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 expensive films ever produced, a Paramount and Twentieth Century Fox co-production directed by James Cameron. Its release became a cultural event, dominating box offices worldwide and sweeping the Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The film's blend of historical spectacle and romantic tragedy cemented it as a defining touchstone of 1990s cinema, and its home media and memorabilia have remained highly sought after in the decades since.
This cell centers on Caledon Hockley, portrayed by Billy Zane, the wealthy fiancé whose presence anchors the film's central conflict between old-money entitlement and the pull of new love aboard the doomed liner. Collectors gravitate toward Hockley material for the character's sharp narrative function as antagonist, a figure whose fortunes and choices shadow the story's romantic core. A 35mm cell bearing his name and likeness preserves a physical fragment of that thread, a tangible artifact from the film's continuous strip rather than a posed publicity still, valued for its direct link to the finished picture itself.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical 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
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, 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 continuous stripe.
Edge print
Not fully legible at this capture resolution; partial characters and numbers are visible along the edge but cannot be quoted with certainty.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-violet tint consistent with a colour print stock; dye image reads as warm-toned with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
Fine longitudinal lines consistent with projection wear are visible across the frame area; 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 variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital data blocks, and DTS timecode stripe is consistent with a mid-to-late 1990s theatrical release print, matching the 1997 release date of the film on record.
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 000062603
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
