Movie
  • The drawing of Rose shown in the movie, was actually drawn by Titanic director, James Cameron.
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  • Nicknamed the "100-day studio," Fox Studios Baja, began construction on May 31, 1996, the same day that Titanic's hull was launched into Belfast Harbor at Harland and Wolff's shipyard 85 years before. Key to the project was the 17 million-gallon oceanfront tank in which the near full-size exterior ship set was erected, providing almost 270 degrees of uninterrupted ocean view.
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  • Using the original plans of the Titanic from [shipbuilder] Harland and Wolff (thought lost since World War II) allowed the filmmakers to re-create the ship with unprecedented accuracy and detail.
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  • Constructin begins at Halifax and the Titanic begins to take shape. "The ship is, in fact, full scale," explains production designer Peter Lamont, "but we've eliminated some of the redundant sections on the superstructure and forward well deck to allow our ship to fit the tank. We had to shrink the funnels and lifeboats 10 percent in order to compensate for this reduction."
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  • A recreation of White Star Line's Southampton Pier comes to life for sailing day (April 10, 1912), as nearly 1,000 extras, 25 horses and a dozen vintage automobiles vie for position in the shadow of the newly completed ship exterior, the largest set in motion-picture history.
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  • William Carter's Renault touring car is loaded into the No. 2 cargo hatch. "I made that car's interior an important location in the script," says Cameron, who tried to reach the car on the wreck by sending his ROV down through the very same hatch. Collapsed supports and other debris ultimately blocked the attempt. Nevertheless, several historic documents (including Carter's insurance claim for the vehicle) provided enough information for the Renault to be re-created faithfully in every detail, down to the crystal flower vases in the passenger compartment.
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  • "I was naked in front of Leonardo DiCaprio on our first day of shooting," confides Winslet. "It almost always happens that some of the most important scenes get shot at the very beginning when you're still getting to know each other," adds DiCaprio. "Kate is great. She had no shame with it. She wanted to break the ice a little bit beforehand so she flashed me. I wasn't prepared for that, so she had one up on me. It was pretty much comfortable after that."
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  • There really was a "J. Dawson" (James, not Jack) on the Titanic. Dawson was a trimmer (engineering crew). He did not survive the sinking and was buried at Halifax, Nova Scotia.
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  • The Titanic set was not 90% to scale, it was 100% to scale, but only 90% of the whole length was built.
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  • The set was single-sided though, so scenes at Southampton were flipped on film. During filming, actors had to wear reversed costumes and look at reversed signs.
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  • Only three of the four smokestacks were functional on the Titanic. In the movie it looked like smoke was coming out from all four of them, but this was only due to the camera angle and wind. The first three had black smoke coming out, and the last one only had white steam. This is historically accurate, as the last smokestack was used for ventilation for the kitchen and other areas of the ship. During those flyby scenes, you can see the the last smokestack looked different from the top (capped).
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  • James Cameron made a cameo in the movie, he is the man getting his beard combed for lice at the Southampton Dock.
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  • The scene with the father and the little boy spinning the top on the deck of the titanic actually happened. Cameron took that shot directly from a photograph taken on the ship in 1912.
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  • Lake Wissota, where Jack said he fell into, is an artificial lake and was not created until 1917.
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  • The wealthiest passenger aboard was 47 year old John Jacob Astor. Though he had inherited a vast fortune from his great grandfather, he had extended this empire through real estate, particularly hotels.
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  • The song that Jack and Rose sings at various parts of the movie is "Come, Josephine, in my Flying Machine". It was written in 1910 and was a #1 hit in the pop charts at the time.
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