How do you do,
This is not a review on James Cameron's blockbuster from 1997, which is something that has been reviewed many times over. Actually, there have been other movies titled Titanic before Cameron came along. The first was actually made in Germany in 1943. The film is propaganda for the Nazis, doing all it can to demonize the British. The second came in 1953, starring Clifton Webb and Barbary Stanwick, and is the first to be made in the US. This one is one and a half hour melodrama full of fictional characters and inaccuracies. It is the third is actually a miniseries aired on CBS in 1996 and produced by Hallmart. I chose this even with the centennial anniversary almost four years in the past, yet 2016 is the twentieth anniversary of the airing of this miniseries on television. The year after is when the famous version will turn twenty.
When you look up this miniseries on a list of films about Titanic you are likely to find alot of negativity about it. Is it justifiable? Well, it's not the affects because this was the 1990's and television made movies are not really the sort that have enough in the budget for fancy effects. If you wanted impressive looking effects, you'd have to watch the theatrically released films. There are some exceptions, of course. I can't blame the acting in the movie, either. Some of the names were there to catch a few eyes (for example, George C. Scott is Captain Smith). If there was something to blame, it'd be the story telling. It does get grittier than the 1997 film. In fact, the miniseries seems darker than Cameron's film on many occasions.
The miniseries begins with a character named Alice Cleaver waking up screaming after the images of the Titanic being constructed and some images of objects and bodies in the water. There seems a foreshadowing implication behind this, especially confirmed as Miss Cleaver having dreams of a baby dying. The early scenes imply her to be emotionally unstable, which makes one question her being hired by the Allison family as their nanny. Due to limited research, the Allisons, I believe, were one of those 1st class families who booked the passage on their way to Montreal. The family included additional servants, other than Miss Cleaver. The film portrays them as a somewhat American family and their daughter, Lorraine, can lead one to assume she is auditioning to be Verruca Salt. This is one arc. The second is Captain Smith and the crew, plus J. Bruce Ismay, who is played by Roger Rees. Rees and Scott co-starred together in A Christmas Carol and it's amazing to see them with more scenes. The third arc features Jamie Purse (don't ask who came with these names) who is running from the law. He is introduced as a pick-pocket who hides in a bar. A stranger offers his cap to help him blend in. Then they, and a drunkard, talk of Titanic and America. The stranger who helped Jamie seems to have something for the rich and their jewels. Of course, the man in the bar gets drunk and Jamie steals his ticket (which for us is a good thing, knowing what happens to the ship). Jamie uses the ticket to board the Titanic when who should he run into but the man who helped him evade the law. The man's name is never mentioned on screen, yet he is listed as Simon Doonan and he is played by Tim Curry. The encounter also introduces a Danish convert named Aasa Ludvigsen and the Jack family. The fourth arc comes on departure day when we meet Isabella Paradine, played by Catherine Zeta Jones, and Wynn Park, played by Peter Gallagher. Mrs Paradine is in mourning because an aunt of hers died and she is returning to America in black. Of course, Park, seems to have followed. Now they are going to be on the doomed ship in first class.
From these introductions, we have four story arcs: that of Alice Cleaver and the Allisons, Captain Smith and the crew, Jamie Purse and Aasa Ludvigsen, and Park and Isabella. If one or the other of the two first class groups were of the second class, I'd say all the groups of the ship are represented (any film that does that is a dream come true). Of course, most of the things romanticized of Titanic is done in this representation. The first class passengers are portrayed as people who talk on shallow topics over dinner while acting all shocked when someone does something indecent. The steerage are shown to be only Irish and English immigrants who are herded like cattle and kept segregated by gates. The crew are shown professional, yet some what incompetent in their duties. Are there examples in the listed? Plenty. Enough it would make this review overlong. But the prime example is that during the dinning scenes in first class, we see people dancing. In reality, the first class frowned on the idea of people dancing after dinner. This was something the 1997 blockbuster got right as portraying it as another social event where people talk a few matters while consuming tiny, yet expensive morsels, all the while a string quartet plays soothing music in the background. In this miniseries, we see it transformed into a ball that the rich enjoy. Then we have a soap operish moment where Park asks a girl to dance, which angers Isabella. Meanwhile, Jamie Purse attempts to enter the first class group, facing the opposition that Clifton Webb's character did in the old black and white film. He, of course, steals a tux and passes off as first class and he runs into John Jacob Astor and Margaret Brown. Before he could get back to his steerage bed, however, he runs into Simon Doonan again, who takes him under his wing, because he is also a thief.
