Genre: Romance/Adventure/Historical/Drama.
Studio:
Paramount Pictures/20th Century Fox.
Production Company:
20th Century Fox/Lightstorm Entertainment Inc.
Project Phase: In the Can.
Who's In It:
Kate Winslet (Rose Bukater); Leonardo DiCaprio (Jack Dawson);
Bill Paxton (Brock Lovett); Gloria Stuart (Rose Calvert);
Billy Zane (Cal Hockley); Frances Fisher (Ruth Bukater);
David Warner (Spicer Lovejoy); Kathy Bates (Molly Brown); Suzy
Amis (Lizzy Calvert); Danny Nucci (Fabrizio De Rossi);
Jeanette Goldstein.
Who's Making It:
James Cameron (Director, Screenwriter); James Cameron, Jon Landau (Producers);
Rae Sanchini (Executive Producer); Peter Lamont (Production Designer);
Digital Domain (Special Visual Effects); Rob Legato (Visual Effects Supervisor);
James Horner (Musical Score).
Premise: The lives of two young lovers are intertwined with world history as they struggle to survive the sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic. Nearly a century later, one of the survivors returns to the ocean grave in order to recount her tale to treasure hunters.
Release Date: December 19, 1997.
Comments: With his dream project Spider-Man stuck in legal quagmire, Cameron is developing this project. Lightstorm ventured off the coast of Newfoundland in late 1995 where the final resting place of the Titanic lies to do "pre-production work" - sending down deep-ocean cameras and lights to film sections of the hulk. No word if this is to be footage contained in the film or something else Cameron has rolled up his sleeve.
Developments:
May 28, 1997... Another release date is made official by the studios: December 19th.
May 15, 1997... The new release date for the film is now October 8th.
April 15, 1997... Word begins to creep around Hollywood that the picture may not be completed by its July 4 release date.
Rumors: Unknown.
Scoop Feedback:
Late February, 1996... Director James Cameron contacted director Kevin Reynolds (Waterworld) to ask for advice on the do's and don'ts of filming on water. Reynolds reportidly declined, telling Cameron that he would "find out". [Scoop reported by 'Wavescan'.]
March 20, 1996... Kate Winslet (from Heavenly Creatures and Sense and Sensability) has been cast in Titanic. [Scoop submitted by 'drodelli'.]
March 28, 1996... James Cameron was seen at ILM this week. Word is that he may have been scouting for more digitial artists and programmers to work on his Titanic feature. There may be as many as 400 effects shots involved, and the flick's budget could top off at $110 million... [Scoop reported by 'Canuck'.]
April 7, 1996... Cameron should begin production on this project in May or June 1996. According to Cameron, Titanic is "a human drama set against the stage of the early 20th century. It basically takes place mostly in 1912. It has a present day wrap-around story that involves submersibles and a salvage operation. This takes one back into the 1912 story through the memory flashbacks of a survivor. Most of the story plays out in the four days leading up to the sinking." [Scoop forwarded by 'Shape'; taken from the Digital Domain web site.]
April 12, 1996... The Titanic will be a completely realized digital model in some shots that will allow Cameron to do never-before-seen sequences. For example, action may begin in the ship's ballroom, then move out onto the deck and up over the entire ship in one single camera move. The footage he took last year will be used for the present-day story, centered around a salvage attempt. [Scoop sent in by 'Pavlov'.]
May 7, 1996... Cameron spent three weeks on the Russian vessel Academik Keldysh filming the underwater sequences. The ship is the only one capable of housing two submersibles (which is necessary for filming underwater sequences of a submersible.) He also used a special remote control camera to film inside the wreck, of which these scenes will 'bookend' the fictional love story. [Scoop reported by R. Ewing; originally posted by 'Sci-Fox'.]
May 9, 1996... Shooting on the film is set to begin next week on soundstages constructed in Mexico from the actual blueprints from the Titanic. The sets are designed to mechnically simulate the sinking of the ship in the exact same pattern and timing that the actual events occurred. The film is proceeding ahead with the tighest veil of secrecy that Cameron's ever had on a film. Some say that he's actually nervous - there's no safety net for him to rely on, no mega-explosions or fantastic villains from his previous outings. This is a character piece first and foremost, and Cameron may want to prove that he can direct a riveting dramatic piece as good as any summer blockbuster. [Scoop submitted by 'Pavlov'.]
