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2003 documentary film directed by James Cameron

Ghosts of the AbyssTheatrical release posterDirected byJames CameronProduced by

John Bruno

James Cameron

Chuck Comisky

Janace Tashjian

Andrew Wight

Starring

Bill Paxton

James Cameron

Dr. John Broadwater

Dr. Lori Johnston

Cinematography

Vince Pace

D. J. Roller

Edited by

David C. Cook

Ed W. Marsh

Sven Pape

John Refoua
Music byJoel McNeelyProductioncompanies

Walden Media

Earthship Productions

Ascot Elite Entertainment Group

Golden Village

Telepool

UGC PH

Distributed by

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution (North America, United Kingdom)

Summit Entertainment (International)[1]

Release dates

March 31, 2003 (2003-03-31) (premiere)

April 11, 2003 (2003-04-11) (limited)

Running time61 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget$13 million[2]Box office$28.7

million[3]

Ghosts of the Abyss (also known as Titanic 3D: Ghosts of the Abyss[4][5]) is a 2003 American

documentary film produced by Walden Media. It was directed by James Cameron after his 1997 film

Titanic. During August and September 2001, Cameron and a group of scientists staged an

expedition to the wreck of the RMS Titanic and dived in Russian deep-submersibles to obtain more

detailed images than anyone had before. Using two small, purpose-built remotely operated vehicles,

the documentary offers glimpses into the Titanic wreck and, with CGI, superimposes the ship's

original appearance on the deep-dive images.

The film is narrated by actor Bill Paxton, who joined Cameron on the expedition and previously

played Brock Lovett in the 1997 film. The film premiered for IMAX 3D and was nominated for a

BFCA award for Best Documentary. The submersibles Mir 1 and Mir 2 carried the filming team on

12 dives.[6]
Plot[edit]

Director James Cameron returns to the site of the 1912 wreck of the RMS Titanic, aboard the

Russian research vessel Akademik Mstislav Keldysh with a team of history and marine experts, and

his friend Bill Paxton.[5] Cameron and the crew document the interiors and exteriors of the wreckage

using 3D technology designed for the documentary. While diving on September 11, 2001, the filming

crew hears about the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Afterward, they

compare and reflect on the tragedy of 9/11 with the tragedy of the Titanic.

Cast[edit]

Throughout the movie, there are re-enactments of events that are discussed that use CGI

recreations of the interior of the Titanic.

Don Lynch as Titanic's designer Thomas Andrews

Ken Marschall as White Star Line President J. Bruce Ismay

Miguel Wilkins as Qm. Robert Hichens

Federico Zambrano as John Jacob Astor IV

Dale Ridge as Elizabeth Lines

Judy Prestininzi as Molly Brown

Adrianna Valdez as Helen Churchill Candee

Justin Shaw as Wireless Officer Jack Phillips

Thomas Kilroy as Poker Player

Charlie Arneson as First Officer William Murdoch

Piper Gunnarson as Madeleine Astor

John Donovan as Captain Edward Smith

Janace Tashjian as Edith Russell

Jesse Baker as Second Officer Charles Lightoller

Justin Baker as Junior Wireless Officer Harold Bride

Aaron C. Fitzgerald as Lookout Frederick Fleet

Bill Paxton as the narrator

Release[edit]

The film was screened out of competition at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.[7]

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution handled distribution of the film in the United States and Canada

with sister company Buena Vista International handling UK distribution, both under the Walt Disney

Pictures banner. Summit Entertainment handled international sales of the film.[8]

Home media[edit]

The feature film on the DVD is 90 minutes long and is available in a two-disc edition and as the fifth

disc in the Titanic five-Disc Deluxe Limited Edition.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released the film on a three-disc Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and

DVD edition on September 11, 2012.[9][10]

Rolling Stone included the documentary in its 2012 list of the best 3D movies.[11]

Reception[edit]

Box office[edit]

The film grossed $17.1 million from a maximum release of 97 theaters in the United States. It also

grossed $11.7 million internationally, for a total worldwide gross of $28.8 million.[3]

Critical response[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2021)

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that the documentary earned 80% positive reviews

based on 102 reviews and an average score of 7.10/10. The website's critical consensus reads:

"The underwater footage is both beautiful and awe-inspiring."[12] On Metacritic, the film has an

average score of 67 out of 100 from 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[13]
Soundtrack[edit]

The official soundtrack's score was composed and conducted by Joel McNeely, and the

orchestrations were conducted by David Brown, Marshall Bowen, and Frank Macchia. The album

was also recorded and mixed by Rich Breen, edited by Craig Pettigrew, and mastered by Pat

Sullivan. The album was ultimately produced by James Cameron, Randy Gerston and Joel McNeely

and released by Disney's Hollywood Records label. Part of the film was filmed in St. John's,

Newfoundland, Canada.

Toad the Wet Sprocket lead singer and songwriter Glen Phillips contributed the opening track,

"Departure". James Cameron loved the band's 1991 track "Nightingale Song" but found Columbia

Records' licensing fee too high (it wanted over $5,000 for the use of the one minute he wanted to

use) so he contacted the band's management hoping they could re-record it for his film, only to find

they had broken up in 1998 and could not. However, during the negotiations Cameron asked if

Phillips would be interested in writing a new track in the spirit of the older song and "Departure" was

created. it was produced, mixed, and all instruments played by Phillips in his garage studio though

this was not credited in the CD booklet.

