Even before James Cameron’s 1997 mega-hit ‘Titanic’ – that featured Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet at the beginning of their now illustrious careers – most people had heard about the tragic sinking of the RMS Titanic cruise ship on April 14, 1912. As the 100th anniversary approaches, several movie and travel-related events are planned:
- Cameron’s film – which won a total of 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture – will hit theaters again on April 6, 2012, with 3D and IMAX offerings as well as a 2D offering of a digitally remastered print. The remastering process consumed 60 weeks and $18M and, given Cameron’s penchant for perfection, it’s probably safe to assume this will be a movie-going experience to remember. Click here to check out the 2012 ‘Titanic’ trailer and then mark your calendar for April 6.
- The original filming locations for Cameron’s 'Titanic' include various spots in Baja, Mexico, two ships that are now California tourist attractions (the S.S. Jeremiah O'Brien in San Francisco and the S.S. Lane Victory at San Pedro) and Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (where 121 Titanic victims are buried at the Fairview Lawn Cemetery). Halifax’s Maritime Museum of the Atlantic houses an extensive permanent exhibit with memorabilia recovered from Titanic wreckage, and it has special exhibits and events planned for the April anniversary and into the summer.
- In conjunction with the re-release, Cameron will host a National Geographic television special on the subject – Titanic: Final Word with James Cameron – set to air sometime in April. An offshoot of the famed director's Titanic obsession – he has personally made over 30 dives to the legendary wreck off the coast of Newfoundland – Cameron partners with historians and engineers in the documentary, using technology that was not available to him when the 1997 film was made, to examine why the ship sank .
- The RMS Titanic was built in Belfast, and this Northern Ireland city will soon be home to an enormous Titanic Quarter waterfront development – with hotels, eateries, parks, theaters and galleries – at the site of the former shipyard. A highlight of the area is an ultramodern building (with a shape and silvery color designed to mimic ship hulls on the water) called Titanic Belfast, and it will feature galleries and exhibits about the disaster. Titanic Belfast is set to open on March 31, 2012.
- Southampton, England, from which the fateful cruise departed on April 10, 1912, lost 549 locals (mostly crew members) on the RMS Titanic. As a tribute to its connection to the sea, the city will open a new interactive museum called Sea City in May 2012.
- While Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is far from those ports, the permanent Titanic Pigeon Forge attraction offers a half-scale, three-deck reproduction of the ship. A centennial "Night to Remember" tribute is planned there on April 14.
- The Titanic Memorial Cruise departing from Southampton on April 8 is sold out, but travelers may still have an opportunity to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience on the Titanic Anniversary Cruise, which will depart from New York City on April 10, 2012, exactly 100 years after the Titanic set sail from Southampton.
It’s quite likely the most popular Valentine’s Day gift for women this year will be a “Heart of the Ocean” replica necklace. You may remember that a treasure hunter, Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) in the 1997 film, searches the ship's wreckage for a special necklace and in the process his team salvages a drawing, dated April 14, 1912, of a nude woman (Kate Winslet) wearing nothing except this special necklace. If your heart is set on giving a "Heart of the Ocean" replica necklace to your Valentine, you should probably order it now.
These “Gin and Titonic” ice cube molds are likely to sell out before April, as well.
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