Titanic 20 Years Later: A Discussion, Review and Defense

Hello, all! :)

I thought I would share this Titanic 20th Anniversary discussion video of mine. I worked incredibly hard on it over the last few months and thought I'd share it here for those of you who love and appreciate this film as much as I do. It's my favorite film of all time and I figured I'd make this video to share my perspective. I can tell you one thing for certain -- I would not be a Titanic enthusiast today if I never saw this movie. I know that for a lot of us younger Titanic enthusiasts, Titanic 1997 was our first exposure to the disaster and made an incredible impact on us. And it will most likely continue to carry the legend on for generations.

The hate that the film receives in general, but especially within the Titanic enthusiast community, is at times extremely overkill and not warranted in my opinion -- which is one of the reasons why I decided to make this video in the first place. I think a lot of people need to step back and realize how important the film actually is before they go spewing the same old, unoriginal complaints. As lovers of the ship and its history, we should be happy that more and more people continue to be introduced to the disaster every day thanks to this film. You have to think: Would the story of Titanic be as prevalent in the minds of non-enthusiasts if this movie never existed? Hmm. I think there are a LOT of things to love about this film. Things related to the disaster/history, as well as important themes within the fictional story as well. For various reasons I state in the video, I truly believe it should be celebrated.
1f6a2.jpg
Hope you enjoy.

 
I love Titanic! Other than the fictional characters i felt it was very historically accurate other than small details like Mr. Astors death and unproven suicide of Mr. Murdoch. Also, the Strauss couple could not have died in their bed. Other than small things like that i loved it. It's my favorite by far.
 
Thanks, Andrea! It's a little long, so if you have a free hour.. I hope you enjoy! Haha. And yes. Those slight inaccuracies (especially Murdoch's suicide) bother me a bit. I feel like since no one really knows exactly what happened to him, they should've just left that out. In my video I talk about the Strauses as if they did go back to their room in real life, but I was talking in relation to the film. I know that Isidor's body was recovered and everything. After I uploaded I realized "ooooh, it sounds like I don't know what I'm talking about there." lol but, yeah. James Cameron's adaptation packs all the emotion I want out of a Titanic film. Definitely my favorite so far unless another one comes along and beats it, haha. Good luck to that director!
 
Haha, aw! yay! I'm glad you enjoyed. The black book is "James Cameron's Titanic" - The movie companion book essentially. And the one right above it is a 2015 TV Guide collectors issue for the 20th Anniversary of the films conception. :)
 
You are absolutely correct about the impact on newer generations. Cameron's film is what got me interested in the ship and the disaster. There seems to be this idea that nothing can beat the original, which was in most people's eyes, A Night To Remember in 1958.

I'm guilty of not watching ANTR until recently, and having a prejudice of thinking it wouldn't be all that great. But, I was proven wrong and I thoroughly enjoy both films. I don't think the 1997 movie deserves the stigma it has and I think people just don't like to admit that the love story is basically what makes the first half of the film worth watching.

But still, I think James's movie sort of romanticized the sinking scenes like the dome collapse, (there probably wouldn't be anything to see or any time to see once it crashed open) the angle of the ship before the breakup (I don't even think people back 20 years ago thought it was possible) and the scene where the Bethany version of Nearer My God To Thee is played only because (Cameron even admitted) that it was the most popular and sad version. Reguaress, it still is a great movie.

I would like to see one last Titanic movie produced with ABSOLUTE accuracy with no Hollywood action added in. I believe that the truth is dramatic enough. Possibly one with the Lusitania too.
 
Hello, all! :)

I thought I would share this Titanic 20th Anniversary discussion video of mine. I worked incredibly hard on it over the last few months and thought I'd share it here for those of you who love and appreciate this film as much as I do. It's my favorite film of all time and I figured I'd make this video to share my perspective. I can tell you one thing for certain -- I would not be a Titanic enthusiast today if I never saw this movie. I know that for a lot of us younger Titanic enthusiasts, Titanic 1997 was our first exposure to the disaster and made an incredible impact on us. And it will most likely continue to carry the legend on for generations.

The hate that the film receives in general, but especially within the Titanic enthusiast community, is at times extremely overkill and not warranted in my opinion -- which is one of the reasons why I decided to make this video in the first place. I think a lot of people need to step back and realize how important the film actually is before they go spewing the same old, unoriginal complaints. As lovers of the ship and its history, we should be happy that more and more people continue to be introduced to the disaster every day thanks to this film. You have to think: Would the story of Titanic be as prevalent in the minds of non-enthusiasts if this movie never existed? Hmm. I think there are a LOT of things to love about this film. Things related to the disaster/history, as well as important themes within the fictional story as well. For various reasons I state in the video, I truly believe it should be celebrated.
1f6a2.jpg
Hope you enjoy.


