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, part of a mid-2000s wave of grittier comic adaptations that leaned into revenge cinema rather than spectacle. Based on the Marvel antihero created in the 1970s, the film cast Thomas Jane as Frank Castle, a man who trades his identity for a mission of retribution after the murder of his family. It sits apart from the era's brighter superhero fare, favoring a harder, more brutal tone that has since made it a touchstone for fans who prefer their vigilantes without capes.
This cell carries Frank Castle himself, shown in his dual identity as the man and the Punisher, which makes it a natural draw for collectors tracing the character's screen history. The pairing of both names in one frame set points to the transformation at the heart of the story, the moment the grieving individual becomes the symbol audiences remember. A 35mm cell like this functions as a physical fragment of that narrative arc, prized less for spectacle than for its direct link to Castle's defining screen incarnation.
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 throughout the visible strip.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along one edge, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block pattern in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge, consistent with a dual-format optical release print.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote characters reliably.
Base & colour
The base carries a warm amber-golden tint overall; the dye image reads as a warm, slightly sepia-shifted positive, consistent with aged colour print stock.
Projection history
No obvious splice or cue marks are visible; faint longitudinal lines consistent with projection wear are present across the frame area.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, and the subject matter is consistent with an action feature of the stated title.
Era check
The combination of a variable-area optical track with apparent Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks is consistent with a theatrical release print from the early 2000s, 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 000064456
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
