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 from Lucasfilm and Twentieth Century Fox in the summer of 1999, the first new entry in the saga in sixteen years. Directed by George Lucas, it returned audiences to the galaxy far, far away and reintroduced the mythology through the eyes of a younger generation, blending groundbreaking digital effects with practical sets and costumes. Its release was a cultural event unmatched at the time, marking the beginning of the prequel trilogy and reshaping how blockbuster films were marketed and anticipated.
This cell centers on Queen Amidala, also known as Padmé, the young monarch of Naboo whose dual identity became one of the film's defining reveals. Collectors prize frames featuring her for the elaborate royal costuming and the character's central role in the plot's political intrigue. A cell bearing her name preserves a moment tied directly to her presence on screen, a fragment of the reel capturing the queen as she appears within the story, offered here as a physical piece of the film's original theatrical print.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour release print of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge; spacing appears even and the punched corners are rounded and cleanly cut.
Soundtrack
Not visible in this capture; the area beside the picture frames is obscured by the decorative border overlay.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears neutral to very slightly warm; dye image shows rich, saturated colour with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No scratches, splice marks or cue marks are visible at this size.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be the same or near-identical shot, consistent with a release print of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999).
Era check
The saturated colour positive image and four-perforation-per-frame layout are consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print from the late 1990s, matching 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 000064092
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
