When the movie came out, fifteen years ago, i was impressed. Being a living-history costumer, i was convinced within a very few minutes that it would OWN the Oscars, because of the clothes.
I wasn't crazy about the plot, and the characters were so obnoxious i really didn't care if they lived or died. Some of the computer-generated stuff was off-putting, too. BUT THE SETS -- oh, my god.... The details were stellar. And a few of the filmographic devices were masterful -- again, i was IMPRESSED.
So, although i'm a bit late in "celebrating" the centennial of the notorious shipwreck, i have to make a mention of it. (Reminded by television specials....) Of all the tragedies of which we have record, all the massive losses of life throughout history, all the stories of steadfastness, heroism and cowardice -- for some reason, Titanic's story really touches people. I have an idea about why this might be.
Because people from all over the world were traveling on this ship, people from all over the world "gave a damn" when the report came that something had happened to her. From every part of the globe, a complete sphere spangled with loci of mental energy, ardent thoughts streamed forth of fear and love and grief. Our world became a matrix of magnetism, concentrating for an extended period on ONE subject of hope and dread.
In the esoteric scheme of things, this is an immensely powerful generator. Searing, overpowering emotion is what makes a lot of hauntings happen! They leave an imprint of feeling, a form of electricity, behind -- rather like the imprint of light which is classic photography. Added to the worldwide energy contribution, there was the extreme atmosphere of terror contributed by the participants themselves. Overwhelming.... As a result, this recorded emotion is contagious to anyone who taps into it, through sympathy or even indifferent study -- get close enough to the situation and it sucks you in.
I have a similar reaction when i hear Gordon Lightfoot's "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." Between the way the lyrics are spun, and the energy left behind by the sailors, relatives and friends, this very unromantic story produces a huge amount of sadness in people who have absolutely no connection with her.
So she's been gone for a century. That's nothing. Titanic will live in legend the same way Pompei has, and for similar reasons. May heaven rest the souls lost.
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