Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex · Library of Congress. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Released in 2004 by Lionsgate, this adaptation of Marvel's The Punisher arrived during a transitional period for comic book cinema, before the genre's later dominance at the box office. Thomas Jane starred as Frank Castle, with the film leaning into gritty crime drama and revenge-thriller conventions rather than traditional superhero spectacle. It found its audience through home video and cult appreciation, remembered as a hard-edged take on the character distinct from later franchise entries.
This cell preserves Howard Saint, the crime boss played by John Travolta and the architect of the tragedy that transforms Frank Castle into the Punisher. Saint's presence anchors the film's antagonist lineage, representing organized menace and the personal vendetta driving the entire narrative. Collectors seek out villain-centric cells like this one for their role in establishing stakes and consequence, particularly when the character in question sets the entire revenge plot into motion. A single-character 35mm frame offers a direct link to that pivotal dramatic engine.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour theatrical release print of The Punisher (2004)
Gauge
35mm, 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
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data-block strip in the inter-perforation zone on the opposite edge
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text
Base & colour
The base shows a warm amber-gold tint on the lower strip edge; the image area reads as a colour positive with no obvious red shift or fading
Projection history
No splices, cue marks or prominent scratches are visible 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 a 2004 feature film
Era check
The combination of a variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, and colour positive stock on an amber-tinted base is consistent with a mid-2000s theatrical release print, matching the 2004 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 000064389
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
