Titanic Ten Years Later: An Appreciation

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1. Luke Says:
   December 19th, 2007 at 14:06

   I was 15. I was mad about James Cameron films. I went to see Titanic with apprehension. I mean, he was and is the "sci-fi guy". How could he write and direct a great costume drama about a ship that we already know is going to sink? Then I went to see Titanic on the big screen, opening night with my dad and his girlfriend. Just like Cameron did 6 years before with T2, I would never look at movies the same way again. I'm a guy, I'm straight and I am not ashamed to say this, but I went to see Titanic a total 14 times. You might argue that I was partly responsible for Titanic-mania. I wasn't in love with Leo. I was drawn to Kate's character, Rose but that is a different story. I loved the way this "cliche" love story was told. I knew this love between Jack and Rose was bound to happen... but I deeply, profoundly wanted to happen... and it happened just the way I wanted it to. It's the best telling of the Romeo and Juliet, self-sacrifice love story I've ever seen put to film. That's it. It doesn't have to be completely original. How many times can you write about two people falling in love before you start stepping on toes? But what a great romance does need is to be told correctly. Cameron told Jack and Rose's tale perfectly if you ask me.
   
   In short, Titanic changed the way I look at movies... probably forever. Jack is cool. Rose is one of the most beautiful characters I've ever seen on film... I'm not just talking about her physical appearance either. I've seen my share of leading ladies and Rose really does take the cake. Everyone else is also just so perfectly cast. They all seem to be giving us the performances of their careers... despite what some critics say.
   
   Thank you for writing this article. Finally, somebody says the right thing about this terrific 10-year-old movie.

1. MsMythOfTroy Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 10:27

   I, too, was 13 when this came out and I have to agree with everything you've said, with the possible exception that I actually like My Heart Will Go On.....I greatly enjoyed reading this and having that feeling well up inside me that I first felt 10 years ago when Rose turned with that hat on and you saw her face for the first time or 14 years ago when I watched the flashlight shine in the t-rex's eye and the reaction of the pupil in Jurassic Park or (at LEAST) 15 years ago when I watched Atlanta burn in Gone With The Wind or even longer ago than that when I watched the shark come up out of the water and heard for the first time "You're gonna need a bigger boat" in Jaws.....thank you so much for this article.....Titanic remains to this day one of my favorite films.....it probably always will be.....thank you so much for this!

1. Drake Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 10:28

   There has never been a more egregious and lamentable example of the affective fallacy working its noxious way into the hearts and minds of popular culture as the weepy, puerile mania surrounding what is perhaps the most gargantuan piece of tripe in cinema history: Titanic. The most revealing thing about the inexplicable number of accolades heaped upon this stupifyingly bloated piece of tripe is that despite the pletora of awards it garnered--including its fourteen Oscar nominations--the film was was, most revealingly, not even nominated for Best Original Screenplay, arguably the most meritorious category. Perhaps a more apt title for the film would have been "The Young and the Restless Go Boating."

1. Garrett Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 10:29

   I never saw Titanic theatrically. I rented it at the video store I worked at the following summer. I knew I would hate it and I was right. I fast-forwarded through a lot of it because it was so boring and poorly written. Titanic changed nothing. Today it is regarded by most people not as a phenomenon but as an aberration. It's certainly not regarded as a great movie and most people recognize that it only won the Best Picture Oscar because even the Academy can get swept up in hype, that really L.A. Confidential should have won that year. It's certainly not the worst movie to win Best Picture, but it's down there in the bottom third at least.
   
   I guess if people liked it that's good, but it is not a movie that will still be around and remembered fondly 50 years from now. Even the latest AFI Top 100 list ranked it only somewhere in the 80's. My guess is that it won't even make the cut on the next one.

1. Artful Dodger Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 10:30

   This is why Titanic's Box Office record will never be broken: women went all weak at the knees like little school girls every time they saw the movie and went back to experience it over and over again. 9 times, Katey! WTF? Not to mention reals school girls who also flocked back to the theater eager to get all weapy and be "touched . .moved emotionally" by baby-boy faced Leo.
   These people's dedication to soppy tripe far out-weighs any fan boy or young male adult between 18 and 35's commitment to the latest summer sci-fi/action blockbuster.
   So, it will likely stay box-office king for a long, long time, but that doesnt change the fact that this movie absolutely plays a string of cheap tricks to get the female audience all wet (teary eyed that is).
   I hate this movie SOOOOO much. There is nothing sincere about it, it is a complete farse, bag of second rate heart tugging con's that blind the viewer to the emptyness of the whole story. My favourite part? The credits. Never again.

