Titanic
(1997)
Epic and disquieting, "Titanic" is two movies in one.
It's the classic love story bracing the differences
between the social classes followed by a disaster flick.
To tie it all together is a modern day setting which
allows the story to be told as a long flashback.
The film begins, much as we expect it to, with a modern
day exposition to unearth treasures from the ship wreck.
Reprising his mode from "Twister" is Bill Paxton as,
what is supposed to be, a sort-of heartless scavenger.
Of course, he is turned, emotionally, by the story that
unfolds here. The opening scenes of Paxton with Lewis
Abernathy as his assistant are supposed to set up the
story to remind us of what we think about these days
when we think of the Titanic. We don't think of the
people and their stories. We think of the ship as a
graveyard and, possibly, a treasure trove. At best,
we consider it a time capsule.
Eventually Gloria Stewart enters the film as the only/oldest
living survivor of the disaster. She meets up with Paxton
out there on his expedition (he needs what she knows)
and begins to weave a tale of the Titanic while all
of us, Paxton and his crew included, listen intently.
Stewart is so remarkable that we are happy to hear her
tale. Scripter/ Director/Producer/et al James Cameron
writes marvellous dialogue for Stewart's character,
and only intrudes with her narration when absolutely
necessary. That is mainly what is remarkable about the
first half of this film. It is, after all, so derivative
and so tired a story, yet life is breathed into it by
the remarkable characters and dialogue. When Kate Winslet
becomes the young Stewart character, we are enchanted
even further with her tale. Her romance with Leonardo
DiCaprio, at constant odds with her engagement to (not-so)
dandy Billy Zane, so enthrals us that the first half
of the film glides by as effortlessly as ice melting
on a summer's day. Winslet and DiCaprio have chemistry
that seems boundless. Her socialite debutante is captured
by his rogue spirit and is set free by it. It seems
so brand new to us. And while Winslet has no trouble
with her evolution whatsoever, DiCaprio is equally at
home playing a man-child as a romantic lead. He so perfectly
represents freedom, truth, beauty and joy that it is
easy to understand why she is so enamoured with him,
even if he seems little more than a boy at times. Meanwhile
Zane plays such a perfect wealthy and refined creep
that it is almost possible to forgive him all his other
cinematic misdeeds. (But, alas, memories of "The Phantom"
die hard).
Also note how Cameron gets us into this love story
by keeping the camera right on the faces of the actors.
This may be a film about a ship but, during this first
half, we see the actors in close or medium shots almost
exclusively. It is rare to see them in full. Cameron
takes us right up to them. We become involved in every
expression and every eye movement. It's captivating
and it draws us effortlessly into this love story.
It is important that we have characters to understand
and care about here so that we are concerned for them
when the disaster strikes, of course. Cameron treats
the first half of the film as a set-up for what is to
come. And so, as the ship inevitable begins to sink
after striking an iceberg, we have others besides our
romantic triptych to deal with and feel concern for.
Of these, the most interesting is Kathy Bates as the
Unsinkable Molly Brown. Treated mainly as a minor character
here, she is none-the-less marvellous. Her sympathetic
treatment of Jack and her "new money" style is at odds
with the rich aristocracy of first class passengers
around her. He reaction to the disaster, from the lifeboats,
therefore, becomes monumental to what the disaster truly
means to us. The whole way in which the class structure
was delineated on the boat as it sailed the calm seas
is a crystalline view into what happens within this
class system as the ship sinks. The truly horrifying
system which leads the rich to survive and the poorer
classes to drown in the icy cold water is sickening
to witness. That is another reason why the romantic
triangle between the principles is so important. This
is truly what the Titanic is all about.
Also cast in this mix of classes and how their story
unfolds is Frances Farmer as Winslet's aristocratic
and decaying mother; Bernard Hill as the Captain of
the vessel E. J. Smith, whom history has recorded as
a fool yet he is shown much more sympathetically and
completely here; David Warner as Zane's all-too-loyal
manservant Lovejoy; Danny Nucci in what amounts to a
cameo as DiCaprio's Italian friend Fabrizio; Bernard
Fox ("Dr. Bombay, Dr. Bombay, Emergency, Emergency,
Come right away!") as a wealthy Englishman; Eric Braeden
as John Jacob Astor; Jonathan Hyde as Ismay, a behind
the scenes player who is the true fool here; and Michael
Ensign as Benjamin Guggenheim. Of course, many of these
are actual persons whom were on the ship. As is expected,
their stories may be only loosely based in fact. More
interesting is the fact that Cameron cast actors who
looked like the actual people to portray them on film.
In fact, Cameron recreates the exterior and interior
of the ship with the same attention to exact details.
Finally, the ship hits the iceberg. It's eerie and
frightening what happens after this as the film denigrates
(in a good way) into a disaster flick of epic proportions.
