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, a Paramount and 20th Century Fox release directed by James Cameron that fused historical spectacle with a sweeping romance. Its box office run and Academy Award haul cemented its place as a defining cinematic event of the 1990s, and the film's blend of technical achievement and emotional storytelling continues to draw audiences and collectors back to it decades later.
This cell preserves the moment the film announces itself, the title card that opens the picture before a single character appears on screen. Collectors prize these frames because they mark the threshold between anticipation and story, a piece of film history untouched by performance or plot. As a 35mm artifact, it represents the physical print stock audiences once watched in theaters, a tangible link to how Titanic was originally experienced, and a natural centerpiece for anyone building a collection around the film's release.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm positive release print of Titanic (1997)
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds three frames
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with no torn or deformed holes visible
Soundtrack
Not visible in this capture; the area beside the picture frames is obscured by the curved edges of the strip
Edge print
Not visible in this capture
Base & colour
Base shows a blue-tinted clear polyester stock; dye image appears warm to neutral with no obvious fading or red shift
Projection history
No scratches, splice marks or cue marks are visible at this size
Picture
Positive image; all three frames show the same title-card composition, consistent with a title sequence from Titanic (1997)
Era check
The blue-tinted polyester base and clean perforation style are consistent with a late-1990s release print era, matching a 1997 theatrical 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 000062580
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
