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Direct
by James Cameron
In
every age, a seminal and dramatic moment will arrive that is a catalyst
for
great change, sending a powerful ripple of emotion throughout the world.
At
the start of the 20th century, the allure of a wondrous seaworthy creation
called Titanic brought together a wide spectrum of humanity, all of whom
had their own reasons to be a part of her historic maiden voyage. From
captains of industry to hopeful emigrants looking to make their fortunes
in a
new world, Titanic was a towering symbol of man's progress toward a
modern age.
Declared "unsinkable," her precious cargo of more than 2,200 men, women
and children began their journey from Southampton, England to New York
City with a sense of anticipation, awe and optimism. Yet this "ship of
dreams" ultimately carried over 1,500 people to their death in the ice-cold
waters of the North Atlantic in the early hours of April 15, 1912.
In the years following, a powerful mythology would grow around Titanic.
Tales of bravery and cowardice would be spun through countless historic
accounts, poems, music, films and novels. Varying theories on the accident
itself were debated and continue to divide many scholars. After decades
of
searching, the wreck of Titanic was found by an expedition team led by
Dr.
Robert Ballard in 1985 lying in two massive pieces 12,378 feet under the
ocean surface. The discovery answered many questions about the great
ship's demise, at the same time feeding the controversy and fascination
that has for decades surrounded this tragic event.
Drawing inspiration from this hulking specter below the sea, James
Cameron envisioned a love story intertwined with the fascinating details
about the ship and her maiden -- and only -- voyage to further humanize
its
legendary symbolism. Utilizing advanced filmmaking technology, audiences
will also set sail on Titanic. However, despite its state-of-the-art pedigree,
the film is - and remains - a powerfully human tale. It is here that the
heart of
"Titanic" beats.
"The tragedy of Titanic has assumed an almost mythic quality in our
collective imagination," Cameron says. "But the passage of time has
robbed it of its human face and vitality. I hope that Rose and Jack's
relationship will be a kind of emotional lightning rod, if you will, allowing
viewers to invest their minds and their hearts to make history come alive
again."
Traveling on a ship physically designed to prevent them from ever meeting,
third-class passenger Jack Dawson and first-class passenger, Rose
DeWitt Bukater, have taken the ultimate risk -- to defy the oppressive
social
conventions of their time and fall in love.
"Their connection on an emotional level is what transforms Rose from this
sort of Edwardian first-class geisha who is dying on the inside into this
spirited young woman on the cusp of a new life," Cameron says about the
young lovers. "Jack possesses this natural energy and purity of spirit
which
makes that transformation possible."
With such a clear image of who Jack and Rose were as people, Cameron
sought to find the definitive pair of actors who could breathe life into
such
dynamic characters. He would ultimately select two young rising stars,
both
Oscar® nominees before the age of 21 - Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate
Winslet.
"Luck was a major factor in casting Leo," Cameron says. "I just felt you
would care about him a lot more. He has tremendous vitality on screen.
Leo
has a kind of wiry, survival quality about him that's pretty cool. As for
Kate,
there was such a luminous quality in her face, voice and eyes that I knew
audiences would be ready to go the distance with her, which was critical
because it's a hell of a journey and she's ultimately the person you're
making that journey with."
Jack is an artist coming back to America after a several-year sojourn in
Europe. Rose is traveling with her mother and fianc?, returning home to
Philadelphia for her impending marriage, a destiny of polo matches,
cotillions and the other mindless trappings of her privileged class. Through
their chance meeting, class lines blur for one telling moment to allow
these
two strangers to establish a powerful bond. Actress Kate Winslet explains
the attraction:
"Jack is the first person, the first man certainly, who has shown interest
in
her desires and her dreams," Winslet says. "They share so many of the
same passions for life, which he's already attained and to which she's
aspiring."
Following her debut in the controversial drama "Heavenly Creatures," the
22-year-old British native has quickly risen as one of the most acclaimed
young actresses in cinema today. Receiving an Academy Award®
nomination for Best Supporting Actress in director Ang Lee's adaptation
of
Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility," she takes on her first starring
American role as the headstrong Rose.
"She's a very spirited girl," Winslet says. "She has a lot to give and
a very
open heart. She wants to explore the world but knows that's not going to
happen. When we first meet her, there's a sense of resignation and despair
about her. Then she meets Jack Dawson and an amazing love surfaces,
which is based completely on trust and communication."
