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 arrived from Paramount and Twentieth Century Fox in December 1997, directed by James Cameron at a scale few studios would risk. It became a cultural phenomenon, sweeping the Oscars and holding the box office record for over a decade. Its success married old fashioned romantic spectacle with then-new digital effects, cementing Cameron's reputation and turning its two leads into defining stars of the era. The film's blend of disaster narrative and love story gave it lasting crossover appeal across generations of viewers.
This cell centers on Jack and Rose, the couple whose romance anchors the entire picture. Rose DeWitt Bukater, the young woman constrained by class expectations, and Jack Dawson, the wandering artist who draws her out of that world, remain the most sought after pairing among Titanic collectors. A 35mm strip naming them together points to the heart of the story itself, the bond between the two characters that the whole voyage turns around. For collectors, this pairing represents the emotional core the film is remembered for.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital theatrical release print of Titanic (1997).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds three complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with rounded rectangular shape, no torn or deformed holes visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along one edge, appearing as a dual bilateral variable-area pattern; a blue-tinted Dolby Digital data block stripe is visible in the inter-perforation zone on the opposite edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read alphanumeric key numbers or manufacturer text clearly.
Base & colour
Base shows a slight blue-grey tint consistent with a colour print stock; dye image appears warm-amber with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light longitudinal scratches are visible running parallel to the film length on the base side, consistent with projection through a gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with a release print of Titanic (1997).
Era check
The combination of dual bilateral variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, and warm-toned colour print stock 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 000062589
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
