A film that just can't win.

Rating: 10/10 (4 June 2005)

Judging by some of the comments I have read about this film from others: I would say that the makers of this film cannot win. If they did not try to get the get the actual historical facts right, I would be complaining. If they do, then the scriptwriters get it in the neck for not being imaginative enough.
For my part, I thought that the rich girl/poor Irishman story was wonderfully woven into the plot. Through the eyes of these two lovers, we are given a wonderful history lesson. We are introduced to the British caste system. We know that there were motor vehicles aboard, because they consummated their relationship in a car. When the ship is sunk we know that people were stuck in the water for far too long before the lifeboats came to rescue them; and, that, as a result, survivors at that stage were very rare. People who castigate all the literary devices used in this film should really lighten up: they are educational devices.
There may be a few things about this film that are historically incorrect. For instance in the trick photography scene, where the captain's cup of Russian tea turns into the ship itself, there is smoke coming from all four funnels, even though everybody knows that one of the funnels - presumably the one that capsized - was a ventilator.
The only bit of real criticism would be the music. It might have been better if the music were more timeless rather than the transitory voice of that Canadian singer whose name I have forgotten already.