Titanic

James Cameron’s Titanic is an epic, action-packed romance set against the ill-fated maiden voyage of the R.M.S. Titanic; the pride and joy of the White Star Line and, at the time, the largest moving object ever built. The “ship of dreams” ultimately carried over 1,500 people to their death in the ice cold waters of the North Atlantic in the early hours of April 15, 1912. The film won of 11 Oscars and still provokes debate 25 years after its release.

The powerful draw of Titanic relates to “more emotional, less commercial reasons,” according to the New York Times. “Titanic tells a story that is perceived to be true; it is a tragic love story of operatic dimension because the denouement is known; it demonstrates the terrifying and mystical power of nature, and it has in Leonardo DiCaprio a fated working-class hero with whom teenage girls fall in love.”

Speaker: Dr. Brian Gleeson, the Harry S. Tack Chaired Professor of Materials Science and Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Pittsburgh, specializes in physical metallurgy and the impact of temperature on metallic alloys and coatings. Before the screening, Dr. Brian Gleeson will share how steel materials have advanced since the brittle steel that fails at low temperatures was used to build the luxury ocean liner that sunk in iceberg-strewn waters.

“Titanic was a box office gamble at the time due to its tumultuous production and lack of recognizable actors (DiCaprio and Winslet weren’t A-listers yet), but it ended up being a monumental success, scoring high praise from critics and becoming the highest-grossing film of all time until 2010, when the original Avatar (also directed by Cameron) took its place,” says Collider, reporting on the film’s 25th anniversary re-release. Initially, Collider called this epic “the most important disaster movie ever made.”

“This movie behemoth still has the power to shake us rigid and touch the soul.” Times (UK)

“Cameron is a genius at instilling narrative dread and designing a hokum-drenched fairy tale of a certain size.” Chicago Tribune

“Titanic is big, bold, touchingly uncynical filmmaking.” Newsweek.