May 22-25, 1996... Leonardo DiCaprio has joined the cast in the role of "James" or "Jack", Winslet's romantic interest. [Scoop info submitted by 'Han Solo', Christian, 'splatpnk', 'Shape', Diane, Thom Roberts, Tim Doyle, and finally, last but not least, '94188526vsh'. Unfortunately, Leonardo didn't tell us.]
July 1, 1996... We're told that filming is underway in Escondido, CA. The project then moves to Rosarito Beach, MX (MX?) no later than August 1. The water tank where the model will sink is apparently the size of 3 football fields. [Scoop reported by 'Secret'.]
July 4, 1996... James Cameron is writing a companion novel to the film also titled Titanic. The book is said to be "loosely based on the manuscript" (which is described as 'a historical fiction described as the tale of one man's inability to conquer nature with science as well as an exploration of love lost in a bygone era'.) The book should be avaliable in May 1997, shortly before the film's opening. A one-page synopsis, handed out by the book's publisher Judith Regan Books, stirred interest at a recent book industry convention in Chicago. [Scoop information generously supplied by 'shape'.]
July 10, 1996... Leonardo DiCaprio's character may not be called James but Jack instead. Filming in Rosarito will begin in August, and may go to the end of January. We've been told if you are interested in being an extra on the film, and you live near Rosarito Beach or the San Diego, CA area, call (619) 699-5915 for more information. All extras have to be of European decent (as they were on the real Titanic.) [Scoop sent in by 'Spidee'.]
July 10, 1996... Bill Paxton is just about set to join the cast as a present-day deep-sea bounty hunter who wants to search the wreck of the ship. [Scoop sent in by Christian, 'shape', 'Compukiller' and 'jaallen'.]
July 26, 1996... Suzy Amis joins the cast portraying Rose's grand-daughter. [Scoop info submitted by 'shape' and 'compukiller'.]
July 27, 1996... An informed scholar of the Titanic sinking informs us that the ship's designation was indeed the R.M.S. (Royal Mail Ship) Titanic and not the previously mentioned H.M.S. (His Majesty's Ship). The Titanic was owned by the White Star Line, not the Navy. For a detailed examination of the collision of the ocean vessel, check out this Titanic Web Page, complete with the dinner course menus on the date of the sinking. Does James Cameron know about this place? [Scoop submitted by 'hillard'.]
July 29, 1996... This person tells us they've read the script, and place it as a hybrid somewhere between Somewhere in Time, Love Story and The Abyss. While the near-100-year-old Rose reminices about finding her true love on the ship, a team of bounty hunters search for a valuable heirloom jewel. The scooper also notes that the script shows Cameron's high level to detail and exactness, outlining the sinking of the ship specifically, as well as the director's love for high technology and underwater locales. However, while the scooper found some parts of the story enjoyable, on the whole they felt the love story was "cheesy" and the ending "seriously flawed", but still wish the project success. [Scoop sent in by, ahem, 'The Biggest Name in Tinsel Town'. So that means you're Maximillian Rudolph Jonathan Estinanagonallia?]
August 4, 1996... Shooting begins on September 2nd in Mexico, then moves to L.A. [Scoop reported anonymously.]
August 25, 1996... Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox have agreed to co-finance James Cameron's Titanic. Paramount will distribute the picture domestically while Fox will deal with it internationally (sort of like they did with Braveheart). A sharp difference to note: this time each company will split the revenues 50-50. [Scoop info mailed in by Christian.]
September 8, 1996... The heirloom that is being sought is a 56-carat diamond necklace called the Heart of the Ocean or Le Coeur de la Mer, as Louis the Sixteenth referred to it. [Scoop and additional character names furnished by Christian, reporting from the R.M.S. Titanic. Special thanks to our friend 'Reading Dan'!]
September 20, 1996... Frances Fisher boards the Titanic playing Kate Winslet's Philadelphia society mother. [Scoop handed in by Christian, 'Majestic' and 'nadmar'.]
September 21, 1996... "I've now read both the shooting script (dated May 7th, '96) and Cameron's original 'scriptment,' which is undated but was given to me in late April. The script is of epic length (153 pages!), cut down from the scriptment's 169. It's a brilliant piece of writing, by far Cameron's most human and emotional story to date. In response to another reader's allegations of 'cheesiness,' well... many of the love story elements have been seen before, and a few border on being cliche. The shooting draft, however, irons out just about all of the scriptment's truly cornball moments. On the whole I thought it was a beautiful and deeply moving work, as much a tale of human frailty, ego, hubris, and heroism as it is a standard love story." [Scoop filed by R.Jaynes.]
