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 from Paramount and Twentieth Century Fox as one of the most expensive productions of its time, directed by James Cameron and paired with a marketing campaign that made it a cultural event before release. It went on to dominate awards season and box office records alike, becoming a defining piece of late-1990s cinema and a touchstone for an entire generation's first encounter with epic romantic drama on film.
This 35mm cell preserves a moment shared between Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater, played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, whose performances anchored the film's emotional core and made both actors household names. The sketching scene sits among the story's quieter passages, a moment of intimacy and trust between two characters from opposite worlds. For collectors, a physical film cell from this sequence offers a tangible artifact tied directly to one of the era's most recognized cinematic pairings, a small frame carrying the weight of the larger story around it.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical 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 holes appear cleanly formed with no torn or deformed edges visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single bilateral track.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers, manufacturer text, or SAFETY FILM legend.
Base & colour
The base appears with a slight blue-violet tint consistent with a colour print stock; the dye image reads as warm-toned with no obvious red shift or fading.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks or prominent scratches are visible in this capture.
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
A single bilateral variable-area optical track on 35mm colour print stock is consistent with a mid-to-late 1990s theatrical release print, as Titanic (1997) was distributed in that format.
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 000062607
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
