Titanic (Three-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
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DVD details
Actor: Billy Zane, Frances Fisher, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates, Leonardo DiCaprioBrand: Paramount
Cinematographer: Russell Carpenter
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1 EX; French (Original Language); German (Original Language); Italian (Original Language); Russian (Original Language); Swedish (Original Language)
Format: Collector's Edition, Color, NTSC, Special Edition, THX, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 194 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-10-25
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Paramount
Product features:
- 3 discs
- Collectors Edition
- THX Mastered
DVD Reviews of Titanic (Three-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
DVD Review: Classy presentation
Summary: 5 Stars
It's 1996 and James Cameron's new film is in trouble. Facing titanic production set backs, on set disasters (such as food laced with PCP fed to the production crew by a disgruntled employee), Cameron's film which is relying on state-of-the-art digital effects to bring the epic story to life keeps edging over budget and running behind. The film surprisingly wins an Academy Award for Best Picture among a slew of other awards, faces a critical drubbing in the press and manages to become one of the highest grossing films of all time. When "Titanic" was first announced the two studios releasing the film 20th Century Fox and Paramount both knew that they had a monumental project that might make bucket loads of money. They also knew given Cameron's reputation as a perfectionist it wasn't going to be an easy shoot. Still with an appealing cast, epic story chronicling the sinking of the unsinkable luxury liner R.M.S. Titanic in 1912 it seemed worth the gamble. "Titanic" may have been the most expensive movie ever made up to that time (rumor varies as to the final cost of the film and Fox has been mum on the final cost) but it also became the blockbuster of the year. While this isn't quite the definitive edition fans were hoping for, it's about as close as were likely to get until the film shows up on the HD DVD format or Blu-Ray.
***
Told in flashback "Titanic" begins by chronicling the attempt of treasure hunter Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) trying to find the wreckage of the luxury liner. On board at the time was the stunning Hope diamond a priceless piece of jewelry that has been missing since the ship went down. As Lovett's salvage operation is televised he's contacted by a woman named Rose (Gloria Stuart) who claims to be a survivor of the disaster and also to know the whereabouts of the strand of jewelry the diamond was set in. Skeptical at first, Rose tells Brock and his crew about the journey and her shipboard romance with starving artist Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio). The itinerant Dawson wins two tickets on the luxury liner in a card game and looks forward to returning to America after years abroad. When Dawson meets socialite Rose De Witt Bukater (Kate Winslet) his world and hers is turned upside down when they fall in love on the voyage. There are two problems; the first is Rose's wealthy fiancé Cal Hockley (Billy Zane) a man ruthless, egotistic man that will resort to violence to get what he wants and the fate of the luxury liner itself. When it was launched from England the unique design of the Titanic made it appear unsinkable but when the ship hits an iceberg that rips through the hold of the ship the travelers are in for a horrifying ordeal.
One of the most popular DVD releases back in 1998, "Titanic" has been in need of refurbishing for some time now. Paramount has pulled out all the stops for this release when it comes to the transfer of the film to DVD. Released for the first time in anamorphic widescreen, receives a magnificent transfer here spreading the movie over two discs allowing for as much breathing space for the video and audio as possible. The image quality is exceptional with strong, bright colors and flesh tones that are accurate. The contrast is exceptional and although there is grain noticeable in the image that's to be expected since the original film itself demonstrated grain in its theatrical run. Remember, this was shot before the launch of HD video for movies. While there are some minor issues with edge enhancement they aren't noticeable on most screens and are not a distraction even on when viewed on a 61 inch widescreen TV. "Titanic" provides a visually stunning picture with a state-of-the-art transfer. While I thought this was only on my disc, it appears that there is an endocing flaw that makes a small portion of Di Caprio's face dissolve into pixelated bits on all the first pressings of this DVD.
"Titanic" also offers a wide range of audio options as well. There's an excellent Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack as well as an exceptional Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and stunning DTS 6.1 ES soundtrack. While the DTS soundtrack sounds slightly fuller and less clipped than the 5.1 EX soundtrack, they are very, very close in terms of quality. Keep in mind that you won't experience the full wonder of these mixes until the last section of the movie when the disaster occurs. While the format is used well in the early part of the movie most of the effects are limited to ambient sound until the disaster occurs.
