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By
NICK ZEGARAC
James Cameron's "Titanic" became the first film in nearly 50 years to tie the record of 11 Oscars once held exclusively by Ben-Hur (1959); an irony not wasted upon the fact that most of "Titanic's" wins came from the technical categories -- not the acting categories. There's good reason for that -- the plot, such as it is, is contrived and poorly acted. In a nutshell, penniless artist, Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) wins a third class ticket on the ill-fated liner. He meets Rose (Kate Winslet), a spoiled rich girl engaged to Cal (Billy Zane) but who is about to commit suicide by jumping off the ship's stern because she feels trapped in her pampered existence -- oh, please! Jack and Rose become lovers. Then the ship hits an iceberg and its every man for himself.
No one has more admiration for Cameron's attention to detail with sets and costumes, and his epic staging of the climactic sinking of the great leviathan into the icy Atlantic, than I do. But it's all for not when the primary diversion during the first two hours of this truncated melodrama is the childish bump and grind of two misfits inside the cargo hold. Truly, "Titanic" had more fascinating real life passengers on board, whose lives could have been more fully explored. Kathy Bates is wasted as Molly Brown, Victor Garber too, as Matthew Andrews.
The DVD transfer is a disappointing effort from Paramount. The letterbox picture has not been enhanced for widescreen televisions. Though colors are fairly represented and clarity and sharpness are amply present, there's a considerable amount of edge enhancement in the vertical paneling of the smoking room, the railing that surrounds the ship and many of the long shots of the ship sailing off into the sunset. Contrast levels are nicely balanced. Blacks are generally solid. Some film grain and digital grain make certain scenes break apart when viewed on a larger format. The audio is 5.1 stereo and provides a very strong and visceral listening experience. There are no extras on this disc except for the film's theatrical trailer. |