1. Nicole Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 10:30

   Wow...there really isn't anything to add after the article and Luke's following comment. You both said it all. Bravo!

1. Destiny Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:50

   I was 10 when I saw Titanic in theaters. I believe at that time I wanted to see it because of Leo, but instantly fell in love with the story of Titanic. Since then I have been drawn to anything remotely related to the movie or the real ship. I only went to see it in theaters once, but when it came out on video, I watched it non stop. I admit, for the longest time I would cry at the end because of Jack dying, but now I cry because I am saddened by all the people that actually did parish in the Titanic disaster.
   
   This will forever be my #1 movie of all time, not only because it is an epic, but also because of the epic story that it tells. The Titanic lay 2 ½ miles under the surface of the Atlantic Ocean and is slowly fading, it won’t be around forever, but the movie will be. The movie is a time capsule of a once wondrous ship that now lay in ruin.
   

1. Leana Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:50

   This is an EXCELLENT article, and Titanic is an excellent movie, and those who said anything bad about it should be ashamed of themselves.
   
   This movie changed the way A LOT of people look at movies, their lives, their loves, themselves; and I think that those people who spoke rudely about the movie are probably associating the movie with a bad time in their lives and they need to go back and watch the movie again, but with a clear view this time, not clouded by bad times.
   
   So, hooray to you Katey, to you Luke and to you Nicole for saying good things about this movie. P.S. Did you notice a couple of people who spoke rudely about the movie couldn't even leave their names?

1. Michael Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:50

   I think we see the influence of Titanic on modern day hollywood movie making more than ever. You point out that its the highest grossing film of all time, both domestically and internationally. At the time of its release, it was also the most expensive film ever made, carrying a reported budget of 200 million which ten years ago was insanely shocking. Cut to 10 years later where we have Spider Man 3 and Pirares 3 carrying 270+ million in production costs. The point being that Titanic was the Godfather of insanely expensive tent pole pic. Tons of 100 million dollar movies were easily greenlight without a second thought. I think if Titanic had been a huge flop, the modern day Hollywood blockbuster would be quite different. However if it did open now, it would flop. Titanic was number one for 15 consecutive weeks and opened to a strong but not stellar 28 million back in December of 1997. It was allowed time to breathe and grow which films simply cannot do today. The longest any film was able to stay number one over this summer was two weeks. It would have been crucified instantly by the media and precious screen space would have been given up for the onslaught of the next big thing that opens 6 days later.

1. Cate Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:51

   I was 9... yes, that's right, 9 years old... only JUST. everyone thought my mother was crazy for allowing me to see this very graphic movie, but we always had a very open relationship and she was willing to answer any questions I might have. So, with an open mind, prepared to cover my eyes and box my ears, and sick and tired of hearing me whine about not going to the opening night show.... my mom took me to see Titanic.
   The minute the music started I was completely swept away. I couldn't help myself! I was never pulled into the love story (mostly because, even being a straight girl, I was never attracted to Dicaprio) but I loved Kate Winslet and her character. I found everything she'd ever done after Titanic and I've followed her career since. But I loved the humanity of all of these characters, even through their cheesey lines and historical plot.
   "Good God! Look at that thing! You'd have sunk straight to the bottom!"
   "I feel like I'm standing in the middle of a crowded room, screaming at the top of my lungs and no one even looks up!"
   "So... do you wanna go to a REAL party?"
   "Wearing ONLY this..."
   "Perhaps it was while you were putting your clothes back ON, dear."
   "I'd rather be his whore than your wife!"
   "Dawson... Rose Dawson."
   Fantastic lines! You know you remember them! I was drawn into them, swept away by them. At the end I know that I was crying, and so was my mom (the first time I'd EVER seen her cry in public) but I had no sense of it. I didn't even realize I was in a theatre watching a movie... I was somewhere in limbo where this terrible event was being played before my eyes. My mother and I didn't speak until we were in the car and she told me that she would never ever watch the ending again. But the day it was released on video, we were in line at midnight to get our copy. And for about three years it was a tradition that every time my best friend and I spent the night at each other's houses we would watch whatever we could of Titanic.
   
