It has been almost 20 years since James Cameron's 'Titanic' hit the theatres and broke all records. The romantic disaster-drama touched the hearts of the readers and made sure everyone laughed and cried with Rose (Kate Winslet) and Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio).
The cult film is all set to complete 20 years on December 19. Made on a production budget of 200 million dollars, it was the most expensive movie ever made at that time.
Several facts and figures related to the movie have been revealed through the years. Apart from well-known ones, for example the movie took more money to make than the ship on which it is based, there are other less well-known facts that Titanic fans might not know.
Check out six facts from Titanic that you did not know.
The other Jack and Rose that could-have-been
20th Century Fox had considered many actors for the role of Leo, including Brad Pitt, Chris O'Donnell, Billy Crudup and Tom Cruise. Reports say that Matthew McConaughey was also in talks with the studio for the lead role. However, Leo made the final cut and has not looked back since.
Many people were in the pipeline to play Rose, including singer Madonna. Kate sent roses to Cameron in a bid to convince him. "Jim took a risk in casting me. A lot of my contemporaries - Uma Thurman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Winona Ryder - were much more likely candidates. I got lucky," Kate has said about her casting.
The time factor
Titanic is among the lengthiest English movies, but its running time has special significance. From the time that the ship Titanic left port to the time it sinks is two hours 40 minutes in the movie, which is exactly how long the real ship took to sink. Also, it took 37 seconds for the ship to hit the iceberg in real life; this time was exactly maintained in the film too.
"I'm the king of the world."
The iconic dialogue that has become world famous and survived the test of time was not in the script of the movie. It was improvised by Leo in the scene and has made it to many Best Dialogue lists, including AFI's 100 greatest movie quotes of all time and No. 4 spot at Premiere's 2007 list of "The 100 Greatest Movie Lines".
It has also appeared in other films in different languages, including Bollywood movie "Om Shanti Om".
Perfectionist director Cameron
Cameron is very particular when it comes to his films, which was evident in Titanic. The actors were kept in such a strict schedule that they often could not find time to go to the washroom. Reports say that many actors relieved themselves into the pool where they were shooting the water scenes, including Kate Winslet.
Cameron was also very involved with the hundreds of extras that were a part of the movie. He sometimes made up backstories for the extras to enhance their passion for the performance.
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Kate Winslet's struggle with the cold water
Kate was one of the few actors who did not wear a wetsuit while shooting in the water. This cost her as she contracted pneumonia due to the freezing temperatures. In the scene where Rose goes to rescue Jack after the ship hits the iceberg, Kate's reaction on entering the water is real at it was at a temperature of minus two degree Celsius. The water used to flood the interiors was from the Pacific Ocean and hence quite cold.
To maintain the beautiful look of the film, Kate was given a dress which looked as pretty wet as it did dry.
The controversial ending
There have been many debates about the movie's ending. Wasn't there enough room on the plank for both Jack and Rose? Was Jack's death necessary?
After several complains from fans, Cameron recently cleared the air in an interview, stating that the decision to kill Jack was an artistic choice and that Jack died because it was in the script.
He mentioned that there should not be debates and physics discussions about the buoyancy of the wooden door on which Rose was floating. Jack's death made the movie more tragic and struck a chord with the viewers that made the movie unforgettable, which was exactly Cameron's intention.
