Titanic is a cult classic tragedy and romance film that every single person on earth should watch at least once in their lifetime. Hollywood hasn’t made anything as beautiful as Titanic in ages. Nearly a hundred and nine years ago, on April 15, 1912, the giant luxury passenger ship which was deemed to be “unsinkable” hit an iceberg and sank off the coast of Newfoundland. It took over 73 years to discover the ship’s wreckage and many more years to uncover the full story of the disaster.
Today, over a century later the film based on the tragedy remains the world’s 3rd highest-grossing movie of all time. Capturing the hearts of billions of people, it won 11 Academy Awards after getting nominated in 14 categories. To date when people talk about Titanic, the debate of whether or not Jack could have fitted on the door pops up.
This massively successful movie has been watched and analyzed by billions. However, some behind-the-scenes facts are about to completely change the way you view this classic.
1. The Elderly Couple Lying In Bed While The Ship Was Sinking Was Based On Real People
Isidor and Ida Strauss were the two people we saw lying in bed when musicians were playing and the water was rushing inside a room. The duo was allowed on the lifeboat because of their age but Isidor refused to get in before every woman and child left the ship. They had an unbreakable bond and chose to die together holding each other’s hand.
2. The Story That The Irish Mother Was Telling Her Children Was About Tír Na nÓg, A Place In The Celtic Otherworld
In one of the snippets of people trapped inside the ship, a mother was shown narrating the story of Tír na nÓg to her children. In Irish mythology, Tír na nÓg is a part of the Celtic Otherworld and it is reached by passing a path across the sea
3. The Iconic Portrait of Rose And The Sketches We Saw In Jack’s Binder Were All Drawn By James Cameron
James Cameron drew not only Rose’s portrait but also all the sketches of the ‘French girls’ in the binder Jack was carrying with him.
4. Kate Winslet Was Improvising When She Spit In Cal’s Face
Kate Winslet decided to use her newly acquired skill in another impromptu scene.
5. Kate Winslet Ended Up Getting Hypothermia From The Super Cold Water On The Set.
In an interview with Colbert on The Late Night Show, Kate Winslet explained how cold the water really was and how she ended up getting hypothermia from it.
6. James Cameron Dived All The Way Down To The Wreckage Site Of Titanic. All Footage Shown Is Genuine
James Cameron dived 12 times down the sea and spent more time on the Titanic than the actual passengers in 1912. He explored, filmed, and took in all the grief and the damage of the disaster.
7. The Carpets For The Movie Set Were Made By The Same Manufacturers Who Made Them For The Real Titanic
Not only the decor of the Titanic’s set was made by the researchers of The White Star Line, James Cameron got the carpet made from the same firm that made it for the real Titanic
8. The Script Included Quotes of Real-Life Survivors
“Being stabbed with a thousand knives all over your body.” is an actual quote of Second Officer Charles Herber Lightoller who was one of the tragedy’s survivor
9. James Cameron Only Had One Shot To Film The Flooding Of The Grand Staircase
The Grand Staircase was built keeping in mind from the start that it would be destroyed. 90,000 gallons of water was dropped on it and the production team only had one shot at it.
10. On The Real Ship, Its Fourth Fennel Wasn’t Connected To The Furnaces. If You Notice In The Movie, The Fourth Fennel Does Not Emit Smoke
The Titanic was ahead of its time and functioned on three fennels. The fourth was an aesthetic and Cameron didn’t miss this aesthetic out.
11. The Night Sky Was Depicted Incorrectly In The Original Release And It Was Changed In The 2012 Re-release
American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson insisted that an actual constellation map of that time should be used since a great eye for detail was done in the first part. Cameron changed the skies in 2012 re-release
12. Cameron Didn’t Want Any Music With Singing In It, But My Heart Wil Go On Changed His Mind
Cameron wanted no songs but only a music score for his film. But after listening to a demo tape with Célin Dion of My Heart Will Go On, he felt that the film would be incomplete without it.
13.The Real Titanic Sank At 02:20 And In The Movie, While The Ship Was Still Sinking, A Clock Showing 02:15 Can Be Seen
Cameron was loyal to details. He showed the ship’s actual collision time with the iceberg at 23:40 and the time it disappeared from sight at 02:20 in a clock.
14. The Scene With A Boy Playing With A Top Was Inspired By A Real Photo From The Titanic
The scene where a boy is shown playing with a top was actually recreated from a photo taken on April 11, 1912, by a Jesuit novitiate named Francis Browne.
15. The Chef In The Movie Was Based On A Real Person Who Most Likely Survived Because Of The Amount Of Alcohol He Had Consumed Prior
Charles John Joughin who was an English-American chef on board got drunk enough to keep himself warm and survived in the cold water for 2 hours until help arrived.
16. The Renault In The Movie Was Also Aboard The Real Titanic
The car on the actual Titanic belonged to an American named William Carter of Bryn Mawr who survived and later sought reimbursement from White Star Line for $5000.
17. The Knife Fabrizio Uses To Cut The Ropes Of A Lifeboat Is The Same Knife He And Jack Won In A Card Game At The Beginning Of The Movie
18. Jack Couldn’t Keep His Promise Of Taking Rose To Santa Monica But Apparently She Still Went There As It Is Seen In Her Old Photos
Jack promised Rose of taking her to Santa Monica Pier, where they will have fun like Rose never had before. However, if observed in Rose’s old photos one can see her on a horse and Santa Monica Pier is seen in the background.
19. Old Rose’s Dog Is A Reference To Real Pomeranians That Survived The Sinking Ship
The old Rose seen with a white Pomeranian in the movie is an indication of the two dogs that were on board and survived.
20. One Time Winslet’s Coat Got Caught On The Gate And She Had To Break Free From The Coat To Not Drown
Kate Winslet nearly drowned when her heavy coat got stuck in a flush of water while filming the escape scene
21. The Scene When Jack Is Teaching Rose To Spit Was Almost Completely Improvised
James Cameron often let the cast improvise during filming and add their touch to the script. The iconic spitting scene was a result of it
22. The Piece Of Wood On Wich Rose Was Floating Is Based On An Artifact Found In The Real Ship’s Wreckage
Even today this piece of wood sparks the debate of whether it could have accommodated Jack too on top of it or not
23. During Dinner The Actors Were Served Real Beluga Caviar
The film was high on budget and they left no stone unturned in portraying reality. The actors were served the most expensive type of caviar in the scene where Jack and Rose went to dinner in the first-class dining-room.
24. The Ship’s Departure Was Filmed In Reverse And Flipped In Post-Production
25. One Of The Inaccuracies In The Movie Was The Mentioning Of Lake Wissota Which Was Formed After The Titanic Disaster
In one of the very inaccuracies of the movie, Jack was seen telling Rose about his childhood fishing experience at Lake Wissota in Wisconsin. The lake was formed by constructing a dam, which was finished in 1917 and the Titanic disaster took place in 1912.
For Titanic, our hearts will go on…
Source: BoredPanda
