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 through Paramount and Twentieth Century Fox as one of the most ambitious productions of its decade, directed by James Cameron on a scale rarely attempted before. Its release reshaped expectations for what a studio epic could achieve at the box office and in cultural reach, sweeping award ceremonies and becoming a reference point for romance paired with disaster on film. The pairing of a period setting with sweeping emotional stakes helped cement its place in the history of popular cinema, discussed and revisited for years after its debut.
This cell holds Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater, played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, whose performances anchor the film's enduring appeal. The moment named here marks a turning point in their story, the kind of scene collectors specifically look for since it distills the central romance into a single frame. A 35mm cell like this preserves a fragment of the theatrical print itself, a physical piece of the release rather than a reproduction, making it a tangible link to the picture's original run.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Titanic (1997).
Gauge
35mm; the strip holds three complete frames, with four perforations per frame visible on both the top and bottom edges.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched corners are rounded and cleanly formed throughout the visible strip.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the bottom edge beside the picture area, appearing as two bilateral variable-area lines with a Dolby Digital data block pattern visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the lower edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
The base shows a slight blue-violet tint consistent with a colour print stock; the dye image appears warm and well-saturated with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, and the subject matter is consistent with a theatrical release print of Titanic (1997).
Era check
The combination of bilateral variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, blue-tinted polyester base, and four-perforation 35mm format is consistent with a mid-to-late 1990s 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 000062585
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
