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, a James Cameron production that became a cultural event and the highest grossing film of its time. It swept the Academy Awards, tying the record with eleven wins including Best Picture and Best Director. Blending a fictional romance with the historical sinking of the RMS Titanic, it fused old Hollywood spectacle with then new digital effects, cementing its place as a touchstone of late twentieth century cinema and a perennial favorite among collectors of studio era and blockbuster memorabilia alike.
This cell belongs to Brock Lovett, the modern day treasure hunter played by Bill Paxton, whose search for the Heart of the Ocean frames the entire film as memory and narrative device. Lovett serves as the audience's bridge into the past, his presence marking the transition from present day salvage operation to the unfolding tragedy and romance at the heart of the story. A cell built around this character appeals to collectors interested in the framing device itself, the character whose curiosity sets the whole tale in motion, distinct from the more romanticized leads typically sought after.
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 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 the lower edge beside the picture area, appearing as a two-track variable-area pattern with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block pattern in the inter-perforation gaps on the lower edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer text or key numbers.
Base & colour
Base shows a slight blue-cyan tint consistent with a colour print stock; dye image appears warm and well-saturated with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light horizontal scratching is visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; the 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 inter-perforation data blocks, blue-base colour print stock, and four-perforation 35mm format is consistent with a theatrical release print from the mid-to-late 1990s.
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 000062609
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
