by Julia Pierrepont III, Gao Shan
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- James Cameron's classic movie "Titanic" is the living embodiment of Celine Dion's haunting refrain from its soundtrack megahit "My Heart Will Go On": "Far across the distance and spaces between us, you have come to show you go on..."
And on. And on.
Twenty years after its first theatrical release in 1997, Titanic shows no signs of sinking. At a VIP screening co-hosted by AMC, Paramount and Dolby Laboratories to commemorate the epic's 20th anniversary, a remastered print in state-of-the-art Dolby Vision and Dolby Digital Audio was unveiled in Los Angeles on Thursday night.
In celebration of the film's 20th anniversary, audiences across the United States can experience Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox's "Titanic" in all Dolby Cinema at AMC locations, including 20 locations supporting 3D, beginning Dec. 1, 2017.
"I was stunned," Cameron, the film's director, said of the remastered print. "It's like seeing it for the first time. It's beyond 3D. It's beyond 70mm. It's beyond anything you've seen before."
The audience agreed, giving the filmmaker and his iconic film a standing ovation.
Cameron is well known as an early-adopter technophile who's spent his career pushing the envelope to develop cutting-edge technology. His decades-long partnership with Dolby Labs, the leading cinema audio sound technology company in the world, has allowed him to bring his "Titanic" into the 21st Century.
"Our partnership with James and Paramount Pictures has enabled us to showcase a masterpiece of theater in the most incredible way," said Doug Darrow, senior vice president at the Cinema Business Group of Dolby Laboratories. "Titanic at Dolby Cinema is truly a can't-miss experience."
Founded in 1965 by Ray Dolby, Dolby Labs makes audio, video and voice technologies that transform entertainment and communications. In recent years, they have moved into imaging technology with Dolby Vision, which offers enhanced image contrast, a high dynamic range and wide color gamut to make images pop off the screen.
Cameron made a rare public appearance Thursday night to share his personal insights on the making of "Titanic" and to reminisce on the trials and tribulations along the way.
The film follows the poignant, ill-fated love story of young, sheltered, and aristocratic Rose DeWitt Bukater, who is trapped in a stifling engagement to a rich chauvinist. She falls in love with the penniless, brash, life-loving Jack Dawson, who empowers her to follow her own dreams. The sinking of the Titanic was also a metaphor for the passing of the outdated class system following the Second Industrial Revolution and an exercise in hope and aspiration in the face of mind-boggling adversity.
The historic epic charted a lot of new territory. Aside from plumbing the depths of the deep blue sea, it shot Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, as Rose and Jack, into the stratosphere.
"The studio wasn't interested in Leo. But the moment I knew Leo was the right answer was when I saw there were ten women in the room at his audition who wouldn't normally be there," Cameron said. "And Kate was stunning. She gunned for it. She also said, 'I don't care if you cast me, but cast Leo!' They are amazing friends to this day and were there to support each other."
Kate and Leo's on-screen chemistry was incendiary. The film became a global, hanky-wringing, Romeo & Juliet-esque phenomenon, winning 11 Oscars, including Best Director and Best Picture, 4 Golden Globes, and an SAG award, and is still ranked today as the most repeatedly viewed film of all time.
As a director, Cameron said his biggest pride lies in the enduring, classic nature of the film. "I am proudest of creating something that has its own reality, outside of time, that, theoretically, could be enjoyed indefinitely. As long as movies are being made, this one will stand up," he said.
