Incredible Story of Love, Death, and Immortality...

Rating: 10/10 (18 December 2000)

I saw this movie during its original 1997 release and I vowed never to see it again- not because it was a bad movie, but because it was the most incredibly moving film I had ever seen. I couldn't bring myself to cry at the theater for fear that I wouldn't stop. So, I went home and cried for two hours- after the late show.
I found this film riveting, not just for the story itself, but for the brutally honest imagery James Cameron used to depict the tragedy and torture of death and dying. Granted, most of it was special effects- AMAZING special effects!- but I couldn't say that the trauma of the sinking could have stayed with me had they spent less money and used a cheaper outlet of film making. In the end, I wasn't thinking about the money, the commercialization, or the pretty face of Leonardo...I was aching inside for the 1500 needless deaths, cast out to freeze in the icy water of the Atlantic.
One last thing. About a year after I saw this film, I attended the Titanic Exhibit in Minneapolis, and my eye happened to catch something on open display in what appeared to be a large sand box. I walked over to it and there was a sign on the front which said, "Please Touch." So, I reached out and put my hand on the large, spatula shaped object, rusted from years of decay. It was then that I realized I was touching a boat davit recovered from the wreckage of the Titanic, and, in unison with this realization, a man came over to the display and put his hand on the davit next to mine. Then, he looked at me, and in a very small voice, said, "May God have been with them."
I burst into tears.