Product Description

Walt Disney Pictures and James Cameron, the Academy Award(R)-winning director of TITANIC (1997), present the groundbreaking cinematic achievement GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS. Joined by his personal friend Bill Paxton (TITANIC) and a team of the world's foremost history and marine experts, Cameron journeys back to the site of his greatest inspiration -- the legendary wreck of the Titanic. During the voyage, you will explore the entire ship, deck by deck, room by room, encountering mysteries that have remained hidden for almost a century. Revolutionary underwater robots were designed and built solely for the purpose of allowing the explorers to peer deep into the remains of the once great ship and bring those surreal and haunting images back to the surface. Loaded with never-before-seen footage, revealing interviews, and innovative DVD bonuses, this unprecedented motion picture event is a must-own companion for anyone who loves TITANIC.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11711 in DVD
• Brand: BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2004-04-27
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: French
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 59 minutes

Amazon.com
Even without its original 3-D IMAX presentation, James Cameron's Ghosts of the Abyss is still an eerily elegant tour of history's most infamous shipwreck. Six years after his original journey to the rusting hulk of the Titanic (where he captured footage for his 1997 blockbuster), Cameron returned to the wreckage with actor Bill Paxton, a team of Russian and American scientists, the world's most knowledgeable Titanic historians, and enough state-of-the-art technology to film the most complete and intimate exploration of the ill-fated ship's remains. Astonishing footage, flawless digital animation, and ghostly re-creations of the ship's final hours are seamlessly combined to orient the viewer at an intersection of tragic past and awe-inspiring present, emphasizing more than ever the sheer scale of Titanic's gargantuan construction. Signs of luxury remain, 90 years later, while the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (occurring here in mid-mission) place this unforgettable journey into resonant, humanitarian perspective. --Jeff Shannon

DVD features
This DVD delivers two versions of James Cameron's entertaining documentary, neither of which is the IMAX 3-D version that played in theaters. The 61-minute version is the same as the IMAX edition, just without the 3-D effect; one must assume, however, that everyone will--and should--watch the new 92-minute version. It expands on several scenes and adds new scenes on the Titanic's captain, the animal life found at the wreck site, and life aboard the research vehicle Keldysh. The half-hour "Reflections from the Deep" is part making-of, part extra scenes with interesting segments on how mosaics were used for the brilliant underwater photography, the Keldysh's "Zodiac Cowboys," and the near-human connection to the remote cameras (named Elwood and Jake). You can choose one of six camera angles for the deft "The ROV Experience" that takes about 10 minutes of highlights from one dive. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews

Incredible footage, but the film sometimes loses its focus
In Ghosts of the Abyss, James Cameron returns to the watery grave of the Titanic in an effort to let the ill-fated ship tell the story of her own demise. Equipped with space age technology and twin little exploratory robots designed specifically for exploring the Titanic, Cameron and his team manage to take us into rooms unseen by human eye since April 1912. Not only do you get the theatrical version of this documentary film (albeit without the 3-D experience offered by IMAX), you also get an extended version featuring an extra half hour of material. Most people would just watch the extended version, but I wanted to get a feel for the difference the extra footage makes, so I watched both versions back to back. I was actually rather amazed to discover that the extended version is ten times better than the original - basically, all of the best material was left out of the theatrical release.

I have to admit I found Bill Paxton, the de facto narrator of the film, rather annoying at times. As he freely admits, he isn't really qualified for this type of deep-sea mission, and his giddiness and nervous humor tend to grow old pretty quickly. Like most people, I just wanted to see footage of the wreckage, not a chronicling of Paxton's anxiety over traveling to the ocean floor. I did enjoy the glimpses provided of the other crew members on the expedition, however - they are an interesting assortment of scientists, filmmakers, historians, and Russian seamen.

