Half-Assed Internet Research
Spit improvisation; fact versus fiction; SS Californian omission; production hardships
In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 00:58:53Read transcript
- Some people believe the spitting was improvised and that Billy Zane did not know it was coming.
- Jack and Rose are fictional, most supporting characters are accurate, and the wreck footage is real from Cameron's 12 dives; a J. Dawson gravestone was discovered after filming.
- Captain Smith's death is disputed; there is basically no evidence third-class passengers were barricaded below deck; the band played ragtime rather than solemn music near the end.
- The on-ship runtime of two hours 40 minutes matches the time from the iceberg to the sinking, intentionally.
- The film omits the nearby SS Californian, which had its radio off, prompting the complaint that 20 seconds could have been spared for it.
- The staircase flooding had to be filmed in one take; Cameron drew Jack's sketches; worn-out prints required replacement reels.
- Crew disliked Cameron's alter ego, nicknamed Midge, Jim backward, and put on shirts; the ship and tank cost $150 million; a planned 138-day shoot ran to 160 days; the code name was Planet Ice.
- Winslet skipped a wetsuit, got pneumonia and a kidney infection, and almost quit; many cast and crew were miserable.
- Cameron gave backstories to around 150 extras, and a necklace used in the film was reportedly auctioned for $2.2 million for Princess Diana's charity.