Although most of the extras are confined to the third disc there are also quite a few interesting extras on disc 1 and 2 which primarily focus on the movie itself. First, there's an interactive behind-the-scenes option that allows you to view footage from the production of the film. Most of these segments run about a minute or two and you're returned to where you were in the film after they conclude. You can also view these bits separately as well. An alternate ending for the film is provided on the second disc. As Cameron points out in his commentary track (it can be viewed without his comments as well) for the "alternate ending" it's not that at all-it's the ORIGINAL ending for the film. When Cameron was writing the script his focus was to tie together all the strands of the film much as a novelist would but, in the end, he went back and reshot the ending when he realized that it said and showed things that didn't need to be said and shown. We also get the music video for Celine Dion's treacly radio favorite "My Heart Goes On".
Disc 3 features the bulk of the extra material here and while it isn't quite as extensive as the 4 disc set being released in Europe, there's a vast amount of material here. We get a number of featurettes including "A Time Lapse Creation of the `Titanic' Set" with a commentary by Ed Marsh. It's fascinating to watch because even if you have been in film production the scope of the sets build is staggering. Marsh also created a faux 1912 newsreel for the launch of the Titanic and that's included intact and, again, features commentary from Marsh. "Titanic Crew Video" features the actors and crew appearing in what's more or less a gag reel for the movie. Cameron provides commentary on the "Deep Dive" that he did in 1995 for the footage of the real Titanic. It's eerie and fascinating and Cameron's comments are pretty interesting as well. Cameron justified the shoot to Fox by pointing out that to do it in miniature would cost more and the publicity would be worth millions. We get a "Ship Tour" which Anders Falk narrates. The footage was put together for the "Titanic Historical Society Convention" done on the Queen Mary. It's as close as we'll ever discover what it felt light to walk through the actual Titanic. "Visual Effects" provides a breakdown of the shot in the engine room using both miniatures and full scale parts. "I'm Flying" demonstrates how the visual effects were done for the sequence where Rose is at the front of the ship with Jack looking over the water from the edge of the boat. It includes all the individual elements used to make up the sequence including real footage, large scale miniature and digital effects along with the full scale footage shot on a green screen stage. We get to see how the final sequence was put together as well. It's a marvelous example of how the visual effects created the illusion we see in the final footage. "First Class Lounge" was a section of the ship that was flooded. A miniature of the first class lounge was created and shot compositing elements of a green screen shot so that it looked as if the actual stage had been flooded. It's a brilliant and seamless optical. Finally "Titanic Sinking Simulation" takes us through the the various stages of completed CGI that were combined to give the sinking sequence its powerful impact.
"Stills Gallery" includes the "Titanic Scriptment" which allows you to read Cameron's script. "Storyboard Sequences" is designed so you can view the entire gallery or individual sections which include everything from the "Southampton Departure" sequence to the "Final Sinking Sequence" from the film and includes nine sequences in total. "Production Artwork" includes production paintings by Tom Lay, costume design art by David Le Vey and "Wreck Sketches" done by James Cameron. "Photographs" covers the deep dive that Cameron did as well as photos from the model shop and even includes the extras' scrapbook with photos of the extras during production as well as behind-the-scenes photos of the sets. There are over 200 photos included in this section. "Ken Marschall's Painting Gallery" features material that Marschall completed for "Titanic: An Illustrated History" which was done in collaboration with writer Don Lynch. The book provided inspiration for Cameron throughout the writing and research process. These wonderfully detailed collection of 82 paintings clearly inspired Cameron's attention to detail in the film. Finally there's a text section that discusses the international performance of "Titanic" in terms of local currency and how that translates to the US gross of the film. There's even a 72 page bibliography referencing the material that Cameron used to do research and that came out as tie-ins with the movie.
The extensive deleted scenes section includes 29 scenes with Cameron's commentary. The scenes include finished visual effects and music to allow viewers to see how the sequences might have looked if they might have been finished. Cameron chose not to reintegrate them into the film. It's pretty clear why the scenes weren't put into the movie but many still have value and will be appreciated by fans of the movie. The scenes have a "handle", i.e., the sequence that preceded the cut sequence and followed it.
"Marketing" includes the "Fox Special: Breaking New Ground" which was produced as a promotional tie in to the movie. We also get the press kit featurettes which were originally included as part of the Electronic Press Kit (EPK). We also get a 62 page gallery of concept artwork for the posters considered for the film as well as the final ones used to promote the movie. There's also an Easter egg featuring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn (much thinner and much younger) as two dim movie executives suggesting that Cameron do a sequel. I believe this played on the "MTV Movie Awards". It's a very funny sequence and can be accessed by clicking down to the main menu and then clicking right.
