Titanic (1997)

Deep in the North Atlantic Ocean, a specialized team headed by Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) looks for the wreckage of the Titanic, the enormous ocean liner that met a terrible fate with an iceberg in 1912. Their goal is to find the Heart of the Ocean, a spectacular diamond necklace with a long history. Instead of the mysterious jewels, they find a drawing of a beautiful young woman wearing the necklace and broadcast it on the news. The very woman in the picture, Rose DeWitt Bukater, now Calvert (Gloria Stuart), contacts the team to tell them her miraculous story of survival as a passenger on the historic voyage. As Rose closes in on 100 years of life, she fills in the blanks for the incredulous team, retelling her experience of finding true love with a young artist Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio), loss and tragedy aboard the Titanic.

Canadian writer/director James Cameron took on the task of writing a 3-hour epic adventure based on his deep-sea obsession, melding a fictional romance with historical facts. He used footage from his exploration of the real Titanic wreck and wanted to honour the lives lost in this tragic event where 1500 people lost their lives. In 1998, Titanic would sweep the awards circuit, winning 11 Academy Awards, including Best Original Song, “My Heart Will Go On,” written by James Horner and Will Jennings and sung by French Canadian music icon Celine Dion.

Review by Carolyn Mauricette

Type:

Film

Collections:

Blockbusters, Love Stories, Oscars

Canadian connection

Written and Directed by James Cameron
Partially films in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Vancouver, BC