September 23, 1996... It's annouced that Kathy Bates (Misery, Fried Green Tomatoes) has joined the cast as another passenger on-board the Titanic. [Scoop filed by Christian and 'Majestic'.]
October 21, 1996... Billy Zane plays Cal Hockley, the wealthy fiance of Kate Winslet's character. [Scoop handed in by 'SF-Duff'.]
November 4, 1996... We're told that the Hollywood executives financing Titanic were considering abandoning the idea when the tragic ending was considered. However, they've now taken up the project again, planning on giving it "a happy ending". Hey - we know what happens to the ship guys! [Scoop sent in by 'Pir8'.]
And plans for Cameron's Titanic novel seems to have sunk. [Scoop info sent in by 'Marlowe'; originally appeared in Publisher's Weekly.]
December 1, 1996... The Director of the Las Rocas Hotel & Suites (which is located just 3 miles south from the Titanic set, he informs CA), writes to share with us the gossip he's oveheard. The ending may have been significantly altered by 'Hollywood executives' who want to end the picture with a "happy" conclusion. In the scooper's own words, "I believe the original script I had read was Academy Award winner. I hope they didn't ruin it." The ship sets have reproduced the original vessel to 90% of Titanic's original size. "It's quite a sight to see." [Scoop sent in by James W. Evangelatos, Director of the Las Rocas Hotel and Suites. Thanks James!]
December 9, 1996... Even though James Cameron had made plans a year previously by joining the Editors Guild, it seems that time is running out for the writer/director/producer. Cameron wants to edit the film in post-production, but with a firm release date set for July 4th, he may not have the opportunity to do so - Titanic won't even be finished principal photography until February. Cameron may choose to bring in a co-editor or simply back out of the position. [Scoop reported by Christian and Joe Hanna; originally appeared in The Hollywood Reporter.]
December 17, 1996... Rumor has it Cameron wants to release a documentary about the actual sinking of the Titanic to coincide with the film's release. [Scoop sent in anonymously.]
December 26, 1996... "Both of my parents where extras in the movie. They just got back and filming might end on March 97. Film is over budget and there has been a few accidents on the set. A extra broke her leg in a fall and a double fell and broke his arm. Food is terrible that's being served to the extras & long hours (15-17 hours) are being worked by all. Extras are getting paid $400 a week plus $25 per day food expense." [Scoop report filed by Alan Laslo.]
January 16, 1997... James Horner is scoring Titanic. [Scoop info sent in by James Furlong.]
February 2, 1997... One of CA's scoopers just happened to pass by the set of the film and grabbed a few shots of the complex assembled by the ocean; now, he's furnished us with this photograph of the re-creation of the R.M.S. Titanic. While speaking to a crewmember on-site, our scooper learned that more time had been spent on the full-sized mock up than on the actual Titanic. We're assuming the crewmember meant actual man-hours. As for the photo, it speaks for itself as to the mammoth size of the set, and the authenticity Cameron wishes to achieve on the screen. Click on the photo to see a blow-up of it; the details (and the miniature studio!) are incredible. [Scoop and photograph sent in by Matt in California. Way to go!]
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February 18, 1997... Cited at a local multiplex: the Titanic teaser poster. Against a jet-black background you can make out the hull of the ship, studded with rivets. The word 'Titanic' can be seen in foot-high white letters, printed diagonally from bottom-left to top-right. Above the ship's registry, also printed diagonally are the words 'A James Cameron Film'. Down in the lower bottom right-hand corner are the copyrights for Twentieth Century Fox. And in the top left corner are the words 'Collide With Destiny'. Sounds extremely cool. [Our lookout for this scoop was James@UVA.]
March 18, 1997... [A massive thank you to 'Gyger' for sending us the James Cameron on-set photos. Click on them for larger blow-ups.]
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You've heard the budget is at $200 million. We've been told by a reliable source the actual budget is closer to $260 million - at the present time, with no firm completion date. The same source also said that, by the time all photography and publicity has taken place, the final budget could be (gulp)...$310 million. Dollars. [Thanks to an anonymous source.]
