| Titanica | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Stephen Low |
| Written by | Alexander Low |
| Produced by | Pietro L. Serapiglia |
| Starring | Eva Hart |
| Narrated by | Cedric Smith Leonard Nimoy |
| Music by | Stephen Edwards |
| Distributed by | IMAX |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 95 minutes 40 minutes (edited general release version) 67 minutes (edited video version) |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Titanica is a 1992IMAX documentary film about theRMSTitanic. The film was directed byStephen Low and narrated byCedric Smith,Anatoly Sagalevich and Ralph White. The film mostly focuses on footage taken at thewreck of the RMSTitanic, also featuring footage of the expedition crew searching the wreck[1] as well as interviews withTitanic survivorsFrank John William Goldsmith andEva Hart.[2] Using Eva and the crew members, Low conveys the voice of the documentary by showing the Titanic's wreckage as a graveyard which is to be respected and treated with caution and care. It was the second feature-length IMAX film released, followingStones at the Max in 1991.[1] An edited 40 minute version of the film was also later released for IMAX theatres in 1995;[3] this version had new narration byLeonard Nimoy, though it retains most of White's narration.[4] This edited version later became the basis for another edited version released in 1997, featuring 27 more minutes of interviews with Ralph White,Emory Kristof, and other experts.
The expedition crew was composed of a Russian, American and Canadian[1] who were operating off the Russian research shipAkademik Mstislav Keldysh.[3] Footage of the wreck was obtained by twoMir submersibles,[3] sometimes working together, that had been equipped with IMAX cameras and lights that consumed 150,000 watts, capable of clearly lighting up the ocean floor.[1] Footage of the wreckage is often compared with historical photos, showing the full impact of the tragedy.
In the film, Eva Hart comments that prior to theTitanic striking the iceberg, her mother had commented that calling the ship 'unsinkable' was "flying in the face of the Almighty."[1][3][5]
The film holds a 60% approval rating onRotten Tomatoes based on 5 reviews.[6]Roger Ebert gave the film 3½ stars out of 4, stating the footage "achieve[d] a remarkable intimacy" with theTitanic's wreck, though also stating he would have liked to see more footage of theTitanic and less of the expedition crew.[1] Margaret McGurk fromThe Cincinnati Enquirer gave a positive review in 2000, particularly praising the detail and size of the footage, stating it was "an instance when the oversized Imax film format truly lives up to its potential."[3] Edward Johnson-Ott fromNUVO spoke favourably of both the footage of the wreck and the crew, stating the crew added "welcome humor while maintaining the dignity such an excursion demands."[5]
Eva Hart, who had expressed concern about looting of theTitanic's wreck, commended the IMAX film, stating "The IMAX Titanic expedition weren't going down to plunder it. I think it's splendid."[1]
WatchingTitanica gaveJames Cameron the idea for incorporatingMir submersibles in his 1997 filmTitanic. He contacted the same submersible crew that worked onTitanica after viewing the documentary and they agreed be part of his upcoming film.[7]
