Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex · Library of Congress. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Released by Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox in 1999, The Phantom Menace returned audiences to the Star Wars galaxy after a sixteen year absence from theaters. As the opening chapter of the prequel trilogy, it introduced a new generation to the saga's mythology, reintroducing Jedi lore, political intrigue, and the machinery of the Republic's fall, while breaking ground with its use of digital effects and expanded universe building.
This cell centers on Darth Maul, portrayed by Ray Park, the Sith apprentice whose arrival signaled the return of the dark side after a generation of silence. Collectors prize his image for the striking design work and the character's status as a fan favorite despite limited screen time. A 35mm cell bearing his likeness represents a physical fragment of that reintroduction, a tangible artifact from the moment the Sith stepped back into the light of the saga's ongoing story.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.
Gauge
35mm, 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 corners are rounded and cleanly cut.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, consistent with a dual bilateral or variable-area stereo configuration; Dolby Digital pixel blocks appear present in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote characters.
Base & colour
The base carries a warm amber-to-neutral tint; the dye image shows rich colour saturation with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
Faint longitudinal lines are visible across the frame area, consistent with projection contact; no splices or cue marks are seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, and the subject matter is consistent with the film on record.
Era check
The combination of a variable-area optical track with Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks 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 000064078
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
