Titanic [VHS] [1998]

I'm sure you have already formed your own opinions about Titanic as a film. I personally think it is an excellent and beautiful film, despite its flaws. And if you are looking at this "Definitive Collectors Edition" and considering purchasing it, I assume you would agree with me. Therefore I will go straight onto reviewing the extra features included in this edition of the film.

So, onto the actual product. The first two discs are the theatrical version of the feature. As promised on the box, the film comes with superior sound and picture quality (I'm no expert but I know it plays seamlessly and magnificently on my 42" plasma screen). There are four commentaries on both discs by James Cameron, the cast (not including Leo DiCaprio or Billy Zane), a crew commentary and a historical commentary by a couple of Titanic history buffs. All are worth listening to if you have the time, but James Cameron's commentary is by far the most insightful to the whole filming process of the Titanic, providing many titbits and points of interest. Both discs also include several action "pods". These are short clips that give more detail about how a particular sequence was filmed. You can watch them all together or one by one, or you can choose to watch them integrated with the film itself. The second disc also includes an extended ending, with Brock playing a bigger part. I believe they were right to cut this out of the theatrical edition but it is interesting to see anyway. An obligatory music video of Celine Dion's famous song is there as well.

Disc 3 has quite a few deleted scenes which are extremely interesting to watch for any Titanic fan, as not only is the relationship between Jack and Rose further explored, we also get deeper insights into the other characters. However, I agree with the film-makers about their decisions to cut these scenes as including them would have affected the pace of the film and would have killed the momentum, especially towards the end of the film. The disc also contains three Titanic parodies, none of which are ESPECIALLY funny, but hey, the disc needed a filler.

Disc 4 has many a documentary about the making of Titanic. A few of the TV publicity documentaries are a bit repetitive. I think they all used clips from the same interviews with the cast and James Cameron, which is why you hear the same comments being repeated through the different documentaries. This can be annoying so I wouldn't suggest watching them all at once. Other documentaries include detailed explanations of effects, filming processes etc. Obligatory trailers, TV spots and publicity poster galleries also included. There's also a gallery of images from design through to filming. Overall, I feel this disc is a bit of a let-down in terms of the limited interviews conducted with cast and crew members. I am susprised how little we saw of the actual people involved in the film-making in the documentaries since they are the people most knowledgeable about it. The majority of the documentaries are about the building of the set, the techniques used for filming and camerawork and the construction of visual effects.

So, do I think it's worth you spending your hard-earned cash on? Well, if you're not a die-hard fan of the film, what's the point? You're not going to want to spend hours of your time exploring the extra features anyway. However, for the Titanic enthusiast, this is a great edition. There's plenty of interesting behind-the-scenes info and you can immerse yourself ever deeper into the legacy of the great ship. The commentaries of the film are enlightening and interesting and the deleted scenes also give the film even more depth. The tragedy of the sinking of the Titanic really does hit home. And the thought that you will go away with after having watched and listened to everything on these DVDs is the amount of hard work that went into making this truly unforgettable piece of cinematic history.

Let's just get a few things straight here. This film came out when I was 14 years old. I was one of the only straight, teenage boys on Earth who actually admitted to liking the film. Yes, I'll be honest, I saw it five times at the cinema (count 'em) and bought it on VHS the day it came out. Being a little older I can see many of the faults in the film but I still love it, if not quite as much as I used to.

The reaction to the film was unparalelled, nearly $2,000,000,000 at the box office and 11 Academy awards. I think the fact that so many people fell for this film made others want to pick holes in it. Yes, some of the script was corny, but there is a lot of emotion, some great acting, excellent drama and stunning cinematography.

The romance is perhaps a tad cliched, but it is NOT mushy. The real strength of the film is in the ship itself which proves to be the star of the show. The real ship at the start is a sight to behold but it is the sinking of the great vessel that makes the film great. From the deep roar as the Titanic slowly dips further below the surface to the death-defying dashes for safety, the adrenlin simple flows off the screen. As the ship falls apart, the tension is truly gripping. The scene where the great, glas, dome ceiling caves in and the water rushes through the ship is one of the most powerful I have ever seen and of course there is the tragedy of the bodies in the water.

Although my love of the film has waned in the last few years there is more than enough left to make for an epic film and one of the best of the 1990s. Look past the hype, pretend no one ever went nuts for the movie and just see it as you first saw it and you might just remember what you first experienced at the cinema - an excellent film!

This item was released in Sweden on October the 26th, and I bought it rightaway.
We all know the story of Rose and Jack, and their struggle for love in a world full of social boundaries, so let's just take a look at this edition of Titanic.
The film itself is on disc one and two, and bonus material is practically everywhere!
You can get a lot of interesting footage of rehersals, computer manipulation and behind-the-scenes DURING the movie by turning on the special feature Behing The Scenes Mode, which "automatically branches you out to related video "pods" about the making of the movie."
This adds a new dimension to the movie, and is very interesting.

The deleted scenes are also interesting since they add some new information to the story. We find out what really happened to Lovejoy and Cora, for an example.

Disc four is the cream of the cace, with documantaries, featurettes and trailers, among the goodies.
(My favourite part is the news reel from 1912...)

What more can I say? Buy this box NOW!

P.S. There is one little surprise during the end credits, don't miss it! D.S.