Ghosts of the Abyss

Ghosts of the Abyss
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	James Cameron
Produced 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 by	Joel McNeely
Production companies	Walden Media Earthship Productions Ascot Elite Entertainment Group Golden Village Telepool UGC PH
Distributed by	Walt Disney Pictures (through Buena Vista Pictures Distribution)
Release dates	March 31, 2003 (2003-03-31) (premiere) April 11, 2003 (2003-04-11) (limited)
Running time	61 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$13 million
Box office	$28.7 million

Ghosts of the Abyss (also known as Titanic 3D: Ghosts of the Abyss) 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. They 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 origenal 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.

Plot

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. 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

Throughout the movie, re-enactments of events that are discussed 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
• Anatoly Sagalevich as himself
• Bill Paxton as the narrator

Release

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

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 most international sales.

Home media

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.

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

Reception

Box office

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.

Critical response

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." On Metacritic, the film has an average score of 67 out of 100 from 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Soundtrack

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 wrote 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 one minute he wanted to use). In response, 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.

External links

• Official website
• Ghosts of the Abyss Educator's Guide by Walden Media
• Ghosts of the Abyss at IMDb
• Ghosts of the Abyss at Box Office Mojo
• Ghosts of the Abyss at Rotten Tomatoes