Few ships, if any, have had the staying power in the cultural lexicon than that of the RMS Titanic. From the moment news hit that it had sunk, it became a sensation, an undying public fascination that has lasted for more than a century. It is the very symbol of hubris with its ironic name and claims, leaving in legacy a trail of romance, scientific exploration, vibrant history, and more than anything else, fodder for fiction.
If you don’t know the name Clive Cussler, let’s get that out of the way quickly. An author of prodigious efforts, he is responsible for a plethora of deep sea adventure novels that center around sunken vessels that house great and terrible secrets, often with world-change cataclysm at stake. Of close to it. Arguably his most famous work is the foundation for this film, Raise the Titanic! a colorful, complicated but greatly enjoyable bit of fantasy that I read far too many times in my youth (and wrote about).
The film, released in 1980, which hacks off the “!” in the title, is directed by Jerry Jameson, and is for the most part fairly faithful to the book, though leaves out a few crucial characters (No Giordino?!?) and turns in the plot, concentrating most of the runtime on the discovery and recovery of the great ocean liner. Is that a spoiler? I guess the name of the movie gives that part away.
The story sees the charismatic and intrepid Dirk Pitt (Richard Jordan), who is renowned for his work in underwater search and salvage, leading a team to find the lost Titanic when it is believed that the ship brought with it to the bottom of the sea, a valuable and ultra rare mineral that might be used in modern times for defense. Set in the Cold War frenzy, it’s a race against the Russians to obtain from the sealed hold of the vessel what could be the turning point – or perhaps something far worse – in the rising conflict between the super-powered nations.
Keeping in mind the timeframe of the production of Raise the Titanic, there is a lot that won’t work for audiences used to ultra-realistic CGI effects in their favorite movies. This does not have that, the film relying entirely on miniatures and practical effects to bring to the screen what amounts to the central promise of the story, bringing the ship back to he surface. Surprisingly though, if you let your CGI-addicted brain let loose a little, what is presented proves itself a pretty remarkable achievement for what it is. It suffers only now from comparison to other bigger budgeted films and as such, even as it is spectacular, loses some but not all of its impact.
Still, the larger problem with the film is its absence of characters, the presence of Pitt weakened by the story’s lack of time to pad him out properly. In the book, and so many other novels he is featured in, he is always far more compelling than the projects he undertakes, and while Jordan is a curious choice for the role and is fun to watch, the character is ultimately washed out by the production need to film the film with the ship in the title.
Let’s talk more about him. Jordan, who is perhaps best known for Logan’s Run and a fun part in The Hunt for Red October, to name just a few memorable titles from his abundant acting career (cut off far too early when died at 56 from cancer), seems not right at first for the dashing Dirk Pitt, but soon makes it is own. Tall, bearded, and commanding, Jordan is the pivot point for the film, despite his character’s lack of depth. Pitt is relegated to the sidelines, as is everyone in the movie, to make room for Titanic, but you get to the point where when you see Jordon, you give a little cheer, knowing he’s definitely going to punch things up a bit with some flavor. But the finale, I was actually ready to see more of him, wishing the movie had been more of a success and allowing for the production to go on with its plans to put Pitt in a series of stories. Cussler himself put an end to that1.
It’s too bad because Pitt is a great movie character, even when Matthew McConaughey gives it a tackle, and while he may never make it to the big screen again, at least here with Raise the Titanic, there is some bright spots. As for the film itself, the main thread of the story is a clever one, and with a smart start and a smarter twist in the end, this might have been a more tense thriller, but is instead bogged down by a script that wedges in fluff that is simply unnecessary.
Leading that charge is the misused and unneeded casting of the great Anne Archer as Dana Archibald, a love interest between two men in the story who is then fed information that makes no sense in the context of the plot, making for a tributary that is not much more than a whimper as it tries to be a wham. If the film had more interest in the people rather than the ship, it could have been a superior spy flick, but the last half of this is mostly people silent in undersea subs searching in the dark, then doing what the title demands.
Okay, so that sounds like I’m steering this out of the recommendation column, and I will say that his won’t be for everyone. Critics were not fans on its release and being a fan of the book, I was somewhat disappointed, but I have to say, I really liked the exchanges between the larger characters, with meaty bits from Jason Robards, and Alec Guinness. I also like the sets and the authentic locations, the feel of the film, and a great score from James Bond alumnus John Barry. There were a few quality rousing moments, and by the credits, I was really thinking this wasn’t so bad.
If anything, it’s a curious misfire. However, there’s a lot about that movie that makes for a fun afternoon rental, and if you’re any kind of film fan who appreciates the history of cinema in any form, this is a quality watch with a lot of effort behind it in making it look the part (so much so, they show it again at the end). Give it a try.