Titanic 

The story of the 1912 sinking of the largest luxury liner ever built, the tragedy that befell over two thousand of the rich and famous as well as of the poor and unknown passengers aboard the doomed ship.

Stars:

Peter Gallagher, George C. Scott, Catherine Zeta-Jones

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 8 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Peter Gallagher	...	Wynn Park 2 episodes, 1996
George C. Scott	...	Captain Edward J. Smith 2 episodes, 1996
Catherine Zeta-Jones	...	Isabella Paradine 2 episodes, 1996
Eva Marie Saint	...	Hazel Foley 2 episodes, 1996
Tim Curry	...	Simon Doonan 2 episodes, 1996
Roger Rees	...	J. Bruce Ismay 2 episodes, 1996
Harley Jane Kozak	...	Bess Allison 2 episodes, 1996
Marilu Henner	...	Molly Brown 2 episodes, 1996
Mike Doyle	...	Jamie Perse 2 episodes, 1996
Sonsee Neu	...	Aase Ludvigsen 2 episodes, 1996
Felicity Waterman	...	Alice Cleaver 2 episodes, 1996
Malcolm Stewart	...	First Officer William Murdoch 2 episodes, 1996
Kevin McNulty	...	Second Officer Charles Lightoller 2 episodes, 1996
Kavan Smith	...	Fifth Officer Harold Lowe 2 episodes, 1996
Terence Kelly	...	Captain Arthur Henry Rostron 2 episodes, 1996
Scott Hylands	...	John Jacob Astor IV 2 episodes, 1996
Janne Mortil	...	Madeline Astor 2 episodes, 1996
Tamsin Kelsey	...	Clarinda Jack 2 episodes, 1996
Eric Keenleyside	...	Black Billy Jack 2 episodes, 1996
Kevin Conway	...	Hudson Allison 2 episodes, 1996
Devon Hoholuk	...	Lorraine Allison 2 episodes, 1996
Crystal Verge	...	Miss Miller 2 episodes, 1996
Bernard Cuffling	...	Etches 2 episodes, 1996
Barry Pepper	...	Bride 2 episodes, 1996
Matt Hill	...	Phillips 2 episodes, 1996
Don MacKay	...	Mr.Dickie 2 episodes, 1996
Stephen Dimopoulos	...	Chief Bell 2 episodes, 1996
Matthew Walker	...	Captain Lord 2 episodes, 1996
Chris Humphreys	...	First Officer Dean 2 episodes, 1996
Gerard Plunkett	...	Fourth Officer Boxhall 2 episodes, 1996
Molly Parker	...	Lulu Foley 2 episodes, 1996
Hagan Beggs	...	Alden Foley 2 episodes, 1996
Brent Stait	...	Irish Bunkmate 2 episodes, 1996
Aaron Pearl	...	Lee 2 episodes, 1996
Byron Lucas	...	Fleet 2 episodes, 1996
Ron Halder	...	Second Officer Stone 2 episodes, 1996
Eric Schneider	...	Third Officer Groves 2 episodes, 1996
Gavin Craig	...	Wireless Operator 2 episodes, 1996
Janie Woods-Morris	...	Mrs. Strauss 2 episodes, 1996
Peter Haworth	...	Mr. Strauss 2 episodes, 1996
Martin Evans	...	Quartermaster Hitchens 2 episodes, 1996
Katharine Isabelle	...	Ophelia Jack 2 episodes, 1996
Lachlan Murdoch	...	Perry Jack 2 episodes, 1996

Storyline

The plot focuses on the romances of two couples upon the doomed ship's maiden voyage. Isabella Paradine (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is a wealthy woman mourning the loss of her aunt, who reignites a romance with former flame Wynn Park (Peter Gallagher). Meanwhile, a charming ne'er-do-well named Jamie Perse (Mike Doyle) steals a ticket for the ship, and falls for a sweet innocent Irish girl on board. But their romance is threatened by the villainous Simon Doonan (Tim Curry), who has discovered about the ticket and makes Jamie his unwilling accomplice, as well as having sinister plans for the girl.

---

Plot Keywords:

year 1912 | 1910s | sexual assault | rape | disaster movie | 

---

Taglines:

It was the height of opulence and a haven for romance. And in 5 short days, it became one of the 20th century's most unforgettable events. This is the story that so few lived to tell.

---

Genres:

Action | Drama | History | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for a scene of sexual assault and other violent areas

Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 November 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Titanic

Filming Locations:

Playas de Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Konigsberg/Sanitsky Company, American Zoetrope, Crescent Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

173 min 163 min (DVD) 132 min (video) 126 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby (as Dolby Surround)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the first Titanic movie to show the ship splitting in two.

---

Goofs

Isabella Paradine is shown walking up a wooden staircase into a sort of cafe. There was no such staircase on the ship.

---

Quotes

Wynn Park: Think of the stories we'll tell our grandchildren: 'Grandma and Grandpa were on the Titanic.'

---

Crazy Credits

The opening credits of Part 1 and 2 are set against a background of photos of the Titanic's construction.

---

Alternate Versions

The current North American syndicated t.v. version trims Aase's rape scene, cutting to a commercial break just as Simon Doonan pulls open the shower curtain.

---

Connections

Version of Atlantic (1929)

---

Soundtracks

Bethany
(uncredited)
Music by Scott Joplin
Arranged by Lennie Niehaus

User Reviews

Decent effort, but not equal to other versions

This looks like a made for TV rush job; perhaps they heard a blockbuster version was in the works (Cameron's mega-hit the next year), and hurried to finish this before the release of it. These coat tail copies have been done before. In any event, this effort at relating the infamous maritime disaster of 1912 is big on ambition, but crippled by low budget.

There are distinct parallels to its more famous 1997 cousin. You get a Jack & Rose type romance, which is written very awkwardly. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Peter Gallagher did their best with it, but it really doesn't evoke the passionate emotion intended. Overall, the idea of the soap-opera entanglements of several characters is a good plan, and the actors mostly do well. However, the constant heavy-handed bashing of rich people is about as subtle as a repeated blows to the head with a tire iron; it really gets old. In particular, the slant on Molly Brown was so far afield it was just dumb. I thought George C. Scott was pretty good as the ill fated Capt. Smith, who inherits the lines of the Titanic's designer, a character that is in other versions, but deleted from existence here.

The film makes an earnest effort to portray the horror and sorrow of the tragedy, but one blunder really hurt the effectiveness: to show the gradually increasing listing of the ship, the director simply has the camera turned at a slight angle, but fails to have the actors lean in the direction. The painfully comic result is characters standing perfectly upright at odd angles where their center of gravity would force them to lean. Also a problem was the unnecessary house-thief crewman (Tim Curry) still wandering around burglarizing state rooms as the water gushes in all around him. Even worse, the character is played as a constantly giggling idiot.

The montage sequence was a good answer for the limited resources available, and the protracted epilogue aboard the Carpathia might have worked better had it been dedicated to giving fates of real survivors; instead, we get the schmaltzy and unrealistic fates of fictional people.

Just fair entertainment, and hardly a good source for the history of the event. If you want the best historical approach at the Titanic's story, see "A Night to Remember," and if you prefer a highly dramatic and fictionalized version, the 1997 Titanic is better than this one.