Cameron's comments cover everything the performances to production trivia and even a bit of history as well including a short discourse on women's rights. Cameron discusses the real vs. reel aspects of the story. Interestingly, Cameron comments that in the sequence where they launch the lifeboats they (meeting the actors and crew) had to figure out how they launched the real ones they were so different from what we have today. The lifeboats included in the film were manufactured by the same company that manufactured the original lifeboats for the R.M.S. Titanic. Packed with trivia and detail, Cameron's commentary track is one of the richest on the disc even though he does his solo. The passengers thought that the lifeboats and life preservers were all part of an elaborate exercise or drill based on Cameron's research. Likewise, he points out that the only person beyond the crew that would know what happened was Thomas Andrews (Victor Garber) who heroically stayed behind on the sinking ship as well as trying to organize and get people off the ship. Surprisingly, carrying a concealed fire arm was not that uncommon. There were a lot of bodies that were discovered with guns on them. Cameron also points out that no one wanted to get off the ship into the boats because the band was still playing and everyone still thought that perhaps it was a drill.
The cast and production crew provide a second audio track. Whenever the speaker changes there is a title telling you who is speaking. Covering everything from the actor's preparation for the film (from reading books about the incident to talking with historians) to production details (producer Jon Landau provides a unique perspective since he is both a producer and a director), it's equally as fascinating as Cameron's track or the one done by the historians. While there is some duplication (how can there not be?) most of the commentary tracks have enough new information to keep each one interesting on its own. Having three commentary tracks might seem like overkill but, well, this is a James Cameron film and Cameron is known for exhaustive detail in both his research and his production of his films.
The third audio commentary track features historians discussing the accuracy of the film and the world in 1912. It's amazing how accurate Cameron's film is. The historians point out that misinformation was rampant and stewards told people to go to bed because the ship probably just dropped a propeller blade. Cameron was worried that the davits that lowered the lifeboats might break during the sequences when they lowered them. The concept of a major sea rescue at the time was unthinkable. If a ship went down, it was thought that most people would die if another ship was too far away to rescue them immediately. Far from the usual dry historical commentaries, it's a wonderfully articulate track.
Although it's missing theatrical trailers, this is a pretty comprehensive boxed set for "Titanic". It's filled with wonderful behind-the-scenes footage, photos, production art, featurettes and commentary tracks. The two disc presentation of the movie has better clarity, remarkable detail and color when compared to the previous single disc edition of the movie. This is one that you'll definitely want if you're a fan of the movie.
Description of Titanic (Three-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
Leonardo DiCaprio and Oscar-nominee Kate Winslet light up the screen as Jack and Rose, the young lovers who find one another on the maiden voyage of the "unsinkable" R.M.S. Titanic. But when the doomed luxury liner collides with an iceberg in the frigid North Atlantic, their passionate love affair becomes a thrilling race for survival. From acclaimed filmmaker James Cameron comes a tale of forbidden love and courage in the face of disaster that triumphs as a true cinematic masterpiece.When the theatrical release of James Cameron's Titanic was delayed from July to December of 1997, media pundits speculated that Cameron's $200-million disaster epic would cause the director's downfall, signal the end of the blockbuster era, and sink Paramount Pictures as quickly as the ill-fated luxury liner had sunk on that fateful night of April 14, 1912. Titanic would surpass the $1-billion mark in global box-office receipts, win 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Director, launch the best-selling movie soundtrack of all time, and make a global superstar of Leonardo DiCaprio. A bona fide pop-cultural phenomenon, the film has all the ingredients of a blockbuster (romance, passion, luxury, grand scale, a snidely villain, and an epic, life-threatening crisis), but Cameron's alchemy of these ingredients proved more popular than anyone could have predicted. His stroke of genius was to combine absolute authenticity with a pair of fictional lovers whose tragic fate would draw viewers into the heart-wrenching reality of the Titanic disaster. As starving artist Jack Dawson and soon-to-be-married socialite Rose DeWitt Bukater, DiCaprio and Kate Winslet won the hearts of viewers around the world, and their brief, but never forgotten, love affair provides the humanity that Cameron needed to turn Titanic into a moving emotional experience. Although some of the computer-generated visual effects look artificial, others--such as the climactic splitting of the ship's sinking hull--are state-of-the-art marvels of cinematic ingenuity. It's an event film and a monument to Cameron's risk-taking audacity, blending the tragic irony of the Titanic disaster with just enough narrative invention to give the historical event its fullest and most timeless dramatic impact. --Jeff Shannon
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