October 1999

Titanic
Reviewed by Doug Schneider
DVD Format

Overall Enjoyment:
Picture Quality:
Sound Quality:
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Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Bill Paxton, Gloria Stuart

Directed by James Cameron

Theatrical Release: 1997
DVD Release: 1999
Dolby Digital 5.1
Widescreen

Although Titanic was one of the most successful movies ever made, a quick flashback to the fall of 1997 recalls a time when some feared it would sink faster than its namesake. The cause for such doubt is understandable. The unprecedented use of special effects and a skyrocketing budget made Titanic one of the most expensive movies ever made. Moreover, many questioned the casting of relative unknowns as the leads and were skeptical of a story that dared to merge seamlessly historical fact with Hollywood fantasy.

Of course, Titanic received high critical praise from enthusiastic moviegoers. But more importantly, it became one of the rare films whose story appealed to a broad audience, including men and women over a wide age group. Writer and director James Cameron took an enormous risk by mixing the factual account of the ship’s sinking with the fictitious love story of Jack and Rose. The result is a compelling film, a little over three hours long, which is both awe-inspiring and entertaining. While not perfect, Titanic deservedly goes down in history as one of the greatest epics Hollywood has ever produced. What's more, it has universal appeal. A while back I was in a beautiful, remote town in southern Mexico. I was out on a boat carrying a few dozen passengers when a young girl walked to the front of the boat, extended her arms to the cool breeze before her and performed her own rendition of an emancipated Rose on the Titanic. "Is there anyone who has not seen the movie?" I thought.

For the very few who haven't seen Titanic, the story begins in the current day with a treasure hunter (Bill Paxton) and his crew attempting to excavate valuables from the sunken ship. It's here that Cameron weaves in some real footage of the sunken Titanic. What they recover is a nude sketch of a young woman wearing a blue-diamond necklace. By broadcasting their find on television, the treasure hunters capture the attention of a frail, elderly woman (Gloria Stuart) who identifies herself as Rose, the young woman in the drawing (played by Kate Winslet). Rose is immediately invited to join the excavation team on location, and it is here that she recounts her own experience onboard the Titanic and breathes life to a lost love affair she had with a free-spirited artist named Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio).

The sinking of the ship is the backdrop to the Jack-and-Rose love story, and it works surprisingly well. If there's fault to Cameron's method, it's only because the story is told a tad too simplistically. Jack and Rose are portrayed as misunderstood innocents, while Rose’s fiancé is boorish and selfish. The rich are mainly uptight snobs while the poor are all well-meaning and fun-loving. It's strictly black and white with little gray in between. On the other hand, it's easy to overlook this problem for how well the story is told. Despite the length of the movie, the story rarely drags, and in the end it's captivating and surprisingly touching.

All performances are generally good, but it's Cameron's technical work that makes this film really sail. I don't believe there is a director in Hollywood who could pull off a movie of this scale. For that reason alone Cameron wholeheartedly deserved his Oscar as Best Director. Titanic uses an amazing blend of digital effects and elaborate sets, including a replica of the ship that is 90% to scale, to re-create this historical misadventure. While the technical rendition of Titanic is far from flawless (for example, I still maintain that there is something decidedly wrong with the proportions of the ship when it is first shown sailing), it is wholly satisfactory and contributes immensely to the scale and ultimate success of the film. The film's most awesome image is that of the propellers finally raising from the water as the ship is going into the final stages of sinking. I don't believe a film could have been produced with that much realism even ten years ago. What's more, unlike many directors who like to show off digital effects at the expense of the story, Cameron uses these effects to further deepen and authenticate the plot.

The picture and sound have been mastered to THX specifications and undoubtedly that helps account for the quality that's delivered to DVD. Like the look of the film in the theater, the transfer to video is very good. Most of Cameron's films have an extremely clean, vibrant look, and this is no exception. It's bright with excellent color rendition and detail. Only the widescreen format with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio is given here. Although the picture is good, the sound is even better. At times it is awe-inspiring with a discrete 5.1 channel mix that has bass that can really show off a subwoofer. Detail and resolution are outstanding for a movie soundtrack, and there is not a hint of brightness. The considerable amount of music is reproduced very naturally and has a well-placed stage. While it's not quite up to the standard of the CD soundtrack, it is excellent for a movie mix. There are so many great technical moments to observe in this film. I don't doubt for a moment that this will be the top demonstration DVD for both retailers in their stores and exhibitors at trade shows.

What's disappointing, though, is the absence of extras. Except for a nicely designed pullout booklet, there is little else but the theatrical trailer. When Titanic finally trickled from the theaters in 1998, rumors of the forthcoming DVD held great promise. It was anticipated to be a smorgasbord of extras. There was also talk of a possible director's cut of the film! However, the end result is a very good video and sound transfer making it a wholly competent DVD release, but nothing else. What do I make of this? You can bet that greedy Hollywood execs are holding back for some sort of special version of this DVD that will come at a later date at a much higher price. Titanic may have grossed more than any other movie to date, yet the accountants know there is something more in this vessel and are determined to draw every last cent from consumers.

Even though I believe there will be another DVD release of this gem, this version of Titanic is worth owning now. I simply love this movie for its fine storytelling and its grand sense of scale. I saw Titanic in the theater twice, and I certainly enjoyed watching it again on DVD. Needless to say, I'll watch it a few more times before the year is out. It's one of the great films of all time and definitely well worth owning on DVD.

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