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List Price: $19.99 | | Label: Paramount
Salesrank: 27079
Released: October 25, 2005 |
| Our Price: $53.90 |
| Used Price: $16.97 |
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
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.
Description of Titanic (Three-Disc Special Collector's Edition):
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
DVD features
Perhaps James Cameron wasn't ready to dish in 1999 when his mega-hit debuted on DVD with nary an extra (no, we don't count the trailer). Now in 2005, Cameron and his magicians dish on the cutting-edge effects and the craft of the movie. The heart of the extras are over 45 minutes of deleted scenes fans will fawn over, including some dealing with historical backstory (including a scene on the nearby ship California), a great kiss between Jack and Rose, and an extended suspense scene (listen to Cameron's commentary on that one). Happily, the alternate ending was not used (no, Jack doesn't live). The sound has been upgraded (including a DTS 6.1 ES track), the color palate is richer (the interiors glow more), and the picture is anamorphically enhanced for widescreen televisions, although the film is now split onto two discs.
The three-disc set has an abundance of materials; the galleries, for example, contain 628 on-set photos, 447 personal photos from the cinematographer, 532 storyboard sketches, 148 technical drawings, and even a 72-page bibliography. The features on the sets and effects offer some great tidbits, many dealing how everything had to be made versus rented since most items were going to be destroyed on camera.
Cameron is pictured on the box art and his stamp is all over the DVD set. He narrates the deep dive footage, you can read his original "scriptment" (if you want to read though 492 page clicks; some of these extras would have been better on a CD-ROM), and his commentary track is so complete, he covers most of the items the historical experts offer on their own track (they get too caught up in the film to muster more interesting facts). He offers only one apology for a factual "guess" and clears up that "king of the world" riff at the Oscars. The third commentary with most of the key members of the cast and crew is worth a listen but, alas, Leonardo DiCaprio does not contribute to this or any other new feature. Other must-sees: a time-lapse short on the creation of the boat set, and the first-half of a salute to the staff that works as a blooper reel. One caveat: there's a four-disc Region 2 version available in Europe with parodies and other extras, but no one is offering an official reason why it's not offered in the States. --Doug Thomas
Titanic (Three-Disc Special Collector's Edition) Reviews:
Titanic 
2009-12-21 - Titanic is a long, boring bomb of a movie that was grossly over-rated. The acting is abominable. The subplots about the personal affairs of several passengers are an annoyance to watch. They are not believable as to what some people were doing with their time as their lives were in peril. They detract from the real event, the sinking of the ship and circumstances that led to its happening. Kate Winslet is a lousy actress and is tiring to watch. The one good feature of the movie is the actual sequence of frames of the sinking of the ship, which are well done.
Great film 
2009-12-07 - I thought this was a great movie. Winslet and DiCaprio are phenomenal as the leads of the movie and the special effects are outstanding. Overall a good choice and will probably be considered a classic one day.
Good Romantic Thriller 
2009-11-24 - Love Story meets The Poseidon Adventure as two star-crossed lovers keep their romance afloat even as everything around them is sinking. Despite choppy scene transition and staginess, James Cameron manages to turn a well-known disaster into a story of love (almost) triumphing over life itself.
Great Love Story Of Our Time
2009-11-11 - There is really nothing to say but this is the greatest love story of our time and a very good drama this movie is awesome. one of Leonardo Dicaprio's Best performance of his Carer I Recommend it for everyone
"A Blockbuster"
2009-11-09 - "Titanic" has gone on to become a blockbuster movie, heavily regarded as the greatest film ever made. Released on December 19th, 1997, "Titanic" became the movie everyone wanted see, eventually hitting #1 at North American theatres for 15 consecutive weeks, a record still not broken to this day. The film would eventually gross over 1.8 billion dollars worldwide becoming the biggest money-making film. Nominated for 14 Academy Awards (tying with "All About Eve") and winning 11 including Best Picture and Best Director for Canadian born James Cameron, "Titanic" is also known for the beautiful theme song "My Heart Will Go On" performed by Celine Dion that won four Grammys. Cameron, who also wrote the screenplay, documents how the ill-fated ship struck an iceberg on the early morning hours of April 15th, 1912 off the coast of Newfoundland, while telling the fictitious story of Jack and Rose, star-crossed lovers who meet on "Titanic", fall in love, and who enter the hearts of millions of movie goers. The special effects are the best of any film, the acting and writing are excellent, and Cameron's direction is exceptional. Movies do not get any better than this. For a 3 hour plus film the movie captures your attention from the beginning until the end credits roll. This DVD set is filled with beautiful bonuses including deleted scenes, commentary by Cameron, Kate Winslet, and other cast members, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and more. No DVD collector's library will be complete without this amazing set.
