Did They Get It Right?: James Cameron's 'Titanic'

Did They Get It Right? James Cameron’s Titanic.

Hello everyone and welcome to Titanic Talks’ brand new series ‘Did They Get It Right?’ in this series we’re going to be examining a few different adaptations of the Titanic story and deciding just how much did they get right? Before we start I would just like to say a few things. Firstly, I am a huge fan of the Titanic film and in no way mean to disrespect or say that the film is entirely wrong. I am aware that of course bits will have been fabricated a little bit because it’s a Hollywood blockbuster. James Cameron, the Director is somewhat of a Titanic buff himself and spent six months at the wreck of Titanic. I am sure that even he is aware not all of it is what we could deem factually accurate. Secondly, opinions and ideas have changed. The film was released in December of 1997 the Titanic frenzy was still relatively new. The wreck had only been found twelve years prior which had surged a re interest in the story. But as ideas for example the split theory, which will be covered in this, has had multiple retellings and changes that people interpret. It’s perfectly okay if you disagree with some of these points because I’m writing about the film twenty two years later so accounts and theories have changed. Finally, no conspiracies relating to the film like the door scene are going to be covered. I have done a separate piece relating to the door which I plan on releasing for the anniversary of the film in December. With all that being said let’s go back to Titanic and see just how much they got right.

The dive to the wreck

A detail which fans and enthusiasts love about the cinematography of the film is that some of the opening shots of are of Titanic’s actual wreck. James Cameron had spent six months at the wreck site for shots of the sunken liner which resides at 12,000 feet. Well some of these shots made it into the final cut of Titanic.

Cal Hockley’s suite

In the dive to the Titanic in, search for the Heart of the Ocean. Brock Lovett (played by the late Bill Paxton) takes the ROV into what used to be the room of the film's antagonist Caledon Hockley (played by Billy Zane). It’s in this scene that Lovett says “That’s where the son of a bitch slept.” This isn’t true. This suite is according to deck plans of Titanic is rooms B52,B54 and B56. This would have actually been the suite of Titanic’s owner and manager of the White Star Line; Joseph Bruce Ismay. These suites were nicknamed ‘the millionaire’s suite’ because they were three rooms all joined together that also came with a private promenade deck. Originally, William Pirrie and his wife had meant to stay in this room but Pirrie cancelled his voyage due to illness and Bruce Ismay upgraded his suite to the millionaire’s suite. It’s most identifiable feature is the Jacobean inspired fireplace which does make an appearance in the film. It’s used a few times as transitional shots.

“Are you ready to go back to Titanic?”

Some trivia about the Southampton scene is that when building a full scale replica of Titanic’s exterior ,following the original blueprints, they actually built the ship facing the wrong way. Titanic left Southampton on April 10th 1912 facing left , towards the sea. However, the film’s engineers had built it facing right. James Cameron spotted this and to avoid building another replica, that cost more to build than the actual Titanic, they would flip the scene so hats and signs had to be printed and worn backwards that way in the editing process the image could be flipped so Titanic was facing the right way. Another point about the Southampton sequence is where the audience is first introduced to Jack Dawson (played by Leonardo DiCaprio). The scene takes place in a pub called ‘The Stars and Stripes’ however after some extensive research there was never a pub in Southampton around the early 1900s with that name. The filming of that scene actually took place in a Southampton pub called ‘The Grapes’ this pub actually has a very famous connection to the Titanic for this was the pub that ‘The Slade Brothers’ are tied with. The pub is still available to visit and is decorated with pictures of Titanic.

The ‘unsinkable’ Molly Brown

A fan favourite character Molly Brown (played by Kathy Bates) was a real passenger on Titanic. Her real name was Margaret Brown and like in the film she was a millionaire. The character is largely ostracised in the film for example she is referred to as ‘vulgar’. This is a little out of context. Brown was actually very popular and well liked, particularly by the women; Brown had been a leader in the women’s suffrage movement in America. One thing the film does include is Brown practically taking charge of loading the lifeboats. This potentially came from survivors’ interviews that Brown had helped load the lifeboats. Brown left Titanic on lifeboat number 6.

“Who thought of the name Titanic, was it you Bruce?”

A small detail the film does include, perhaps as an intentional nod to Harland and Wolff, is the conception of Titanic. Molly Brown asks Bruce Ismay “who thought of the name Titanic?” This is true. Titanic and the Olympic class were born out of a dinner which took place in 1906 and Bruce Ismay and Chairman of Harland and Wolff William Pirrie in London. It’s not known exactly where the names Titanic, Olympic and Gigantic (later to become the Britannic) came from. But, it could be speculated that perhaps they were Greek inspired names. The interior of Titanic and Olympic were littered with references to the Greek period. Greek imagery could be found carved into the woodwork of the vessels.

A dinner in First Class

A scene in the film that quite possibly contains the most factual references is the dinner in first class. Rose (played by Kate Winslet) introduces Jack to a series of Titanic’s wealthiest passengers. So let’s see if she gets it right. First to be mentioned is the Countess of Rothes. Yes she was real. Her full title was the Countess of Rothes but to a closer circle she went by her first name which was Noel. She did survive the sinking and went on to champion relief funds for the disaster. Next we meet John Jacob Astor who rose says is “the richest man on the ship.” This is true Astor was worth $87 million. An inaccuracy which follows is Rose mentions that his wife Madeline is the same age as her. Madeline Astor was 18 when the Titanic sank. In the film it’s confirmed Rose is 17. They were one year apart. But she does mention that Madeline was in a ‘delicate condition’ this is also true. Madeline was 7 months pregnant with Astor’s child at the time but not many people knew about this.