May 3, 1997... Yes, that was Jeanette Goldstein in the Titanic trailer (Vasquez from Aliens, remember?) Cameron often reunites with actors he's previously worked with. [Scoop sent in by 'The Kurgan'.]
May 15, 1997... Finally a new release date is avaliable: October 8th. Cameron is returning back his salary and percentage take back to the studio in a display of good faith (and also to calm stormy waters, no doubt.) [Scoop placed by Christian.]
May 18, 1997... "The Agent" tells us that Titanic will be moved to an American Thanksgiving release. [Scoop by 'The Agent'.]
May 28 - June 1st, 1997... Finally, an official announcement is released for Titanic's release date. The picture has been pushed back until December 19th. That will leave Fox will almost four months of cost overruns - the interest alone is estimated to come up to ten million dollars. It also opens on the same day as the new Bond picture Tomorrow Never Dies, Tri-Star's The Mask of Zorro and DreamWorks SKG's expanded release of Amistad.
Financial matters aside, word has been heard that Cameron felt he could have made a late August release date, but that studio execs felt that the picture epic story matter would benefit more from a holiday release. Theater ownes also seem to be in agreement, as the summer schedule is already over-crowded with major releases. Advance word from those who have seen it has been very favorable. A very rough compilation form was shown to Paramount and TwenCen execs, and, based on the material they saw, agreed that they wanted to make this film their Christmas 'tentpole' release.
[Info submitted by Christian, 'jkaminski', Joe Hanna, Brent Lynch, Nick Corporon, 'samanmax', Mark, 'medaslin', Todd Dupler, 'Chess Piece Face', Richards and 'widgett'.]
Brent Lynch has heard that Cameron may have placed a few of his old collaborators in cameo roles. According to a vicious rumor making the rounds, when Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom Arnold met with Cameron earlier this year, they agreed to be seen in the elaborate ballroom dance sequence. In a nod to their scene at the conclusion at True Lies, Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis are supposed to be seen dancing on the floor. But the rumor also mentions that other celebrity couples (Sigourney Weaver and Michael Biehn, Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Cameron and real-life love Linda Hamilton) can also be seen.
We feel that this rumor is pretty hard to swallow, and we remain extremely skeptical about it. We can see maybe a Schwarzenegger/Curtis cameo, but the two main stars of The Abyss back on a Cameron set? (If you watched the behind-the-scenes Making of The Abyss documentary on the film's laserdisc, you'd know that the film's two stars loathed the shoot and the director.) Weaver was in L.A. filming Alien Resurrection, so maybe, just maybe, that possibility exists.
Hell, we'd like to be wrong on this one. [Scoop mailed in by Brent Lynch.]
July 29, 1997... If you went to the movies on the night of July 14 in Minneapolis, you could've seen Cameron's picture.
"I just came home after attending a test screening of this movie in Minneapolis, MN (7/14/97). I will try to give you as much information as possible without giving away the end of the movie.
"We were told that we would be seeing a test screening of Great Expectations, but when the movie started it turned out to be Titanic. It wasn't until about 20 minutes into the movie that we realized that it was actually the full movie - and not a really long preview.
"First of all, this is GREAT MOVIE. Even though it was not 100% finished, it was very enjoyable and realistic. I STRONGLY recommend that people go see this movie when it is done. It has action and special effects mixed with drama and romance to keep everyone happy. This 'version' of Titanic was just over 3 hours long. It seemed to be 95% complete. The only sign that it wasn't complete, were (in order of noticability):
"During the scenes of the Titanic sinking, it sometimes looked VERY much like a model. Some of the scenes of people jumping off of the Titanic into the water looked very fake. The iceberg looked like it was made out of paper mache in the scenes where the whole iceberg was shown. Sometimes the lighting changed when the camera angle changed during a scene. Also, sometimes the coloring changed a lot during a scene. The guy who introduced the movie said that the music was not done, but I didn't notice any problems with the music. The opening credits weren't 'polished'. The ending credits were missing.