The plot that Isabella Paradine and Jamie Purse each have take center in the first part of the miniseries. Isabella was once dating Wynn Park, according to the backstory, and called it off to marry her current husband. Wynn Park never got over it and has pursued her on to the Titanic. Most modern viewers with any brain cell would realize this was no coincidence; this is stalking. However, the miniseries, like any, sends out the wrong message by claiming Isabella still has feelings for him and will turn to him in the end. Why else would she be jealous of him dancing with another woman? Then, Park is able to get some flowers from Ireland (or was it France?) brought on board to be placed into her accommodations, and she shows her approval by casting the mourning dress aside for a red one. In this period of time, the period women take to wear black for mourning depended on who she mourned for. Friends and acquaintances got the duration of the funeral to a few days, family members and husbands got months to a year (some women may wear black after becoming widows for longer than a year). During this period, she can't accept suitors or do much socializing (which is why she is mostly confined to dinner celebrations). Of course, Isabella Paradine becomes the woman who defies convention by not only removing the black dress, but she dances the tango with Park. Over time, they journey the ship together for a tour. Moral alarms will sound because she is showing little devotion to her dead aunt this way. Then, she and Park go into the apartment where they precede to have sex, which causes them to miss church the next day. So, that means she is cheating on her husband. She then faces the moral dilemma of what to do next? She could stay faithful to husband for the remainder of the trip and break Park's heart again, or she could live a double life of sleeping with Park while putting on the facade of a faithful wife. Then, there's the third choice: send a heartbreaking telegram variant of the Dear John letter to her husband, leave her family, and elope with Park to who knows where. Right on April 14, she decides that third choice, knowing she was betraying the husband who was so good to her. How different that is from Rose's fiance who is a regular "cruise jerk" and one would want to see Rose dump him for Jack.
Living a lie is what Jamie does on the start of the journey. He befriends the Jack family and Aasa, passing off as an ambitious man wanting to work in the motion pictures. All while he does so he hangs around with Doonan who tells him of a heist he has in mind. At the end of the voyage, they will rob the rich. Jamie goes along with this willingly. At the same time, he begins to fall for Aasa who tells him she is looking for God. As the journey goes on, we also see that Aasa has also fallen for Jamie. One would wonder why does fiction pit a good girl with a bad boy trope when it comes to romance. My theory on this is that it allows a scenario to reformation of the bad boy, as opposed to the more believed corrupting of the girl. In each case, there's a boy who knows he does wrong and he doesn't see himself as redeemable and yet this girl still has faith that he can improve. It's the sort of love and devotion that is Christ like, even if some think it as stupid on the girl's part. We are all sinners and most of us don't think of ourselves as redeemable, yet we have a God who loves us anyway and He is always allowing us chances to change for the better. Aasa provides another case where such love influences the man, as does the influences the Devil like Doonan provides. There is a brief crisis where Aasa freaks out when Jamie lets slip his real name (and Doonan knew the truth the whole time and was willing to use it against him) and she leaves him for the night while he prepares to join Doonan for something unrelated. Jamie does feel protective of Aasa and seems willing to let it be known of Doonan's intentions, especially when the latter suggests he might turn him in at any moment. Doonan makes this boast: "I have worked for the White Star Line for twelve years; I'm a trusted employee. Who do you think they are going to believe? Me or Mr. Dicky, who isn't Mr. Dicky at all?" The best Jamie could do is tell him to keep away from Aasa. His first step to redemption is when he admits privately that she is too good for him.
Such are the main plot points of the miniseries, diverting our attention from Alice Cleaver and Captain Smith's plots and from many details that lead to the tragedy.
When one thinks of Titanic one could think of the Edwardian period, and when one thinks of that time period we think of a time in the history of Britain and the United States when people tend to be different in thinking than today. It's perceived that with the 20th Century being new, most people then were more courageous about things and somewhat stupid. Kind of the way Spielberg thought of himself at a younger age when he made Jaws. So, when I look to Titanic, or look to the Edwardian period, I think of courage and stupidity, both of which conspired to create the tragedy on her maiden voyage.
