In 1898 (14 years prior to the Titanic tragedy), Morgan Robertson wrote a novel called "Futility." This fictitious novel was about the largest ship ever built hitting an iceberg in the Atlantic ocean on a cold April night. The fictional ship (named Titan) and the real ship Titanic were similar in design and their circumstances were remarkably alike. Both ships were labeled "unsinkable." This uncanny foresight by Morgan Robertson was mentioned at the beginning of Walter Lord's book "A Night to Remember" on which the 1958 British film was based. The comparisons and similarities are stunning, right down to the findings of an investigation after the sinking which blamed "excessive speed" for the tragedy.
Titanic (1997) - 24 trivia entries
Directed by James Cameron, starring Bernard Hill, Bill Paxton, Billy Zane, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates, Leonardo DiCaprio (add more)
In 1898 (14 years prior to the Titanic tragedy), Morgan Robertson wrote a novel called "Futility." This fictitious novel was about the largest ship ever built hitting an iceberg in the Atlantic ocean on a cold April night. The fictional ship (named Titan) and the real ship Titanic were similar in design and their circumstances were remarkably alike. Both ships were labeled "unsinkable." This uncanny foresight by Morgan Robertson was mentioned at the beginning of Walter Lord's book "A Night to Remember" on which the 1958 British film was based. The comparisons and similarities are stunning, right down to the findings of an investigation after the sinking which blamed "excessive speed" for the tragedy.
When the Titanic splits and the rest of the ship begins to sink, next to Jack and Rose there is a man in white drinking whisky. This man actually existed. He was the chef who put on loads of layers of clothes and stole a bottle of whisky from the kitchen. He drank the whisky to keep warm, and he survived the ice.
When the Titanic first set out in 1912, almost immediately after leaving the dock, the suction of her propellers drew in a neighbouring ship, the New York. It snapped its lines making sounds like gunshots and the ship came within several feet of slamming into the Titanic's stern. Only the quick thinking of the tugboat captains and Smith (who ordered a touch ahead on the port propeller) stopped it from actually making contact. You'd think that this event would've been at least noticed by Jack or Fabrizio who would've had front row seats, yet it's not mentioned at all in the movie.
It seems director James Cameron had some inspiration from an earlier Titanic movie. When Jack enters the grand staircase for the first time, "On The Beautiful Blue Danube" is playing courtesy of the band. And in "A Night to Remember" (1958) when a married couple walk down the grand stairs, the same song is playing.
Rose asks Mr. Andrews if he is going to make a run for the boats. The real Mr. Andrews was actually asked this question; it is rather clear what his answer was. Also, he is seen carrying a small notebook which he uses to note down reminders, tips, and pointers as to how to repair, replace, and improve certain areas of the ship. That notebook has survived.
At the end when Rose is lying on the wooden door she is looking at the sky singing "come Josephine..." When you look hard you see that the stars in the sky are symmetrical. You can actually draw a line in it. [That is not exactly the case. If you look VERY carefully (this is much more effective on a big screen), you can see that the stars form the outline of the famous necklace, The Heart of the Ocean. I guess Cameron was a little bored that day.]
In one scene you can see Colonel Archibald Grace escorting two ladies to a lifeboat. Rose then asks if there are any lifeboats left and he replies, "This way, I'll show you." He did actually survive, a lot of people presumed he died. He wrote an autobiography stating that he climbed aboard the turned over lifeboat. You can actually see him in the film hanging onto the lifeboat wearing the top hat trying to cut the ropes.
While "Nearer My God to Thee" is the last song played by the band in the movie, it is still being disputed whether or not this is correct. It seems that some people heard the song from the lifeboats, but there are three versions of "Nearer..." Also some claim it was a song called "L'Automne" a ragtime tune popular at the time.
Just before the ship makes her final plunge, Rose looks to her right and sees a man on the railing next to her. In one shot he is seen taking a swig from a flask. This is based on an actual man, Charles John Joughin, the ship's chief baker. Curiously, he has always been used in films about the disaster as comic relief, often depicted as a drunk. In truth he wasn't a drunk, but just happened to have a flask on him when the ship sank. He was one of the handful of survivors pulled from the water. As an aside, the alcohol didn't save him, as drinking alcohol may make you *feel* warmer, because it increases blood flow to your skin, but that actually reduces core temperature, so it may feel warming when you're just a bit cold, but in life-threatening temperatures it'll bring on hypothermia that much faster.





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