The Movie
James Cameron’s 1997 mega hit “Titanic” was an early
childhood movie experience for me. Along with “Star Wars,” “The Shining,”
“Night of the Living Dead” (yes, I realize I watched scary and gory horror
films as a child, don’t judge me) and others, “Titanic” was a film I remembered
watching frequently. It wasn’t like I was really invested in the storyline or
characters but more because the ship sank. Often times I would fast-forward
through the first hour or so in order to get to the sinking part.
I was a fan of “Titanic” (one way or another) like I was a
fan of “Star Wars.” It made me go and check out books about it --as well as
other famous shipwrecks--from the library. When there was a Titanic exhibit
featuring various artifacts from the real ship in town I made my parents take
me to it. I even bought a Titanic bathtub toy that would fill up with water and
eventually crack in half and sink, exactly like it supposedly did in real life.
So, when the digitally remastered high definition Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital
Copy Combo pack came in the mail I figured it would be a great opportunity to
revisit the number two highest grossing film of all time (behind Cameron’s own
“Avatar”) after all these years.
And to my surprise
and pleasure I enjoyed it quite a bit. It’s an old Hollywood historical epic in
the same vein as “Gone with the Wind” or “Ben Hur.” It’s immensely exciting,
amusing and emotional. There were certain scenes I remember watching and
enjoying as a kid that I still found just as stunning and entertaining. The
scene where the ship hits the iceberg is, to me, the best scene in the entire
movie. A perfect combination of action, tension, emotion and above all music.
Speaking of music, James Horner’s Oscar winning score still
remains one of the most powerful movie soundtracks out there that mirrors the
various emotions of the movie perfectly. Hearing it again, a few songs gave me
chills.
Now yes, I think we
can all agree that “Titanic” isn’t a profound work of cinematic art. Its
central story is a fairly typical romance between the rich but miserable and
restless Rose (Kate Winslett) and the poor but happy Jack (Leonardo Dicaprio). When
Cameron originally pitched the film he said “Romeo and Juliet on the Titanic.”
But that doesn’t make the overall film bad, there are plenty of well regarded
movies (“Gone With The Wind” and “Ben Hur” for example) that aren’t profound or
considered “high art.”
Like most epics the most fascinating thing about “Titanic”
is the shear size of the project and how much work and time went in to making
it. Cameron and his crew built an entire ship set almost as big as the actual
ship. And Cameron wanted things to be as historically accurate as possible, so
each room or section of the ship featured in the movie was faithfully recreated
from old photographs. Not to mention, the thousands and thousands of extras and
props used. If that isn’t an epic, I don’t know what is.
However, like many epics, “Titanic” also isn’t flawless. The
film can be cheesy and overdramatic at times. Cameron’s screenplay isn’t
airtight. There are plot holes here and there, namely the overall framing
device for the movie, involving 101 year old Rose (Gloria Stewart) telling the
entire Titanic story vocally, from memory. It’s amazing that even at such an
old age she can still recall every single detail as well as every bit of small
talk between people she wasn’t even around to see or hear. In fact you could
argue that the whole modern day hook is a little bit too much, especially with
all of the other characters and side plots.
Did “Titanic” deserve to win the Oscar for Best Picture?
(Especially over a movie like “L.A Confidential”?) I’m not entirely sure but
what I do know is that “Titanic” was by far the most accessible movie of that
year. It has romance, action, suspense, and tragedy, along with a modern day
mystery story. And even if it does have flaws, it’s still a hugely entertaining
spectacle movie.
Special Features
As far as special features are concerned, this new addition
has a total of six hours of bonus material (and two hours of brand new
material, exclusive to this release).
First off there are two new documentaries; one is Reflections
on Titanic, an in depth feature on all of the major aspects of the
movie. The conception, the lengthy and costly production, the postproduction,
the release and instant box office success and the influence it had on culture.
And finally the 2012 3D rerelease.
The other is Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron
an hour and a half long doc where Cameron has gathered a number of scientists,
naval architects, painters, etc., and they try to come to a conclusion on how
the ship actually sank, as well as some of the other mysteries of the wreckage
on the ocean floor. This is no doubt interesting and it’s fun to see these guys
argue but Cameron has a tendancy to dominate the conversation. I would have
liked to see the other experts talk more.
Next up, there are three, count ‘em, three separate commentary
tracks; one with just Cameron, the second with various members of the
cast and crew and the third with historical consultants Don Lynch and Ken
Marschall. In order to get this review written on time, I could only listen to
one. I chose Cameron’s track because he’s the writer/director and therefore he
should know the most about it. And he definitely knows the movie inside and
out. Most of the time he points out how historically accurate something is and
pointing out where CGI is used, and where sets and stunt doubles are used. He
does pat himself on the back an awful lot and can be arrogant but I figure he’s
earned that right.
Then there are a total of thirty deleted scenes,
with optional commentary by Cameron. None of them would have made the final
movie any better, in fact in some cases I think they would have made it too cluttered
and neat, ultimately making it worse. But they are interesting to look at, and
listen with Cameron’s commentary to find out why they didn’t make the cut.
Next up there are sixty behind the scenes featurettes. They’re
brief, lasting about forty seconds to one minute and they cover a different part
of the overall production, from the makeup to the costumes to the use of CGI. They’re
all informative but they only scratch the surface.
There are three Titanic Parodies’:
The best one is the 1998 MTV movie award skit featuring
Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller pitching “Titanic 2” to Cameron. The second is
from SNL, which is also funny, but like all SNL stunts it runs out of steam
towards the end. And finally an animated spoof called “Titanic in 30 seconds,” reenacted all with
bunnies.
And to round things off there is a Construction Timelapse showing
the mammoth Titanic set being built. A Deep Dive Presentation, narrated by James
Cameron. $200,000,001: A Ships Odyssey (the TITANIC Crew Video), a
seventeen minute, light hearted feature showing behind the scenes footage shot
on set. Videomatic and Visual effects demonstrations. The
original music video for the song “My Heart Will Go On” used in the
end credits, sung by Celine Dion. And, trailers, TV spots and
Still Galleries. Sigh!
Final Thoughts
“Titanic” is a movie that was destined to make loads of
money because it has something for everyone. Even though the special effects
and visual effects may look dated nowadays, the movie itself still holds up
remarkably well. For those who love “Titanic” this release is worth buying. Not
only because of the treasure chest of special features but also because this is
the first time it’s on Blu Ray; the sound is sharp and the picture is crisp and
clear, with no noticeable problems.
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