The Titanic disaster is certainly a popular topic these days. There are new books about the sinking 87 years ago, a movie staring Leonardo Decaprio and Kate Winslet, and a Tony Award winning musical.
MY HUMBLE REVIEW: This is a fabulous movie! I can't say enough good things about it. Kate Winslet and Leonardo Dicaprio are brilliant in it and Billy Zane--who I usually hate--played Rose's (Kate W.) stuffy fiancee with such aristocratic coldness that you feel he was born to play the role. Kate Winslet is Rose, a 17-year-old 1st class passenger who yearns to be rid of all the confides and restrictions that come along with that class. She boards the Titanic with her mother and fiancee, heading back to America and her wedding. Leonardo Dicaprio plays Jack Dawson, a young artist from Wisconson who has "tramped" his way all over Europe and wins his Titanic ticket in a poker game. The two meet when Jack saves Rose one night on the ship deck. She almost jumps over board and he talks her down. Their relationship grows and blosoms into love but then the disaster strikes and changes everyone's lives forever.
James Cameron really did his homework as far as historial accuracy goes. Every minute detail of the Titanic, its crew and sinking is re-created. It's a fabulous, fabulous movie. Also, I'm very glad that James Cameron made Mr. Andrews (the Titanic's builder) the nice guy he was. He wanted enough lifeboats on board to accomidate every passenger, but the White Star Line wouldn't hear of it--They thought it would make the deck look "cluttered."
Fifth Officer Lowe is the last on the right. (Ioan Gruffudd is the actor who plays him.) I consider him one of the greatest heroes of the Titanic disaster. The plucky 29 year old Welshman was in charge of lifeboat 14. After the sinking, he rounded up lifeboats 4, 12, 10 and collapsable D, tied them all together, then transfered all but three of his lifeboat 14 people to different boats and went back to look for survivors. Out of the 20 lifeboats that were launched that night, he is the only one who went back to pick up survivors. Fifth Officer Lowe basically went around rescuing everyone in sight. Very busy that early April morning!
Who's Who of the Titanic Officers
Lowe Changes Everything
Harold Bride~~The Little Timex
Titanic, the musical opened on Broadway in 1997. The critics didn't like it very much but the fans adored it! It went on the sweep the Tony Awards--winning best costumes, best new musical, and best score, to name only a few. Before the night was over, Titanic had raked up 7 Tony Awards.
The plot of the musical is unbelievably historically accurate considering it's main purpose is to entertain. A few 2nd and 3rd class passengers were invented but--other than that--everyone is based on the actual passengers and crew of the R.M.S Titanic. It opens with Mr. Thomas Andrews--the builder--pouring over the blueprints for the ship:
Finally, loading day arrives and everyone gathers to watch Titanic take its maiden sail. First the crew marvels at the ship's beauty, followed by the 3rd class ("steerage") passengers. This is their ticket to a better life in America. Seats were determined by a lottery system:
The 2nd class passengers are also in awe of Titanic. Unlike steerage, the main reason they booked a passage is to hopefully rub elbows with the rich and famous of the 1st class!
Finally, the 1st class passengers arrive and the ship sets sail. All the famous American millionares are aboard--Astor, Guigenheim, Thayer, Strauss, Widener. They traveled across the ocean on steamer ships regularly but a maiden voyage was special--filled with pomp and circumstance that the rich loved.
Meanwhile, as the passengers have fun above deck, there's work to be done below. Barrett, the head stoker, voices his concern about the order to go faster:
The ship's owner, Bruce Ismay (along for the maiden voyage), wants to set a world record for speed, and Captain Smith--against his better judgement--agrees. Thomas Andrews is also along for the Titanic's maiden voyage.
Barrett sneaks up to the telegraph room and sends a message to his girl back home. The young marconi telegraph operator, Harold Bride, transmits it:
While the 1st class is partying in the lavish dinning hall, the steerage passengers dream about their new lives in America:
The first act ends with lookout Frederick Fleet scanning the horizon for signs of danger:
When Fleet does see the iceberg, it's a little too late to avoid disaster. "Dear Mother of God! Iceberg--Right ahead!"
