So I went out last week and bought a DVD player and now, magically, I have a collection of 500+ DVDs. Funny how that works, huh? You'd almost think I was lying about not having a DVD player. But I wasn't. Columnists never lie. Well, except that one guy from some entertainment magazine who called Britney Spears a "teen idol." One thing I really do have is 500+ DVDs, though. If you don't believe that, ask my friends. Upon seeing this collection, one told me that I needed professional help. I told them I'm already getting it. His name is Dr. Strangelove and he just came out on a Special Edition DVD set with a collectable scrapbook. Naw, I'm just kidding...I don't have any friends. Speaking of DVDs, though, yesterday marked the release of the 3-disc set of the James Cameron TITANIC. Now this is a movie that has been remade more times than most films, ten in all. In fact, I'll only mention a few of them here, but I urge you to check out the long line of TITANIC films of yesteryear.
Let's start with Cameron's 1997 version. The film garnered 11 Oscars including best picture and caused enough pre-teen girl tears to reform the giant iceberg that sunk the actual ship. It starred then-heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio and Ms. Paint-Me-Just-Wearing-My-Necklace (see the movie) Kate Winslet. The director, James Cameron, added probably the best touch of class to the project, as he is noted for directing THE TERMINATOR and TERMINATOR 2, among other quality movies. Cameron cross-faded scenes of the film's Titanic with the actual Titanic, as it lies underwater, making such scenes a noted part of the movie. The film was among the first to interweave computer-animated scenes (like scenes from the deck of the Titanic) with shots of actual people. Moreover, TITANIC, at 194 minutes, revived a mass-interest in the epic. True, epics were around prior to this in the '90s, but few made it to win a significant number of Oscars. Unfortunately, though, people realized that "epic" was just another way of saying "long" and lost interest soon after. Sure enough, though, the DVD contains 29 additional scenes so you can actually make the film longer! All in all, this film is an okay update, but certainly not the best version one can get.
Before this film, in 1958, there was a film called A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, starring Pussy Galore herself, Honor Blackman. This film, now preserved on DVD by Criterion, is among my favorite versions of the Titanic story. A NIGHT TO REMEMBER rests as perhaps the definitive version of the Titanic tale because of its historical accuracy. Based on Walter Lord's book of the same name, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER tells the story more like a docudrama than a stylized film. Approximately $100 million were spent to make the special effects seem real on this one. I believe, to compensate for inflation, that amount translates today into, officially, "a big hunk o' pocket change." This is the version to see. Don't let my Honor Blackman comment hold you back (or encourage you so much you have heart problems, as the case may be), David McCallum and Kenneth More (BATTLE OF BRITAIN, THE LONGEST DAY) also star.
The final version worth mentioning here is a very unique, very surprising 1943 German take named, as one may guess, TITANIC. This film was immediately banned in Nazi Germany for fear that it would be too much of a disaster for German audiences to witness. Evidently, to the Nazis, only actual horrors were acceptable. The film was later re-released in 1950 only to be banned again in West Germany due to the picture's anti-capitalist message. The Soviets, however, didn't mind it. Also, interestingly enough, the scenes on board the ship were actually filmed on a real vessel named Cap Arcona. This ship, after its movie career had ended, helped remove thousands of concentration camp prisoners by the Allies. Sadly, the Cap Arcona was mistakenly bombed by the Allied forces, killing most of the rescued prisoners. Survivors were subsequently shot by Nazis who lined up on the waterfront and opened fire. Though there are better Titanic films to see, this one has a huge amount of history, sometimes not the most cheerful, attached to it and is worth watching, if for no other reason, as a piece of the past. Kino has done an excellent DVD restoration of this 1943 TITANIC.
So what's the ultimate breakdown? TITANIC (1997) was not terrible, but far from the best. It's like its star, DiCaprio, okay to look at, but when you get right down to it, there just isn't anything there (THE AVIATOR excluded, though). A NIGHT TO REMEMBER is the one to see. The acting is superb, the effects are astounding for their time, and it's basically accurate to boot! Lastly, do check out the German version. Think of that one more like reading the original text of MEIN KAMPF. Do it not because you're into the storyline, but because it truly is part of our history, whether we like it or not. As for me, I've got to go seek professional help, remember? Dr. Strangelove is busy right now. Maybe I'll go see what Dr. Zhivago is up to.
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Every other Wednesday
For anyone who's ever been told "You should have seen the original," this column provides insight into any film that’s been remade, rehashed, or re-envisioned.
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| Jonathan Alexandratos |
Jonathan is a college student in New York. He is already an accomplished writer, having completed 3 full-length plays and numerous poems. He is also working on his first book.
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