Titanic TX

TITANIC (1997): In the original script, John Jacob Astor meets his fate in the water below the dome when it implodes, in what appears to be an artistic statement 🌊 However, historians agree that the real John Jacob Astor’s death occurred elsewhere... 🤔

A change to the script (perhaps at the recommendation of one of the historians working on the film) moved Astor closer to a nearby exit. The scene cuts away from Astor within a moment of the implosion, and we do not see him again. The artistic statement is made while leaving open the possibility for Astor to exit the room -- leaving history to pick up where the film leaves off...

Check out the original script here: https://archive.org/details/titanic-1997-screenplay-and-treatment/Titanic%20%281997%29%20%5B5-7-1996%5D/

TITANIC (1997): "The morning dawned fine with some good spells of sunshine. Similar conditions, dry with sunny spells and patchy fair weather cloud, then continued for the rest of the day." -- This is a description of the weather conditions in Southampton the day Titanic departed. The information comes from the Met Office in the UK, which is responsible for archiving weather data for the British government.

The reason I point this out is because I recently saw a video from someone critiquing the film, and they appeared to point out the sunshine as if it were a historical mistake, describing the day as "gray" and "overcast" with no mention of the "good spells of sunshine" that are officially noted. 🌥️☀️☁️

Below are some images from the film as well as a real photo of Titanic's departure. Two images are of Southampton Dock where we can see the dock brightly lit by the sun and the shadows cast by it. Should it have been cloud-ier in the film? I'll leave that for others to discuss 😜

TITANIC (1997): Ever wondered how historically accurate the fashion is in the film? Check out what this fashion historian has to say ☺️ Not to ruin anything, but she approves! A quick question in the comment...
Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxqg26-6nXs

Glamour 57K likes, 2.1K comments. "Fashion Expert Fact Checks Titanic's Costumes | Glamour"

TITANIC (1997): Did you know that country singer Reba McEntire was cast as Molly Brown in Titanic but had to decline after a change in the filming schedule? The role then went to Kathy Bates. Listen to Reba describe the situation herself on Watch What Happens Live in the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awkL2rwVz6M

TITANIC (1997): Did you know that the 1998 Academy Awards broadcast was the most-watched ceremony in the Academy's history? Titanic was nominated for 14 Oscars and won 11! 🥰

In this picture, Madonna—who had won a Golden Globe for her performance in 'Evita' the year prior —presents James Horner and Will Jennings with the award for Best Original Song (“My Heart Will Go On”).

But, the “I Feel So Free” singer appears to be having a hard time freeing that statue! 😜

TITANIC (1997): The characters of Bruce Ismay and Thomas Andrews clash in one of the most intense moments in the film.

While it is true that not everyone believed the Titanic was unsinkable, there were certainly those who did. One of the most famous examples is P.A.S. Franklin—a White Star Line official who stated to newspapers in the hours after the disaster, "While we are not in direct communication with the Titanic, we are perfectly satisfied that the ship is unsinkable,” and would add, “We cannot state too strongly our belief that the ship is unsinkable and the passengers are perfectly safe."

The White Star Line never advertised the Titanic nor her sister ship, Olympic, as “unsinkable.” The closest claim would be a pamphlet released by the company in 1910, which merely states, “As far as it is possible to do so, these two wonderful vessels are designed to be unsinkable.”

Most newspapers in the region began describing the two ships in a similar fashion, but it was the word “unsinkable” that always remained the same. Later, a highly respected magazine called The Shipbuilder would describe them as “practically unsinkable.”

In late 1911, Olympic’s suction caused another ship to be pulled into it, damaging Olympic’s hull. It is my opinion that this is what elevated the belief that the ships were unsinkable. Olympic’s collision was more than just an accident—it was a point proven. In the coming months, it would be time for Titanic to set sail—new, pristine, unblemished, and setting sail at the pinnacle of the belief, for some, that a ship could not sink.