   Now, every time I hear "My Heart Will Go On", I'm 9 years old riding my bike with the cassette tape player strapped to the front, my best friend on the bike next to me, and we are screaming the lyrics to the neighbors down the street.
   It's a cultural piece of my childhood that can never be replaced.

1. Lisa Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:51

   I bought advance tickets to Titanic because I had enjoyed James Cameron's films so much before. (Michael Biehn was my first big screen crush in Terminator and again with Aliens.) I took my folks and enjoyed the movie, but I was a little surprised at how young the audience was. I was also surprised but not unhappy when Titanic went on to break box office records and wrack up awards.
   
   But my most memorable Titanic moment came when my husband and I went on a cruise recently. I was flipping channels (yes, they have TV on cruise ships) and we were laughing at how funny it would be if the ship showed The Poseidon Adventure. I said that would never happen--after all, airlines don't show in flight movies with airplane crashes. Then I flipped the channel one more time, cocked my head, and said, "Hey, isn't that Kate Winslet? And, hey, that's Leonardo di Caprio. Ohmigawd, they're showing Titanic!!!!"
   
   My husband had never seen it so we huddled there below decks, watched the whole thing, and jumped each time the boat creaked. I can't imagine a weirder, funnier, yet more appropriate circumstance under which to watch the movie. I'm sure that even ten years from now I'll still get a good laugh out of that.

1. Tomas Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:51

   Titanic is the best film ever made. The greatest cinematographic experience of all the time. All who doesn t admit this, is a lier.

1. Paul Cote Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:51

   I can't believe it's been 10 years since TITANIC hit theaters.It's one of my all time favorite movies and still cool to watch today.People can say what they want about the biggest grossing film in history, but when you put yourself in those real peoples shoes who lived and died on that ship....how can you say the movie sucked? 1500 people lost their lives and Cameron's film showed the closest thing to date of actually being there.To me NOTHING can touch that ever!

1. Omer Zach Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:51

   I was a five year old in kindergarden when Titanic came out and I still remember the release....

1. Nosepicker Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:53

   Titanic is the modern version of Gone With The Wind. Both Titanic and GWTW raked in the dollars and the awards. Both movies were tragic love stories set in a tumultous circumstance. Both movies centered on the female lead character. The ultimate results of both situations were known to the audience (Titanic sinking and the outcome of the Civil War). Both saw massive losses of human lives. And both movies were grand, sweeping, visual spectacles that were built around sappy, soapy, and sloppy stories. But despite the obvious vacuousness of their respective plots, they both worked tremendously well, which is a testament to the power of cinema, and to the power of Victor Fleming's and James Cameron's respective directions. Sometimes, we don't want to have our thoughts provoked - we just want to be moved.

1. Joe Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:53

   I agree with some of the other posters. Titanic was completely and utterly overrated. It is, without question, the worst best picture winner ever. Leonardo DiCaprio has publicly lamented that it nearly destroyed his career. Most people I talk to can now admit that it was nowhere near it was cracked up to be. As another poster said, it's very telling that this film didn't get a screenplay nomination. It's also very telling that James Cameron had the lack of grace to ask for a moment of silence for the victims of the Titanic and then promptly declared himself King of the World. Totally awful. If you loved this movie when you were 13 and still can't see that it is an atrocity, well then the rose-colored glasses you had have given way to glaucoma.

1. Josh Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:53

   I was 19 when I first saw Titanic in the theatres. Having been raised on the classics and, at the time, studying to become a film writer, I never saw what was so exceptional about this film. Yes the music was grand, the special effects remarkable, and the two young leads phenomonal, but overall I felt the film was just so so.
   
   Having recently revisited the film, I can honestly say that it has lost its magic, in my eyes. Maybe its because I am bit of a snob when it comes to films and tend to judge them harshly, but after some long thought and a good nights sleep, I still think Titanic is just so so.