Amongst the passengers introduced is Benjamin Guggenheim and his mistress. Rose states that Guggenheim had left his wife at home with the children. This is true Guggenheim had booked the most expensive suite on the ship so he could spend time with his mistress.

Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon is also introduced. Gordon’s lucky escape on Titanic caused an uproar when it had been discovered that Gordon had allegedly payed £5 to an officer to let him get on a lifeboat. This could have influenced the scene where Cal pays Mr. Murdoch money to let him have a place on a lifeboat later on in the film. Lastly to be introduced is Lady Duff Gordon. More commonly known as Lucille she was a famous fashion designer, like her husband she too survived the sinking.

“iceberg right ahead”

One of the film’s most quoted lines is possibly “ iceberg right ahead” according to the history books let’s see if they got it right. First we’ll start with the bridge. The two men who were on lookout were Fredrick Fleet and lee. These two are present in this scene. The man steering Titanic at 11:40 was Quartermaster Robert Hitchens. In this scene we don’t actually hear his name being said but we’ll assume it’s him. Another person present was Sixth officer James Moody, this is the officer that received the call from the crow’s nest that there was an iceberg approaching imminently. First officer William Murdoch also appears in this scene. The inquiries that took place after Titanic sank concluded that Murdoch was seen on the bridge of the Titanic. The film does include this.

This is photograph was taken a few days after the Titanic sank. Many believe this to be the actual iceberg that hit Titanic, this was due to the red and black painted smeared down the side of it.

Thomas Andrews

Thomas Andrews, Titanic’s chief designer (played by Victor Garber) is also a prominent figure in the film. A small attention to detail which I wanted to include is the part when Thomas Andrews tells Rose that the ship will sink. Although this might not have been intentional Andrews is seen wandering through the first class smoking lounge with a look of despair. Survivor’s testimonies all stated that despite Andrews trying to maintain a cheery disposition throughout the night. The look of fear was in his eyes recalls Titanic’s Chief Baker Charles Joughin. It’s also Andrews in the film that makes the prediction that Titanic has no more than two hours left to live. This according to sources is also true it. Lastly, our final scene with Thomas Andrews shows him leaning against the fireplace in the First Class smoking lounge. This was based off the testimony of an unnamed first class Steward who described seeing Andrews “looking at the picture of Plymouth Hoe entitled 'Approach To The New World' with his life jacket on the chair behind him.”

What actually happened to Titanic’s Grand Staircase?

The grand staircase was one of Titanic’s most identifiable features ,although no pictures exist of Titanic’s grand staircase. what I want to talk about is what happened to staircase during the sinking. To find out what really happened let’s look at the wreck. Titanic’s grand staircase located between the second and third funnel on A deck. According to James Cameron’s film the staircase is fully submerged when the dome explodes. As Titanic’s staircase was made of mahogany, logically when the water comes through the roof, the staircase would have exploded. Subsequently leaving a hole through the floor. Well, Cameron got this right too. The pictures of the wreck show a hole located where the staircase would have been.

The split theory

The debate as to whether Titanic sank in one piece or two still causes arguments. Even some survivors’ interviews contrast. Eva Heart was 12 when the Titanic sank, and she claimed she had seen Titanic sink in one piece. Historians, however, have since decided that Titanic did split in two. In William McQuitty’s A Night To Remember, they also show Titanic sinking in one piece. Cameron took a different approach. In his version Titanic does sink in two sections. Cameron’s attention to detail is to be acknowledged here. According to the split theory if Titanic broke it two, she would have separated between the third and fourth funnel (this is roughly around where Titanic’s double keel was). In the film Titanic is in fact shown to break between the third and fourth funnel.

“Jack, I’ll never let go.”

One of Titanic’s most famous scene is where the death of Jack Dawson. But how many of you were aware that the sequence was based off real life. In an interview with Titanic’s fifth officer Harold Lowe, he and a few other male survivors and crew went back to the wreck site after Titanic had officially disappeared to look for any more survivors. Upon seeing and inspecting the hundreds of dead bodies in the ocean, they came across a Japanese man who was stranded on a door, very similar to the one Rose is seen lying on. The name of the survivor, however, is lost in time. The man didn’t speak any English according to a survivor Charlotte Collyer she said “A little further on, we saw a floating door that must have been torn loose when the ship went down. Lying upon it, face downward, was a small Japanese.” This tale was originally filmed as a scene for Cameron’s movie. Unfortunately, it ended up on the cutting room floor.

In conclusion James Cameron’s Titanic is on the whole, pretty accurate. Of course, like I said opinions and theories are probably a lot different now than they were back in the 90s. But nevertheless, James Cameron’s Titanic is the most accurate and up to date telling of the Titanic story.

As always, I’ll leave a few external links on the film and theories surrounding it. If you’ve spotted any other details that I may have missed feel free to comment or email me at titanictalksmillie@mail.com

Have a titanic day, Millie.

The opening scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCS30PYDpnQ

Boarding at Southampton the wrong way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq3_Eb193rU

A dinner in first class: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR0kPBUmzw4

“Iceberg right ahead”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1-XWMSYhOw

The Grand Staircase today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPLO-OaPiaU

Flooding the grand staircase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J75QhbFOo7M