The miniseries is good in presenting that courage and stupidity. It is especially shown in Captain E. Smith and Mr. Bruce Ismay. Smith is not afraid of the seas in this movie. No doubt, Smith is made as the kind of man who doesn't even fear God. The same with Ismay who wants Titanic to perform its full potential. At least, Smith also thinks of the passengers and decides to follow safety procedures. This portrayal of the two has its basis in the newspaper reports of the time which portrayed Ismay as the villain in the Titanic tragedy. Because he survived, his reputation was ruined and he could not hold his head in polite society. Today, we believe his survival was largely so someone in a place of power could give report of the event and Ismay did prove helpful during the sinking, unlike what we see in the miniseries. The fictional characters also show that courage and stupidity, mostly in minor events.
The stupidity is shown as all ice berg warnings are treated with indifference (Ismay actually puts one from Baltic into his coat pocket in one scene). Then there's the wireless room taking personal messages and listening to Cape Races when someone warns them of ice. With all that, one could see the tragedy coming right away. Yet, when the event arrives the tension is not lacking. The miniseries has the usual portrayal: "Ice berg, dead ahead!", "Hard to starboard!", "Full Reverse!", the bow slowly turning, impact, and "closing water tight doors." The first part of the miniseries then ends with the passengers having fun with pieces of ice while Mrs. Brown places her glass down, only for it to slide away and fall onto the deck.
Thus, we have made it to the night of the sinking, which we have to wait until part two to watch.
I have looked for the original script of the miniseries and actually found it. It turns out, Ross LaManna envisioned some kind of soap opera on the Titanic with more development on the historical as well as the fictional characters. Against the backdrop is a forbidden love story of a poor boy and a rich girl. When this miniseries went into production, much of that was abandoned, apparently they found out the same plot was being used in James Cameron's film. Just as well, in my opinion. However, it sort of streamlined what was originally used and it took out a few people. Most important person on Titanic is missing: Thomas Andrews is missing. Andrews made such an important point in Titanic, especially shown in the original story where he is the man with such love of his ship and later becomes humbled in his final moments. With his erasure, most of the lines are shared by Ismay and Smith.
That sort of thing is something to take note of and it kind of diminishes the miniseries. It's something that is repeated when a miniseries called Helen of Troy came out before we saw the film Troy.
The sinking of the Titanic brings the arcs together the way a woman with knitting needles brings together different threads in crochet. While Park and Isabella talk of what to do after they get off the ship, Alice Cleaver goes crazy and scares the Allison family again and Jamie finds Aasa hurt and can't help because he is pulled away by Doonan. Back in part one, there is a scene of Aasa talking with Mrs. Jack about Jamie and angels while they brush their hair. This scene is followed by an unrealistic moment of Aasa taking a shower, which leads to something like Psycho, without the music sounding. In place of Norman Bates is Doonan, himself, and he doesn't stab Aasa to death, just sexually assaults her, never caring that his white shirt, pants, and shoes are getting wet from the shower. I am thankful to some network censors that cut the scene short, but it would make sense to cut the whole thing out and leave us wondering what happened to her (though the shot of the plow cutting through pieces of ice seems a good analogy of rape). I have to hand it to the lack of intelligence on the part of Jamie for not noticing Doonan missing parts of his uniform and I can share Aasa's outrage at him going with the man who ruined her.
Jamie does seem to think of surviving when it dawns on him that the ship is sinking. However, Doonan reveals they can sneak off disguised as women. Of course, Jamie draws the line on cross dressing (by the way, have you figured out yet where you saw the name Tim Curry?). Not only that, he figures out from the way Doonan talks that he was the one who harmed Aasa. At that, Jamie gets into a fight with Doonan who proves too much for the young man. Doonan tells him he is going down with the ship, causing Jamie to toss the tiara back at him the way Judas threw the thirty pieces of silver at the Jewish priests. He then goes back to help Aasa and the Jacks.
As to Aasa, we see despair in her for the first time. She had been raped, her boyfriend has deserted her, and the ship is sinking, all the reasons why. Jamie comes back and tries to convince her that there "has to be a God" as He brought them together. With that, Jamie has showed he is becoming redeemed and is turning from his old self. He is able to get Aasa onto a boat, but not the Jacks. The Jacks don't hold anything against him or the crew. They merely make their peace with God and prepare to meet Him. Isabella also boards the same boat, as does Doonan. Alice Cleaver takes Trevor Allison with her and boards a different boat with the Foleys. The Allisons show to be dumber in this as they spend hours in different places and then search the boat for the baby only to miss all the life boats. With all the boats gone, there is nothing to do. One can say their stupidity has led to the little girl to die. Speaking of death and redemption, Alice Cleaver was revealed to be a woman who murdered her child in the past and the maid to the Astors realizes this and attempts to warn everyone. Of course, no one heeds her.
