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 The
Ghosts of the Abyss
3d Documentary
Starring: Bill Paxton and James Cameron
Directed by: James Cameron
Filmmaker extraordinaire James Cameron returns to the Titanic.
This time he's armed with a few mini submarines, a barrage of
scientific specialists, two "home made" million-dollar
underwater camera robots and studmuffin Bill Paxton.
Jim's
shot this documentary's expedition footage in 3D so we get an
experience like nothing you've ever experienced on a Titanic visit
before.
The sad truth behind this sunken marine masterpiece that lies
at the bottom of the sea is still truly heart breaking; 1500 women,
children and men perished on the Titanic because greedy financiers
decided they didn't need all those costly obtrusive life boats.
They thought a ship like this was impossible to sink.
Enter
one mean friggatini iceberg stretching her roots a football field's
length, unseen, just beneath the water. Then a diabolical twist
of fate as a wrong turn was decided - once the cap was noticed.
The iceberg's hidden horizon pierced the side of the ship, and
after hours of peril, down "the unsinkable" beauty went
taking many unwilling souls.
There
have been countless films (none more famous, obviously, then Cameron's
own mega-hit Titanic) exploring the ship resting deep in the frigid
waters - but trust me - no one has ever made quite a film like
this.
Adorable
Bill Paxton joins the expedition as the
narrator. You immediately realize his adventurous side is still
a tad green. His deadpan sense of humor and blunt honesty about
not being so gung ho to go 12000 feet down in a tiny sub - with
no bathroom - in violent seas - for ten eleven hours keeps the
other wise solemn all business structured "dive" trip
to a this watery grave as light as he can. Bill's a heapin' helpin'
of good ol' Texan charm.
It
is entirely appropriate that James Cameron, the man almost single
handily responsible for humanizing the plight of the passengers
of the doomed ship for the world, should now have the honor of
viewing its most hidden treasures and mysteries first.
Thanks
to the camera robots he and his brother Michael built, affectionately
named Jake and Elwood Blues, we are privy to section of the majestic
vessel no human eyes have witnessed in almost a hundred years.
We visit the stateroom Molly Brown stayed in ( and see the brass
bed she spoke of many times), we sneak into another room where
a wooden wash stand remains upright - with its water glass unbroken
- still awaiting duty. Down we go into the main lobby through
the ornate iron doors to find these beautiful stain glass windows
- in tact - lining the corridor. Cameron had his crew shine lights
through from the outside abyss to give all of us the first glance
of "daylight" the once pristine windows have seen in
over 80 years. You can feel the goosebumps rise in the audience
simultaneously. The Camerons' robots even find a set of unbroken
china teacups eerily resting in coasters as if we've interrupted
teatime for some children still at play. Awe inspiring footage
is an understatement.
His
effects don't stop at the 3D; he's added "ghosts" frolicking
about the floors. Passengers living beneath the tide apparently
unaware they've perished. He's also super imposed diagrams and
images of the wreck as she was when it was still afloat and held
all its grandeur.
This
is by far one of the most intriguing documentaries I have ever
seen. The only fault the whole film has is it's short length.
At just over an hour I was left wanting more. Hopefully the DVD
will have more footage and go a little more in-depth (pardon the
pun). Cameron has really made, yet another, Titanic film folks
Snack
recommendation: Humble pie
BLUNTLY SPEAKING:
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