| Ghosts of the Abyss | |
| Director: | James Cameron |
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| Music: | Joel McNeely |
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| Distributor: | Walt Disney Pictures (through Buena Vista Pictures Distribution) |
| Runtime: | 61 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | $13 million[1] |
| Gross: | $28.7 million[2] |
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 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.[3]
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.
Throughout the movie, re-enactments of events that are discussed use CGI recreations of the interior of the Titanic.
The film was screened out of competition at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.[4]
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 the film's international sales.[5]
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.[6] [7]
Rolling Stone included the documentary in its 2012 list of the best 3D movies.[8]
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.[2]
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."[9] On Metacritic, the film has an average score of 67 out of 100 from 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]
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.