GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS (2003)

MORGAN'S RATING

James Cameron journeys back to the site of his greatest inspiration -- the legendary wreck of the Titanic. With a team of the world's foremost historic and marine experts and friend Bill Paxton, he embarks on an unscripted adventure back to the final grave where nearly 1,500 souls lost their lives almost a century ago. Using state-of-the-art technology developed expressly for this expedition, Cameron and his crew are able to explore virtually all of the wreckage, inside and out, as never before. With the most advanced 3D photography, movie goers will experience the ship as if they are part of the crew, right inside the dive subs.

James Cameron, Bill Paxton, Dr. John Broadwater, Dr. Lori Johnston, Charles Pellegrino, Don Lynch (Thomas Andrews), Ken Marschall (J. Bruce Ismay), Milke Cameron, Jeffrey N. Ledda, Corey Jaskolski, Jason Paul, Eric Schmitz, Genya Chernaiev, Victor Nischeta, Dr. Anatoly M. Sagalevitch, Lewis Abernathy, John Bruno, Vince Pace, Aaron C. Fitzgerald (Fred Fleet), Tava Smiley, Miguel Wilkins (Quartermaster Hitchens), Federico Zambrano (John Jacob Astor), Dale Ridge (Elizabeth Lines), Judy Prestininzi (Molly Brown), Adriana Valdez (Helen Churchill Candee), Justin Shaw (John 'Jack' Phillips), Thomas Kilroy (Poker Player), Charlie Arneson (Murdoch), Piper Gunnarson (Medeleine Astor), John Donovan (Captain Smith), Janace Tashjian (Edith Russell), Jesse Baker (Lightoller), Justin Baker (Harold Bride).

THE LEGEND NO ONE CAN FORGET HAS BECOME THE GREATEST 3D ADVENTURE EVER FILMED.

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

DIRECTOR: James Cameron (Titanic). PRODUCERS: James Cameron, Chuck Comisky and Janace Tashjian. CREATIVE PRODUCER: Ed W. Marsh. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Giedra Rackauskas. LINE PRODUCER: Andrew Wight. ORIGINAL MUSIC: Joel McNeely. DISTRIBUTOR: Walt Disney Pictures.

CRITICAL COMMENTS

FACTS

"900 hours of footage was filmed for this project and between that passion and Paxton's human touch, Jules Verne would be damn proud." -- Erik Childress, E Film Critic.com

RELEASE DATE: April 11th, 2003 (USA) DVD RELEASE DATE: April 27th, 2004 (USA) BOX OFFICE OPENING: $1.4 million (USA) BOX OFFICE RESULT: $15.8 million* (USA) BUDGET: $13 million (USA) SHOOTING DATES: Summer 2001 - The running time for this IMAX film is: 59 minutes. - The two robotic submarines in the film are named Jake and Elwood, a reference to The Blues Brothers (1980)

"Documentary dramatizations usually are awful, but in Ghosts of the Abyss, they work." -- John Anderson, Newsday

"It's a unique trip that flirts with hokeyness at the surface but that grows more compelling, awe-inspiring, and tragic the deeper you go." -- Ty Burr, Boston Globe

"Aside from his CGI ghostcraft unwittingly co-opting Pat O'Neill's last feature, Cameron is entirely predictable in a marines T-shirt, exhorting, 'Next stop, Titanic -- rock n' roll!" -- Edward Crouse, Village Voice

"The result is often spellbinding, and to mention some of the sights we see is to praise the film's ambition." -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times

"The footage of the old ship, whose ghostly grandeur is still apparant despite nearly 90 years of existence underwater speaks volumes." -- Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter

"The footage from the dives show perfectly preserved details from the inside of the ship." -- Daphne Gordon, Toronto Star