Ghosts of the Abyss does succeed in showing Titanic in all of her mysterious glory, and the underwater footage makes this film well worth watching. The footage obtained from the two submersible vessels floating around and above the ship is breathtaking, but the true magic happens when two specially-designed robots, Jake and Elroy, are guided (remotely) down into the ship herself. The bots move in and out of individual rooms, giving us glimpses of Colonel Smith's bathtub, ornate windows (still intact) from the main dining room, personal effects of passengers still lying where their owners left them, etc. This allows the filmmakers to further personalize the visual experience. For the first time, we are able to move down into the bowels of the ship herself and see, for example, the area where the firemen lived, worked, and died. The best footage of all can be found only in the extended version - only here, for example, can you travel down into the steerage section of the ship for the very first time. I was very surprised to see that this important and unprecedented footage was cut out of the theatrical release. If you're like me, you are also are curious about the animals you know must be calling the Titanic home, but only in the extended version will you find any footage of these mysterious, ocean-bottom dwellers.

Cameron makes extensive use of CGI in order to show the audience what we are actually looking at. You'll be watching the video footage of a certain location, and then the filmmakers will overlay pictures showing how the room would have looked back in 1912, and many times transparent, ghostly images are also overlaid over the footage. The intention is to really bring the past alive. It works to some degree, but some may see it as overdramatization. Of course, the bots steal the show. Jake and Elwood are fascinating little gizmos that become our eyes and show us the wreckage of the Titanic as we have never seen it before. One of them adds additional drama to the story by malfunctioning; the rescue mission is really the most exciting aspect of the entire film.

A second disc contains some 50 minutes of interviews and additional footage, most of which is quite interesting. I was very glad to see a feature on the "cowboys" who go out to hook the resurfaced submersibles to the surface vessel; seeing these guys work in turbulent seas is just incredible. You also get to watch a few minutes of one dive's footage from your choice of six different camera angles - you can switch back and forth between views from the submersibles, Jake and Elwood, and the submersible cabin views. All in all, this is a great DVD package, but it is not perfect. I think all of us would like to have seen more of the actual footage and a good deal less of Bill Paxton, but there is no denying the fact that Ghosts of the Abyss offers viewers the most eye-opening tour available of the proud wreckage of the Titanic.

Some infos ...
Walt Disney Pictures in association with Walden Media have announced the Region 1 DVD release of Ghosts of the Abyss for 27th April 2004 with a retail price of $29.99. This cinematic experience premiered on the large screen Theatrical IMAX format and is the quest by director James Cameron to go back to the resting ground of the actual Titanic equipped with state of the art technology with a team of top underwater explorers and filmmakers. Actor Bill Paxton also accompanies Cameron on this astonishing underwater voyage.

On 2-disc DVD Ghosts of the Abyss includes both the 60 minute Theatrical version of the film and a 90 minute extended version showcasing unseen footage, especially made for this home entertainment release. The second disc is entirely devoted to bonus materials.

Disc One:
Original Theatrical Version: (60:44 minutes)
Extended Version with Unseen Footage (91:44 minutes)
1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
THX-certified Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Disc Two:
"Reflections From The Deep" - Look back on the challenges of creating this groundbreaking cinematic experience. Includes unseen footage from their risky dives to the ocean floor and revealing interviews with Director James Cameron, star Bill Paxton, and the entire crew.
"The ROV Experience" - An innovative multi-angle feature. Choose from different cameras as you dive to the floor of the ocean's floor, and ultimately see the grand staircase any way you want.

Ghosts of the Abyss
Ghosts of the Abyss is a documentary filmed in 3D for IMAX theaters. It takes you down to the actual Titanic site at the bottom of the ocean. It was done by James Cameron, who directed the Titanic movie, but this is pure exploration. They take you to the rooms and places and show you glimpses of the people who were there. The 3D is really what makes it. You feel like you are there. I really liked the way they would merge computer animation with the image to give you an idea of what it used to look like that enables you to really see and appreciate what it looks like now. If you're into the history of the ship, be sure to check it out.