1. Scott Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:53

   It was terrible then and it's terrible now. I'd like to see Kate and Leo come out an apologize the way Brad Pitt apologized for some of his earlier films. Just a wretched three hours that felt like twelve. Of course, I was not thirteen at the time, so it can be overlooked the way the popularity of Backstreet Boys or Savage Garden can be overlooked.

1. robin dorking Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:54

   I have worked in the cinema industry for nighon 28 years. Reme
   ber seeing an artical in the Scren International magazine about 3 years before this movie was made.
   
   I thought at the time ' how the hell are they going to make any monsey with that?'. I could not see how they could improve on the previous two films.
   
   Well I was proved wrong. It is also one of those films which has followed me fron cinema to cinema during my career.

1. Lutha J. Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:55

   Wow. I dont think I've ever heard anything bad about Titanic. No, I didnt see it multiple times in the theater. Matter of fact, I didnt spend a dime on it at the movies. What straight guy would? Sappy love story where everybody dies at the end? - Nah, just gimme some boobs and guns.
   
   I was hoping that James Cameron would fail like everyone thought he would. Over budget, over schedule and under pressure.
   
   When it hit video I grabbed a copy from Blockbuster and popped it in. I had my expectations up (this) high and wasnt accepting anything less. (lolol) I kept being a jerk with every new face that popped up on the screen..."Yup, you're dead", "Uh huh, kiss it goodbye buddy", "Nice knowing ya pal", etc.
   
   But Cameron's genius began to melt away my apprehensions. I'll tell you this much, the movie was so expertly made that I forgot about the ending. I was so pulled into the love-at-first-sight romance, that I was just as shocked as everyone else was when they first saw the iceberg.
   
   Now that's just masterful film making right there. No one thinks box-office-gold when they think of remaking a tragedy. But Cameron pulled it off in spades.
   
   

1. joe Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:56

   Wow...how many thesauruses did you burn through to write that, Drake?
   
   Seriously, Titanic isn't the greatest thing to come out, but it was a very well done film. I went in wanting to not like it, but wanted to see what the fuss was about, and I reluctantly have to say it was really good, despite my hate for Leo. And to answer Katey's questioning about the copycat syndrome Hollywood gets itself into and why it didn't apply to this movie, Titanic was extremely expensive to make, and the costume/romantic drama historically does not blow up like this. If you look at all the costume dramas that came after this, none came close to being a relative blockbuster, let alone one that would rival Titanic. Cameron's battles with the studios over the cost was pretty epic in of itself, and no studio wants to get involved with something like that. Spiderman and such are much less of a risk with similar payout, so why go against the odds? At least, that's what they're thinking.

1. Jeremy Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:56

   As the comments will show, people either love or hate this film. I'm a fan and not ashamed to say it. Saw it only once in the theaters, but watched it repeatedly on video and then DVD. It was technically breathtaking. I mean, Cameron built a ship and sank it (in a controlled tank, yes, but still).
   
   No, the script it not the end-all-be-all. But does that matter? No. "Goonies" isn't the best writing either, but you know what? I love that film. And why? Because for one reason or another it spoke to me when I was a kid. Same as "Titanic" did for many people 10 years ago.
   
   Maybe they longed for a tragic love story. Maybe they got caught up in the excitement and learned to appreciate movies. Maybe they saw what you can do with $200 million and a vision and decided to become filmmakers. Or maybe it did so well because there's a built-in romantic mystery to the actual ship. The one that sailed and was lost nearly a century ago. Jack and Rose weren't real, but many of the characters in that film were --- they lived it. "Transformers". "Spider-Man". "Lord of the Rings". Fun, great, fantastic movies. But watch Titanic and just try to imagine being there on that ship and experiencing that night... and realize that 1500 people did. That'll make you think.
   
   To those who love the movie --- keep enjoying it. Relive it every Christmas and share it with your friends (I still get chills everytime the Unsinkable Molly Brown -the fantastic Kathy Bates- sees the ship rise on its final throes because she says exactly what I'm thinking).
   
   It's been a while since I watched it. Might have to pop it in over the weekend. Thanks.

1. Brooke Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:56

   First of all, Garrett needs to be reminded that this was the first year Titanic was on AFI's list, it'll only get ranked higher in years to come.
   
