Titanic (1997)

When most people think about the Titanic, they can't really do it nowadays without thinking of Jack and Rose in the 1997 movie.  With it being one of the highest grossing movies of all time, Titanic made a huge iceberg-sized impact in our consciousness and culture when it was released and brought on a new surge of fans and people interested in the subject.  While the movie had many flaws (this isn't the place for listing all of them), they got a lot right thanks to the dedication of James Cameron and his team wanting to recreate history as close as possible.  Whether you love the movie, or hate everything including the whimsical lyrics of Celine Dione's popular song, there's no denying that the movie has done much to further the memory and legacy of the Titanic.

When they were building the set for the ship, they ended up building one side for budget reasons and placed it so the smoke coming out of the funnels went aft with the wind.  But when it came time to film the scene where the Titanic departs from Southampton and Rose comments that "It doesn't look any bigger than the Mauretania," they realized that it was the wrong side historically.  In order to correct it, James Cameron decided to film it in reverse and flip the shots in post-production so that history would be honored.  In doing so, they reversed all signage to read backwards so it would be correct when they flipped the shot.  This board which came from a crate was there on the Southampton docks in the background shots.  

One of things I really enjoyed about the movie was the recreation of so many of the luxurious interiors of 1st class.  This wallpaper was used either in the 1st class Reception Room or 1st class Dining Saloon sets which were faithfully recreated in all their glory as the passenger glided down the Grand Staircase and tasted the food listening to Jack talk about his life as a "tumbleweed blowing in the wind."

One of the most beloved characters in the movie as well as most beloved people in the Titanic story was Thomas Andrews who was played so well by Victor Garber.  Speaking through a Northern Irish accent, Victor Garber brought the legendary designer to life well telling Rose, "I'm sorry I didn't build you a stronger ship."  Though he's not the first man to have portrayed Andrews, he's certainly one of the most memorable.  This is an autograph photograph which I got when I had the good fortune of meeting him.  

While the china, glassware, and cutlery in the movie weren't completely accurate, they did make the effort to make them similar to what was used on board.  This is a wine glass from the 1st class Dining Saloon set used as a prop in the movie.  Jack Dawson drank out of a similar smaller glass when toasting, "To making it count!"

Even though historically the 1st class passengers never ate in the Verandah Cafe, the 1997 film had their first dinner scene set there immediately after the "King of the World" moment.  This menu is from that scene and you can see the "Roast Lamb, Mint Sauce" offered from which Cal said, "We will go for the lamb.  Rare with very little mint sauce."