Hello, all! :)

I thought I would share this Titanic 20th Anniversary discussion video of mine. I worked incredibly hard on it over the last few months and thought I'd share it here for those of you who love and appreciate this film as much as I do. It's my favorite film of all time and I figured I'd make this video to share my perspective. I can tell you one thing for certain -- I would not be a Titanic enthusiast today if I never saw this movie. I know that for a lot of us younger Titanic enthusiasts, Titanic 1997 was our first exposure to the disaster and made an incredible impact on us. And it will most likely continue to carry the legend on for generations.

The hate that the film receives in general, but especially within the Titanic enthusiast community, is at times extremely overkill and not warranted in my opinion -- which is one of the reasons why I decided to make this video in the first place. I think a lot of people need to step back and realize how important the film actually is before they go spewing the same old, unoriginal complaints. As lovers of the ship and its history, we should be happy that more and more people continue to be introduced to the disaster every day thanks to this film. You have to think: Would the story of Titanic be as prevalent in the minds of non-enthusiasts if this movie never existed? Hmm. I think there are a LOT of things to love about this film. Things related to the disaster/history, as well as important themes within the fictional story as well. For various reasons I state in the video, I truly believe it should be celebrated.
1f6a2.jpg
Hope you enjoy.




Dear Brittany,

Your enthusiasm for James Cameron's Titanic is quite charming and understandable. It was fashionable at the time of its release for some highbrow critics to disparage the film because of its commercial success. To be fair, the film does not rise to the level of literary 'high art', primarily because of the implausible fictional foreground love story between a first class female and third class male passenger. This would have been quite unlikely on a steamer of the early 20th century...and this is probably why, despite winning many Academy Awards, the film was not even nominated for its screenplay. Yet every Titanic novel and film deal in some way with the disparities of social class and often feature a romance that crosses class lines. Although the romance in the film is historically unlikely, I found it compelling enough and my disbelief was well-suspended. But it was the background historical characters, portrayed for the time with some semblance of accuracy, that I found most compelling. And, needless to say, the visual and technical achievement of the film remains unparalleled. For a fair assessment of Titanic's place in film history I would recommend the book by David M. Lubin. This volume, from the British Film Institute's series of books, covers films that are considered important as works of art or otherwise culturally significant. As a Titanic historian, I am fascinated by every manifestation of the story in print, illustration, theater and film.

When I was 5 years old, my father rousted me from bed one night to watch the sinking of the Titanic on television as depicted in either the 1953 Hollywood film or the 1958 British adaptation of Walter Lord's A Night to Remember. This experience seared me for life. I became an ardent Titanic enthusiast, reading every book I could find on the subject. My personal Titanic library now consists of more than 70 volumes. In April of 2012 I participated on the Titanic Memorial Cruise which followed the same sea lane as the Great Ship on the actual anniversary dates of the fateful maiden voyage. The Captain the MS Balmoral blew his horn at the moment of the Titanic's impact with ice exactly 100 years earlier. He then talked at length about the hopes of so many people dashed that night, many from the lowest economic levels of human society seeking a chance at improvement and freedom. It was a humbling experience, as you can imagine. We later stopped in the North Atlantic over the wreck site for a solemn memorial ceremony. On the cruise I was able to chat at length with the senior statesmen of Titanic historians, Charles Haas and Jack Eaton, and enjoyed numerous lectures given by other Titanic historians and explorers who had actually visited the wreck in deep ocean submersibles.

This week I will begin docent work at the Ronald Reagan Library's new Titanic exhibit. There is a reason this ship looms so large in our minds (like the even greater iceberg that destroyed her) that has to do with metaphor on an almost biblical scale. Although James Cameron's Titanic remains the greatest Titanic film to date, I suspect that years from now another attempt will be made to film this story in some compelling way. I would love to see a film version of Beryl Bainbridge's Every Man for Himself, a harrowing retelling that lacks the sentimentality of many Titanic romance novels and films but examines the darker side of human nature. It probably won't be as popular as the Cameron film, but it would satisfy even the most 'highbrow' of critics.

Best regards,
Matt
 
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