"Other than the above, the movie is ready for theaters. I can't imagine that it would take more than another month to finish the movie, except the time that it takes to shorten it (see below) and financial/marketing considerations. "The Titanic-is-sinking part of the movie is VERY long and VERY repetitive. The same types of things happen over and over again. Most people I talked to said the same thing - this part of the movie is overly long - so I would expect that some of this footage may end up on the cutting room floor. Between 15 and 30 minutes could be safely cut out. I don't want to ruin the end of the movie, so I won't say who lives or dies. After the passengers of the Titanic are rescued, the scene shifts back to the modern day for a very well-done, not-too-predictable ending." [Advance review sent in by 'Paul Muad'dib'.]
August 4, 1997... People are still toying around with the rumor that suggests previous Cameron actors have made cameos in a waltz sequence on the Titanic's ballroom floor. This scooper wants in on some of that action: "Just to play Devil's Advocate, though, I'll point out that for one of the pseudopod effects in The Abyss, Cameron had 3-D CyberScans made of the heads of both Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. So assuming that Cameron hasn't recycled those two floppies yet, he could simply hire two actors of the right heights and builds and let Digital Domain do the rest..." Ok, it's feasible. But no one has come out of the test screenings reporting of the rumored ballroom sequence, so unless Cameron is holding back the ammo it's just a rumor. [Perry Mason deduction sent in by 'andyi'.]
August 19, 1997... A new Titanic trailer has been seen, and this one features very subtle changes to the effects sequences. The scooper explains:
"It doesn't differ much from the original (both emphasize all 3 stories - the present-day salvage, the love story, and, of course, the sinking, not to mention that both clock in at 5 minutes, twice the length of the average trailer). However, if you look carefully, you'll notice that several scenes have DEFINITELY had their FX touched up. More people fall into the water, the boat looks more realistic, and the tone of the trailer is a little more action-oriented than the last. The old trailer was generally well-recieved, but this one is causing cheers to eminate from the audience (Godzilla and Lost In Space are the only ones I've ever heard this for.) If buzz keeps building on this movie, Cameron may just have a winner on his hand after all." [Scoop provided by The Anonymous AMCer.]
August 26, 1997... James Cameron recently denied rumors that the film's budget exceeded $200 million and was far off from the speculated $280 million (Hollywood sources close to CA tell us otherwise; we just innocently shrug.) This scooper has heard Cameron is definately planning on trimming the final cut to well under 3 hours. Cameron also says he saved money by pushing the movie back six months to release in December. "I was on the set last August in Halifax," our scooper reports, "...doesn't look like he TRIED to save ANY money on ANYTHING. The print is great, but he'd better go double time on those FX or else.....I've already heard buzz that even if Titanic isn't a big critical hit, it's gonna have major potential to be another Romeo + Juliet obsession with the teenage female fans, evidently because DiCaprio (Romeo himself) and Winslet have a very passionate, teary romance..." [Thanks to 'Ruok'.]
September 21, 1997... With the release of Paramount's In and Out film this past Friday, audience members have seen the revised trailer for Cameron's Titanic. As the release date of the film approaches, CA has seen a dramatic rise in positive reactions among our lucky readers who've attended test screenings or seen the final trailer. From the pulse we've been monitoring, a lot of people who are both aware of Cameron's previous films and of the general theater-going audience are getting revved up about seeing the picture, which should be welcome relief for Paramount, Lightstorm and Digital Domain.
That said, we'll now post the best review of the new Titanic trailer that encapsulates the new material you'll be seeing...
"I saw the revised Titanic trailer today, it premiered yesterday, attached to In & Out, an extremely funny comedy well worth seeing. The trailer was staggering. Where the original had just the one CGI shot of the ship at sea, this had many shots which have to be seen to be believed. As I've seen the original about twenty times on the big screen at the theater I manage, and paid close attention the two times I saw the revised trailer, I'll describe the changes in the order in which they appear:
A friend of one of the extra dancers in the film asked about the rumored star-filled ballroom scene. This person shook their head and said as far as he knew none of the alleged stars were on the set while he was in Mexico, and if they were scheduled to come by to film "it would have caused a major stir amongst the extras."
Another interesting thing the scooper's friend told him: the non-union extras in the water were getting "some nasty diseases since the extras were only allowed toilet breaks every couple of hours." All the union actors were in the boats - and safe from the tranmission of the Hepatitis virus. Yow! [Scoop reported by 'adandnat'.]
September 23, 1997... Celine Dion will perform a song in Titanic that was written by James Horner. Expect to hear it on your favorite radio station this fall; it's called 'My Heart Will Go On'. [Scooped by James Furlong; followed up by Christian.]
