Saturday 7 April 2012

Why I Love Titanic: Part 1


I think I love Titanic more than many (especially men maybe?) but isn’t this new release a bit pointless?

Let me get a couple of things straight.  Firstly, I was always slightly fascinated with the sinking of the legendary ship on its maiden voyage.  Before James Cameron’s film existed, I had read A Night to Remember, a highly detailed and well-researched book about the events that took place that night.  Secondly, I loved the work of director James Cameron.  Terminator 1 and 2 are still two of my favourite films of all time, Aliens is easily the best of that franchise and True Lies is a really fun action movie.  

But on the other hand, in 1997, I was 16 years old and put off by the soppy, romantic look of the film, not to mention Celine Dion hogging the number one spot in the charts.  I was intrigued by stories of the amazing production design and the escalating budget but not enough to make a trip to the cinema.  But then a friend raved about it.  He told me the entire plot and although I didn’t get why an old woman would throw away a priceless necklace at the end, my friend emphasized the fact that pretty much the whole last hour was an action film.

So I went along to see it with the friend who had told me the whole story.  He said he would be happy to see it for a second time which also made me optimistic.  I was blown away.  I loved every moment of it: from the romance to the tragedy to the brilliant special effects, music, sets and costumes, even Dion warbling over the credits.  Here’s why:

The music

Ok forget My Heart Will Go On for a minute and look beyond to James Horner’s masterful score.  From the haunting sadness of Never an Absolution and Hymn to the Sea to the awe-inspiring Southampton and Take Her to Sea Mr Murdoch that perfectly capture the magic and majesty of the ship, it is one of my favourite soundtracks.  And then there is the perfect blend of horror, sadness and wonder created by tracks like A Building Panic, The Sinking and Death of Titanic.  Yes it all might sound a little too Enya inspired at times and Celine Dion’s vocals spell it all out rather pointlessly by the end but nevertheless this is a grand and epic score that has an undeniably HUGE part to play in creating the emotional response of the viewer. 


The cast

Kate Winslet shines as the trapped rich girl Rose, promised to a man she doesn’t love and desperate for adventure and escape.  Her character is the best written and carries the film from forbidden love to horrific tragedy to quiet optimism.  Leo is slightly short-changed as Jack Dawson, saddled with some cheesy lines and a fairly two-dimensional character in comparison.  But he does get stand-out moments like when he teaches the rich folk he has been invited to dinner with a thing or two about living life to the fullest. 


Rounding out the love triangle that puts Twilight to shame is Billy Zane as Cal, Rose’s fiancé and a bit of a pantomime villain bastard.  Zane gets a bit of flack for his eyebrow acting in this film; all that’s missing is a moustache to twirl and crazy maniac laughing but actually his final moments in the film reveal that he isn’t quite the total bastard he appears to be for the rest of the film.  And his delivery of the line ‘not the better half’ when Rose tells him ‘half the people on this ship are going to die’ is a deeply chilling moment of cinematic villainy. 

The love story

Somebody once told me Titanic was Romeo and Juliet on a boat.  With Leo just coming off Baz Luhrmann’s take on that Shakespearean tragedy, it was easy to believe.  But unlike R&J, we have a surviving member of the doomed couple to relate the story to us.  Yes it’s a tragic love story and Rose is promised to a man she does not love, while her family disapproves of her new found bit of rough Jack but the class dimension adds a lot more to this tale of forbidden romance.  Her mother wants what is ‘best’ for Rose (and herself) and Cal might actually truly love her.  But her desire for more from her life leads her into a collision with the free spirited Jack and it’s a romance we can root for.

It also has one of the sexiest scenes in cinema history.  No, not the couple copping off in the back of a car (“Put your hands on me Jack”) but the moment Jack draws Rose ‘like one of his French girls’.  The sparkle in Winslet’s eyes as she disrobes for the blushing Jack is irresistible.

The ship

From the outset, Cameron was determined to spare no expense when it came to technical realism. That was why he built three massive sets in huge, man-made, concrete-lined "lakes" for the movie's shooting. It was also why he rented a submersible to dive down to the real Titanic wreck and photograph it. And it was why he demanded that the set designs--from the style of the carpeting to the patterns on the wood moldings--faithfully re-create the original.


Given those demands, giant scale models were the only viable option. Unlike most sea-based films, which make heavy use of models measuring a mere 10 or 15 feet long, Titanic would come as close as possible to the real article. Engineers on the project ultimately built a scale model measuring 775 feet long--about 90% of the size of the original” http://www.designnews.com/document.asp?doc_id=226839

How cool is that?

The sets had to tilt and be capable of being flooded in order to recreate the legendary and terrifying sinking.  “In terms of cost and practicality, the only solution was hydraulics. To raise and lower it 15 times a night, there was no other way."  It is this that gives the climax its breathtaking and horrific power.  The practical effects and scale of the sets used is phenomenal.  Watching the special features shows Cameron orchestrating organized chaos on the huge, mesmerizing replica sets and every frame that features the interiors of the ship is a testament to production designer Peter Lamont.

