A wonderfully romantic epic

Rating: 10/10 (19 February 2000)

Banal, crass, slushy, unoriginal, expensive, only won 11 Oscars as a `thank you' because if it had flopped the entire Hollywood studio system would have collapsed etc etc Yes all of these charges were and still are being laid against James Cameron's hugely expensive, multi Oscar winning epic. Times (and critics for that matter) never change because that is exactly the sort of thing people were saying back in the 50s and 60s with epics like Ben-Hur and look were they are in the cinema cannon. Having said that it is ironic then, Titanic is the sort of film people say they don't make anymore. It is true that some of Cameron's dialogue is not exactly Shakespeare, but everything else in the film more than makes up for it. DiCaprio and Winslet are perfect as the lovers crossing the class divide and bland lines aside Cameron's story is cleverly structured in developing the love story. From the dinner scene as Wisconsin boy DiCaprio holds his own against the snobs he's sitting with, to the detailing of the sinking itself. Cameron as director triumphs totally. At three hours long, the film feels more like 90 minutes, the recreation of the Titanic, both afloat and going under is brilliant, spectacular and thrilling. Cameron coaxes superb performances from his cast, with Zane the stand out among the supporting players as a nicely nasty villain and James Horner's beautiful music score enhances the mood of the film perfectly. Titanic hits all the emotional targets with more inspiration that is common among today's big budget films and the amount of effort that has gone into it, from the acting and not just the production is there for all to see. Even if you hated it, you can't deny that £200 million was up the on the screen.