Titanic (1997) - TV Tropes (2024)

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Cameron and the set designers conducted exhaustive research on the ship, from the measurements of the individual rooms, to the carpet designs to the china patterns, even going to Harland and Wolff — the original ship builders themselves — to look up rare blueprints and never-before-seen photographs from construction to make sure they had every possible detail. In fact, Ken Marschall — the foremost expert on the Titanic design and the painter of almost every painting of either the Titanic wreck or the sinking in the past 30-odd years (seriously, he seems to be on call whenever a documentary needs a painting) is quoted as saying that he didn't call their set a "set", to him, it was the Titanic.
According to one of the tie-in books, Cameron personally logged more time with the ship's wreckage than did any of its actual passengers.
In fact, the movie set may even have provided two new explanations for things that happened in the sinking of the real ship:
- One of the oddest discoveries of the Titanic’s wreck was that the Grand Staircase is completely missing. Where the staircase used to be had become a gaping hole in the remains. It was assumed that the wood had rotted away or consumed by microbes, but this couldn’t be the case because much of the wooden pillars around the staircase were still intact. Movie production produced a new alternative theory as to why the Grand Staircase is missing at the real wreck: when the set was flooded during filming, the staircase set piece (which was supposedly built to real life specifications) began to break away from its framework. If the construction of the set was accurate, then, the new theory goes, the real Grand Staircase simply broke apart and floated out of the ship while it was sinking and eventually disintegrated, rather than being eaten by microbes afterward.
- Furthermore, there has been some debate as to why Funnel No. 1, the forward funnel, toppled first, when there were many factors in the design that should have made that impossible: per design specifications, the funnels were designed to lean backwards, so they should have all fallen forward at the same time if they fell at all, or they should have fallen to the side — but only if the ship was listing considerably, which it wasn't. It was during filming that the answer to why Funnel No. 1 fell about ten minutes before the others fell was discovered: to get Collapsible Boats C and D on the starboard side into position, some of the guy-wires that held the funnel in place had to be removed, thus removing needed support later on as water weighed the bow down.
The Swedes who lose their tickets to Jack not only speak fluent Swedish, but also use the right accent for a working-class person in the early 1900s.
In Southampton, one of the warehouses is labeled "Red Star Line," which was a member of the International Mercantile Marine Company alongside White Star.
As Titanic is putting to sea, Jack and Fabrizio see a pod of dolphins racing alongside the bow. On close inspection, these are short-beaked common dolphins, which can be spotted in the waters near Ireland.
The drunk cook that Rose meets on the stern just before the ship goes under is Charles Joughin, who really was a cook, and who really did go back to his cabin to drink after the lifeboats were gone, and really did ride the stern of the Titanic right down into the water. He was one of the very few survivors that were taken from the water, and most doctors consider his survival a miracle, since the alcohol would have lowered his core temperature, making him more susceptible to hypothermia (and not, as often assumed, turn his blood into anti-freeze). He was the last person to go into the water and scoffed at the idea of suction that Jack was afraid of. He said that he gently stepped off into the water and didn't even get his head wet, which probably helped him stay warm.
When Molly Brown is introduced, you can see Benjamin Guggenheim, the Duff-Gordons, and the Astors walking by her, as they all boarded the ship at Cherbourg.
Cameron conducted extensive research into the etiquette of the period to make sure the actors had the right mannerisms. When Rose excuses herself during lunch, Ismay, sitting at the head of the table, stands up. This was expected for a man to do at the time.
The scene between J. Bruce Ismay and Captain Smith is based on testimony from passenger Elizabeth Lines. If you look closely, you can see a woman sitting in the background who glances at their conversation.
At one point in the film, Jack is shown walking past a child playing with a top while several passengers look on; this is a reference to a well-known photograph from the voyage.
Bride delivers an ice warning from the Noordam, which was one of the ships that warned Titanic about the ice field they were approaching.
Even the dogs seen being brought aboard or walked on deck are breeds known to have been on board the real ship. The black French bulldog seen being walked by a steward is a lookalike for Gamin de Pycombe, a champion of his breed and one of the few dogs to appear in surviving Titanic photographs.
In a deleted scene in which the Californian tries to warn Titanic about the ice field, Bride laments that they're going to be up all night sending messages. The day before the disaster, the ship's wireless set had broken down and Phillips and Bride took it upon themselves to repair it. This resulted in a large backlog of messages that they were trying to clear, and the Californian's message came at just the wrong moment.
Captain Smith writes the ship's position as 41°46' N, 50°14' W, which was their inaccurately-determined position.
When assuming command of the bridge, Murdoch asks Lightoller if he ever found the binoculars for the lookouts, to which he replies that he hasn't seen them since they left Southampton. The original second officer, David Blair, is believed to have mistakenly taken the key to the locker where the lookouts' binoculars were kept when he was removed from the command roster.^note
The guns that the ship's officers carry are Webley Revolvers, which are what the officers actually used on board.
The coat that Jack "borrows" to speak to Rose belongs to "A L Ryerson." Arthur Larned Ryerson Sr. was an actual first class passenger who was killed in the sinking.
When the engines are reversed, the central propeller simply stops. This is correct. The central engine was incapable of going into reverse, only the wing propellers could.
On Lifeboat 6, there is only one man on board besides Hitchens and Fleet. Arthur Peuchen was allowed on when it was realized that there were not enough able seamen in the boat.
A steward berates Jack and Rose for breaking a door, saying they'll have to pay for it. This was something that actually happened during the sinking. Richard Norris Williams broke down a door to free a trapped passenger, and a steward threatened to fine him for damaging White Star Line property.
While waiting for a lifeboat, John Jacob Astor cut open a life jacket to show his wife how they worked and reassure her that they were safe. A deleted scene shows him doing this in the gymnasium.
In a deleted scene, when Lifeboat 14 goes back for survivors, they bring aboard a Chinese passenger who they find kneeling on a door. There were eight Chinese passengers on board Titanic, six of whom survived, and one of them was indeed rescued by Lowe.
When Rose arrives in New York and gives her name as "Rose Dawson," it is dark and everyone except Rose has an umbrella to ward off the rain. This is historically accurate; the Carpathia docked in New York at 9:30 p.m. on April 18 in a heavy downpour.
There's only one woman left in Cal's lifeboat by the time they are rescued. This is a nod to Rhonda Abbott, the only woman saved from the water.
In a blink and you'll miss it moment, the Countess of Rothes can be seen steering the lifeboat she’s in from a distance. This did in fact happen that night. The Countess of Rothes took command of the tiller to help the crew rest. Tom Jones, who was in command of the lifeboat, became good friends with the Countess after the disaster.
After Cal tries to bribe Murdoch, there is a shot of the bridge in which lights atop the wings flicker. This is a reference to the Titanic attempting to signal the Californian via Morse lamp.
The scene in which Lightoller asks Captain Smith if they should get the women and children into the boats first is based on his actual testimony. According to Lightoller, he yelled over the steam venting "Hadn't we better get the women and children into the boats, sir?", to which Smith simply nodded in the affirmative.
Jack telling Rose that falling into freezing water feels like being stabbed by "a thousand knives" comes from a testimony by Lightoller who described himself going into the water during the sinking with the same analogy.

Titanic (1997) - TV Tropes (2024)

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