'Titanic' at 25: Eight facts you didn't know about James Cameron's watery epic

About 25 years ago, James Cameron's 'Titanic' hit theatres, and the world was never the same. Okay, I exaggerate. But the romance-disaster epic was indeed a big deal. It still is. Unlike many spectacle-driven films of the 1990s, it has aged quite well. The visual effects have stood the test of time. The script can be faulted, and indeed it is not perfect. It is rather simplistic. But anchored by one of the most iconic romances in cinema (Kate Winslet's Rose and Leonardo DiCaprio's Jack), and a truly awe-inspiring depiction of the tragedy in which HMS Titanic disappeared beneath the North Atlantic Ocean after striking an iceberg in 1912. The ship had a reputation for being unsinkable and sported the latest technology. Thousands died onboard. Here are a few interesting facts about the production of 'Titanic' and the film itself.

To believably depict the scale of the tragedy Cameron chose a framing device of an old Rose (in the 1990s) reminiscing the events leading up to the sinking of the ship, including how she falls in love with free-spirited artist Jack. This helped give a sense of poignancy and longing to the intervening years after the sinking, and how she first really fell in love. 
 

Kate Winslet, then a relatively unknown young actress, was naturally not the first choice of Cameron when he was casting Rose.  Gwyneth Paltrow, Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, Gabrielle Anwar, and Reese Witherspoon were some of the actresses who were considered. But they all said now. Meanwhile, Winslet continued to send Cameron messages from her native England, which led to him inviting her to the US. But even her impressive screen test failed to convince Cameron. She, however, persisted, and Cameron later said that her passion and talent forced him to give in.
 

There is something about tragic ends to love stories. Even if the relationship itself does not work out, the love story lives on. Cameron wanted to bring out the pathos of losing loved-ones in a tragedy like that and decided to kill Jack at the end. Like Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', this love story met a heart-rending end, and perhaps that is what makes many around the world fond of this doomed relationship.
 

Titanic's wreck can still be observed by somebody adventurous and in possession with a deep-sea submersible able to sustain its integrity at 12,500 feet below the water. While filming 'Titanic' Cameron chose to film the in-film wreck on the actual ship's wreck itself. In his words to Eye For Film, "My pitch on that had to be a little more detailed. So I said, 'Look, we've got to do this whole opening where they're exploring the Titanic and they find the diamond, so we're going to have all these shots of the ship." Cameron stated, "Now, we can either do them with elaborate models and motion control shots and CG and all that, which will cost X amount of money – or we can spend X plus 30 per cent and actually go shoot it at the real wreck."
 

Cameron can be temperamental, but he is also something of a perfectionist, wanting to nail down exact details of the sets and costumes. While researching for the story for the film, he researched extensively about the crew and passengers of the Titanic. He told Eye For Film, "I read everything I could. I created an extremely detailed timeline of the ship's few days and a very detailed timeline of the last night of its life. And I worked within that to write the script, and I got some historical experts to analyze what I'd written and comment on it, and I adjusted it."
 

As mentioned above, Cameron can be obsessive about minute details. This extended to the set and production design. While the exteriors of the huge (for its time) ship were built in a makeshift manner (as in, everything visible in the film was built, and rest was just background). But the interiors of the ship were created exactly from the original ship. This included the table arrangement, wooden panelling, upholstery, chandelier, carpeting and so on. Cameron and his team used old photos and plans from the ship's builders. 
 

Remember the exquisite piece of jewellery called Heart of the Ocean (Le Cœur de la Mer) that Rose wears as she is sketched in nude by Jack? While the piece used in the film was a prop, a genuine piece was created London-based jewelers Asprey & Garrard (who had also created the prop). A 171-carat heart-shaped Ceylon sapphire surrounded by 103 diamonds. It was sold for $1.4 million and the proceeds were given to Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and Southern California's Aid For AIDS.
 

The film was made on a budget of $200 million in 1997, an amount which is still unusual. Many saw Cameron's project and spending to recreate the ship and visual effects profligate. The press screening only increased those fears. Even Cameron was pessimistic. " "We labored the last six months on Titanic in the absolute knowledge that the studio would lose $100 million. It was a certainty," he said. The film calmed all fears and ended its theatrical run at over $2 billion.