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 1997 as a Paramount and Twentieth Century Fox co-production, directed by James Cameron on a scale rarely attempted before or since. Its release reshaped expectations for what a studio blockbuster could cost and earn, sweeping eleven Academy Awards and becoming a defining cultural event of the decade. The film's blend of historical spectacle and romance made it a touchstone for a generation of moviegoers, and its home media and reissues kept it firmly in the public eye for years afterward.
This cell preserves Jack Dawson, the film's romantic lead and one of Leonardo DiCaprio's most recognized roles. As a 35mm artifact, it represents a physical fragment of the actual release print, the kind of piece collectors seek to hold a tangible connection to the character's presence on screen. Jack Dawson stands as the film's emotional center, and any cell bearing his name carries the weight of that centrality within the larger story of Titanic itself.
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 below the picture area, appearing as two bilateral variable-area tracks, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block pattern visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the lower edge.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to quote text accurately.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-violet tint consistent with a colour print stock; dye image reads as warm and neutral with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks or significant scratches are visible; the surface appears consistent with a projected release print.
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 bilateral variable-area optical track combined with apparent Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks is consistent with a mid-to-late 1990s theatrical release print format used for Titanic (1997).
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 000062616
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
