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 under James Cameron's direction, becoming one of the most expensive productions of its time and a cultural phenomenon that swept the Academy Awards. Its blend of period spectacle, romance, and technical ambition redefined blockbuster filmmaking for a generation, and the film's massive commercial success cemented its place as a touchstone of 1990s cinema, still widely revisited decades later.
This cell centers on Jack Dawson, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and Fabrizio De Rossi, played by Danny Nucci, the two steerage passengers whose friendship anchors much of the film's early third-act warmth before the ship's fate takes hold. Collectors seek this pairing for the DiCaprio connection and for Nucci's supporting role, a partnership that represents camaraderie and hope aboard the Titanic. As a 35mm cell, it preserves a physical frame from the actual release print, a tangible artifact of the theatrical experience rather than a reproduction.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour release print of Titanic (1997).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched corners look clean and rounded.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block pattern visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the same edge.
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-grey tint consistent with a colour print stock; the dye image appears warm and stable 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 combination of a variable-area optical track with Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks is consistent with a mid-to-late 1990s 35mm 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 000062624
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
