Cameron's 'folly' pays off big; "Titanic" star-making turns by Di Caprio & Winslet

Rating: Null/10 (23 April 2003)

TITANIC (1997) **** Leonardo Di Caprio, Kate Winslet, Bill Paxton, Gloria Stuart, Kathy Bates, Billy Zane, Suzi Amis, Frances Fisher, Victor Garber, David Warner. The most expensive film ever made and worth every penny (some $200 million!) that now ranks the international blockbuster box office champ in cinema history ($600 million plus!!) : filmmaker James Cameron's labor of love and exquisite depiction and detail obsession pays off in a monumental way in his fictional account of the infamous/tragic maiden (and doomed, final) voyage of the S.S. Titanic focusing on star-crossed lovers (Di Caprio in his star-confirming turn as a steerage passenger and Winslet as a very proper young lady engaged to wealthy cad Zane, all by the way perfect) facing the ultimate tale of survival as the vast ship of luxury and riches slowly begins to sink thanks to its fated collision with an iceberg in The North Sea.
Seamlessly edited footage of actual size set of the vessel, digital computer generated effects and visuals of the remains of the real Titanic at the bottom of the ocean eerily woven into a tapestry of visceral impact and execution. The last third of the film of the sinking, mostly in real time, is unforgettable. Cameron pulls off the impossible with perfection despite the odds of being lambasted for the largesse of the film's budget (ironically like the Titanic's own criticism for size over substance). An instant classic that won Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Editing, Sound, Sound Effects Editing, Art Direction, Cinematography, Dramatic Score, Visual Effects, Costume Design and for the ubiquitous yet stirring Best Song 'My Heart Will Go On' sung by Celine Dion. A near sweep (it lost screenplay, actress and supporting actress but not bad: 11 out of 14!)