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 in December 1997 from Paramount and Twentieth Century Fox, directed by James Cameron on what was then the most expensive production in Hollywood history. It became a cultural phenomenon, dominating the box office for months and sweeping the Academy Awards with eleven wins including Best Picture. The film's blend of historical spectacle and romance made it one of the defining cinematic events of the decade, introducing a new generation to the story of the doomed ocean liner through the lens of a love story that would become iconic in its own right.
This cell preserves a moment shared by Rose DeWitt Bukater and Jack Dawson, the two central figures whose relationship carries the emotional weight of the film. Rose, a young woman constrained by her social station, and Jack, a free spirited artist, form a pairing that collectors seek precisely because their scenes together anchor the narrative's romantic core. A 35mm cell featuring both characters together represents a physical fragment of that connection, a single frame from the reel that carried their story to audiences worldwide, valued for the pairing itself rather than any single dramatic beat.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Titanic (1997).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no visible tearing or distortion.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along one edge, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data-block strip in the inter-perforation zone on the same edge; a DTS timecode line also appears present as a thin stripe beside the optical track.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote characters reliably.
Base & colour
Base shows a light blue-grey tint consistent with modern safety stock; dye image appears warm and well-saturated with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is visible across the frame area, consistent with a projected print; no splices or cue marks seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, consistent with a release print of Titanic (1997).
Era check
The combination of blue-tinted polyester safety base, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, DTS timecode stripe, and dual-format optical track is consistent with a mid-to-late 1990s major studio 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 000062591
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