The closing track is Darkness, Darkness by Lisa Torban.

References[edit]

^ Poirier, Agnes (25 April 2003). "Ghosts of the Abyss". Screen International. Archived from the

original on 14 September 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.

^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-01-12. Retrieved

2016-10-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

^ a b "Ghosts of the Abyss ? Box Office Data". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 3

September 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2011.

^ "Titanic director revisits ship's wreck with hi-tech help". New Zealand Herald. March 19, 2005.

Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 9, 2012.

^ a b "Titanic 3D: Ghosts Of The Abyss (2003)". Yahoo! Movies. 2012. Archived from the original on

2011-02-28. Retrieved 2012-04-09.

^ "47218_GotAEGv15_A" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-08-12. Retrieved

2021-12-15.

^ "Festival de Cannes: Ghosts of the Abyss". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on

2011-08-21. Retrieved 2009-11-09.

^ Poirier, Agnes (25 April 2003). "Ghosts of the Abyss". Screen International. Archived from the

original on 14 September 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.

^ "Ghost of the Abyss 3D Blu-ray". www.stereoscopynews.com. Archived from the original on

2016-04-13. Retrieved 2016-05-06.

^ "James Cameron's Ghosts of the Abyss Blu-ray 3D Release Date and Details (Updated) ?

TheHDRoom". TheHDRoom. 2012-05-20. Archived from the original on 2013-03-09. Retrieved

2016-05-06.

^ "The Best and Worst 3D Movies". Rolling Stone. 23 November 2012. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
^ "Ghosts of the Abyss (2003)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on

25 July 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.

^ "Ghosts of the Abyss Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 15

November 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2021.

External links[edit]

Official website

Ghosts of the Abyss Educator's Guide by Walden Media

Ghosts of the Abyss at IMDb

Ghosts of the Abyss at AllMovie

Ghosts of the Abyss at Box Office Mojo

Ghosts of the Abyss at Rotten Tomatoes

vteJames Cameron

Filmography

Unrealized projects

Awards and nominations

Bibliography

Films directedFeature

Piranha II: The Spawning (1982)

The Terminator (1984)

Aliens (1986)

The Abyss (1989)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

True Lies (1994)

Titanic (1997)
Avatar (2009)

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Avatar 3 (2025)

Avatar 4 (2029)

Short

Xenogenesis (1978)

T2-3D: Battle Across Time (1996)

Documentaries

Expedition: Bismarck (2002)

Ghosts of the Abyss (2003)

Aliens of the Deep (2005)

Films written

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)

Strange Days (1995)

Alita: Battle Angel (2019, also produced)

Terminator: Dark Fate (2019, also produced)

Produced only

Solaris (2002)

TV series producedSeries

Dark Angel (2000?02)

True Lies (2023)

Documentaries

Years of Living Dangerously (2014)

Secrets of the Whales (2021)

Secrets of the Octopus (2024)

Related articles

Lightstorm Entertainment
Digital Domain

Deepsea Challenger

Pristimantis jamescameroni

The Abyss: Incident at Europa

Category

vteTitanic

First class facilities

Second and Third class facilities

Grand Staircase

Animals aboard

Sinking

Iceberg that sank the Titanic

Changes in safety practices

Lifeboats

Lifeboat No. 1

British inquiry

United States inquiry

Wreck of the Titanic

Legends and myths

Conspiracy theories

Deck officers

Edward J. Smith (Captain)

Henry Tingle Wilde (Chief Officer)

William McMaster Murdoch (First Officer)

Charles H. Lightoller (Second Officer)

Herbert Pitman (Third Officer)

Joseph G. Boxhall (Fourth Officer)

Harold G. Lowe (Fifth Officer)

James Paul Moody (Sixth Officer)

Joseph Bell (Machine Room Manager)

Crew members

Frederick Barrett

Harold Bride

William Denton Cox

Sid Daniels

Frank Oliver Evans

Frederick Fleet

Luigi Gatti

Robert Hichens

Violet Jessop

Archie Jewell

Charles Joughin

Reginald Lee

Evelyn Marsden

William Mintram

Jack Phillips

Frank Winnold Prentice

Arthur John Priest

George Symons

Musicians

Wallace Hartley

John Wesley Woodward

PassengersFatalities

Allison family

Thomas Andrews

John Jacob Astor IV

David John Bowen

Archibald Butt

Thomas Byles

Roderick Chisholm

Walter Donald Douglas

Annie Funk

Jacques Futrelle

Sidney Leslie Goodwin

Benjamin Guggenheim

John Harper

Henry B. Harris

Wallace Hartley

Charles Melville Hays

Ann Elizabeth Isham

Edward Austin Kent

Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche

Francis Davis Millet

Harry Markland Molson

Clarence Moore

Eino Viljami Panula

Emily Ryerson

W. T. Stead

Ida Straus
Isidor Straus

John B. Thayer

Frank M. Warren Sr.

