Just watched it with the wife. I saw it when it came out in '97 & thought it was alright. Girlfriend @ the time loved it, as did pretty much any woman. Watching it now...I actually liked it more than when I first saw it. Hockley is a great villain. The music score is top notch. Still questioning why Jack & Rose couldn't have both gotten on the wooden door, Haha.
Pretty much the movie that made Leo a superstar & Winslet a household name.
Second, yes, it's a melodrama. It's a memory play, though. We're reliving all this through Rose's eyes. Yes, Jack is too good to be true Billy Zane's character only lacks a mustache to twirl. But I think that all works.
Third, yes, it's a young American's fantasy. They have sex in a car ON THE TITANIC. I think all that is deliberate. James Cameron is very calculating in his writing. (I've interviewed him a bunch of times. He once said that he can write like Tarantino -- would you love to see that -- but his stories need to play all over the world, they need to be simple and translate easily. "I'm earnest," he said. True.)
Fourth, some critic said at the time that yes, the dialogue is kind of corny and on the nose and the script isn't terrific. But if it was, it would be in the conversation for greatest movie ever made, because the rest of the filmmaking is so good. I agree.
Fifth, Leo and Kate are kind of mismatched. He looks very boyish, she looks very womanly. Somehow it works anyway.
Second, yes, it's a melodrama. It's a memory play, though. We're reliving all this through Rose's eyes. Yes, Jack is too good to be true Billy Zane's character only lacks a mustache to twirl. But I think that all works.
Third, yes, it's a young American's fantasy. They have sex in a car ON THE TITANIC. I think all that is deliberate. James Cameron is very calculating in his writing. (I've interviewed him a bunch of times. He once said that he can write like Tarantino -- would you love to see that -- but his stories need to play all over the world, they need to be simple and translate easily. "I'm earnest," he said. True.)
Fourth, some critic said at the time that yes, the dialogue is kind of corny and on the nose and the script isn't terrific. But if it was, it would be in the conversation for greatest movie ever made, because the rest of the filmmaking is so good. I agree.
Fifth, Leo and Kate are kind of mismatched. He looks very boyish, she looks very womanly. Somehow it works anyway.
THanks for posting. What were you interviewing Cameron for? I find him to be one of the most important film makers of my lifetime, but you rarely hear him speak like.
Lord and his officers should have been hung from nearest yardarms...
The Californian was within 10 miles IIRC. They saw the rockets and assumed they were having a party on the huge passenger ship. Remember many ships stopped at night when in the ice fields because they did not want to ram an iceberg or growler that they could not see.(about 25 years before radar - not that icebergs are good radar targets anyway even today).
Also remember there were very few radio officers on ships and they only worked day hours. Plus, IIRC, the ROs worked for the Radio Company(Marconi?) not the shipping company. At that time there was no automatic alarm or procedures when the radio room was not occupied. In fact, there was no SOS either. I believe the actual emergency call was "CQE" and all on Morse code. This incident caused those things to be changed and also started the International Ice Patrol (USCG and Canadian Coast Guard) to search, map and report ice.
You can not see a ship listing at night from 2 miles(side view as Californian had), never mind 10.
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But the officers on deck also commented on how the Titanic-the ship they observed-was listing. If they did math...listing ship + rockets...they shoulda known...not good.
You can not see a ship listing at night from 2 miles(side view as Californian had), never mind 10.
Did a quick search, estimated six miles apart. And the Titanic was not listing. It settled by the head.
I am not on the Californian's side, BTW. Just playing the Devil's Advocate. I have always felt the Californian blew it.
That is a good question. But the Captain did tell the deck officers to use the signal lamp to contact Titanic. It was not done. That is a good question too. Lots of total Eff ups that night. Since the Californian's RO was told to "shut up"(literally) by Titanic's RO, it probably did not help the situation.
Also, Californian had warned the Titanic of icebergs but was told to stop interrupting its radio traffic. Radio messages earned big money for the Marconi company and the ROs on Titanic didn't want to stop sending personal messages to receive messages.
Back then, you weren't required to have the radio on 24-7.
Back then, you weren't required to have the radio on 24-7.
After this, if the RO wasn't on duty the radio was designed to set off an alarm if a series of long dashes was received on 500kHz. The alarm sounded on both the bridge and the ROs bedroom. SOS became the call for trouble. In the US Merchant Marine a ship could not sail without the RO being onboard. Any other crew member (including the captain) could be left behind, but not the RO.
In 1990s(IIRC), ROs were removed and an automated radio distress system was installed - called GMDSS. POS in my opinion. Idea was good, the equipment, meh. All deck officers were required to have this endorsement, but I think the law said only two were required on board..the technology was antiquated before the units were installed and it was never really updated. Balky to use. In reality, Sat phones are the real safety system. You could actual call for help and have someone pick up the phone.
Of course the Californian was dead wrong and should have been found negligent and the captain should have had his license revoked. But it was fun to parry a bit.
FYI, I had the captain of Ballard's research ship when he found the Titanic as my third mate for 4 months.