Titanic

Titanic
Directed by	Robert Lieberman
Produced by	Harold Lee Tichenor Rocky Lang
Written by	Ross LaManna Joyce Eliason
Starring	Peter Gallagher George C. Scott Catherine Zeta-Jones Eva Marie Saint Tim Curry Harley Jane Kozak Marilu Henner
Music by	Lennie Niehaus
Cinematography	David Hennings
Editing by	Tod Feuerman
Distributed by	RHI Entertainment
Release date(s)	November 17, 1996
Running time	173 min.
Country	Canada/United States
Language	English
Budget	$13,000,000 (estimated)

Titanic is a made-for-TV movie that premiered on CBS in 1996.^[1] Titanic follows several characters on board the RMS Titanic when she sinks on her maiden voyage in 1912. The miniseries was directed by Robert Lieberman.^[2] The original music score was composed by Lennie Niehaus.^[3]

Plot summary

Titanic has three different storylines. Mrs. Isabella Paradine is traveling on the Titanic to join her husband. On the Titanic, she meets Wynn Park, her former lover. She falls in love with him again, sending her husband a telegram saying that they can't be together anymore. When the ship starts sinking, Isabella must reluctantly leave Wynn.

Also in first class is the Allison family, a real family who traveled on the Titanic, returning home to Montreal with their two small children and new nurse, Alice Cleaver. They notice something wrong with her; a maid asks her if she had been in Cairo the previous month but soon realizes that she remembers her from the highly-publicized trial where Alice was accused of throwing her baby off a train. When the Titanic starts sinking, Alice Cleaver panics and quickly boards a lifeboat with Trevor, the Allisons' infant son. The parents are unaware that the baby is safe and refuse to leave without him, which in the end costs them their lives.

In third class, Jamie Pierce steals a ticket to get on board. He manages to become friends with the ship's purser Simon Doonan, who is a robber. Jamie falls in love with Åse Ludvigsen and they spend time on board together. However, Åse is raped by Doonan and is no longer able to trust anyone. When the ship hits the iceberg, Jamie cannot convince Åse to get into a lifeboat, but in the end she does.

Cast

Reception

Titanic received mostly negative reviews. The New York Daily News commented on the fact that the acting was substandard and the ship's operators and owner are portrayed "about as sympathetically as those connected with the Exxon Valdez."^[6] The Seattle Post-Intelligencer also referenced the "embarrassingly bad acting" and out of place scenes.^[7] The film garnered mostly negative and positive reviews from critics. It is a "Certified Fresh" film on Rotten Tomatoes, with 69% overall approval from critics.

The film however some resemblances to the 1997 theatrical film of the same name in that the female leads, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones and Kate Winslet, respectively, are at odds with the privileged lifestyles they're living. Also, a historical personality, First Officer William Murdoch commits suicide in both films, an event which is fictitious.

Awards

Titanic received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Miniseries or a Special. It was also nominated for Outstanding Costume Design for a Miniseries or a Special.^[8]

References

1. ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985612,00.html?iid=chix-sphere
2. ^ http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:174347~T3
3. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115392/fullcredits
4. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115392/fullcredits
5. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115392/fullcredits
6. ^ http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/1996/11/15/1996-11-15__titanic__miniseries_is_sub-.html
7. ^ http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/archives/1996/9611170101.asp
8. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115392/awards

External links

• Titanic (TV miniseries) at the Internet Movie Database
• Titanic (TV miniseries) at Allmovie