The Titanic (1996)

A Decent Rendering of the Story of the TITANIC

Having seen just about every Titanic movie out there, I would have to say that it is a pretty decent film. At least we didn't have to put up with implausible romances, such as Jack and Rose. The romantic story lines are kept within the classes in which they occurred, rather than some ridiculous First-Class/steerage romance.

Oddly, the sinking sequence in this version has more emotional impact than James Cameron's version did. Given the low budget, it was well done. There is a sort of starkness that makes an even deeper emotional impact than Cameron's movie.

My main "beef" is the portrayal of First Officer William Murdoch. In this version, he is made to look like a serious contender for "Developmentally-Developed Merchant Officer of 1912! In the scene where Smith tells him that he should have either hit the berb head-on or kept the engines on full ahead. Poor Murdoch looks as if he's thinking "Huh? I don't remember hearing THAT in shiphandling 101!". Then, in another scene, Lightoller apparently finds it necessary to tell him, "So don't offend anyone in First Class by blowing their brains out." Duh! (More like "D'oh!") Finally in the scene where Murdoch takes his own life, he is shown as being too stupid to even point the gun correctly. One is almost relieved when he (rather ineptly) commits suicide. It's not as bad as the way Cameron portrays him in his film, but not a true portrayal all the same. Had the real-life Murdoch been that stupid, he would have never made it onto the deck of a ship, let alone the bridge of the TITANIC.

I also found the rape scene completely uncalled-for. I think it besmirches the memory of all the stewards who died that night. Tim Curry, as always plays a great "heavy", but he would have been enough of an SOB without raping the steerage passenger.

Still, even with the exceptions noted above, "The TITANIC" is not a half-bad movie. November 8, 2008

Product Description - Not a Review of the Movie

This DVD is FULL SCREEN edition - not wide-screen. This is something I would liked to have known when buying this - but never saw. Also, it comes with a free music CD of Beethoven's best music mixed with sounds of the ocean - it's kinda weird but not awful. I suppose it might be relaxing while cleaning house or weeding the garden. It comes as a box set, with two DVD cases inside - one encasing the movie "The Titanic" and the other with the music CD. The individual movie case for "The Titanic" does not have the "Free Music CD Inside!" splashed across the front, like the box cover. That's a plus! I have yet to watch the movie - but bought it to add to my collection. Hope this helps someone! October 8, 2008

Best of the Titanic films

If a tragedy can be seen as entertaining than this is it. A delightful film with a superb cast of well developed growing characters portrayed in excellent costumes and superb sets.

Beutiful settings of well dressed ladies accompanied by fine gentlemen and properly dressed women.

Superb acting all around.

A well developed story that covers every aspect of the Titanic tragedy.

Much better than the other Titanic film.

July 1, 2007

one of the better versions

The 1996 Hallmark miniseries of TITANIC was unfortunate in that it ended up being largely overshadowed by James Cameron's 1997 big-screen blockbuster (by the time the miniseries was aired in the UK and Australia, James Cameron's version had well and truly exploded onto the scene). This was a pity, as the Hallmark version has many things in it's favour.

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Peter Gallagher head a star-studded international cast, and the adaptation succeeds in blending five different stories into the narrative. Perhaps most importantly this version depicts a real-life passenger called Alice Cleaver (played by Felicity Waterman) who attempted to kidnap the baby of her employers when the boat began to sink (leaving the family to search for the child until all the lifeboats had departed, thus sealing their fate). At the time of this miniseries, Catherine Zeta-Jones was at the cusp of Hollywood superstardom. She looks ravishing as Isabella Paradine, who rekindles an affair with her first beau Wynn Park (Peter Gallagher). Also in this miniseries, we meet in greater detail John Jacob Astor (Scott Hylands) and his pregnant young second wife Madeline (Janne Mortil). The affair of Astor and Madeline was one of the biggest scandals of the period and it's great to have them as prominent characters in this version. The younger romance is provided by thief Jamie (Mike Doyle) and Danish convert Aase (Sonsee Neu-Ahray). No version of TITANIC would be complete without the ebullient and "unsinkable" Molly Brown (Marilu Henner plays her with enough spirit and spunk to make Debbie Reynolds proud and Kathy Bates pale). And the villain of the piece is thieving steward Simon Doonan (performed with oily relish by Tim Curry). A flavour of classic Hollywood is provided by George C. Scott as the Captain and Eva Marie Saint as the selfish Hazel Foley.

The romance of Bella (Zeta-Jones) and Wynn (Gallagher) is a captivating and moving one, played with style and elegance, and I consider it far more effective than the romance in the James Cameron spectacle. True, the special effects are lacking in this version but the dramatics and acting more than compensate. A fantastic production and one I revisit often. Originally shown in two parts. With Tamsin Kelsey, Eric Keenleyside, Malcolm Stewart, Roger Rees, Harley Jane Kozak, Kevin Conway, Matt Hill and Barry Pepper. November 20, 2005

THIS MOVIE STRUCK A BERG. PUN INTENDED.

From a casting viewpoint, this TV movie has a lot to offer. Great cast. From a plot viewpoint, this movie went down with the ship. I absolutely agree with other reviewers that the rape scene was totally unnecessary. I guess with so many versions of the Titanic story already told, the film makers needed something to make this version stand out. Unfortunately, the brutal rape of a young immigrant girl was a very bad choice as a plot variant. This production makes one realize that there already exist quite a sufficient number of movies on this subject. I mean, in the end, the ship sinks and people die. Tragic, yes, but I think we all get it by now. Enough already. November 14, 2005

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