“Titanic” hits theaters on Wednesday. James Cameron explains what prompted him to direct this great romantic drama.
On the occasion of the release on the big screen of Titanic by James Cameron in a remastered version, James Cameron and producer Jon Landau lent themselves to the game of the press conference.
And it’s Jon Landau who asks his friend the questions. An exciting exchange during which James Cameron revealed the funny way he pitched his romantic masterpiece to Fox at the time.
The most beautiful love movie is coming out in theaters and that’s why you shouldn’t miss it
Jon Landau kicks off the Q&A game by asking James Cameron why he wanted to make a Titanic movie. The filmmaker had so far only made science fiction films: Terminator and Terminator 2, Aliens the Return, Abyss and True Lies. Titanic is his first romance.
Cameron then explains:In fact, it goes back to when I shot Abyss. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute team, which was working on the robotic aspect of Abyss, was fascinated by the Titanic story. By spending time with them, this passion also grew in me.
Especially since they are the ones who helped Robert Ballard in his exploration of the Titanic. [NDLR : Robert Ballard est un scientifique et officier de la marine à qui l’on doit la découverte de l’épave de Titanic en 1985]. I also met Robert and I completely “immersed” myself in the world of the Titanic.
Then I saw the film againEric Ambler, Atlantic latitude 41and I got to thinking about a romantic movie with the Titanic background.
20th Century Fox
Titanic
When I pitched the film at Fox I also went there with a portfolio of paintings by Ken Marschall who is a legendary artist who painted Titanic. I was seized, in particular, by his painting where we see the Titanic sinking in the waters and surrounded by a few survivors in makeshift boats and sending distress signals in the air.”
Producer Jon Landau then asks the director to tell how he pitched his idea to convince Fox to finance his film on the Titanic. Cameron then explains with a smile:
It’s simple, I said it was Romeo and Juliet aboard the Titanic. That’s what got us started. Then we had to write the script and it was a bit more complicated… (laughs).
Asked why the film continues to thrill viewers 25 years after its release, James Cameron said: “Today, a whole new generation is discovering the story of the Titanic and I am convinced that the experience of seeing our film is as moving and spellbinding as ever.”
20th Century Fox
Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate Winslet
A strong feminine role
For the filmmaker, the character of Rose is one of the strengths of the film’s durability. Kate Winslet embodies a heroine who dares to free herself from conventions and oppose her family to live her love.
He explains : “I’m trying to better understand why young people love our film. It’s clear that the charm of Leonardo comes into play. But I also believe that the character of Rose, brilliantly played by Kate Winslet, is a strong role that appeals to the new generation.n.
Rose emancipates herself in a society that tries to contain women and keep them in a cage. Through the photos of her life after surviving the Titanic, we see that Rose was true to her promise to Jack and did what she really wanted to do..”
Titanic is to be rediscovered in cinemas in a 4K remastered version.
