Filmmaker Al Giddings parts ways with picturesque Montana ranch

Underwater cinematographer and director Al Giddings, who shot the Oscar-winning films “Titanic” and “The Abyss,” has sold his scenic ranch in Emigrant, Mont., for an undisclosed price. It was last listed for sale at $5.8 million, records show.

Known as Twilight Peak Ranch, the property is nestled at the foot of Emigrant Peak and spans almost 3,000 acres of cinematic valleys and grassy slopes.

The main house, made of logs, has six bedrooms and views of the Absaroka Mountains and a five-acre lake. The 5,500-square-foot cabin features a game room with a wet bar, an underground rifle range and vaulted ceilings paired with Montana-quarried flagstone.

An additional 6,000-square-foot lodge on the property contains six bedrooms and also plays a significant part in film history. The cabin served as the place where the idea for “Titanic” was originally conceived, and cameras used to shoot the 1997 film’s underwater scenes were built in a shop on the ranch.

A pair of smaller guesthouses overlook still-water fisheries, and also feature heated garages that can accommodate nine cars.

All the structures, sheltered by aspens and firs, sit alongside ponds, fed by Gold Run Creek, and a lake rich with trout.

Giddings, after owning the property for 33 years, originally put the ranch on the market last August for $7.8 million.

B. Elfland of Hall & Hall was the listing agent.

The filmmaker has won multiple Emmy Awards for his directing and undersea camera work. Among his projects are the television special “Blue Whale: Largest Animal On Earth,” “Shark Chronicles” and “Mysteries of the Sea.” He also served as director of underwater photography for the James Bond films “Never Say Never Again” (1983) and “For Your Eyes Only” (1981).

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