Ghosts of the Abyss (2003)

James Cameron and Bill Paxton, director and actor of the 1997 film Titanic, travel to the final undersea resting place of the ill-fated ship of dreams.

Director:

James Cameron

Stars:

Bill Paxton, Lori Johnston, Lewis Abernathy

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bill Paxton	...	Himself
John Broadwater	...	Himself (as Dr. John Broadwater)
Lori Johnston	...	Herself (as Dr. Lori Johnston)
Charles Pellegrino	...	Himself (as Dr. Charles Pellegrino)
Don Lynch	...	Himself / Thomas Andrews
Ken Marschall	...	Himself / J. Bruce Ismay
James Cameron	...	Himself
Mike Cameron	...	Himself
Jeffrey N. Ledda	...	Himself
Corey Jaskolski	...	Himself
Jason Paul	...	Himself
Eric Schmitz	...	Himself
Genya Chernaiev	...	Himself
Victor Nischeta	...	Himself
Anatoly M. Sagalevitch	...	Himself (as Dr. Anatoly Sagalevitch)

Storyline

Academy Award® winning director and master storyteller James Cameron journeys back to the site of his greatest inspiration, the legendary wreck of the Titanic. With a team of the world's foremost historic and marine experts and friend, Bill Paxton, he embarks on an unscripted adventure back to the final grave where nearly 1,500 souls lost their lives almost a century ago. Using state-of-the-art technology developed expressly for this expedition, Cameron and his crew are able to explore virtually all of the wreck, inside and out, as never before. With the most advanced 3D photography, moviegoers will experience the ship as if they are part of the crew right inside the dive subs. In this unprecedented motion picture event, made especially for IMAX 3D Theatres and specially outfitted 35mm 3D theaters across the country, Cameron and his team bring audiences to sights not seen since the sinking 90 years ago and explore why the landmark vessel, more than any shipwreck, continues to intrigue...

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Plot Keywords:

titanic | shipwreck | expedition | imax | u boat | 

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Taglines:

The legend no one can forget has become the greatest 3D adventure ever filmed.

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Genres:

Documentary | Family

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 April 2003 (UK)

Also Known As:

A Titanic szellemei

Filming Locations:

Fox Baja Studios, Rosarito, Baja California Norte, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,408,474, 13 April 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$17,093,668

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$28,780,668

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, Walden Media, Earthship Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min (Blu-ray extended special edition)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS Sonics-DDP (IMAX version)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film has the odd distinction of being James Cameron's only theatrically released film since his first, Piranha Part Two: The Spawning, to not have a title that starts with the letters A or T.

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Goofs

The fourth funnel is shown falling backwards when the ship breaks in two in the sinking simulation. It would do no such thing. It would fall forward like the other funnels. This is also seen in the "final plunge" montage with the photographs of the passengers who perished in the disaster superimposed in front of the footage of the ship sinking from the movie Titanic.

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Alternate Versions

The German version was shortened down to 43 minutes running time so that it will fit into the standard screening schedule of the local IMAX theatres, i.e. an IMAX film must not run longer than 45 minutes so that it is possible to start a screening every hour.

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Connections

Featured in Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron (2012)

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Soundtracks

Underwater Waltz
Written and Performed by Anatoly M. Sagalevitch (as Dr. Anatoly Sagalevitch)

User Reviews

Now He's Really "King of the (Water) World!"

Director James Cameron scored, against all odds (and his swarm of nervous auditors) a huge success with "Titanic." Not as artistically strong as several predecessor films about the legendary disaster it rocked the box office boat as new generations of Titanic enthusiasts and curious folk flooded the theaters.

Personally fascinated by the tale of the doomed April 1912 maiden voyage of the era's seaborne tribute to Mammon, with its unsolved mysteries - technical and human - Cameron dives to the wreck site in this 3-D stunning documentary, "Ghosts of the Abyss."

RMS Titanic's grave was discovered by Robert Ballard, the foremost maritime archeologist working today. Using the then latest technology he first located the wreck and then filmed it with "Alvin," a submersible of amazing capability. But today ""Alvin" is to underwater exploration and technology what a typewriter is to a PC. Basing his expedition on a Russian research vessel, Cameron takes to the depths and launches "Jake" and "Elwood," two camera-equipped robots that can be guided from the mother ship's two submersibles through the interstices of the sprawling Titanic. These robots can and are guided through spaces no person could maneuver in, even at shallow depths.

Cameron's intense nature masked by good humor comes clearly across as actor Bill Paxton narrates much of the film. Paxton doesn't seem to be acting as he seeks multiple reassurances from the Russian crew man operating the descending sub that there are ways to escape if something goes wrong.

"Jake" and "Elwood" capture scenes from the ship no previous expedition could. At one point the viewer is staring up front at a bathroom mirror with water jug and glass eerily standing exactly where the stateroom's occupant left it before the collision. The grand staircase is gone but its cavernous space is superimposed by scenes from Cameron's feature film, creating an almost scary sense of reality. Period music accompanies the changing scenes which alternate the brief life and long interment of the grand vessel.

This was a scientific expedition with microbiologists on board to assess the continuing and inevitable reduction of RMS Titanic to dust. But the bulk of the film deals with the evidence of life on the ship during its short journey and the story is told with verve.

This is a 3-D film that fully and beautifully exploits the medium and it's a deep sea outing for the whole family.

All that said, is there anything negative about "Ghosts from the Abyss?" There sure is: whatever the cost of 3-D cinematography it's a near crime to limit the end result to a mere 60 minutes!!

9/10.