Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex · Library of Congress. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace arrived in 1999 as George Lucas's long-awaited return to the galaxy, released by 20th Century Fox after a sixteen-year gap since Return of the Jedi. Produced through Lucasfilm, it introduced audiences to a new trilogy exploring the fall of the Republic and the origins of Anakin Skywalker, while reuniting them with the Jedi Order at the height of its influence. The film remains a touchstone of late-nineties blockbuster culture and a defining moment in the Star Wars saga's expansion.
This 35mm cell preserves Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, played by Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor, master and apprentice at the center of the film's Jedi storyline. Their pairing anchors the picture's exploration of duty, patience, and mentorship within the Order, and remains one of the most collected relationships in the franchise. A cell naming both together captures that bond directly, offering a physical fragment of the print tied to two of the saga's most enduring figures.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital theatrical release print of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean throughout the visible strip.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along the bottom edge, appearing as a dual bilateral variable-area pattern; a row of blue Dolby Digital data blocks is also visible between the perforations on the bottom edge, consistent with a Dolby Digital optical release print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer text or key numbers.
Base & colour
The base shows a slight blue-violet tint consistent with a dyed safety base stock; the dye image appears neutral with no obvious red shift or fading.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are apparent in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, consistent with a theatrical release print of the film on record.
Era check
The combination of a dual bilateral variable-area optical track and Dolby Digital data blocks in the perforation gaps is consistent with a 1999 theatrical release print, as this format 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 000064060
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
