Against expectations, the romantic epic and disaster film Titanic (1997), directed, written, co-produced and co-edited by James Cameron, became the highest-grossing film in the world and won 11 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. The gigantic success transformed the young lead actors Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio into super stars. Young girls the world over idolised the two lovers bound for tragedy, and the film became a hype (remember Leo Mania?). From then on, everybody seemed either to love or hate the film. 20 years after the hype, Cameron's 3-hour epic is still a spectacularly emotional and visually stunning film.
French postcard by Salut. Photo: Paramount / Fox, 1998. Publicity still for Titanic (James Cameron, 1997) with Kate Winslet.
German postcard by Sunburst Merchandising GmbH, Osnabrück / Ana Anakos AG, München. Photo: Paramount / Fox, 1998. Publicity still for Titanic (James Cameron, 1997) with Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
British postcard by Twentieth Century Fox / 7up, no. DD 2079A. Photo: Paramount / Fox. Publicity still for Titanic (James Cameron, 1997) with Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Titanic (James Cameron, 1997) tells the tale of the legendary ship Titanic on its first and last voyage, starting on 15 April 1912 at 2:20 in the morning. The film starts with a group searching the wreck of the RMS Titanic for treasures. They especially look for a necklace set with a valuable blue diamond called the Heart of the Ocean. Unsuccessful, they instead discover a drawing of a young woman wearing the Heart of the Ocean, dated the day the Titanic sank.
101-year-old Rose Dawson Calvert (Gloria Stuart) learns of the drawing on television, and contacts Lovett to inform him she is the woman in the drawing. She and her granddaughter Lizzy Calvert are flown to the boat where the search is being led to tell of what she remembers to help the search. When asked if she knew the whereabouts of the necklace, Rose Calvert recalls her memories aboard the Titanic, revealing for the first time that she was Rose DeWitt Bukater.
In 1912, the upper-class 17-year-old Rose (Kate Winslet) boards the Titanic in Southampton, Great Britain. She enters 'the most elegant ship in the world' together with her controlling fiance, Caledon Hockley (Billy Zane) and her desperate for money mother, Ruth DeWitt Bukater (Francis Fisher).
Distraught and frustrated by her engagement, Rose attempts suicide by jumping from the stern. Before she leaps, a drifter and artist named Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) intervenes who convinces her not to jump. Dawson and his best friend Fabrizio De Rossi have won third-class tickets to the ship in a poker game.
Jack and Rose strike up a tentative friendship as she thanks him for saving her life, and he shares stories of his adventures travelling and sketching. Their bond deepens when they leave a first-class formal dinner of the wealthy for a much livelier gathering of dancing, music and beer in third-class. After revealing their love for each other and wish to leave together when the ship docks, they then witness the ship's fatal collision with an iceberg and now must escape together.
Captain Smith was urged by the White Star Line Director to increase the speed of the ship so they would make the newspaper headlines and receive extra publicity by arriving in New York on Thursday night and not on Friday morning as planned. The Titanic had reports that the waters in the Atlantic they were sailing in were full of icebergs, but the captain ignored these warnings and proceeded at full speed. On 15 April 1912 at 11:39, an iceberg was sighted. The ship crew attempted to shut off the engines and turn the ship out of the path of the iceberg but there was not enough time and the ship hit the iceberg on the starboard side as depicted in the film.
Australian postcard by FX Entertainment Products, Sydney Photo: Paramount / Fox, 1998. Publicity still for Titanic (James Cameron, 1997) with Kate Winslet and Billy Zane. Caption: "They call it 'Le Coeur de la Mer'."
Thai postcard by Starpics / Suwan Studio. Photo: Paramount / Fox. Publicity still for Titanic (James Cameron, 1997) with Kate Winslet and Frances Fisher.
Vintage postcard. Photo: publicity still for Titanic (James Cameron, 1997) with Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
During the production of Titanic, perfectionist James Cameron went massively over time and budget, but this payed of well when it was clear he had managed what many had believed was impossible. Cameron had recreated a completely believable Titanic with accurate historical details. The sinking scenes are still amazing and horrific, as realistic as if you were there. Cameron respectfully shows what terror the victims went through that night. Titanic is both hunting and involving, filled with a wide range of deep feelings.
Cameron created the fictional love story to make sure that the public would remember those who lost their lives on the tragic voyage of the Titanic. The director weaved the historical details seamlessly around the fictional story of Jack and Rose. The audience sees the sinking of the Titanic primarily through their eyes. Cameron shows the various reactions to the crisis. Everyone reacts differently and Cameron gets his audience to contemplate of how they might have reacted in that situation, on the Titanic on that fateful night.
Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio are excellent. Both show great charisma and their chemistry as a romantic couple works. DeCaprio and Winslet flying at the ship's front rail remains a gorgeous magic moment. Winslet is the centre of the film and holds the story together beautifully. Frances Fisher is perfect as her mother, the snobby aristocrat, who forces her daughter to become engaged to marry a rich, arrogant racist. One can feel the fear and loathing she feels every time she looks at Jack.
Also very good is Kathy Bates as 'the unsinkable' Molly Brown, a historical 'nouveau riche' from Denver, who is a lot less uptight than the other folk in the upperclass department. Brown was saved and later had medals made up for the crew of the Carpethia that picked the survivors of Titanic up from the water. Her ticket on the Titanic had cost over four-thousand dollars, but by the end of her life she ended up broke.
Titanic won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score, Best Original Song. Deservedly. The wonderful outfits and costuming were an excellent re-creation of the Post-Victorian era of 1912. All of the interiors of the ship were masterfully replicated down to the last pieces of china and silverware. The gymnasium, which is hardly seen in the film was recreated perfectly with all of the machines reproduced to match those seen in old photographs. James Horner's haunting score is also a key ingredient in the film's success. His music intensifies the emotions of the audience. Horner's love theme is still as beautiful as it is tragic.
Yes, Titanic (1997) is a modern classic, if you like it or not. Titanic became the first film to gross $1 billion, and stayed on the top of the box office charts for 12 years. Then it was kicked off the top by another James Cameron film, Avatar (2010). Over the years, it became somewhat fashionable to slag Titanic off, but just see it for yourself.
German postcard by Sunburst Merchandising GmbH, Osnabrück / Ana Anakos AG, München. Photo: Paramount / Fox, 1998. Publicity still for Titanic (James Cameron, 1997) with Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
German postcard by Sunburst Merchandising GmbH, Osnabrück / Ana Anakos AG, München. Photo: Paramount / Fox, 1998. Publicity still for Titanic (James Cameron, 1997).
German postcard by Sunburst Merchandising GmbH, Osnabrück / Ana Anakos AG, München. Photo: Paramount / Fox, 1998. Publicity still for Titanic (James Cameron, 1997).
Sources: Wikipedia and IMDb.
French postcard by Salut. Photo: Paramount / Fox, 1998. Publicity still for Titanic (James Cameron, 1997) with Kate Winslet.
German postcard by Sunburst Merchandising GmbH, Osnabrück / Ana Anakos AG, München. Photo: Paramount / Fox, 1998. Publicity still for Titanic (James Cameron, 1997) with Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
British postcard by Twentieth Century Fox / 7up, no. DD 2079A. Photo: Paramount / Fox. Publicity still for Titanic (James Cameron, 1997) with Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
The Heart of the Ocean
Titanic (James Cameron, 1997) tells the tale of the legendary ship Titanic on its first and last voyage, starting on 15 April 1912 at 2:20 in the morning. The film starts with a group searching the wreck of the RMS Titanic for treasures. They especially look for a necklace set with a valuable blue diamond called the Heart of the Ocean. Unsuccessful, they instead discover a drawing of a young woman wearing the Heart of the Ocean, dated the day the Titanic sank.
101-year-old Rose Dawson Calvert (Gloria Stuart) learns of the drawing on television, and contacts Lovett to inform him she is the woman in the drawing. She and her granddaughter Lizzy Calvert are flown to the boat where the search is being led to tell of what she remembers to help the search. When asked if she knew the whereabouts of the necklace, Rose Calvert recalls her memories aboard the Titanic, revealing for the first time that she was Rose DeWitt Bukater.
In 1912, the upper-class 17-year-old Rose (Kate Winslet) boards the Titanic in Southampton, Great Britain. She enters 'the most elegant ship in the world' together with her controlling fiance, Caledon Hockley (Billy Zane) and her desperate for money mother, Ruth DeWitt Bukater (Francis Fisher).
Distraught and frustrated by her engagement, Rose attempts suicide by jumping from the stern. Before she leaps, a drifter and artist named Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) intervenes who convinces her not to jump. Dawson and his best friend Fabrizio De Rossi have won third-class tickets to the ship in a poker game.
