Titanic finally arrives on Blu-ray Disc in 2D and 3D

After 15 years since it hit the big screen and re-wrote box office records, Titanic is finally available in full high definition and 3D on Blu-ray Disc.

There are number of special features which have been compiled including an in-depth exploration of the film, 29 deleted scenes and even an alternate ending.

The package also includes the National Geographic program Titanic: The Final Word with director James Cameron, more than 60 behind the scenes featurettes, a look at the visual effects and more than 1000 photos from the set.

The set includes both the original 2D version and the recently released 3D conversion.

And while it wasn’t filmed in 3D – the technology didn’t exist during production in the mid-90s – but it was given a painstaking conversion which took 60 weeks to complete at a cost of $US18m.

Titanic’s Academy Award-winning producer Jon Landau says the release of the film on Blu-ray provides the best quality viewing in 2D and 3D.

“The key element is that Blu-ray offers us the opportunity to present the highest possible quality in the home for people and that’s what’s so exciting to Jim and I.,” he said.

“We took time to really put the best quality on there and to do 3D now on Blu-ray, you can do it and you can share that in-theatre experience at home with people like never before.”

According to Landau, the 3D conversion of Titanic has given the film added intimacy.

“3D is about the intimate moments. It’s not about the spectacle; it’s not about the action. It’s about the intimacy,” he said.

“It’s about the imagery and bringing it to life. No longer are you obstructed by a screen plane. You, as an audience, are enveloped deeper into the story.”

Landau says the whole Titanic experience has been improved for the home viewer with the Blu-ray release.

“Everything’s been enhanced. We started by enhancing our original negative.” Landau said.

“And, on the Blu-ray disc, we’re adding supplemental material that’s never been seen before in the home.

“You’ve got to remember, Titanic was never released on Blu-ray before. This is the first time since the movie came out that it will be on Blu-ray.”

Apart from the film itself, Titanic on Blu-ray will give fans of the film a generous amount of extra features that will take them behind the scenes.

“On the disc you get everything from a documentary produced by National Geographic with James Cameron called The Final Word that really examines what happened from the moment the iceberg hit down to resting on the bottom,” Landau said.

“What happened with the ship? Sometimes it reveals inaccuracies in the movie.

“We didn’t know it at the time, but it’s been revealed since, so we have Titanic experts who are part of that.

“There’s another stand alone documentary that is really about the phenomenon of Titanic and how the public reacted to it and also how our cast members and people who were involved in the making of the movie were affected by the success of the film.

“We’re going to have other material that’s behind the scenes, showing what went into really doing this.

“We’re very excited to present this to Blu-ray and we’ll have Blu-ray live as part of the release and let people really interact with the product.”

The Titanic 3D and 2D Blu-ray Disc edition is a four disc set with two discs reserved for the 3D feature and a single disc each for the 2D feature and the special features. It is available now.

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