   I was 18 when this movie came out, I saw it opening night and I went 6 more times after that. I was not a Leo fanatic, but a Titanic history buff. I thought it was the most incredible movie I'd ever seen, it was so beautifully done. I read the above comments and I just shake my head, I don't understand how people hate this film, I really don't, especially since the subject was so tragic. I just think people don't like the hype and got turned off by it. That's fine.
   
   This film changed my life. I have never seen another film like it (American Beauty for me came close), and I doubt I ever will. The chemistry between DiCaprio and Winslet is phenomonal and I am looking forward to their reunion in "Revolutionary Road"
   
   . I fell in love wtih Victor Garber in this film, he played Thomas Andrews, and he's been my favorite actor for the past decade.
   
   TITANIC is my favorite movie of all time. I watched it last night, 10 years later, and I fell in love with it all over again.
   
   Thank you for this wonderful piece, I spent last night reading nothing but negative articles about the 10th anniversary and I didn't get it. It's so nice to see a refreshing piece like this.

1. ELouise Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:56

   For me, it wasn't the love story between Jack and Rose. It was the love story between Thomas Andrews and the ship that he helped make. I saw that movie in the theater 7 times, so I could watch the desperation in his eyes when he knew the ship would sink. The most poignant moment for me was when Titanic had finally submerged and seeing all of the people in the water, knowing that Cameron had made the film as accurately as possible and just crying for all of those deaths. I don't own this movie, I knew watching it in the theater was the only way I could enjoy and capture those feelings I had.

1. Jeff Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:56

   Great article! I saw it when I was 13 or 14 as well when I first saw it and it has changed my life after that: The way I watch films, my interest in filmmaking, acting, art, special effects, even eBay, getting to know many people I otherwise never would have met.
   
   I know it's become popular to hate the film, but it will always be a classic to me and I am still in awe of what James Cameron accomplished.
   And indeed, I'll never let go ;)

1. Frances Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:56

   Hooray for everyone who agrees that L.A. Confidential should have won best picture that year. Seriously, you saw that movie nine times in the theater? You should be mad that you will never get those twenty-seven hours of your life back.

1. Dominique Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:57

   Drake, I have never read a more pretentious post on the interwebs. Ever. How much time did you spend looking through your thesaurus?
   
   I love Katey's article, and Luke's reply because I too was forever changed by Titanic. Yes it's cheesy, yes the writing isn't particularly strong, but nobody can deny this film had a je-ne-sais-quoi that made it click with audiences. I can't explain it so I won't try, but the repercussions it had on me are obvious. I have never missed an Oscar telecast since 1998. I am now a film student, currently applying for my masters degree. I am my family's pop culture savant. All of this because of Titanic, a film that made me realize how fascinating film and its industry actually are. So even though this movie isn't quite the masterpiece I thought it was when I was 11, it nonetheless made me who I am today.

1. MonorailOrange Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:57

   I was swept up by Titanic for a whole other reason. The preventable tragedy that cost so many lives. James Cameron's attention to detail in recreating arguably the most famous ship that ever sailed. His genuine love of the subject, shown by his actual visits to the wreck and his follow up work, Ghosts of the Abyss. That's what kept me going back to Titanic as a 20 year old young man. Watching the movie inspired me to read up on the history of the ship, and I'm still fascinated by the RMS Titanic and her sisters, RMS Olympic and HMHS Brittanic.

1. J.T. Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:57

   Nice piece.
   
   I saw a sneak of it months before, with mostly industry people, and there were whispers of 'oh my goodness, we had no idea'. Then the movie came out, and it was the best movie ever made in the history of mankind. Then people realized that it wasn't, and it became the worst movie ever made in the history of mankind. There was the whole idiocy with Kenneth Turan, and Fox refusing to re-pay Cameron for awhile, and Cameron making his 'king of the world' quote and being taken to task because people didn't realize it was a movie line.
   
   Yes, what a phenomenon. I'm a JC fan, and I still like Titanic, but I know now, like I did then, that it was neither the best nor the worst, just a really amazing movie that generated lots of opinions.

1. Liscarkat Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:57

   Yeah, way, way back in 1997. I wish I was 23 and ten years ago seemed like the old days.

1. Windywoo Says:
   December 20th, 2007 at 22:58

   The age you were when you first saw it excuses your previous enthusiasm, but when I saw the title "Titanic 10 years on" I was expecting a now more mature adult to look back in disappointment, much as I watch the Transformers cartoon now and can't see what I saw in it when I was a kid.
   
