Introduction
The Titanic shipwreck has been the subject of many documentaries, paintings, and books. One such filmmaker is Oscar-winning director James Cameron. Cameron was a passenger on the ship when it hit an iceberg and sunk in 1912. In 1985, he made a documentary about the sinking called “Titanic.” The documentary has been praised for its accurate recreation of the event.
Why It Should Be Important to Remember the Titanic?
As the centennial of the Titanic’s fateful voyage approaches, it is important to remember the many lives that were lost in the disaster. One of the most prominently remembered victims of the Titanic disaster was filmmaker and actor Oscar-winner James Cameron. He was just 16 years old when he boarded the ship as a cabin boy. Cameron has since recalled his experience of witnessing the Titanic’s final moments: “I looked out from my cabin window and saw this huge iceberg right next to the ship. It created a big hole in her side, and I knew she was doomed.” Though Cameron survived the sinking, many of his fellow passengers did not. The Titanic remains one of history’s deadliest maritime disasters.
The Titanic Disaster
The Titanic disaster was a maritime disaster that occurred on April 15, 1912, when the luxury ocean liner Titanic, traveling from Southampton to New York City, struck an iceberg and began to sink rapidly. With 1,500 passengers and crew aboard, only 710 survived the sinking; over 1,500 were lost. The disaster has been cited as a major cause of the Great Depression.
Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron was one of the many people who witnessed the Titanic disaster first-hand. His film about the event, Titanic (1997), became one of the most popular and lucrative films in history. Cameron’s fascination with the Titanic disaster led him to make another film about it, 1997’s Titanic II: The Lost World.
Firsthand Account of the Shipwreck
The Titanic was a beautiful ship and it was with great sadness that the passengers and crew lost their lives when she sunk in 1912. However, one person who witnessed the tragedy first hand was Oscar-winning filmmaker, James Cameron. In an interview on ABC’s 20/20, Cameron shared his memories of witnessing the shipwreck while filming a documentary about it.
“We were filming a documentary about the Titanic when it sank,” Cameron recalled. “I was down in the hold with my cameraman and we filmed this incredible spectacle of water pouring into the ship from every direction.”
The Titanic sunk after hitting an iceberg near Newfoundland, Canada. More than 1,500 people died in the sinking and Cameron said he still remembers feeling horror as he witnessed it all unfold.
A Reenactment of How the Shipwreck Took Place
On April 15, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg and quickly began to sink. As the ship went down, some of the crew attempted to abandon ship while others stayed to try and save as many people as possible. Among those who stayed on board were American filmmaker and explorer Oscar-winning director James Cameron and his wife Suzy Amis Cameron. On April 15, 1997, exactly 100 years after the Titanic’s sinking, Cameron and Amis recreated how the shipwreck took place using modern technology and actors. The film was released in 2009 as “Titanic”.
