Titanic (1997)

A seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.

Director:

James Cameron

Writer:

James Cameron

Stars:

Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane

Won 11 Oscars. Another 115 wins & 80 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leonardo DiCaprio	...	Jack Dawson
Kate Winslet	...	Rose Dewitt Bukater
Billy Zane	...	Cal Hockley
Kathy Bates	...	Molly Brown
Frances Fisher	...	Ruth Dewitt Bukater
Gloria Stuart	...	Old Rose
Bill Paxton	...	Brock Lovett
Bernard Hill	...	Captain Smith
David Warner	...	Spicer Lovejoy
Victor Garber	...	Thomas Andrews
Jonathan Hyde	...	Bruce Ismay
Suzy Amis	...	Lizzy Calvert
Lewis Abernathy	...	Lewis Bodine
Nicholas Cascone	...	Bobby Buell
Anatoly M. Sagalevitch	...	Anatoly Milkailavich (as Dr. Anatoly M. Sagalevitch)

Storyline

84 years later, a 100 year-old woman named Rose DeWitt Bukater tells the story to her granddaughter Lizzy Calvert, Brock Lovett, Lewis Bodine, Bobby Buell and Anatoly Mikailavich on the Keldysh about her life set in April 10th 1912, on a ship called Titanic when young Rose boards the departing ship with the upper-class passengers and her mother, Ruth DeWitt Bukater, and her fiancé, Caledon Hockley. Meanwhile, a drifter and artist named Jack Dawson and his best friend Fabrizio De Rossi win third-class tickets to the ship in a game. And she explains the whole story from departure until the death of Titanic on its first and last voyage April 15th, 1912 at 2:20 in the morning.

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Plot Keywords:

iceberg | told in flashback | titanic | ship | shipwreck | 

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Taglines:

Collide With Destiny.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for disaster related peril and violence, nudity, sensuality and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English Swedish Italian

Release Date:

19 December 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Planet Ice

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$28,638,131, 21 December 1997

Gross USA:

$659,363,944

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,187,463,944

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Lightstorm Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

194 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Dolby Digital 5.1) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1) DTS (DTS HD Master Audio 5.1) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1) DTS 70 mm (70 mm prints) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1) SDDS (8 channels) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1) D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1 (D-Cinema prints) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Old Rose says "it's been 84 years," which would actually make her 101 years old and the year 1996 when she tells her story--a year prior to the movie release. This means that she would have been 17 years old in 1912, and despite this, she was still served alcohol on the ship (at the time, legal drinking age was 18).

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Goofs

At the beginning of the movie, when the elderly Rose is placing her photographs, she places them facing her bed. Later at the end of the movie, while she is asleep, it is clear the the photographs are facing away from her bed.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Brock Lovett: Thirteen meters; you should see it.
Brock Lovett: [seeing the shipwreck come into view for the first time] OK; take her up and over the bow rail.

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Crazy Credits

Although a co-production between Paramount Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox, either one of the logos appears at the beginning: Paramount in the US version and Fox in the international version. Yet ironically, Paramount is mentioned first in the international credits while Fox is mentioned first in the US credits.

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Alternate Versions

The film's IMAX & Blu-ray 3D release presents the film open-matte, at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, meaning there was more picture information visible in the top and bottom of the frame than in normal theaters and on standard home video releases. For example, more of Rose's naked body is shown during her nude drawing scene, including her full behind when she drops the robe. During the final plunge, Jack and Rose are seen on the top of the railing, which wasn't visible in the theatrical scope version. This version also removes boom mics and other camera equipment that was originally noticeable in the original Super 35 negative because of James Cameron strapping black gaffe tape on the video monitors during filming. For example, in the scene when Cal yells at Rose during breakfast, a small shadow of a boom mic is visible.

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Connections

Referenced in Julie and Jack (2003)

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Soundtracks

I'm Alive
(uncredited)
Performed by Céline Dion

User Reviews

A Superb Epic

I avoided watching this film for the longest time. Long before it was even released I had dismissed it as an over-hyped, over-blown, overly romanticized piece of Hollywood schmaltz, and I wanted nothing to do with it. I never watched it in the theatre. I shook my head in disbelief at the 11 Academy Awards - even though I had never seen it. Then I was asked to be a judge at a high school public speaking contest. One of the girls spoke about this movie. "It was so great," she said. "You really felt like you were on the ship." "Nonsense," I thought. I shared my feelings with my fellow judges. One looked at me and said, "you might be right, but if she liked the movie that much maybe she'll want to learn more about the real Titanic. The movie must have done something right to get her so interested." "Well, maybe," thought I. Then it finally appeared on Pay TV. "OK," I thought, "I'll give it a look see." I didn't want to like it - and I didn't. I loved it! What a great movie.

Where to start? First - the directing. My high school public speaking contestant was right. James Cameron does a superb job of creating an almost "you are there" type of atmosphere. The gaiety of life aboard the most elegant ship in the world. The nonchalance as news of the iceberg first spreads; then the rising sense of panic. You don't just watch it; you really do feel it. Then - the performances. The lead performances from Kate Winslet (as Rose) and Leonardo DiCaprio (as Jack) are excellent - Winslet's being the superior, I thought, but both were good. They had their rich girl/poor boy characters down to a perfect "t" I thought. In my opinion, though, stealing the show was Frances Fisher as Rose's mother. She was perfect as the snobby aristocrat, and you could feel the fear and loathing she felt every time she looked at Jack. Then - the details. I'm no expert on the sinking of the Titanic, but I have a reasonable general knowledge, and this film does a super job of recreating the historical details accurately and then weaving them seamlessly around the fictional romance. Very impressive, indeed. Then - the song. Who can watch this movie and not be taken with Celine Dion's performance of "My Heart Goes On."

Problems. Well, the romance was perhaps too contrived, in the sense that I just don't accept that Jack could have moved so effortlessly from steerage to first class. (I know he was invited the first time; but he seems to keep getting into first class without being stopped until he's been there for a while.) The realities of the separation of the social classes were much more realistically portrayed, I thought, when the steerage passengers were going to be left locked down there after the ship hit the iceberg while the first class folks got to enjoy half empty lifeboats.

A minor quibble, though. This is truly an excellent movie. My only regret is not seeing it in the theatre, where I think it would have been so much more impressive.

9/10