Staying Fit
To mark the 100th anniversary of the most infamous sea disaster of all time, director James Cameron has re-released his blockbuster film, Titanic, in 3-D (despite the added depth, Leonardo DiCaprio's performance is still flat). Amazingly, it has also been nearly a century since the first Titanic movie was made — a film followed over the decades by scores of Titanic retellings, each with a unique take on the tragedy.
See also: Disaster preparedness tips for seniors
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A memorable Titanic film doesn't have to be good to be great — it just needs to tap into that mysterious, nearly universal Titanic fascination that endures even after all this time. Why do we want to imagine ourselves on that tilting deck, or crowded into one of those lifeboats, or floating across the bow of Titanic's sunken hulk?
These five films explore five different ways of remembering Titanic, from the initial shock of contemporary audiences to fantastic attempts to revisit its watery decks. And beyond them you'll find five more films that further explore the perils of the sea, a realm of adventure that still inspires endless fascination. Or is it dread?
The Titanics:
In Nacht Und Eis (1912) The iceberg that sank the Titanic hadn't even melted yet when this German film, Night and Ice, was released the following summer. Yes, the acting is typically overwrought, and the Titanic that hits an iceberg is clearly a not-very-scale model. But imagine the sensation of being in a theater in 1912 and witnessing a re-creation of the disaster of the century. Some of In Nacht Und Eis was filmed on an actual ship, and for his studio shots, director Mime Misu cleverly built the sets to bob and weave while his camera remained stationery, creating an uncanny sense of movement at sea. You can see the whole thing on YouTube.
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