The way Captain Smith is handling the sinking is one the best moments in the acting career of George C. Scott, in my opinion. He makes the character more heroic than the actual man while also brooding near the end. He also becomes tragic because, as he shows Mrs. Brown, he wishes to spend more time with his family. Now, he will never do so, which is why he asks them to forgive him. His last scene has him commenting on the common boast of the ship, "God, Himself, could not sink this ship", and the irony of the name of the ship is connected to Greek mythology. Knowing that Scott himself would die three years after the minis-series aired makes this one of the finest exit scenes of his career.
Other bits and pieces of Titanic mythology show up, also. Missus Strauss refuses to leave her husband, a boy of thirteen is put on a boat over Lightoller's protests, Bride and Philips issuing the SOS call, and the band plays to calm people down. Unlike most films, the miniseries doesn't claim the last song to be "Nearer, My God, To Thee", but doesn't provide an alternative, which makes it closer to history than any film I have seen. Finally, we get the saddest montage possible as the ship finally sinks. Don't take my word for it, watch it yourself. Sure, it's choppy and blurry, and the effects are not up to their potential, yet Titanic made history by becoming the first motion picture to show the Titanic splitting in two, based from the findings in 1985. The miniseries then focuses on the aftermath of the sinking, something neglected in most motion pictures.
The miniseries has other neglected bits placed into the story. For example, the miniseries shows the way the Californian didn't hear the distress call or the flares and the rescue efforts of the Carpathia. The way Captain Rostrum mentioned how long it would take for the Carpathia to reach Titanic gives one a sense of dread at the outcome and long for her to get there in time. Of course, she arrives too late to save over a thousand lives, including half of the cast. She does pick up the survivors and brings them to New York. One thing that seems to go against the rough and traumatic events is that Aasa is tossed by Simon Doonan into the icy cold Atlantic, is exposed to the cold for a long period of time, and miraculously survives. The same is not said for Park who dies off screen. Thus, Isabella is left with the thought of her broken marriage and her lover gone, which is enough to chastise any. However, once everyone gets to New York, we see the theme of forgiveness come because the telegram never got to her husband. At the same time, Alice Cleaver's previous crime is forgiven for saving the remaining Allison child (though a century later, people would accuse her of kidnapping). This kind of happier endings given to the three arcs clashes with the tragic nature of Titanic though it is better than what was originally planned, or this.
The acting is good in most areas. I find the historical characters portrayed well, though Roger Rees' Ismay is practically how the press smeared him and Molly Brown is hayseed in this motion picture. The fictional characters are less impressive. The chemistry between Gallagher and Zeta Jones is undeniable and the same with the characters of Jamie and Aasa. Tim Curry is over the top in his performance. They gave him a van dyke as though to make him look villainous, something I have lately began to question (that sort of facial hair style was fashionable at the time) and it's never explained why he is interested in stealing money on the ship. We can only guess it was pay that had not risen in his twelve years of service. On a side note, I mentioned Scott and Rees co-starring in A Christmas Carol. It turns out, Curry and Scott were also in Oliver Twist, though they don't share a scene together (the hierarchy of the crew is why). The Jacks are kind, though a little naive, yet Mrs. Jack is quite a spitfire. The Foleys are shallow and bratty (stereotypical rich Victorians). The Allisons, you know. In fact, some of the most relatable characters in the story are the ones with only a few scenes but no story arc: the stoker with the tobacco, the engineer, the Astor maid, and the wireless operators (who do come off as predecessors of Fred and George Weasley in some scenes). That's basically the way to see the acting and characters, to me.
Faith, redemption, and forgiveness: the themes one finds in a Christian story are present in the story, along with others. Mrs. Jack reassures her husband that she will be beside him in their final moments and the two of them stay with their children as they await death. She also spoke of the crew learning God's vengeance. She doesn't live to see it, but it does happen to Doonan after the sinking where he is hit by a paddle held by Lowe and left to float away with his stealings in the icy waters. It makes one want to think the Devil in Dante's Inferno, trapped in ice, all melancholic, and with the wicked he stole away for company. Jamie goes from pickpocket to an honest man during the course of the story and he will be with Aasa as they head to a new life. One might wonder if she will remain traumatized by all that had happened as well.