The second act opens after the collision. The steward has gathered the 1st class passengers in the grand salon. Having slept through the collision, they have no clue what's going on and demand answers. Mr. Etches (the steward) can only repeat what he's heard: "The latest news, sir, is that she's damaged one of the rear propellers and we could be delayed for an entire day."
So, 1st and 2nd class passengers are gathered in the grand salon. Meanwhile, Mr. Ismay, Mr. Andrews, and Captain Smith are in the telegraph room arguing over who should take the blame while Harold Bride tirelessly sends out distress signals.
Mr. Andrews takes the blame by saying: "It was my doing, no one else's." Captain Smith counters him: "There's only one captain, and I was in charge. This is my ship, no one else's." He takes the blame.
All passengers are now gathered on deck, with lifebelts, preparing to board the life boats. The order is "women and children first."
Mr. Strauss--the owner's of Macy's department store--is offered a spot in the life boats because of his age but he refuses. "No. I will not go before the younger men." He asks his wife of 40 year--Ida--to take a place, but she also refused. "What? To live without you? Absolutely not! Where you go--I go." The final life boat is lowered around 2 a.m.--leaving everyone else to their fate.
The British ship The Carpathia picked up the Titanic's distress call and, since they were relatively close, changed course in order to help. The next morning, at 9 a.m., the last of the Titanic's 20 life boats was rescued.
Out of the 2200 passengers and crew that set sail for Titanic's maiden voyage, only 705 survived. All of the 1st class women and children except three survived; the number decreasing as you go down the classes. Barrett, Fleet, and Harold Bride all survived the disaster. Barrett and Fleet were stationed in life boats to row, and Harold Bride jumped from the ship only 5 minutes before it went under. He was stuck underneath one of the colapsable life boats (for crew) in freezing water for "what seemed a lifetime" before surfacing and being pulled aboard colapsable B. Bruce Ismay jumped from 2 decks up into a lifeboat filled with women and children. He was later labeled the "villain" of the Titanic disaster, and was so distraut over the sinking and his less-than-heroic way of staying alive, that he retired from the public eye, and spent the rest of his life in seclusion. Thomas Andrews was last seen in the 1st class stateroom, life belt off, Titanic blueprints spread out in front of him, staring into space. Captain Smith went down with his ship and his body was never recovered. As for the American millionares--They all perished. Many, many women were made widows because of the Titanic disaster. Madeline Astor--John Jocob Astor's wife--was 5 months pregnant at the time of the sinking. She gave birth in September to a son and named him after his father.
Titanic--a fan page--really good pics, etc of the musical
The offical Titanic-the musical site.
Titanic--the movie--You can send Marconi telegraphs to your friends!
Judy's Titanic Site--read the screenplay to James Cameron's Titanic
Scott's Titanic Page--Has a real spiffy collage background with the lyrics of 'My Heart Will Go On.'
Wicked Cool Titanic Page--It has the complete cast listings and great side-by-side picks of the actors and the personalities they're portraying. If you want to know how wonderfull a casting job they did- go here!
The Heart Of The Ocean--April's really, really wicked cool Titanic page. Great pics and quotes!!
Amazing Journey--Absolutely fantastic site devoted to the musical and also a huge page for Michael Ceveris. There's tons of pics that I've never seen before. Two thumbs way up!
The Boat Deck--Another great one about the musical and history of Titanic. With pics of the officers and their signatures!
Murdoch of the Titanic--a site dedicated to William McMaster Murdoch, First Officer. Very nicely put together.
Titanic Heroes--Everything you'd ever want to know about the Bridge Officers and Marconi Operators.
Titanic Memories: Past-Life Memories Of That Fateful Voyage--Interesting site about Titanic past-lifes and what new knowledge can be found out through their duel-memories. The web masters are the reincarnations of Thomas Andrews and Lucy Bride.
EdinBooks~~Sells great stuff! My favorite is "I Built The Titanic: Past Life Memories of a Master Ship Bulider." by William Barnes. You can order it through Edinbooks or Amazon.
All a-shore that going a-shore! You're passenger to board Titanic!
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