Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex · Library of Congress. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
FILM NOTES
Released in 2004 through Lionsgate, this adaptation of Marvel's antihero arrived during a period when comic properties were still finding their footing outside the major studio system. Directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, it leaned into the character's roots as a vigilante drama rather than a traditional superhero spectacle, earning a devoted following among fans who appreciated its harder edge and practical stunt work. The film helped keep the Punisher's cinematic legacy alive between earlier and later screen attempts, cementing Thomas Jane's performance as a touchstone for the role among genre enthusiasts.
This cell preserves a frame of Frank Castle, the man who becomes the Punisher, a former soldier turned one man war against organized crime. Collectors seek out material tied to this character because his transformation from grieving family man to relentless enforcer is the emotional core of the franchise. A cell like this offers a physical fragment of that identity, a single frame drawn from the reel itself rather than a promotional reproduction, giving admirers of the character a tangible piece of the film's original theatrical print.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour release print of The Punisher (2004).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by 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 throughout the visible strip.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the bottom edge of the picture area, appearing as a dual bilateral variable-area pattern, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block pattern visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the lower edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote characters reliably.
Base & colour
The base shows a light cyan-green tint consistent with a colour print stock; the dye image appears neutral with no obvious red shift or fading.
Projection history
Light vertical scratch lines are visible running through all three frames, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with a release print of The Punisher (2004).
Era check
The combination of a cyan-base colour print stock, dual bilateral variable-area optical track, and apparent Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks is consistent with a theatrical release print from the early 2000s.
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 000064401
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