George D. Wick

George Dunton Widener

Harry Elkins Widener

Duane Williams

George Henry Wright

Survivors

Rhoda Abbott

Trevor Allison

Lillian Asplund

Madeleine Astor

Ruth Becker

Lawrence Beesley

Karl Behr

Dickinson Bishop

Mauritz Håkan Björnström-Steffansson

Elsie Bowerman

Francis Browne

Margaret "Molly" Brown

Helen Churchill Candee

Charlotte Drake Cardeza

Lucile Carter

Gladys Cherry

Millvina Dean

Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon

Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon

Dorothy Gibson

Archibald Gracie IV

Frank John William Goldsmith

Edith Haisman

Henry S. Harper

Eva Hart

Margaret Bechstein Hays

Masabumi Hosono

J. Bruce Ismay

Eleanor Ileen Johnson

Louise Kink

Louise Laroche

Margaret Mannion

Michel Marcel Navratil

Alfred Nourney

Arthur Godfrey Peuchen

Jane Quick

Winnifred Quick

Edith Rosenbaum

Noël Leslie, Countess of Rothes

Emily Ryerson

Agnes Sandström

Beatrice Sandström

Frederic Kimber Seward

Eloise Hughes Smith

Jack Thayer
Marian Thayer

Barbara West

Ella Holmes White

R. Norris Williams

Marie Grice Young

Monumentsand memorialsAustralia

Bandstand (Ballarat)

United Kingdom

Engine Room Heroes (Liverpool)

Engineers (Southampton)

Musicians (Southampton)

Titanic (Belfast)

Orchestra (Liverpool)

United States

Straus Park (New York City)

Titanic (New York City)

Titanic (Washington, D.C.)

Butt?Millet Memorial Fountain (Washington, D.C.)

Popular culture(cultural legacy)Books

The Wreck of the Titan: Or, Futility (1898)

A Night to Remember (book)

Polar the Titanic Bear

Films

Saved from the Titanic (1912)

In Nacht und Eis (1912)

La hantise (1912)

Atlantic (1929)
Atlantik (1929)

Titanic (1943)

Titanic (1953)

A Night to Remember (1958)

The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964)

Raise the Titanic (1980)

Secrets of the Titanic (1986)

Titanica (1992)

Titanic (1997)

The Chambermaid on the Titanic (1997)

The Legend of the Titanic (1999)

Titanic: The Legend Goes On (2000)

The Boy Who Saw the Iceberg (2000)

Ghosts of the Abyss (2003)

Tentacolino (2004)

Titanic II (2010)

The Six (2021)

Titanic 666 (2022)

Unsinkable (2024)

Television

"A Night to Remember" (1956)

S.O.S. Titanic (1979)

Titanic: The Complete Story (1994)

Titanic (1996 miniseries)

No Greater Love (1996)

"A Flight to Remember" (Futurama) (1999)

Titanic (2012 miniseries)

Titanic: Blood and Steel (2012)

Saving the Titanic (2012)

Titanic: The Aftermath (2012)

Theater

The Berg (1929)

The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1960 musical)

Titanic (1974)

Titanic (1997 musical)

Music

"The Titanic (It Was Sad When That Great Ship Went Down)" (folk song)

The Sinking of the Titanic (music composition)

Titanic (soundtrack album)

Back to Titanic (soundtrack album)

"My Heart Will Go On" (song)

"Nearer, My God, to Thee" (song)

Titanique (musical parody)

"Dance Band on the Titanic" (song)

"Titanic" (song)

Titanic Requiem (music composition)

"Tempest" (song)

Titanic Rising (album)

Video games

Search for the Titanic (1989)

Titanic: Adventure Out of Time (1996)

Titanic: Honor and Glory (TBA)

Museumsand exhibitions

SeaCity Museum (Southampton)

Titanic Museum (Branson, Missouri)

Titanic Museum (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee)

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (Halifax)

Titanic Belfast

Places

Titanic (Canada)

Titanic Canyon

Titanic Quarter, Belfast

Cape Race, Newfoundland

Fairview Lawn Cemetery

Mount Olivet Cemetery (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Arrol Gantry

Titanic, Oklahoma

RelatedShips

RMS Baltic

RMS Olympic

HMHS Britannic

SS Mount Temple

RMS Carpathia

SS Californian

CS Mackay-Bennett

SS Birma

SS Frankfurt

Replica Titanic

Titanic II

Romandisea Titanic

Law
RMS Titanic Maritime Memorial Act

Agreement Concerning the Shipwrecked Vessel RMS Titanic

Others

White Star Line

David Blair

Harold Cottam

Herbert Haddock

Stanley Lord

Arthur Rostron

Titanic Historical Society

Titanic International Society

Encyclopedia Titanica

Halomonas titanicae

Women and children first

Robert Ballard

La Circassienne au Bain

Titan submersible

implosion

Category

Retrieved from

"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ghosts_of_the_Abyss&oldid=1224109791"
Categories: 2003 films2003 3D films2003 documentary filmsAmerican 3D filmsAmerican

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