Friday, April 13, 2012

Dinesh Kamath's article on 'Titanic in 3D' Part 2 that was published in Newsband



Today, I'll talk more about the film Titanic in 3D which will release tomorrow. During the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, James Cameron had announced that Titanic was in the process of being converted into 3-D for a theatrical re-release; he estimated it would take six months to a year to complete.
The Titanic 3D stereoscopic version was created under the guidance of the original film's director, James Cameron. He had also made a 3D documentary film visiting the underwater shipwreck, Ghosts of the Abyss, filmed in 2001 and released in 2003. In 2009, Cameron released the 3D feature film Avatar, which had been purposely designed for 3D viewing. Titanic in 3D was generated by re-mastering the original film as 4K resolution and post-converting to 3D (3-dimensional) stereoscopic format. The Titanic 3D version took 60 weeks and $18 million to produce, including the 4K restoration.
The 3D version of Titanic premiered in London, England, on March 27, 2012. In attendance were the director, James Cameron, and the lead actress, Kate Winslet, at the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington, West London.
Now I'll talk in details about the main characters of the film Titanic in 3D and also the actors who played those characters.
Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson: Cameron said he needed the cast to feel as though they were really on the Titanic, relive its liveliness, and "to take that energy and give it to Jack, he's an artist who is able to have his heart soar". Within the film, Jack is portrayed as a penniless man from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin who has toured various parts of the world, primarily Paris. He wins two tickets onto the RMS Titanic in a poker game and travels as a third-class passenger with his friend Fabrizio. He is attracted to Rose at first sight and meets her when she attempts to throw herself off the stern of the ship. This enables him to mix with the first-class passengers for a night. When casting the role, various established actors were considered, but Cameron felt that those actors were too old for the part of a 20-year-old. Tom Cruise expressed an interest in [portraying] the character, though his superstar asking price was never taken seriously. DiCaprio, 22 years old at the time, was brought to Cameron's attention by casting director Mali Finn. Cameron strongly believed in DiCaprio's acting ability.
Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater/Dawson: Cameron said Winslet "had the thing that you look for" and that there was "a quality in her face, in her eyes," that he "just knew people would be ready to go the distance with her". Rose is a 17-year-old girl, originally from Philadelphia, who is forced into an engagement to 30-year-old Cal Hockley so she and her mother, Ruth, can maintain their high-class status after her father's death had left the family debt-ridden. Rose boards the RMS Titanic with Cal and Ruth, as a first-class passenger, and meets Jack. Rose is a kind of character who has got a lot to give, and she's got a very open heart. And she wants to explore and adventure the world, but she [feels] that's not going to happen. Winslet campaigned heavily for the role. She sent Cameron daily notes from England, which led Cameron to invite her to Hollywood for auditions. As with DiCaprio, casting director Mali Finn originally brought her to Cameron's attention. When looking for a Rose, Cameron described the character as "an Audrey Hepburn type" and was initially uncertain about casting Winslet even after her screen test impressed him. After she screen tested with DiCaprio, Winslet was so thoroughly impressed with him, that she whispered to Cameron, "He's great. Even if you don't pick me, pick him." Winslet sent Cameron a single rose with a card signed "From Your Rose" and lobbied him by phone. "You don't understand!" she pleaded one day when she reached him by mobile phone in his Humvee. "I am Rose! I don't know why you're even seeing anyone else!" Her persistence, as well as her talent, eventually convinced him to cast her in the role.
Billy Zane as Caledon Nathan "Cal" Hockley: Cal is Rose's 30-year-old fiancé. He is arrogant and snobbish, and the heir to a steel fortune in Pittsburgh. He becomes increasingly embarrassed, jealous, and cruel about Rose's relationship with Jack. He later commits suicide after losing his fortune in the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The part was originally offered to Matthew McConaughey.
Frances Fisher as Ruth DeWitt Bukater: Rose's widowed mother, who arranges her daughter's engagement to Cal to maintain her family's high-society status. She loves her daughter but believes that social position is more important. She scorns Jack, even though he saved her daughter's life.
Gloria Stuart as Rose Dawson Calvert: Rose narrates the film in a modern-day framing device. Cameron stated, "In order to see the present and the past, I decided to create a fictional survivor who is [close to] 101 years, and she connects us in a way through history." The 100-year-old Rose gives Lovett information regarding the "Heart of the Ocean" after he discovers a nude drawing of her in the wreck. She tells the story of her time aboard the ship, mentioning Jack for the first time since the sinking. At 87, Stuart had to be made up to look older for the role. Cameron's casting director found Stuart. She was sent out on a mission to find retired actresses from the Golden Age of the thirties and forties. Stuart was just so into it, and so lucid, and had such a great spirit. And Cameron saw the connection between her spirit and Winslet's spirit. He saw this joie de vivre in both of them, that he thought the audience would be able to make that cognitive leap that it's the same person. Winslet and Stuart stated their belief that the character dies at the end of the film, while Cameron states in his DVD commentary that he prefers to leave the viewers to form their own interpretation of the ending. Stuart died on September 26, 2010, at age 100, approximately the same age elder Rose was in the film.
Bill Paxton as Brock Lovett: A treasure hunter looking for the "Heart of the Ocean" in the wreck of the Titanic in the present. Time and funding for his expedition are running out. He later reflects at the film's conclusion that, despite thinking about Titanic for three years, he has never understood it until he hears Rose's story.
Suzy Amis as Lizzy Calvert: Rose's granddaughter, who accompanies her when she visits Lovett on the ship.
Danny Nucci as Fabrizio De Rossi: Jack's Italian best friend, who boards the RMS Titanic with him after Jack wins two tickets in a poker game. Fabrizio does not board a lifeboat when the Titanic sinks and is killed when one of the ship's funnels breaks and crashes into the water.
David Warner as Spicer Lovejoy: An ex-Pinkerton constable, Lovejoy is Cal's English valet and bodyguard, who keeps an eye on Rose and is suspicious about the circumstances surrounding Jack's rescue of her.
This movie will get released in theaters tomorrow on 7 April. I'll pass on to you tomorrow still more information about this film Titanic in 3D which is undoubtedly a masterpiece. Till then, goodbye!

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