Filmmaker Al Giddings seeks $7.8 million for his sprawling Montana ranch

Noted underwater director-cinematographer Al Giddings, whose credits include the Oscar-winning films “Titanic” and “The Abyss,” is looking for a buyer to surface for his longtime ranch in Emigrant, Mont.

Listed for $7.8 million, the property known as Emigrant Peak Ranch sits on nearly 3,000 acres of river valley and is surrounded by grassy slopes, national forest and the rugged peaks of the Absaroka Range.

The property includes a number of separate structures that sit along a five-acre, trout-filled lake fed by Gold Run Creek and other natural springs. Of them is a log cabin-style main house, a lodge and two guest cabins.

The main house, which centers on sweeping mountain views, has a great room, family rooms, a kitchen with granite countertops, six bedrooms, three bathrooms and an office in 5,500 square feet of space. A separate game room area holds a wet bar and an underground rifle range.

The guest lodge has significance for its place in film history. The 6,000-square-foot structure, with six additional bedrooms, a kitchen and a great room, is where the idea for “Titanic” was originally conceived, according to the listing details. Cameras used to film the underwater scenes for the 1997 epic were built in a separate equipment shop on the property.

Overlooking two stillwater fisheries, the pair of guesthouses combine to offer three bedrooms and three bathrooms. There are also heated garages with parking for as many as nine vehicles.

Giddings bought the property more than three decades ago.

B. Elfland of Hall & Hall holds the listing.

Giddings has won multiple Emmys for his creative directing and undersea camera work. Among his work is 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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Twitter: @NJLeitereg

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