Ghosts of the Abyss (2003) with Alexia from Titanic Talkline.

Sean is joined by Alexia from Titanic Talkline to review the Titanic documentary Ghosts of the Abyss (2003), which documents James Cameron's 2001 expedition. This was his first journey back to the Titanic wreck since 1995, when he shot footage for his Titanic (1997) motion picture. This episode is accessible for both those who are familiar with Titanic history and those who may know less about the shipwreck, as both Alexia and Sean do their upmost to explain the documentary as fully as they can. Sean scuppers the discussion partway through with a very distracting mug.Discussion Points:-Beloved and lost treasure Bill Paxton.-The main players in the documentary and how it was very much a family affair.-The unseen troubles which befell the expedition, which is not shown in the documentary film but is documented in the book.-How dangerous it is just to live on the boat. -Visual Navigational Aids-what they are and how they are critical to explore the wreck safely.-Sean's theory as to why memorial plaques are left on the stern rather than the bow.-Alexia's surprisingly good English accent.Random Questions:-How many times does Sean tell everyone he's read the book?-Do a lot of Titanic documentaries skip how difficult and dangerous it is to dive to the wreck?-Whilst on-board the Keldysh, what did Bill Paxton get told off by a Russian crewmember for?-Does the resolution of older images of the Titanic wreck compared with the most recent 8k footage (during the Ocean Gate in 2022) of Titanic make the deterioration of the wreck look worse?-Did you know Titanic movie parody merchandise exists? (Sean didn't).Random Quotes:-"If you haven't already tuned out".-"Unless you get a really benevolent squid, you're screwed"-"Good segway, there's a biologist on board".-"The front of the ship, the bow, is really romanticised, obviously the film helps...it looks kind of like normal...but then you look at the stern of the ship and it's like a death you've never experienced". -"Diving to the ship takes more from you than it will ever give".Correction: The lifeboat lowering is from the documentary Titanic: 20 Years Later with James Cameron.Disclaimer-It is disputed as to what happened to Bob Ballard's 1986 expedition plaque, some claim it was stolen, whilst others think it slipped from it's original position and was covered by sediment. Alexia will return to take part in the Defend It Yourself series, to defend Showgirls. Thanks for listening!   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.