"Titanic" - Director's Cut
 

I’m not usually a fan of Directors’ Cuts, but I have to say that I am most impressed with the recently-released special edition "Titanic" DVD and - for once - wish that the deleted scenes included on a bonus disc had actually been incorporated by the filmmaker into some sort of "personal ideal" version of the film. As it stands now, I will have to switch back and forth between discs whenever I happen to watch this epic movie.

Granted, I’m not a big fan of the sappy lovestory fiction Cameron pasted on top of the fabled event, but I am a major Titantic buff - - and this movie is, in many ways, a fascinating version of the doomed voyage.

Though Cameron told the Titantic story in a threadbare way (for instance, see my musings on Titantic here), his version is visually stunning and exciting. In fact, I can almost forgive the overlaying of sappy fictional characters because (1) Kate Winslet is uber-hot and wonderful, and (2) the fiction allows Cameron to get his characters down below decks while the ship is flooding - not once, but twice! Since only fictional characters would be anywhere near these drownable disaster zones, I can almost forgive Jim Cameron for using fictional characters to tell this tale of real events.

And it’s one of those forays below decks that is so vastly improved by the most elaborate of the deleted scenes. It takes place after Jack and Rose are chased down to the flooding First Class Dining Room by Billy Zane firing at them with a pistol all the way down the grand staircase. In the deleted section, Zane sends his manservant (played malevolently by David Warner) after Winslet and DiCaprio with the promise that Warner can keep the film’s McGuffin diamond if he can recover it. What follows is a stunning suspense scene as Warner hunts for the trapped lovers as the dining room slowly sinks under water.

The huge set was slowly lowered into a tank of water for the scene, over and over again for take and after take, shot after shot. Everything being dried out and redressed on a constant basis. The scene cost millions of dollars to produce, and cutting it out of the film eviscerated the adventure where Jack and Rose are stuck below flooding decks a second time. The scene ends with a fight between DiCaprio and Warner - - which explains the continuity error later in the release version where we briefly see Warner’s character all bloodied as the ship breaks in two.

In the commentary, Cameron explains that he hated cutting the scene - - but that two preview audiences thought that it stretched credibility a bit too far. Ha! - as if Billy Zane giving gun chase wasn’t already over the top! In any event, the irony is that the film went on to become the highest grossing motion picture in history -- and the director certainly could have had his cut of the film released without significant ill effects financially.

In my opinion, this single scene adds an amazing amount to the film. This important segment makes the movie comes alive in a new way, and is such an improvement to this part of the movie that I’d say it makes ‘Titanic’ virtually a different film. I will never again watch the movie without including it. I also think about 20 of the other 28 deleted scenes are great, and would make the movie so much better with their inclusion. I wish the film had been released on DVD as a Director’s Cut, instead of with a separate segment of deleted scenes. Bah! Where’s my DVD editing studio?!?!

Anyways, anyone who’s a fan of the film or of the Titanic story should check out this DVD. It makes for a better movie than the one released in theaters.

I still refuse to watch this movie

This isn't the first time Cameron has done this; I was hoping that the Titanic "Director's Cut" would be like his Special Edition laserdisc of The Abyss - where they did put the cut scenes into the film.

Why?

out of principle...

Did you have family aboard the Titanic? Perhaps someone who was maligned by Cameron in the film??

iSm: Thanks for reviewing the DVD. I spotted the director's cut DVD in a store and there was a promotional sticker saying there's an alternate ending. Based on your post, I will probably buy this DVD, but I was wondering if you could describe and give your review of the alternate ending (perhaps using spolier text)? Thanks!

I waited until this came out on DVD the first time to see it. Was totally unimpressed. I still don't get what all the hooplah was all about.

In the alternate version, does the boat miss the iceberg?

I love how people run either very hot or very cold on this film. I don't know what it is about the film but everyone has an opinion about it and it is usually fairly extreme.

Even if I wasn't particularly thrilled the first - and only - time I saw it, I appreciate the fabulous review of the new DC version. The history of the ship and voyage IS fascinating and can be appreciated my most - even when the film didn't quite fulfill.

We were watching Preston Sturges "The Lady Eve" last night , which takes place both on and off a ship. I forget that cruising was THE way of traveling overseas. There are quite a few great movies that take place on large cruise ships. I think a fun film series could be put together based on the concept of cruise ships. Then, of course, we'd have to watch a few episodes of The Love Boat. ;)

As it happens, I think the alternate ending was one of the crappiest of the deleted scenes. Oh, the ship still sinks. But it was Cameron's rather clever use of the McGuffin diamond "bookends" which allowed him to continue the story past the point where the Titanic falls beneath the waves and have a second ending about the diamond.



Meh.

Me likes the original ending far more.



But here's one of the other deleted scenes that I'm rather fond of - - - after the ship sinks, Rose clammors on top of a piece of flotsam floating wood paneling. There's no room for Jack. Why does he stay there and lazily die instead of swimming about in search of some other flotsam floatage? Well, the deleted scene answers that quite nicely - as he is forced to defend Rose from a male passenger who wants to use the wood float to save himself, and Rose be damned. Jack warns the interloper off with threat of death, and thereafter it becomes a bit more believeable for Jack to hang out submersed in the 28-degree water next to high and dry Rose.

Thanks for the tips iSM. Definitely will add this to the collection. Based on your descriptions, I look forward to this disc.

I always enjoyed this movie. I do not consider it deep or highly meaningful (for it is not). It is a simple love story wrapped around an historical drama. Cameron does one of the better jobs (IMO) of using SFX to add drama to a story line. It is pure and simple entertainment.

Kevy, who is that in your avatar and why don't I look like her?

I don't know. It is just some model who captivated me when I saw her photo (no model credits - just photog. And I don't remember where I saw this photo either).

And darlin' - she's got nothin' on you!

I always wondered about that aspect, too. Glad to know there's a transitional scene that was cut out. iSm, Thanks again for the wonderfully thorough DVD review! :)

I'm going to buy this director's cut DVD, but I have a feeling that someone will try to capitalize on this 1997 film again--two years from now for a 10th anniversary DVD.