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 and Marvel Enterprises, The Punisher brought Frank Castle's brand of vigilante justice to a new generation of moviegoers, arriving in an era when comic book adaptations were still finding their tone between camp and grit. Directed by Jonathan Hensleigh and starring Thomas Jane in the title role, the film leaned into hard-edged crime drama rather than spectacle, positioning itself as a revenge thriller first and a superhero picture second. It has since become a touchstone for fans who favor the character's darker, more grounded cinematic treatment.
This cell preserves a strip built around Frank Castle himself, alongside John Saint, placing the two men together in the same frame sequence. Castle remains one of the most collected figures in the Marvel film canon, prized for his singular focus on retribution rather than heroics. A pairing with Saint suggests a moment of direct confrontation or exchange between them, the kind of scene collectors seek out for its narrative weight within Castle's ongoing war. As a 35mm frame excerpt, it stands as a physical fragment of that story, a tangible link to the print struck for theatrical release.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm 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 each edge, evenly spaced; punching appears clean with no torn or deformed holes visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible on one edge, alongside what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block strip between the perforations on the lower edge, consistent with a dual-format optical release print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at readable resolution.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight cyan-blue tint typical of modern safety stock; dye image reads as neutral with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks seen.
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.
Era check
The Dolby Digital data block alongside a variable-area optical track, cyan-tinted safety base, and neutral dye image are all consistent with a mid-2000s theatrical release print.
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 000064419
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
