Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex · Library of Congress. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Released in 1999 by Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox, The Phantom Menace returned Star Wars to theaters after a sixteen year absence, reigniting a franchise that had reshaped popular cinema. As the first installment of the prequel trilogy, it introduced audiences to the Republic in its waning days of peace, exploring the political and personal roots of a saga already embedded in cultural memory. Its release was a cinematic event unlike any other of its decade, marked by anticipation few films have matched before or since.
This cell preserves a 35mm frame from that film, drawn from footage featuring Obi-Wan Kenobi alongside Qui-Gon Jinn. Kenobi stands among the most enduring figures in the Star Wars mythos, a Jedi whose arc spans generations of storytelling, and his pairing here with his master Qui-Gon reflects the mentor-apprentice bond that anchors much of the film's early narrative. Collectors seek these two together for that very connection, a physical trace of the relationship that shapes so much of what follows in the saga.
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 edges appear clean with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along one edge, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block strip and a DTS timecode line also present, consistent with a multi-format optical release print.
Edge print
Not clearly legible in this capture; text markings appear present along the edges but cannot be quoted with certainty.
Base & colour
Base appears neutral to very slightly warm; dye image shows strong, saturated colour with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks or prominent scratches are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the content is consistent with the film on record.
Era check
The combination of variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital data blocks, and DTS timecode line is consistent with a theatrical release print from the late 1990s, matching the 1999 release 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 000064093
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