Jack and Rose strike up a tentative friendship as she thanks him for saving her life, and he shares stories of his adventures travelling and sketching. Their bond deepens when they leave a first-class formal dinner of the wealthy for a much livelier gathering of dancing, music and beer in third-class. After revealing their love for each other and wish to leave together when the ship docks, they then witness the ship's fatal collision with an iceberg and now must escape together.
Captain Smith was urged by the White Star Line Director to increase the speed of the ship so they would make the newspaper headlines and receive extra publicity by arriving in New York on Thursday night and not on Friday morning as planned. The Titanic had reports that the waters in the Atlantic they were sailing in were full of icebergs, but the captain ignored these warnings and proceeded at full speed. On 15 April 1912 at 11:39, an iceberg was sighted. The ship crew attempted to shut off the engines and turn the ship out of the path of the iceberg but there was not enough time and the ship hit the iceberg on the starboard side as depicted in the film.
Australian postcard by FX Entertainment Products, Sydney Photo: Paramount / Fox, 1998. Publicity still for Titanic (James Cameron, 1997) with Kate Winslet and Billy Zane. Caption: "They call it 'Le Coeur de la Mer'."
Thai postcard by Starpics / Suwan Studio. Photo: Paramount / Fox. Publicity still for Titanic (James Cameron, 1997) with Kate Winslet and Frances Fisher.
Vintage postcard. Photo: publicity still for Titanic (James Cameron, 1997) with Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Why is Titanic a modern classic?
During the production of Titanic, perfectionist James Cameron went massively over time and budget, but this payed of well when it was clear he had managed what many had believed was impossible. Cameron had recreated a completely believable Titanic with accurate historical details. The sinking scenes are still amazing and horrific, as realistic as if you were there. Cameron respectfully shows what terror the victims went through that night. Titanic is both hunting and involving, filled with a wide range of deep feelings.
Cameron created the fictional love story to make sure that the public would remember those who lost their lives on the tragic voyage of the Titanic. The director weaved the historical details seamlessly around the fictional story of Jack and Rose. The audience sees the sinking of the Titanic primarily through their eyes. Cameron shows the various reactions to the crisis. Everyone reacts differently and Cameron gets his audience to contemplate of how they might have reacted in that situation, on the Titanic on that fateful night.
Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio are excellent. Both show great charisma and their chemistry as a romantic couple works. DeCaprio and Winslet flying at the ship's front rail remains a gorgeous magic moment. Winslet is the centre of the film and holds the story together beautifully. Frances Fisher is perfect as her mother, the snobby aristocrat, who forces her daughter to become engaged to marry a rich, arrogant racist. One can feel the fear and loathing she feels every time she looks at Jack.
Also very good is Kathy Bates as 'the unsinkable' Molly Brown, a historical 'nouveau riche' from Denver, who is a lot less uptight than the other folk in the upperclass department. Brown was saved and later had medals made up for the crew of the Carpethia that picked the survivors of Titanic up from the water. Her ticket on the Titanic had cost over four-thousand dollars, but by the end of her life she ended up broke.
Titanic won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score, Best Original Song. Deservedly. The wonderful outfits and costuming were an excellent re-creation of the Post-Victorian era of 1912. All of the interiors of the ship were masterfully replicated down to the last pieces of china and silverware. The gymnasium, which is hardly seen in the film was recreated perfectly with all of the machines reproduced to match those seen in old photographs. James Horner's haunting score is also a key ingredient in the film's success. His music intensifies the emotions of the audience. Horner's love theme is still as beautiful as it is tragic.
Yes, Titanic (1997) is a modern classic, if you like it or not. Titanic became the first film to gross $1 billion, and stayed on the top of the box office charts for 12 years. Then it was kicked off the top by another James Cameron film, Avatar (2010). Over the years, it became somewhat fashionable to slag Titanic off, but just see it for yourself.
German postcard by Sunburst Merchandising GmbH, Osnabrück / Ana Anakos AG, München. Photo: Paramount / Fox, 1998. Publicity still for Titanic (James Cameron, 1997) with Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
German postcard by Sunburst Merchandising GmbH, Osnabrück / Ana Anakos AG, München. Photo: Paramount / Fox, 1998. Publicity still for Titanic (James Cameron, 1997).
German postcard by Sunburst Merchandising GmbH, Osnabrück / Ana Anakos AG, München. Photo: Paramount / Fox, 1998. Publicity still for Titanic (James Cameron, 1997).
Sources: Wikipedia and IMDb.
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