Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex · Library of Congress. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
FILM NOTES
The Punisher arrived in 2004 through Lionsgate and Marvel Enterprises, a harder-edged attempt at bringing Frank Castle's vigilante saga to the screen following the 1989 Dolph Lundgren version. Thomas Jane took the lead role, grounding the character in grief and methodical vengeance rather than spectacle, and the film found its audience among comic readers who wanted a grittier tone than the era's more polished superhero fare. It remains a touchstone for fans of Marvel's street-level properties, made before the studio system consolidated its output.
This cell pairs Frank Castle with Spacker Dave, placing the title character alongside a supporting figure from his orbit. Collectors of Punisher material prize frames that include Castle directly, since his presence anchors the value of any strip from this production. Spacker Dave's inclusion suggests a scene drawn from the film's civilian world, the ordinary lives that surround Castle's mission. Together the names point to a quieter beat in the story, a moment of connection rather than confrontation, preserved here on 35mm as a physical trace of the finished picture.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical 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 with no torn or missing perforations visible.
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 pattern visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge; a DTS timecode stripe appears as a thin line along the same edge region.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base shows a slight cyan-blue tint consistent with a colour release print; the dye image appears neutral with no obvious red shift or fading.
Projection history
Light longitudinal lines consistent with projection are visible across the frame area; no splices or cue marks are seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, consistent with a theatrical release print of The Punisher (2004).
Era check
The combination of a colour positive base, variable-area optical track with Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, and DTS timecode stripe is consistent with a mid-2000s theatrical release print, matching the 2004 release date 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 000064417
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