Fresh from his acclaimed performances in "William Shakespeare's Romeo
+ Juliet" and "Marvin's Room," Oscar® nominee Leonardo DiCaprio stars
as Jack Dawson, a struggling young artist who wins his third-class ticket
aboard Titanic in a lucky game of poker. "Jack is a sort of wandering
person," Leonardo DiCaprio says, "who seizes on the opportunities life
presents to him. At a young age, I think he realizes how short life really
is,
and that's a big factor in who he is as a person."
Seduced by Jack's artist soul, Rose at first cannot find the strength to
extricate herself from her engagement to Caledon Hockley (Billy Zane) and
the weighty presence of his family name and wealth. At first, Cal and his
intimate circle of wealthy friends look at Jack with a sense of amusement.
After Jack and Rose's chance meeting, Cal invites Jack to dinner in
first-class, expecting to entertain his fellow guests at the expense of
the
young man. Instead, he has set the stage for his own rejection.
"Jack Dawson doesn't exist as far as my character, Cal Hockley, is
concerned, at least not at first," Zane observes. "Except for servants,
the
lower classes were pretty much invisible to the super-rich denizens of
Hockley's class."
Since his gripping film debut in Phillip Noyce's thriller "Dead Calm,"
Zane
has forged an acclaimed film career that encompasses independent and
Hollywood feature films. Before joining "Titanic," Zane co-produced and
starred in "This World, Then the Fireworks," based on Jim Thompson's
novella, as well as donning the guise of Lee Falk's comic book hero in
"The
Phantom." As snobbish tycoon Cal Hockley, Zane's chameleon abilities
come into play, providing an important contrast to DiCaprio's sensitive
hero.
"The world of 1912 was on a precipice," Zane notes. "It marked extreme
change in terms of social reform. You have the birth of a new era,
embodied by Jack, who is kind of a reminder of the frontier spirit. Cal
represents a more imperious sensibility that is flawed and collapsing."
Not oblivious to his fiancee's melancholy, Cal attempts to placate Rose
in
the only way he understands, presenting her with a priceless blue diamond
called the "Heart of the Ocean." It is a turning point for Rose, seeing
at last
her place in Cal's life as mere adornment and not as a wife.
"Cal is the guy you love to hate," Zane smiles. "He's coming to terms with
exactly what a relationship is all about. Cal's relationship with Rose
is built
more upon public appearance. She is a catch -- a bauble -- and there lies
the root of the problem."
Complicating matters further for Rose is her socially driven mother, Ruth
(Frances Fisher). Terrified by the carefully guarded secret of her family's
near destitution, Ruth sees Jack's presence in Rose's life as a threat
to the
financial survival insured by her daughter's union with Cal.
As Jack and Rose's forbidden love grows, Cal and Ruth exert their
formidable powers to keep them apart. And all the while Titanic and her
passengers plunge inevitably toward their tragic destiny.
Winslet says, "I believe that this story does take you to the point where
you
would do anything you could to stop that ship from sinking in order for
them
to be together." Adds Cameron, "Every single moment that you're with
them, there is this little voice in the back of your mind that's saying
they're all
doomed. This knowledge gives every moment Jack and Rose share an
extra sense of poignancy."
While the epic journey chronicled by "Titanic" begins in the present, the
story flashes back to the past, allowing a new generation to witness this
series of powerful events with the added benefit of an historic perspective.
In the process, Cameron explores the social and cultural layers that were
exposed as a result of the accident.
"There's a startling fact that emerges from an analysis of who lived and
died
on Titanic," Cameron says. "If you were a male in steerage class, you
stood about a one in 10 chance of surviving. If you were a first-class
male,
you stood about a 50/50 chance of surviving. If you were a first-class
female, you stood virtually a 100% chance, and if you were a third-class
female, you're chances were about 25%. In short survival was largely a
function of gender and class. Titanic represented the first time class
was
translated into body count, and published for all the world to see."
In further examining the historic significance and societal impact of Titanic,
the film offers a respectful homage to the historical passengers on the
famed ship. Yet, the emotional anchor remains with the relationship
between Jack and Rose.
"We wanted to tell a fictional story within absolutely rigorous, historically
accurate terms," Cameron says. "If something is known to have taken
place, we do not violate it. Likewise, there's nothing that we show that
could
not have happened. Our fictitious characters are woven through the pylons
of history in such a way that they could have been there. All the accuracy
and all the special visual effects are intended for one purpose: to put
the
viewer on Titanic. It's a very you-are-there kind of experience."
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