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 following years of anticipation and famously escalating costs. It went on to dominate the box office worldwide and swept the Academy Awards, becoming a defining cinematic event of the decade. Blending romance with disaster, the film introduced a new generation to the doomed ocean liner's story, anchored by two central performances that turned its leads into global stars. Its cultural footprint extended well beyond cinemas, into music, fashion, and home video collections for years afterward.
This cell centers on Jack Dawson, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, in the sketching moment that has become one of the character's most recognizable associations. Jack's identity as a free-spirited artist, unbound by the class conventions surrounding him, is central to his appeal, and this scene reflects that creative, intimate side of him. For collectors, frames tied to this particular sequence hold strong appeal, given how closely it is linked to the romance at the heart of the film. A 35mm cell like this preserves a physical fragment of that widely remembered scene, offering a tangible connection to one of the era's most celebrated productions.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm Dolby Digital release print of Titanic (1997).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds three complete frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the lower edge beside the picture area, appearing as two bilateral variable-area lines; a band of dense digital data blocks consistent with a Dolby Digital inter-perforation track is also visible in the lower edge region.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base shows a slight blue-violet tint consistent with a dyed safety base stock; the dye image appears warm with no obvious fading or colour shift.
Projection history
Light longitudinal lines are visible running the length of the strip, consistent with projection wear; no splices or cue marks are seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; the 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 a bilateral variable-area optical track, Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks, blue-tinted safety base, and colour positive image 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 000062605
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