TITANIC (1997): The inspiration behind the scene in which Bruce Ismay pressures Captain Smith to get to New York on Tuesday (ahead of schedule) is based on the eyewitness account of a first-class passenger named Elizabeth Lines. The scene takes place in the exact location, on the same day and at the same time Lines stated she overheard the conversation, with Elizabeth Lines seen in the background.

It is important to note that neither in the film nor in Elizabeth Lines’s deposition is there any mention of Ismay wanting to beat an overall transatlantic crossing record or winning the Blue Riband. It was the Olympic, Titanic’s nearly identical sister ship, that Lines claims Ismay wanted to beat.

Here are a few excerpts from her deposition:

Here are a few excerpts from her deposition:
41. Question: Are you able to state from your recollection the words that you heard spoken between Mr. Ismay and Captain Smith on that occasion?
Elizabeth Lines: We had had a very good run. At first I did not pay any attention to what they were saying, they were simply talking and I was occupied, and then my attention was arrested by hearing the day's run discussed, which I already knew had been a very good one in the preceeding (sic) twenty-four hours, and I heard Mr. Ismay - it was Mr. Ismay who did the talking - I heard him give the length of the run, and I heard him say
"Well, we did better to-day than we did yesterday, we made a better run to-day than we did yesterday, we will make a better run to-morrow. Things are working smoothly, the machinery is bearing the test, the boilers are working well". They went on discussing it, and then I heard him make the statement: "We will beat the Olympic and get in to New York on Tuesday."

50. Question: Won't you describe as well as you can, the tone and gesture of Mr. Ismay in this conversation?
Elizabeth Lines: It was very positive, one might almost say dictatorial. He asked no questions.

58. Question: And what was the substance or the words if you can give them, of the conversation as regards the Olympic?
Elizabeth Lines: It was comparison, and that the Titanic was doing equally well, and they seemed to think a little more pressure could be put on the boilers and the speed increased so that the maiden trip of the Titanic would exceed the maiden trip of the Olympic in speed.

59. Question: Mrs. Lines, won't you explain just what you mean by your words "They seemed to think"? I wish to exclude your own impressions and ask you merely what you heard said on that subject?
Elizabeth Lines: They stated the run of the Titanic was equal to the run of the Olympic. Mr. Ismay did the talking, I did not hear Captain Smith's voice. I saw him nod his head a few times.

62. Question: You have stated several times, Mrs. Lines, that Mr. Ismay made assertions or statements as to what "we" would do, using the pronoun "we". Did he use any other pronoun that you know of in this conversation?
Elizabeth Lines: No, Mr. Ismay said "we" and he asked no questions. He made assertions, he made statements. I did not hear him defer to Captain Smith at all

125. Question: Did he seem to express a great confidence and certainly in the arrival of the Titanic at New York on the Tuesday?
Elizabeth Lines: His voice sounded very emphatic.

The FULL Deposition can be found here: https://www.titanicinquiry.org/lol/depositions/lines1.php

Some food for thought…
Some say Elizabeth Lines made this entire story up in order to get money from the White Star Line in a settlement—but why would a wealthy woman potentially create legal problems for herself by lying in a deposition? Remember, this isn’t Lines testifying in public to garner attention, or speaking to the press in the United States where she would be offered a degree of protection under Freedom of Speech. This is a private meeting in Paris with a couple of attorneys where she is stating on the record about what she overheard - and, could face serious consequences for lying. Would it be worth it?

Some say that Ismay’s past letters prove he wouldn’t have wanted to get to New York early because he disliked the inconvenience it caused, while others argue that Bruce Ismay was simply excited about Titanic’s performance and that Lines misunderstood the conversation. Why would someone who disliked early arrivals be EXCITED about getting to New York early?

Others fully believe Elizabeth Lines, and their evidence that she's telling the truth is a captain traveling at nearly full speed through an ice field on a moonless night, when other ships, like the Californian, had stopped nearby.

If you’ve made it this far, then please share your thoughts. What do you think of her claims? What do you think of the presentation in the film?