The sinking of the Titanic was a night that changed 705 lives. It changed many other things also. It can be a warning to modern viewers and it can be a fantasy to some. The way this miniseries presents it is just that. There are few inaccuracies that get in way, unfortunately. Fortunately, not all detract from the story. As this miniseries reaches it's 20th Anniversary, it may have fallen from memory, but it is historic for being the first motion picture to show the ship splitting, though the way it was shown can be considered dated now.
When you look up this miniseries on a list of films about Titanic you are likely to find alot of negativity about it. Is it justifiable? Well, it's not the affects because this was the 1990's and television made movies are not really the sort that have enough in the budget for fancy effects. If you wanted impressive looking effects, you'd have to watch the theatrically released films. There are some exceptions, of course. I can't blame the acting in the movie, either. Some of the names were there to catch a few eyes (for example, George C. Scott is Captain Smith). If there was something to blame, it'd be the story telling. It does get grittier than the 1997 film. In fact, the miniseries seems darker than Cameron's film on many occasions.
The miniseries begins with a character named Alice Cleaver waking up screaming after the images of the Titanic being constructed and some images of objects and bodies in the water. There seems a foreshadowing implication behind this, especially confirmed as Miss Cleaver having dreams of a baby dying. The early scenes imply her to be emotionally unstable, which makes one question her being hired by the Allison family as their nanny. Due to limited research, the Allisons, I believe, were one of those 1st class families who booked the passage on their way to Montreal. The family included additional servants, other than Miss Cleaver. The film portrays them as a somewhat American family and their daughter, Lorraine, can lead one to assume she is auditioning to be Verruca Salt. This is one arc. The second is Captain Smith and the crew, plus J. Bruce Ismay, who is played by Roger Rees. Rees and Scott co-starred together in A Christmas Carol and it's amazing to see them with more scenes. The third arc features Jamie Purse (don't ask who came with these names) who is running from the law. He is introduced as a pick-pocket who hides in a bar. A stranger offers his cap to help him blend in. Then they, and a drunkard, talk of Titanic and America. The stranger who helped Jamie seems to have something for the rich and their jewels. Of course, the man in the bar gets drunk and Jamie steals his ticket (which for us is a good thing, knowing what happens to the ship). Jamie uses the ticket to board the Titanic when who should he run into but the man who helped him evade the law. The man's name is never mentioned on screen, yet he is listed as Simon Doonan and he is played by Tim Curry. The encounter also introduces a Danish convert named Aasa Ludvigsen and the Jack family. The fourth arc comes on departure day when we meet Isabella Paradine, played by Catherine Zeta Jones, and Wynn Park, played by Peter Gallagher. Mrs Paradine is in mourning because an aunt of hers died and she is returning to America in black. Of course, Park, seems to have followed. Now they are going to be on the doomed ship in first class.
From these introductions, we have four story arcs: that of Alice Cleaver and the Allisons, Captain Smith and the crew, Jamie Purse and Aasa Ludvigsen, and Park and Isabella. If one or the other of the two first class groups were of the second class, I'd say all the groups of the ship are represented (any film that does that is a dream come true). Of course, most of the things romanticized of Titanic is done in this representation. The first class passengers are portrayed as people who talk on shallow topics over dinner while acting all shocked when someone does something indecent. The steerage are shown to be only Irish and English immigrants who are herded like cattle and kept segregated by gates. The crew are shown professional, yet some what incompetent in their duties. Are there examples in the listed? Plenty. Enough it would make this review overlong. But the prime example is that during the dinning scenes in first class, we see people dancing. In reality, the first class frowned on the idea of people dancing after dinner. This was something the 1997 blockbuster got right as portraying it as another social event where people talk a few matters while consuming tiny, yet expensive morsels, all the while a string quartet plays soothing music in the background. In this miniseries, we see it transformed into a ball that the rich enjoy. Then we have a soap operish moment where Park asks a girl to dance, which angers Isabella. Meanwhile, Jamie Purse attempts to enter the first class group, facing the opposition that Clifton Webb's character did in the old black and white film. He, of course, steals a tux and passes off as first class and he runs into John Jacob Astor and Margaret Brown. Before he could get back to his steerage bed, however, he runs into Simon Doonan again, who takes him under his wing, because he is also a thief.
