Ghosts of the Abyss

Starring:Lewis Abernathy, Dr. John Broadwater, John Bruno, Mike Cameron, Genya Chernaiev, Corey Jaskolski, Dr. Lori Johnston, Jeffrey N. Ledda, Don Lynch (II), Ken Marschall, Victor Nischeta, Vince Pace, Jason Paul (II), Bill Paxton, Charles Pellegrino, Dr. Anatoly M. Sagalevitch, Eric Schmitz, Miguel Wilkins, Federico Zambrano
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Product Type: DVD

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

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.

Customer Reviews:

A fascinating trip to the Titanic.......2007-04-06

What made this so interesting was the march of technology - New was a huge light (requiring another ship) called Medussa that was lowered 12,000 feet over the ship. They also had digital recreations on the wreck of the original structure superimposed...

The bridge (among several areas) came to life when they used this digital recreation.

They also brought 2 remotely piloted robotic cameras named Jake and Elwood (Blues Brothers fans I would assume!) that took you into the interior of the ship.

There was some sadness even today when you saw a woman's still laced shoe and realizing that the body was long gone...

This is one DvD that doesn't stay in the shelf long - I have watched it repeatedly.

And I saw the tie in to Cameron's 1997 movie when I realized that this Russian deep sea exploration ship was the same one they used in the 1997 movie...

Excellent and informative........2006-11-08

Excellent and informative documentary. Underwater filming was beautiful. My daughter loved it.

Amazing footage for the shipwreck that is the TITANIC.......2006-05-31

Follow director James Cameron as he dives into the deep ocean dephs to find the famous shipwreck that is the TITANIC. Cameron's film shows footage that has never been seen before. Watch Cameron and his crew dive all the way to the ship that was supposed to be UNSINKABLE. Cameron takes you on a jouney that you will never forget! He and his crew take you to the Grand Staircase, Molly Brown's State Room and other places that have not been seen before. When James Cameron and his crew are exploring the Titanic they end up loosing both of their robots that go inside the ship. They eventully find their robots and return to the surface from exploring the greatest shipwreck of all time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ghosts of the Abyss.......2006-03-23

Great Film. The insertion of people walking the decks once again puts the Titanic in the first person.

A nice spiritual successor to Titanic.......2006-03-10

In the recent Titanic SE, James Cameron during the commentary found that many of the sets and things designed for the deep sea exploring at the beginning looked "pretty darn accurate" to the real wreck. With this film we see just how close the actual ship resembles his recreated luxury liner. For those of you who loved the action stuff, look elsewhere. This is purely for people interested in the history and the sinking of the ship.

Bringing along long-time friend and frequent co-star(out of 5 films, he's only not in 2) Bill Paxton, James Cameron goes down to the infamous ship that crashed and sank in 1912: the Titanic. Using advanced robotic technology, they go farther into the wreck than previously shown, including statesrooms, the central staircase and the elevator. An odd bit of mishap happens and they must mount a rescue attempt of one of their beloved ROV(remote-operated vehicles)which just happens to coincide with another historical event.

One thing that plagues this film, as well as subsequent film Aliens of the Deep, is the people doing multiple variations on "that's awesome!". The images are striking enough, we don't need commentary on them and while acting wise he's capable, Bill Paxton is unfortunately not a good "host" for this event. Easily excitable and fidgety, he's, as he puts it, not used to this stuff.

The images are of course the star and the doomed luxury liner has tons of images. While the ship was probably more striking above water, seeing the detail and craftsmanship 12,000 feet down gives it a different kind of look and it's quite something. Especially when they show you what it looked like in real life such as the promenade deck or where the captain's helm was. Also interspersed with the underwater images is CG videomatics to give you a better understanding(which unfortunately aren't that new, they were in Titanic). Giving it a different look is having live actors shot than put over the images to give the titular look.

Out of the 3 deep sea films he's done(others including Expedition: Bismarck and Aliens of the Deep)Ghosts is probably 2nd after Bismarck. The images here are great but Bismarck did a better job at the exploration part but they're all interesting looks at technology and the loss of life that resulted from it.