   Titanic is a massively bad film, its only redeeming feature being the sinking. The script is terrible, the story is twee and sentimental to the point of nausea, and its idea of romance is Kate Winslet losing her cherry in the back seat of a steamy automobile.
   
   Titanic gained many oscar nominations, all of them were technical, and it won only one of these as far as I remember. The sad thing is, this article is not really praising the technical side of Titanic.

1. Alex Sanchez Says:
   December 21st, 2007 at 00:04

   You basically described what went on with just about every single human being living on planet earth back in '97/'98.
   
   Everybody loved "Titanic" to the extent that you did; and that's why it was so successful.

1. Lenny Says:
   December 21st, 2007 at 14:30

   This post is for Windywoo, who doesn't have the slightest idea that Titanic won 11 Oscars. I'll name all the nominations and wins in particular so you can see that not all nominations were technical ones.
   
   Best Picture (win)
   Best Director - James Cameron (win)
   Best Actress - Kate Winslet (nom)
   Best Supporting Actress - Gloria Stuart (nom)
   Best Cinematography (win)
   Best Film Editing (win)
   Best Original Score (win)
   Best Original Song - "My Heart Will Go On" (win)
   Best Art Direction (win)
   Best Costume Design (win)
   Best Makeup (nom)
   Best Visual Effects (win)
   Best Sound (win)
   Best Sound Effects Editing (win)
   
   For those who argue that the screenplay didn't garner a nomination, it did receive a nomination from the Writers Guild Of America, which proves that the screenplay was regarded as a good one. The Golden Globes confirm this, because they also gave it a screenplay nomination.
   BTW, Titanic also won 4 Golden Globes and was nominated 8 times:
   
   Best Picture - Drama (win)
   Best Director - James Cameron (win)
   Best Actor - Drama, Leonardo DiCaprio (nom)
   Best Actress - Drama, Kate Winslet (nom)
   Best Supporting Actress - Gloria Stuart (nom)
   Best Screenplay - James Cameron (nom)
   Best Original Score (win)
   Best Original Song - "My Heart Will Go On" (win)
   
   Titanic also won the following awards from the guilds:
   
   Directors Guild of America:
   
   Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures - James Cameron (win)
   
   Producers Guild of America:
   
   Best Picture - James Cameron, Jon Landau (win)
   
   Writers Guild of America:
   
   Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen - James Cameron (nom)
   
   Screen Actors Guild:
   
   Outstanding Performance by a Cast (nom)
   Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role - Kate Winslet (nom)
   Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role - Gloria Stuart (win - tied with Kim Basinger for L.A. Confidential)
   
   Furthermore, it won the top prizes at the cinematographers guild, the editors guild, art directors guild, sound mixers guild and sound editors guild (only film to win all three sound editing prizes for the editing of dialogue & automated dialogue replacement, sound effects & foley and music).

1. Jose Madrid Says:
   December 21st, 2007 at 14:30

   I think the movie is great but not for the script. The movie has a flow that captures you in a way no many movies do.
   
   It's simply a well told story in the classic way. I can't understand why people is so cynical about this film. James Cameron himself has said Titanic was simply a fairy tale with an historical backdrop.....That's the real thing.
   
   I saw it when i was 14 and i'll never forget that evening. That was one of my best experiences in a movie theater..

1. Tatiana Says:
   December 21st, 2007 at 14:31

   I was 9 when the movie came out. My mother strictly monitored what I watched (or didn't watch as the case may be), so she forbid me from seeing it.
   
   I can still remember the shame I felt at school. When the other kids played Titanic on the playground, I tried to make it seem as though I had seen the movie. It soon became clear however, that I hadn't.
   
   I still remember the day when my mom caved and told me I could see the movie. It was in dollar theaters by that point. I had come home from school and sat her down and said, "Mom, you do realize that when we play Titanic on the playground, I have to be third class because I haven't seen the movie, right?" After a moment's thought, she told me she would either take me to see it in the dollar theater, or she would buy me it on VHS the day it came out. I elected to wait the extra month so that I could personally own it.
   
   Suddenly I became the cool girl who would own it the day it came out.
   