October 14, 1997... Twentieth Century Fox wants to premiere the film at the Tokyo International Film Festival on November 1st, but that's causing a headache for the film's other investor/distributor, Paramount Pictures. The November 1st date is seven weeks ahead of Titanic's North American release date and Paramount is ancy about its major holiday release getting that sort of advance screening. [Info submitted by 'cpa' and anonymously.]
On the latest one-sheet poster, James Cameron is listed as a co-editor. [Thanks to 'H.B.']
October 21, 1997... Theater owners are receiving show length information for the picture this week. Officially it's being listed with a running time of 2 hours, 74 minutes. yes, you read that correctly: not 3 hours 14 minutes, but two hours, seventy-four minutes. We're guessing that the studio's hoping most theater owners' eyes will read the '7' as a '1'...and that a 2+ hour film sits more comfortably with the owner than a 3+ epic who's number of screenings will be cut in half. [Thanks to an anonymous source.]
According to Channel 4's Teletext service in the UK, that country's premiere of Titanic will take place in London on November 18th in aid of the Film and Television Benevolence Society. The scooper believes it's some sort of charity affair- they think. [Thanks to 'xmo85' for the news.]
November 2, 1997... First the public news:
Titanic was screened November 1 in Tokyo, Japan, at the city's International Film Festival. There, the audience (consisting of both movie reviewers and the average person) gave the film...their thumbs up. Overall, the audience gave generally a positive, if not appreciative reception to the film. In attendance were star Leonardo DiCaprio and director James Cameron, who dedicated the film to the 1,500 passengers who died onboard the real Titanic. [Reported by anonymous sources.] Now, the behind-the-closed-door news:
The Drudge Report states that the day before the Tokyo world premiere the film was screened to Paramount brass on the studio's lot. On that Halloween day, according to Drudge, the response was extremely positive; in fact, studio executives "wept" when they saw the finished result projected up on the big screen (CA postulates that they were thanking whichever deity they believed in for ensuring they would still have a job come the holiday season.) The story goes along that no one got up to leave during the 3-hour spectacle - no, really, not one person. And so the rest of us draw in our collective breath and await our country's opening day... [Scoop reported by 'Widgett'; originally appeared in The Drudge Report.]
November 4, 1997... Nothing juicy to report, but there was a small item in our letter box this morning. "Recently, Paramount had a special screening of Titanic. I arrived 10 minutes late (arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!) to work to get tickets, but a co-worker went. The co-worker, who usually hates big Hollywood prjects, came out of the film stunned. Literally, 'Wow!' was the only word I could get out of him, but he did say the film would rate a '10' or 'high 9.'" [Field reporting by 'Bobo'.]
November 18, 1997... Another positive review for Titanic: "Having seen the special effects real for Titanic, all I can say is that it is absolutely amazing. There are a lot of modern to past morph scenes which means that the story must go back and forth between time periods quite a bit.
"It is said that after Cameron visited the real Titanic site in a submarine that it was such a powerful experience that he just sat in his room and cried. A lot of that power was apparently captured on screen, although it is rumored that the effects are so real that it will be hard to convince the Oscar committee that there were any effects at all." Well, we're not sure if we buy the teary-eyed Jim story just yet... [Sunk to the bottom of the Net anonymously.]
November 25, 1997... "Saw it this weekend. Absolutely outstanding. The official running including closing credits is 3 hours 22 minutes." Thanks for the review, but we need some more lengthy and detailed critiques. C'mon -- where's our British and Japanese readers out there, or the ones who've seen the full-length movie over here in NorAm?! [Thanks to 'Ficky'.]
Yup, the CD is out, with 15 tracks (including Dion's My Heart Will Go On) on it. [Sent in to us by hi-fi-'n 'Brian 281'.]
December 2, 1997... And the reviews start to come in...
Over at Time magazine, movie review guy Richard Corliss disliked the picture, calling the film "dead in the water." The scooper remembers Corliss from the critic's pan of the original Star Wars film, "...so this may not be such a bad sign, after all." [Sent in by 'Houking'.]
December 9, 1997... "Not much of a scoop; just more of an observation. Over the Thanksgiving holiday the family and I went and saw the RMS Titanic Inc. exhibit at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA.
