and mind-bending premise about simulated reality made it an instant cultural touchstone, influencing everything from fashion to fight choreography in the decades since. The film's blend of Hong Kong action cinema, anime aesthetics, and philosophical inquiry into free will and perception cemented it as one of the defining blockbusters of its era, launching a franchise and countless imitators.
This cell captures Neo, the reluctant messiah figure played by Keanu Reeves, whose journey from office drone to liberator anchors the entire saga. "Armed" points to Neo in a state of readiness, weapons in hand, embodying the character's transformation into a capable combatant within the Matrix's rules-bent battlefield. For collectors, single-character strips centered on Neo hold particular value, representing the audience surrogate at the heart of the story. A 35mm cell like this preserves a fragment of that cinematic moment, a physical relic from the actual print that once ran through theater projectors.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of The Matrix (1999).
Gauge
35mm; the strip holds three frames, each showing four perforations on the visible top edge.
Perforations
Four per frame on the top edge; spacing appears even and the punched holes appear cleanly formed with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along the bottom edge, appearing as a dual bilateral variable-area pattern with a Dolby Digital data block strip also discernible in the inter-perforation zone.
Edge print
Top edge reads (mirrored) 'K 1999'; no additional key numbers or SAFETY FILM text are legible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-cyan tint consistent with a colour print stock; dye image reads as neutral with no visible red shift or fading.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible across all three frames, 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 shot and the subject matter is consistent with a 1999 theatrical release print of The Matrix.
Era check
The dual bilateral variable-area optical track combined with Dolby Digital data blocks between perforations is consistent with a 1999 theatrical release print, as that combination was standard for major studio releases of that period.
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 000063838
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