The plot that Isabella Paradine and Jamie Purse each have take center in the first part of the miniseries. Isabella was once dating Wynn Park, according to the backstory, and called it off to marry her current husband. Wynn Park never got over it and has pursued her on to the Titanic. Most modern viewers with any brain cell would realize this was no coincidence; this is stalking. However, the miniseries, like any, sends out the wrong message by claiming Isabella still has feelings for him and will turn to him in the end. Why else would she be jealous of him dancing with another woman? Then, Park is able to get some flowers from Ireland (or was it France?) brought on board to be placed into her accommodations, and she shows her approval by casting the mourning dress aside for a red one. In this period of time, the period women take to wear black for mourning depended on who she mourned for. Friends and acquaintances got the duration of the funeral to a few days, family members and husbands got months to a year (some women may wear black after becoming widows for longer than a year). During this period, she can't accept suitors or do much socializing (which is why she is mostly confined to dinner celebrations). Of course, Isabella Paradine becomes the woman who defies convention by not only removing the black dress, but she dances the tango with Park. Over time, they journey the ship together for a tour. Moral alarms will sound because she is showing little devotion to her dead aunt this way. Then, she and Park go into the apartment where they precede to have sex, which causes them to miss church the next day. So, that means she is cheating on her husband. She then faces the moral dilemma of what to do next? She could stay faithful to husband for the remainder of the trip and break Park's heart again, or she could live a double life of sleeping with Park while putting on the facade of a faithful wife. Then, there's the third choice: send a heartbreaking telegram variant of the Dear John letter to her husband, leave her family, and elope with Park to who knows where. Right on April 14, she decides that third choice, knowing she was betraying the husband who was so good to her. How different that is from Rose's fiance who is a regular "cruise jerk" and one would want to see Rose dump him for Jack.
Living a lie is what Jamie does on the start of the journey. He befriends the Jack family and Aasa, passing off as an ambitious man wanting to work in the motion pictures. All while he does so he hangs around with Doonan who tells him of a heist he has in mind. At the end of the voyage, they will rob the rich. Jamie goes along with this willingly. At the same time, he begins to fall for Aasa who tells him she is looking for God. As the journey goes on, we also see that Aasa has also fallen for Jamie. One would wonder why does fiction pit a good girl with a bad boy trope when it comes to romance. My theory on this is that it allows a scenario to reformation of the bad boy, as opposed to the more believed corrupting of the girl. In each case, there's a boy who knows he does wrong and he doesn't see himself as redeemable and yet this girl still has faith that he can improve. It's the sort of love and devotion that is Christ like, even if some think it as stupid on the girl's part. We are all sinners and most of us don't think of ourselves as redeemable, yet we have a God who loves us anyway and He is always allowing us chances to change for the better. Aasa provides another case where such love influences the man, as does the influences the Devil like Doonan provides. There is a brief crisis where Aasa freaks out when Jamie lets slip his real name (and Doonan knew the truth the whole time and was willing to use it against him) and she leaves him for the night while he prepares to join Doonan for something unrelated. Jamie does feel protective of Aasa and seems willing to let it be known of Doonan's intentions, especially when the latter suggests he might turn him in at any moment. Doonan makes this boast: "I have worked for the White Star Line for twelve years; I'm a trusted employee. Who do you think they are going to believe? Me or Mr. Dicky, who isn't Mr. Dicky at all?" The best Jamie could do is tell him to keep away from Aasa. His first step to redemption is when he admits privately that she is too good for him.
Such are the main plot points of the miniseries, diverting our attention from Alice Cleaver and Captain Smith's plots and from many details that lead to the tragedy.
When one thinks of Titanic one could think of the Edwardian period, and when one thinks of that time period we think of a time in the history of Britain and the United States when people tend to be different in thinking than today. It's perceived that with the 20th Century being new, most people then were more courageous about things and somewhat stupid. Kind of the way Spielberg thought of himself at a younger age when he made Jaws. So, when I look to Titanic, or look to the Edwardian period, I think of courage and stupidity, both of which conspired to create the tragedy on her maiden voyage.
The miniseries is good in presenting that courage and stupidity. It is especially shown in Captain E. Smith and Mr. Bruce Ismay. Smith is not afraid of the seas in this movie. No doubt, Smith is made as the kind of man who doesn't even fear God. The same with Ismay who wants Titanic to perform its full potential. At least, Smith also thinks of the passengers and decides to follow safety procedures. This portrayal of the two has its basis in the newspaper reports of the time which portrayed Ismay as the villain in the Titanic tragedy. Because he survived, his reputation was ruined and he could not hold his head in polite society. Today, we believe his survival was largely so someone in a place of power could give report of the event and Ismay did prove helpful during the sinking, unlike what we see in the miniseries. The fictional characters also show that courage and stupidity, mostly in minor events.