"After walking past the limited (but very cool) 20+ artifacts and displays, there is a final display opposite the gift shop with pieces of a light and part of a propeller , supposedly found along side the broken frame of the Grand Staircase dome (complete with photos of before and after).
"The accompanying info placard blames the 'irresponsible destruction' on a film crew which tried to enter the wreck, a film crew currently working on a new Titanic epic. While not mentioning James Cameron directly, the text was a thinly veiled jab." [Sent in by Steve Bringe.]
The fuel has been added to the fire in the wake of Richard Corliss' Time magazine review of the picture. Net reporter Matt Drudge shot back at Corliss' coverage of the picture, wondering out loud whether Corliss had seen another picture than the one Drudge caught a few weeks back. [Thanks to anonymous.]
December 12, 1997... Today we received another email from a source that wished to remain anonymous. The unnamed scooper had this to say about the Dec. 9 allegations that during the underwater film shoot of the real Titanic, a submersible crashed into part of the vessel's interior:
"What the poster said about the submarine incident is true. The Titanic movie film crew hired a Russian crew to take them to the site to get footage for the movie. Apparently they were trying to get places no one else had ever been, for more dramatic footage, when an accident occurred that damaged both the submarine AND the Titanic. There are a lot of people apparently trying to keep this hush-hush. When the R.M.S. Titanic Salvage crew arrived on scene (this was in 1996 and they had to wait for the film crew to leave even though they own the salvage rights), they found many submarine parts lying on the Titanic and were easily able to put two and two together. There are A LOT of people extrememly upset over this and the carelessness of the movie crew. This would make a great 'Dateline NBC' investigation."
Thanks to our reader 'Houking', we've got our own Christmas list made up of all the reviews so far for Cameron's $200 school project. Judging by the scoring results (the Russian judge's score was disavowed), it looks like this year's The English Patient meets the action intensity/computer graphics of Twister (bet you never expected to hear that as a hard-sell pitch, huh?) For the record, it's:
Siskel and Ebert -- Two thumbs up.
David Ansen of Newsweek -- he's into it.
Peter Travers of Rolling Stone -- liked it so much, he made it #1 on his '10 Best List.'
Anthony Lane of The New Yorker -- rave reviews.
Rex Reed -- #3 on his '10 Best' list.
National Board of Review -- #5 on their 10 Best Films of the Year, although it didn't score any awards.
Matt Drudge of The Drudge Report, left in tears -- "Spent the day with James Cameron's TITANIC recently. Still haunts."
Richard Corliss of Time -- well, we won't go there.
'The Gline' has this to say about Richard Corliss and his negative review:
"I read the negative Corliss review in TIME and I can sum it up in two words: Unfair bias.
"Make that RIDICULOUSLY unfair bias.
"Corliss hates James Cameron *on principle*, and dismissively referred to the man's career as being 'mostly sequels and remakes'. Yeah, but when the sequels and remakes in question are ALIENS and T2, and not THREE NINJAS KICK BACK or somesuch, there's a certain extra clout added to the name, I should think? Corliss went on to slam the movie for having a pedestrian morality: all the lower-class people are saints (which, according to what plays out in the script, is NOT true), and all the upper-class people are, uh, rectal apertures. And so on and so on. Corliss also dissed T2 on vaguely similar grounds, and I'm absolutely preparing to *kvell* with joy when he eats his words over TITANIC. Gee, I wonder what kind of slimy comments he'll make about STAR WARS 1? That the cinematography and composition are cheesy?" [THanks to 'The Gline'.]
Well, with all that favorable text promoting said film, some might think I'm getting bankrolled by Lightstorm and Co. Since we haven't scanned in pictures of our lovable, dependable automobiles to sink that arguement, we now present their side of the debate:
"Is this site underwritten by Jim Cameron??? Pleeaze...They are doing everything under the sun possible to promote this. Props in the J. Peterman catalogue??? Isn't the 'actual one-of-a-kind used in the film' anchor on EVERYBODY's Christmas list? At $25,000 it might re-coup about a nanosecond of filming expenses...for me? I'll pass on the life-jacket for $95. Give my regards to Jim & Co.!" [Signed, "Muffy".]
