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 return to the galaxy after a sixteen-year absence, produced under Lucasfilm and released by 20th Century Fox. It reignited the franchise for a new generation, introducing audiences to a younger Republic era and setting up the fall that would follow across the prequel trilogy. As the first Star Wars film in over a decade, it carried enormous anticipation and remains a touchstone for collectors tracing the saga's expansion beyond the original films.
This cell brings together Yoda and Mace Windu, two senior members of the Jedi Council whose scenes together carry the weight of the Order's governance and foresight. Both characters are central to collector interest, representing wisdom and authority within the Jedi hierarchy. A pairing of these two suggests a moment of counsel or deliberation, the kind of exchange that defines their roles in the prequel era. As a frame drawn directly from the film's reel, it offers a physical link to that formative chapter of the saga's expanded mythology.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge; spacing appears even; corners are rounded and punches appear clean.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital pixel-block data strip occupying the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, and a DTS timecode line is also visible as a dashed line parallel to the track.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer text or key numbers.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight warm-amber tint consistent with a colour print stock; dye image reads as a warm, saturated positive with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light longitudinal scratches are visible running parallel to the film length on the base side; no splices or cue marks are seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with a theatrical release print of the film on record.
Era check
The combination of variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, and DTS timecode line is consistent with a late-1990s theatrical release print, 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 000064096
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