   I still remember the feeling I felt when I watched it for the first time, all alone in our extra bedroom. (After all, this was somewhat of a religious experience that could not be shared with everyone.) I probably watched it every day that week, ignoring homework and everything else. I just recently bought it on DVD and watched it again, for the first time in a bout a year. The acting isn't the best, the storyline is cliche, and some of the lines are just plain cheesy. But I don't care.
   
   I thought this article captured the feeling of what Titanic means to so many people perfectly. It was the first movie I truly loved, and therefore I will continue to watch it, and continue to defend my watching it.
   
   It seems as though it has become something to make fun of. I can't tell you how many times I have heard people mocking Rose for saying "I'll never let go" and then dropping him into the ocean.
   
   Because of my childhood love for this movie, I am always the first to point out that she was clearly saying she would not let go of the promise that she made to him that she would grow old and have children, not that she wouldn't let go of him. It may get me funny looks and it almost always has people telling me I take the movie too seriously.
   
   Maybe I am taking it too seriously. I don't know. I don't know, and frankly, I don't care.

1. Jill Says:
   December 30th, 2007 at 23:28

   Well, I was older than most if not all of you when the movie came out, and I am 52 now. I had been fascinated with the ship since reading "A Night to Remember" when I was 11, but when I heard all the advance talk of it, it sounded like it was going to be a bomb -- not worth seeing. Then I heard Joel Siegel's glowing review and decided to see it. The first time in I loved, loved, loved the movie. I marvelled at the meticulous re-creation of the photos I'd seen in decades of reading about the Titanic. I loved the costumes. I loved seeing two beautiful young people whose already-amazing work I'd seen in "Sense and Sensibility" and "The Basketball Diaries". And like most women, I was swept up in the story of a young woman's breaking free from family expectations.
   
   Of course the more times one saw it, the more that Cameron's complete inability to write dialogue became apparent, and today even the effects don't look all that good. But how many movies were made to stand up to the kind of multiple viewings this one got?
   
   The conventional wisdom was that it was all about DiCaprio, but that's not true. To this day I believe that what resonated with women about this story was Rose's journey to freedom and self-determination -- and the passage of time that the juxtaposition of old/young Rose portrayed. What stayed with me about the film was the photo montage at the end. I wanted to know the story of those photos. And I think a lot of others did too.

1. ashley Says:
   January 7th, 2008 at 01:47

   I guess I understand that either you love this movie or hate it..I can actually relate to both sides,well sort of..I was in college at the time this movie came out..a senior..trying to enjoy my last year before I entered the real world..and trying to fit in all the things that one does while they are young and stupid..one last time. then this movie came out..I was in the middle of a breakup with my boyfriend at the time.And I waited actually 2 months until Feb of that year to see it,only because I was scared it was about to leave the theatre..(it was there until june btw),and when I saw it,I thought of nothing else for days,I wasn't caught up in so much the love story as much just the event itself.And yes I saw it 2 other times before it left.. and own the dvd's although I haven't seen it in years.
   Rightly or not,I can remember everyone talking about this movie for at least 3 months,everyday,at work,at school it was just everywhere,just thinking about it now makes me think of that year and it brings back good memories.It was a good movie,But I've seen it so many times through the years I don't get chills the way I did the first few times,this movie was basically therapy for me in my broken relationship..now that has been 10 years and i've moved on of course,but that was a special year for me,so the fact this movie came out was perfectly fitting...

1. Danny Says:
   March 8th, 2008 at 02:16

   Titanic wasn't movie to most people who went to see it, it was an experience. How many other films would have half the population of the USA go and sit through a 3 1/4 hour film? okay you have Gone with the wind, but that was 1939 - not everyone was in work ie women - so they could go see it whenever. no other film would be showing when that was and people couldnt watch tv or DVD's you know. I am from England the home of the real ship and of Kate Winslet who gave an amazing performance. Those people who say it was the worst film ever are just wrong because if they did they wouldn't be writing about it 10 years on!!! everyone has seen titanic, and i think people resent it so much because it has become part of society, I think its the best film ever - thats my opinion, if it made people happy and they enjoyed it (millions of people) then I don't think anyone can call it a bad film. 11 oscars, biggest earner and most remembered film of all time! YOU GO TITANIC!!!

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