December 14, 1997... Another scooper from Canada reports that the latest Tribute magazine has an interview with Cameron that corrobulates with the last two scoopers' info. For those outside of Jim's homeland, Tribute is a free movie magazine avaliable in the lobbies of movie theaters in Canada, centering on soon-to-be-released films that may be of interest to the average theater-goer. This is what the scooper had to say: "In this interview Cameron admits that one time, he got carried away with the submersible sub and it ended up getting tangled with a piece of debris from the ship. When the sub returned to the surface, it brought back a piece of the Titanic with it which Cameron said he kept. Cameron also stated that there were many other European salvage crews that have picked at the Titanic and caused damage because the protection of the Titanic remains is only enforced in North America."
We have not seen this issue of Tribute yet and so cannot confirm or deny that the scoop is correct. [Submitted anonymously.]
Here's a cool piece of trivia to tell your friend beside you while you line up to see the picture: for the initial scenes of the Titanic at its dock in Southampton, all the shots were mirrored. This was done because the set was built with the ship facing north, and to achieve hostorival accuracy Cameron needed to have the film face south when it was launched. So all the signs, logos, hats, insignia...everything that had wording on it were all designed backwards. In post-production the effects people flip-flopped the film to make the ship appear to face the right way. "Gotta love that," our scooper added to their message. "I want me a cinatiT hat." [sknahT ot rou soumynona dneirf ni gnitsac!]
Another postive review of the picture has arrived in our mailbox:
"I have been a Titanic buff all my life. I've built the model, read many of the books and have seen all the movies and nearly all the documentaries. Watching all the films, I believe I watched with emotional detachment. I was overtaken by the effects and was awed by the sinking of the ship. I will go on the record and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I'm a twenty-seven year old guy, and this film nearly brought me to the brink of tears. The impact was finally driven home by what in my opinion is the best movie of the year. Granted this year was full of disappointments and half-baked mega blockbuster but this delivers and then some.
"The effects are amazing. Yes, sometimes they do look CGI but compare them to the feeble CGI ship of Speed 2 this is the closest you'll get to a ship that isn't even there. Many of the shots that Cameron has pulled off were for lack of a better phrase, 'The Wow Shots.' You watch these scenes go by and say that was cool. One scene was early on, when the Titanic is leaving port. The shot centers on a small one-manned boat. Quickly from the right, a massive wall like structure moves by the tiny boat and fills the screen and I mean every inch of it. The scope and size of the ship is clearly established.
"The sinking is sight to behold. I think this is a close as you can get to actually being there. Cameron doesn't pull any punches and goes for the gut. You can not help but feel the pain as the helpless souls stuck on board are on the brink of death. The despair can be overwhelming as we watch men, women, and children struggle to avoid the inevitable. A couple lay in their bed, holding each other tight as the water fills their room; a mother tells her children stories as they await their fate; a mother holding her infant pleading with the crew when all boats have been launched and she's still onboard. The sinking was devastating and the aftermath even more so. See the film and you'll know what I mean.
"Now that the disaster is out of the way, let's discuss what Titanic really is. It is a romance, bottom line. The chemistry and relationship that builds between Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio give the film that emotional hook the film needs. We live through them, feel their sorrow, pain, hapiness, and ultimately their tragedy. If this romantic aspect of the film fizzled, the film would not have been as good. It would have been just another movie about the sinking. It is partly about the sinking but it's really about these two characters we come to care about.
"Every red cent Cameron spent on the film is there on screen. It was worth it. If the film doesn't make a profit, it should, he has nothing to be ashamed of.
"Titanic is by far the most satisfying film of the holiday season and I don't forsee anything topping in. Titanic will be remembered at Oscar time. It may not win but at least it will get the nominations it deserves.
"I can't wait to see it again." [Review submitted by 'The Film Maven'.]
After Its Release:
December 23, 1997... The film grosses $27 million dollars in its first three days of release.
This scooper tells us that a copy of Cameron's script exists that lists Quentin Tarantino as co-writer on the film. While numerous other contacts of ours tell us that to the best of their knowledge Tarantino did not ghostwrite anything in Titanic, a strong possibility exists that this rumor has some grounds in fact. We're working to confirm it. [Thanks to the ever-patient 'sccam'.]
The Tag Lines:
"Collide With Destiny."
"Nothing On Earth Could Come Between Them."
Official Web Site: www.titanicmovie.com
Related Sites:
Natalia's Titanic Page - Created by Natalia, the photo double for Kate Winslet on Cameron's production. Natalia maintains an online journal describing her experiences working on the set.