An exercise in tedium

Rating: 5/10 (31 October 1999)

Technically flawless, Titanic is a movie without soul. Not one single shot is intended to draw the audience in and make viewers want to continue to watch. We know that expansive, historically accurate movies that use fiction and an unusually long amount of time to make their point can work--The Godfather, Godfather Part II, and Gone With the Wind, among them. We also know that historically accurate movies that use fiction don't have to be unusually long to work--From Here to Eternity and Reversal of Fortune, among them. Unfortunately, James Cameron and his backers learned nothing from these examples. Instead, they have shown us that it is possible to be extremely successful financially with a movie that is without soul or purpose. As I watched this lethargic, painfully over-designed product (it's not really a movie or a "film"), I was reminded of movies like Top Hat, Bringing Up Baby, the Grapes of Wrath, and Rebecca. These wondrous offerings and many other of the most entertaining and memorable movies are freed from such concerns as historically accurate sets, costumes, and props by relying on the obvious talents of their performers and crews. For every "period" picture that cannot match the perfection of its design with laudable acting, writing, and directing (Ever see the Bostonians or the Great Gatsby?), there are (thankfully) a good number of "period" pictures that surmount any shortcomings in design accuracy with otherwise skillful storytelling and acting. I really wanted to believe that Titanic could break through the barrier of a recreated ship with an interesting and entertaining story. Alas, the ship (at least the one built for the movie) proved to be more impervious to true emotion than the icy Atlantic.