Tomorrow I will post part 2 where I will consider the historically accurate details Cameron included in the film, the messages that can be taken from the story, and whether this new 3D release is cashing in or commemorating.

14 comments:

  1. I've got a male friend at uni who loves this movie almost as much (maybe even more) than you seem to, haha. I've seen it once when I was....fifteen? I was never really interested in epic romances, but I liked Titanic - like, not love. I won't be seeing it in 3D but a re-watch is definitely in the future.

    I do admire the detail James Cameron puts into his work, and I had no idea that he actually sent a submersible down to look at the wreck, as I'd just assumed they used archive footage. He does love his deep sea adventures, does Mr. Cameron! Great post!

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    1. I know Ruth, I think deep down most men love it really! Yep Cameron's footage of the Titanic is amazing and worth a full blown documentary of it's own. The special features on the four disc edition are a wealth of behind the scenes awesomeness! I've never enjoyed learning so much about the production of a movie as with this one!

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  2. Titanic is an epic movie because there is so many good factors contributing to the whole film. Definately there was no cost-cutting while making this film which made it so much better, realistic. But it also shows all aspects of human nature, exactly as it happened when the ship was sinking. Some people were bribing crew members, and others were locked under the deck! I believe that the whole mess, all the mistakes is what made Titanic so "famous", after all, its not the only ship that has sunk. Anyway look up Molly Brown she is shown all the time in Titanic, and she was pretty cool.
    About its re-release, its good that they do it, shame about the fake 3D, I know a lot of "public" will get excited about the 3D but the film is already engaging enough in 2D. Its all about money... I know that I rather see it in 2d than 3d on the big screen.

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    1. Too true, I've got loads more to say about this movie which I will post tomorrow. I'm going to look at all the characters that are factual including the legendary Molly Brown!

      As for the 3D there's more of about that in tomorrow's post too. I've heard mixed things but I want to believe the people who have said it's actually used with a great deal of restraint and does make, particularly the wreck, more stunning!

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  3. Don't worry about it, I'm guy, and I love Titanic as well! I was also 16 in 1997. I'm 31 now.
    You cover a lot of ground (or sea?) with your Titanic review.
    I agree we witness a romance we can root for, even if Rose is being disloyal. Rose's theme is my favorite part of James Horner's score.
    The screenshots you shared are more varied than mine. In my recent review I selected images of the ship in the ocean mostly, because those scenes blew me away.
    I'll be back for part 2!

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    1. Thanks man! Rose's theme is beautiful and used for a great moment in the film! Glad I wasn't the only 16 year old dude to fall in love with this film!

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  4. I was too young to see Titanic when it first came out and when I watched it on TV I would always roll my eyes and scoff. However, seeing it in a theatre....I don't know it made a better impression.

    http://thenewyorkcityfilmchick.blogspot.com/

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    1. It's an easy film to dismiss. I understand when people criticize it completely as it does have it's faults. But on the other hand there is a lot to love and it's also very easy to get swept up in all the wonder and the tragedy and all that!

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  5. Kudos for admitting such devotion to an film that has become so easy to dismiss. A lot of what you highlight I actually agree with despite my distaste for the film. That isn't to say I don't like it but what niggles is the fact one of my favourite directors - the man who made the brilliant Aliens and Terminator - hacked a tired Romeo and Juliet-style romance on to one of the great factual disaster stories of the last century. What would have made the film more interesting - as the fantastic special-effects of the sinking ship would still be in place - would be if those aliens from The Abyss had caused the accident or Terminators invaded the ship and started hacking up the upper classes.

    But I agree...the film isn't bad. Far from it. There's a lot of technical skill, a good score, great special effects, and a captivating final third.

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    1. LOL Yeah Terminators taking down the first class passengers! That's what this film needed. Forget the Abyss aliens, I want the Aliens aliens! Then we could have Terminator vs Aliens on board the Titanic. Billy Zane would still survive though.

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  6. Y'know, I was quite taken by Titanic when it first came out. I even bought the DVD, but this 3D re-release doesn't interest me. In any case, I do agree it's an excellently-crafted film and I was just reading an article about Titanic filming yesterday and what an iron fist Cameron was to his cast and crew. But hey, when you have something this massive I suppose one has to rule in this way to get things done. Man imagine it could've gone the other way and be the biggest flop the world had ever seen. Cameron actually said at one point 'this is my ART film' ahah. Oh and yes I'm with you about the score, people always remember the mind-numbing Celine Dion song and forget what a beautiful score this film has. Great post, Pete!

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    1. Thanks Ruth! And yeah I have no idea how directors do it. Even a tiny film must be hard enough to direct but something of this scale must take a bit of a dictator. Not quite an art film haha!

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  7. I think the re-release is a great idea, I was too young to see the movie in the theatres once it was released for the first time. It's such a beautiful love story, there aren't many like those in new films. I love Winslet here, it's one of ther best performances.

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    1. Yep definitely love Winslet in this film. It's a great performance and one of the best written characters. Hadn't even though of all the fans who were too young to catch it in the cinemas. That totally makes it a good idea. Hope you get to see it on the big screen!

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