The uneasy calm after the moment of impact is perfectly
captured here as Cameron takes his time to portray the
incidents as they surely must have happened. It's disturbing,
in a way, how calm and calculated the film remains for
the following minutes as precious time slips away. This
last half of the film is, simply put, like being there.
And in a way, it's the most frightening and unsettling
experience you may ever have in a movie theater. It's
a spool of yarn unraveling. It's a complex tapestry
coming apart at the seams. It's perplexing and sickening
for the viewer at times as, like the survivors already
safely ensconced in the lifeboats, we are left to sit
back and simply watch thousands loose their lives.
Of course, Cameron's verisimilitude is massively helped
by much Industrial Light and Magic trickery. While the
film has way too many obvious matte shots in the opening
hour, there are still plenty of moments that look and
seem so real that our mouths drop open throughout. In
the same way that we feel the exuberance, with DiCaprio
and Nucci, of riding at the very front of the Titanic
as it cuts through the water on it's first day of the
voyage, we feel the sheer power and the colossal collapse
of the ship as it sinks into the ocean. When it's gigantic
propellers rise above the water as the tail of the boat
is lifted when the front sinks, we see the awesome spectacle
of the ship. We understand the tremendous peril of what
is happening here. It's a rollercoaster ride into a
moment of history that many have been captivated by
many but which has been truly gleaned by few. It takes
us there and, like DiCaprio and Winslet, we truly understand
what it means to survive the shipwreck. In the most
pure and true sense of the term, it is awesome.
"Titanic" is a breathtaking film that never fails
to astound us. Everything about it, the sets, the costumes,
the effects, the characters, the actors, help overcome
the less- than-spectacular love story. You might hear
several didactic souls complain and become persnickety
about this silly plot at times. They don't get it. "Titanic"
was a situation about class. This class system is paramount
to the story of what happens when the ship goes down,
so it is only fitting that Cameron's base story start
there. Where he takes us after that... into the depths
of unimaginable devastation, leaves us paused, short
of breath, awed by the spectacle of a tragedy we can
only begin to comprehend.
Note:
Cameron acts not only as Director but also Scripter,
Editor, Producer and Underwater Camera Operator he also
has an uncredited cameo as man getting beard combed
for lice on the port as the Titanic sets sail.
Jon Landis is a Producer.
Music by James Horner. Costumes by Deborah Lynn Scott.
Celine Dion sings a song over the end credits.
The nepotism factor: Laramie Landis appears as a "Little
Irish Girl."
DiCaprio plays an artist and Monet and Picasso are
discussed briefly.
Most of the shooting utilizing the recreated model
of the Titanic (90% the size of the original) was done
in Baja, Mexico. Many of the extras were retired Americans
and light skinned natives.
The underwater shots of the shipwreck were filmed
by Cameron and a crew at the actual site. These shots
represent the furtest any camera have ever travelled
into the remains of the Titanic.
The scene where Winslet spits in Zanes face was the
actress' idea. It took 27 takes and Winslet used KY
jelly for spit when she dried up.
The "Heart of the Ocean" diamond is a made up jewel
of which Cameron said, "It's sort of baed on the Hope
Diamond, which has a similar history."
Stewart was a big star in the 30's and 40's who gave
up acting when the roles she was offered became less
and less serious. She became an artist yet continued
to work for the Screen Actors Guild.
Although Cameron strived for accuracy throughout the
film, there are a couple of gaffs. The most obvious
and often mentioned is Jack's discussion of ice fishing
on a lake that is in fact a man-made lake which didn't
even exist in 1912.
There was a Jack Dawson, the name given to DiCaprio's
fictional character, who worked on the crew and his
gravesite became a tourist attraction after the film
was a hit.
The film was nominated for 14 Oscars, tying a record
set by "All About Eve," including Best Picture, Director,
Actress and Supporting Actress. The nominations of Kate
Winslet and Gloria Stewart represent the first time
two actresses have been nominated for playing the same
role in the same film. At 87, Stewart is also the oldest
nominee.
The film continued to gross a lot of money at the
box office numerous weeks after it was released and
set many box office records. Among them, the highest
grossing domestic film of all time and the first billion
dollar grossing film.
The film was #1 at the box-office for a record 16
straight weeks until the release of "Lost in Space,"
which out-grossed it almost 2 to 1 on the 1st weekend
in April, 1998.
It was said that Claire Danes was once considered
for the role of Rose (which would have placed her again
with her "Romeo and Juliet" co-star DiCaprio). It is
also rumored that the role was offered to Gwyneth Paltrow.
There have been at least 13 films made about the Titanic
as well as countless documentaries and books.
The Titanic sunk on April 15, 1912.
Review written in 1998
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