The stupidity is shown as all ice berg warnings are treated with indifference (Ismay actually puts one from Baltic into his coat pocket in one scene). Then there's the wireless room taking personal messages and listening to Cape Races when someone warns them of ice. With all that, one could see the tragedy coming right away. Yet, when the event arrives the tension is not lacking. The miniseries has the usual portrayal: "Ice berg, dead ahead!", "Hard to starboard!", "Full Reverse!", the bow slowly turning, impact, and "closing water tight doors." The first part of the miniseries then ends with the passengers having fun with pieces of ice while Mrs. Brown places her glass down, only for it to slide away and fall onto the deck.
Thus, we have made it to the night of the sinking, which we have to wait until part two to watch.
I have looked for the original script of the miniseries and actually found it. It turns out, Ross LaManna envisioned some kind of soap opera on the Titanic with more development on the historical as well as the fictional characters. Against the backdrop is a forbidden love story of a poor boy and a rich girl. When this miniseries went into production, much of that was abandoned, apparently they found out the same plot was being used in James Cameron's film. Just as well, in my opinion. However, it sort of streamlined what was originally used and it took out a few people. Most important person on Titanic is missing: Thomas Andrews is missing. Andrews made such an important point in Titanic, especially shown in the original story where he is the man with such love of his ship and later becomes humbled in his final moments. With his erasure, most of the lines are shared by Ismay and Smith.
That sort of thing is something to take note of and it kind of diminishes the miniseries. It's something that is repeated when a miniseries called Helen of Troy came out before we saw the film Troy.
The sinking of the Titanic brings the arcs together the way a woman with knitting needles brings together different threads in crochet. While Park and Isabella talk of what to do after they get off the ship, Alice Cleaver goes crazy and scares the Allison family again and Jamie finds Aasa hurt and can't help because he is pulled away by Doonan. Back in part one, there is a scene of Aasa talking with Mrs. Jack about Jamie and angels while they brush their hair. This scene is followed by an unrealistic moment of Aasa taking a shower, which leads to something like Psycho, without the music sounding. In place of Norman Bates is Doonan, himself, and he doesn't stab Aasa to death, just sexually assaults her, never caring that his white shirt, pants, and shoes are getting wet from the shower. I am thankful to some network censors that cut the scene short, but it would make sense to cut the whole thing out and leave us wondering what happened to her (though the shot of the plow cutting through pieces of ice seems a good analogy of rape). I have to hand it to the lack of intelligence on the part of Jamie for not noticing Doonan missing parts of his uniform and I can share Aasa's outrage at him going with the man who ruined her.
Jamie does seem to think of surviving when it dawns on him that the ship is sinking. However, Doonan reveals they can sneak off disguised as women. Of course, Jamie draws the line on cross dressing (by the way, have you figured out yet where you saw the name Tim Curry?). Not only that, he figures out from the way Doonan talks that he was the one who harmed Aasa. At that, Jamie gets into a fight with Doonan who proves too much for the young man. Doonan tells him he is going down with the ship, causing Jamie to toss the tiara back at him the way Judas threw the thirty pieces of silver at the Jewish priests. He then goes back to help Aasa and the Jacks.
As to Aasa, we see despair in her for the first time. She had been raped, her boyfriend has deserted her, and the ship is sinking, all the reasons why. Jamie comes back and tries to convince her that there "has to be a God" as He brought them together. With that, Jamie has showed he is becoming redeemed and is turning from his old self. He is able to get Aasa onto a boat, but not the Jacks. The Jacks don't hold anything against him or the crew. They merely make their peace with God and prepare to meet Him. Isabella also boards the same boat, as does Doonan. Alice Cleaver takes Trevor Allison with her and boards a different boat with the Foleys. The Allisons show to be dumber in this as they spend hours in different places and then search the boat for the baby only to miss all the life boats. With all the boats gone, there is nothing to do. One can say their stupidity has led to the little girl to die. Speaking of death and redemption, Alice Cleaver was revealed to be a woman who murdered her child in the past and the maid to the Astors realizes this and attempts to warn everyone. Of course, no one heeds her.
