THE HANS HASS FIFTY FATHOMS AWARD
James moved from his native Canada to
California during his teens and pursued a career
in the film industry, during which he has often
incorporated his passion for diving. After making
his international mark with 1984’s The Terminator,
which he wrote and directed, he wrote and directed
Aliens, which became a huge box office hit.
Aliens gave James serious Hollywood clout and
he embraced the challenges of underwater movie
making with The Abyss, released in 1989. One
technical highlight, which interested divers around
the world, was his depiction of a diver in a helmet
breathing oxygenated liquids.
This was not just science fiction: A successful
American research programme actually existed,
funded by the USA’s Office of Naval Research, with
Dr. Johannes Kylstra as its lead scientist. Kylstra
had successfully tested the theory on rodents and
dogs, following which commercial diver Frank
Falejczyk became the first person to breathe
oxygenated liquid. James was so impressed by a
subsequent presentation by Falejczyk, he included
the concept in his Abyss script. Several senior
HDSUSA members, such as Bob Kirby,
Pete Romano, Al Giddings, Ralph White and
Emory Kristof were involved in the film, and
The Abyss brought James to the attention of
divers worldwide.
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As filmmaking moved into the 1990s, HDSUSA
Advisory Board member Andreas Rechnitzer
consulted with James on an upcoming project
that would make box-office history: Titanic.
James wrote, produced, and directed Titanic,
and the production again included several
HDSUSA members. Titanic received 11 Academy
awards including Best Picture, Best Director and
Best Film Editing, and is at time of writing the
second highest grossing movie in world history,
with receipts of $2,186,800,000.
Passionate about diving, James accepted the
invitation of his friend Andreas Rechnitzer to join
the Society’s Advisory Board in 2002.
With the record-breaking success of Titanic
behind him, James’ next diving-oriented
production, with Andrew Wight, was Expedition:
Bismarck, a 2002 documentary produced for
the Discovery Channel. Leading a team of
explorers, historians and Bismarck survivors,
James examined the nearly five-kilometre-deep
wreck. Using the Russian MIR submersibles and
presenting revolutionary production techniques
and high-tech remotely operated vehicles
(ROVs), James provided the first glimpse inside
the Bismarck in more than 60 years. The movie
won an Emmy in 2003 for Outstanding Sound
Editing for Non-Fiction Programming.
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