If your main exposure to the Titanic is through James Cameron’s 1997 Oscar-winning film, then you’ll love Disney’s Ghosts of the Abyss, Cameron’s documentary that basically picks up where Titanic left off. This film was originally released in 2003, but a three-disc combo pack that includes a blu-ray 3D, blu-ray feature film, DVD feature film, and tons of bonus features was released on Sept. 11, 2012.
Because it’s in 3D — and because the film takes you down there with Cameron and his crew — you have the spooky feeling of actually being there. What’s also cool is that Bill Paxton, who played Brock Lovett in Titanic, is part of the crew.
What they do is overlay moving images of real people — played by actors, of course — atop the film of the wreckage. So you have this melding of the real Titanic, the movie Titanic, and the actual Titanic. As Paxton notes, he’s not really trained for deep-sea missions like this, so much of his footage involves him being nervous and giddy about the experience. I found that interesting, because I’m sure that’s how I would be, too. Lord knows if I’d even be brave enough to make the trip down there. The rest of the crew includes an assortment of historians, filmmakers, scientists and Russian seamen.
Ghosts of the Abyss was made using space age technology, two submersible vessels floating around and above the ship, and twin exploratory robots — named Jake and Elwood — designed specifically for exploring the Titanic. And they do that wonderfully, taking us into rooms unseen by humans since April of 1912. The whole thing is breathtaking, and the fact that Cameron has basically devoted much of his life to this ship is pretty amazing.
For the best viewing experience, watch the extended version, which takes us into the steerage section of the ship and also gives us a glimpse at the deep sea creatures living in the wreckage.
We also get to see the people who hook the resurfaced submersibles to the surface vessel when they come back up. It doesn’t sound that exciting, but the water is really turbulent, and it’s amazing how they manage to accomplish the task.
Another feature is that we can watch a few minutes of the dive footage from six different camera angles, switching back and forth between views of the submersibles, the robots, and the submersible cabin views.
Ghosts of the Abyss is rated G. It’s a great viewing experience if you’re a fan of the movie Titanic, or the history of the boat itself. This would also be a great film to show in classrooms. Buy it on Amazon.
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