The way Captain Smith is handling the sinking is one the best moments in the acting career of George C. Scott, in my opinion. He makes the character more heroic than the actual man while also brooding near the end. He also becomes tragic because, as he shows Mrs. Brown, he wishes to spend more time with his family. Now, he will never do so, which is why he asks them to forgive him. His last scene has him commenting on the common boast of the ship, "God, Himself, could not sink this ship", and the irony of the name of the ship is connected to Greek mythology. Knowing that Scott himself would die three years after the minis-series aired makes this one of the finest exit scenes of his career.
Other bits and pieces of Titanic mythology show up, also. Missus Strauss refuses to leave her husband, a boy of thirteen is put on a boat over Lightoller's protests, Bride and Philips issuing the SOS call, and the band plays to calm people down. Unlike most films, the miniseries doesn't claim the last song to be "Nearer, My God, To Thee", but doesn't provide an alternative, which makes it closer to history than any film I have seen. Finally, we get the saddest montage possible as the ship finally sinks. Don't take my word for it, watch it yourself. Sure, it's choppy and blurry, and the effects are not up to their potential, yet Titanic made history by becoming the first motion picture to show the Titanic splitting in two, based from the findings in 1985. The miniseries then focuses on the aftermath of the sinking, something neglected in most motion pictures.
The miniseries has other neglected bits placed into the story. For example, the miniseries shows the way the Californian didn't hear the distress call or the flares and the rescue efforts of the Carpathia. The way Captain Rostrum mentioned how long it would take for the Carpathia to reach Titanic gives one a sense of dread at the outcome and long for her to get there in time. Of course, she arrives too late to save over a thousand lives, including half of the cast. She does pick up the survivors and brings them to New York. One thing that seems to go against the rough and traumatic events is that Aasa is tossed by Simon Doonan into the icy cold Atlantic, is exposed to the cold for a long period of time, and miraculously survives. The same is not said for Park who dies off screen. Thus, Isabella is left with the thought of her broken marriage and her lover gone, which is enough to chastise any. However, once everyone gets to New York, we see the theme of forgiveness come because the telegram never got to her husband. At the same time, Alice Cleaver's previous crime is forgiven for saving the remaining Allison child (though a century later, people would accuse her of kidnapping). This kind of happier endings given to the three arcs clashes with the tragic nature of Titanic though it is better than what was originally planned, or this.
The acting is good in most areas. I find the historical characters portrayed well, though Roger Rees' Ismay is practically how the press smeared him and Molly Brown is hayseed in this motion picture. The fictional characters are less impressive. The chemistry between Gallagher and Zeta Jones is undeniable and the same with the characters of Jamie and Aasa. Tim Curry is over the top in his performance. They gave him a van dyke as though to make him look villainous, something I have lately began to question (that sort of facial hair style was fashionable at the time) and it's never explained why he is interested in stealing money on the ship. We can only guess it was pay that had not risen in his twelve years of service. On a side note, I mentioned Scott and Rees co-starring in A Christmas Carol. It turns out, Curry and Scott were also in Oliver Twist, though they don't share a scene together (the hierarchy of the crew is why). The Jacks are kind, though a little naive, yet Mrs. Jack is quite a spitfire. The Foleys are shallow and bratty (stereotypical rich Victorians). The Allisons, you know. In fact, some of the most relatable characters in the story are the ones with only a few scenes but no story arc: the stoker with the tobacco, the engineer, the Astor maid, and the wireless operators (who do come off as predecessors of Fred and George Weasley in some scenes). That's basically the way to see the acting and characters, to me.
Faith, redemption, and forgiveness: the themes one finds in a Christian story are present in the story, along with others. Mrs. Jack reassures her husband that she will be beside him in their final moments and the two of them stay with their children as they await death. She also spoke of the crew learning God's vengeance. She doesn't live to see it, but it does happen to Doonan after the sinking where he is hit by a paddle held by Lowe and left to float away with his stealings in the icy waters. It makes one want to think the Devil in Dante's Inferno, trapped in ice, all melancholic, and with the wicked he stole away for company. Jamie goes from pickpocket to an honest man during the course of the story and he will be with Aasa as they head to a new life. One might wonder if she will remain traumatized by all that had happened as well.
The sinking of the Titanic was a night that changed 705 lives. It changed many other things also. It can be a warning to modern viewers and it can be a fantasy to some. The way this miniseries presents it is just that. There are few inaccuracies that get in way, unfortunately. Fortunately, not all detract from the story. As this miniseries reaches it's 20th Anniversary, it may have fallen from memory, but it is historic for being the first motion picture to show the ship splitting, though the way it was shown can be considered dated now.
