How has James Cameron presented and adapted the true story of the Titanic?
In the 1997 the blockbuster movie Titanic' directed by James Cameron the story is told of the R.M.S Titanic's ill-fated maiden voyage on which over 1500 men, women and children tragically lost their lives in the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean
The director's presentation of the true facts from the Titanic disaster are impeccable. This was achieved by building a 2/3rds size model of the Titanic (viewed from the side) on location in Mexico.
The scenes towards the latter stages of the film portraying the ships dramatic plunge into the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean have gone down in cinematic history as a both visually gripping and tragically depicted end to the ships short career.
Subtle touches James Cameron added here and there helped to rivet the viewer to their seats, (Although poor quality rivets and brittle iron make up of the hull's construction led to its downfall) the raw emotions emanating from each and every scene captured the audience's imagination, and drew them so close to the action that they felt as if they were actually a part of it.
But James Cameron did not just want to settle for an exhilarating action movie. He risked the entire films success by making the central theme to the movie a love story. This love story took place between two young passengers onboard- Jack Dawson, who won his ticket to the Titanic in a lucky hand of poker, and Rose de Witt Bukater, the unhappy fiancée of a wealthy American steel mill owner. This piece of fiction was critical to the films success, as everyone already knows the main storyline and ending before the film actually begins. To rely on this as the basis of the screenplay could have led to the film sinking like the Titanic itself.
But of course, like all other cinematic adaptations, the true story of the Titanic was altered and visually enhanced to make the film more appealing to a