The Good: Unique, Very collectible, Probably the closest most of us will ever get to owning an AT-AT, Variety
The Bad: Comparatively poor investment
The Basics: In 1996, Lucasfilm offered pieces of the original film prints from The Empire Strikes Back and they remain a pretty cool collectible!
One need not read too many of my many, many reviews to know that I am a huge fan of the film The Empire Strikes Back, which is reviewed here! My earliest memory is sitting in the movie theater watching The Empire Strikes Back. Yup, the first thing I can recall in life is the Rebel forces getting their asses kicked by the AT-ATs on Hoth. That is why things like the AT-AT toy my wife got me (reviewed here!) make for such great gifts. It is also why I am the proud owner of a The Empire Strikes Back Authentic 70mm Film Originals Imperial Attack Edition Film Cel.
The Empire Strikes Back Authentic 70mm Film Originals Imperial Attack Edition Film Cel is most analogous to a trading card. The fundamental differences are that the The Empire Strikes Back Authentic 70mm Film Originals Imperial Attack Edition Film Cels are encased in a permanent plastic block and no two are absolutely identical. Lucasfilm released several Editions of the collectible film cels from Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi, each with several divisions of scenes so that collectors could try to get the part of the movie that was their favorite. The The Empire Strikes Back Authentic 70mm Film Originals Imperial Attack Edition Film Cels all feature film clips from the Battle of Hoth embedded in them.
For those unfamiliar with the concept of collectible film cels, the manufacturer of the film cels (in this case, Lucasfilm) takes a movie that has a following, chops up a print of the film and embeds the individual film frames in a larger case so that fans may own a part of the movie they love. The Empire Strikes Back Authentic 70mm Film Originals Imperial Attack Edition Film Cel is a 2 5/8” wide by 15/16” tall embedded in a plastic (maybe Lucite?) case that measures 7 ½” by 2 ¾” by 7/16”. The chamber that actually houses the film cel is (supposedly) filled with an inert gas to prevent the film cel from degrading. This is the industry equivalent to using deacified paper for trading cards to prevent yellowing. All film cels in the The Empire Strikes Back Authentic 70mm Film Originals Imperial Attack Edition Film Cel collection feature the same case with 3 AT-ATs on the front and a back that shows the variety of clips that might be found in the series. The collection that has the AT-ATs is number 3B in the series. The plastic casing is sealed on all four corners with heavy screws.
In its way, each The Empire Strikes Back Authentic 70mm Film Originals Imperial Attack Edition Film Cel is unique. In addition to having a film cel that could only be from a specific, individual frame of the movie, the film cels come with an individual number. So, for example, my The Empire Strikes Back Authentic 70mm Film Originals Imperial Attack Edition Film Cel features a film cel of a lone AT-AT firing off its chin guns and side cannons as it lumbers toward the Rebel base. On the back of the case, right next to the 3B that identifies the Edition and series, there is a unique number, in my case 6862. I suppose that makes these mildly more collectible.
Like trading cards, there is little that one can truly do with the The Empire Strikes Back Authentic 70mm Film Originals Imperial Attack Edition Film Cels. You buy them, find a way to display them and (if you’re investing) hope that it appreciates in value. The Empire Strikes Back Authentic 70mm Film Originals Film Cels were found at stores like Spencer’s back in the day and they were nowhere near as popular as Lucasfilm hoped they would be. As a result, most of them were clearance and could be found inexpensively for years. Even now, they have not appreciated.
I have a The Empire Strikes Back Authentic 70mm Film Originals Imperial Attack Edition Film Cel because I love the movie, AT-ATs and I like the idea of owning a piece of the movie, even though this did not come from the film’s negative. It’s still a neat conversation piece and as a collector of all things AT-AT, it makes for a nice addition to the collection. That said, I find it hard to recommend (in general) The Empire Strikes Back Authentic 70mm Film Originals Imperial Attack Edition Film Cels and I cannot imagine why anyone would try to collect one of each of the hundreds of shots which would define a complete collection.
For other Star Wars collectibles, please be sure to visit my reviews of:
Sideshow Collectibles 1:6 Princess Leia as Boushh Doll
Galoob Titanium AT-AT
2011 Jedi Master Yoda Hallmark ornament
6/10
For reviews of trading cards, please be sure to visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |
No comments:
Post a Comment