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Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as members of different social classes who fall in love aboard the ship during its maiden voyage.
The film premiered on November 1, 1997, at the Tokyo International Film Festival, where reaction was described as "tepid" by The New York Times but positive reviews started to appear back in the United States. The official Hollywood premiere occurred on December 14, 1997. Upon its release, Titanic achieved critical and commercial success but the film has been derided by some as fluff, which it may be. However, I did not think of the film as fluff in any way. True, it is highly fictionalized, but that is part and parcel of what film makers do to make a film more interesting; one must have a suspension of disbelief if one is going to enjoy a movie. I can watch PBS if I want a documentary.
I loved it for many reasons. The facts of the cause of the sinking are true; the score composed by James Horner is brilliant and the love theme, My Heart Will Go On, sung by Celine Dion, is excruciatingly dramatic and beautiful. To say noting of the Special Effects which are astounding!
Since I was a kid, I have been enamored with the story, legend, mystery or whatever you want to call it, of the event that happened on April 14, 1912, the day the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg, sank the next day and took more than 1,500 people with it.
Also, my "niece", Lex, took us to see it when it opened. She was 13 or so at the time and had used money she had saved up from her weekly allowance to treat us. It is one of the sweet things I have experienced in my life and it is for this, if nothing else, that I love the film.
The film premiered on November 1, 1997, at the Tokyo International Film Festival, where reaction was described as "tepid" by The New York Times but positive reviews started to appear back in the United States. The official Hollywood premiere occurred on December 14, 1997. Upon its release, Titanic achieved critical and commercial success but the film has been derided by some as fluff, which it may be. However, I did not think of the film as fluff in any way. True, it is highly fictionalized, but that is part and parcel of what film makers do to make a film more interesting; one must have a suspension of disbelief if one is going to enjoy a movie. I can watch PBS if I want a documentary.
I loved it for many reasons. The facts of the cause of the sinking are true; the score composed by James Horner is brilliant and the love theme, My Heart Will Go On, sung by Celine Dion, is excruciatingly dramatic and beautiful. To say noting of the Special Effects which are astounding!
Since I was a kid, I have been enamored with the story, legend, mystery or whatever you want to call it, of the event that happened on April 14, 1912, the day the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg, sank the next day and took more than 1,500 people with it.
Also, my "niece", Lex, took us to see it when it opened. She was 13 or so at the time and had used money she had saved up from her weekly allowance to treat us. It is one of the sweet things I have experienced in my life and it is for this, if nothing else, that I love the film.
The Titanic ~ LaserDisc album cover is a gatefold format which I love because more information and photos are available . . .
The cast is excellent but for me the standout was Kathy Bates, whom I have loved for decades. She was perfectly cast as Margaret "Molly" Brown, a real-life person on board the Titanic when it sank and who was nicknamed The Unsinkable Molly Brown by the media after the sinking. A Broadway musical, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, was written about her; Tammy Grimes portrayed Brown.
I have always loved ships, however, I have only had one experience with one; It was a voyage from Cyprus to Israel in 2000 and it was stunning.
I have an article I've written on the Viewfiner about the World War I and II Dazzle Ships as well as the vinyl LP album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark which was based on them (links below).
Titanic ~ LaserDisc 1
Titanic ~ LaserDisc 2
NY Times ~ A Spectacle As Sweeping As the Sea review
Hollywood Reprter ~ Titanic: THR's 1997 Review Rotten Tomatoes ~ Titanic review
RollingStone ~ Titanic review
Titanic (1997) Sinking Scenes (8 min., 49 sec.)
Titanic Sinking Scene - Part 1 (9 min., 50 sec.)
Titanic Behind the scenes Part 1 (31 min., 16 sec.) Titanic: Behind the Scenes Part 2 of 2 (4 min., 19 sec.)
Celine Dion ~ My Heart Will Go On
This is dedicated to Lex!
Styrous® ~ Thursday, November 1, 2018
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