National Film RegistryLibrary of Congress · Inducted 2017
“James Cameron's epic retold the story of the great maritime disaster and made mega-stars of both its leads, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Their upstairs-downstairs romance transported the audience to another world and time via spectacular sweeping scenes in the bow of the ship and beyond.”
Selected for preservation as culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.
Directed by
James Cameron
Studio
Paramount Pictures · British Film Institute · 20th Century Studios · 195 min
Sources: Wikidata · Library of Congress · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Titanic (1997) arrived as one of the most ambitious productions of its decade, directed by James Cameron for Paramount and 20th Century Fox. Its blend of historical epic, romance, and disaster spectacle made it a cultural phenomenon on release, dominating box offices worldwide and sweeping the following year's Academy Awards. For many collectors, this era of filmmaking represents the last great stand of physical 35mm production before digital effects and distribution reshaped the industry, making surviving frame cells from the movie especially prized as artifacts of that transitional moment in cinema history.
This cell preserves the title card itself, the frame that opens the audience's journey into the film before a single character appears on screen. Title cards hold particular value for collectors because they mark the threshold moment of a picture, the formal announcement of the story about to unfold. As a piece of the film's identity rather than a scene from its narrative, this cell represents Titanic in its most iconic and immediately recognizable form, the name that has become synonymous with the film itself.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Titanic (1997).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge, evenly spaced; the punched holes appear cleanly cut with no visible tearing or distortion.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, consistent with a mono or stereo optical format; Dolby Digital data blocks appear present in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote alphanumeric key numbers or stock codes.
Base & colour
The base carries a cool blue-tinted dye image; no obvious red shift or fading is apparent.
Projection history
No visible splices, cue marks or heavy scratching are apparent; faint longitudinal lines are present, consistent with a projected print.
Picture
Positive image; the three frames appear to be consecutive title-card frames from the same shot, and the word TITANIC is legible, matching the film on record.
Era check
The combination of a variable-area optical track with Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks is consistent with a mid-to-late 1990s theatrical release print, which aligns with Titanic's 1997 release.
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 000062573
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
