If there's anything I love more than the number 12 (and penguins and Leonardo DiCaprio), it's the movie Titanic. I remember learning about RMS Titanic for the first time in Mrs. Farnsworth's 2nd grade class. It's the same day I learned that a classmate I hated had the same birthday as me (I never forgave her). I know the two things are completely unrelated... but it's strange how memories are stored.
Anyway... the Titanic's tragic fate is one lesson that's hard to forget. That's partly why it's SO horrifying that there are apparently people out there old enough to use Twitter that were not aware the ship was anything more than a plot device for the movie. Check out their posts on Gothamist if you need a reason to consider donating to public education.
I've been wondering for years if James Cameron would do anything special for the 100th anniversary of the ocean liner's voyage, so I was stoked to learn about the movie's re-release in 3D. I must have seen it 6 or 7 times in theaters when it was originally released in 1997. I kept going back because at the tender age of 12, I could not hold my blue raspberry icy for an entire three hours and would thus end up missing a different scene each time I saw it. I wanted to make it through uninterrupted just one time. That, and Leo was my boyfriend. Obvi.
So of course I went to see the 3D re-release on opening day (as you may remember from April 4th's post: "Smell the ice, can you?!"). Despite the fact that I am 15 years older, which now makes me five years older than the leading actors were when they shot the film, Titanic is still the most romantic, tragic, epic movie of all time.
But Titanic is much more than a blockbuster film. And the real tragedy was much greater than Rose letting go of an icy Jack from a piece of debris floating in the middle of the Atlantic (that was totally big enough for both of them, for realz). In fact, right at the Seaport near where I work, there is a Titanic Memorial Lighthouse that was mounted atop the Seamen's Church Institute on the first anniversary of Titanic's sinking (April 15, 2012) to honor the memory of those who perished at sea.
Pic #103 - 4/12/12 @ 12:12 pm
The Titanic Memorial Lighthouse is literally steps from where I work. I dragged Mike down at noon so he could take my 12:12 pic of the month :).
Bonus Pics:
 |
| View of the lighthouse from eChalk. Around 10am, we heard bagpipers beginning to play. |
 |
| Around 11:15am (ish), a large crowd had joined the bagpipers. |
 |
| Mike, looking sullen for the victims of Titanic. |
If you're looking to learn more about the Titanic (or perhaps educate America's youth...), check out some of the ways she is being remembered this week:
- 100 Years of Titanic's History in photos from the Washington Post
- Free Access to Ancestry.com's new Titanic Collection (only until 4/15)
- The MS Balmoral Titanic's Memorial Cruise (SERIOUSLY?)
- A twitter feed (@TitanicRealTime) "live" tweeting as if on the original voyage - I admit, following this feed is a sick thrill of mine.
- ScoutingNY.com's "Titanic Guide to NYC", indicating points of interesting having to do with either the ship and/or its passengers: Part 1 and Part 2.
- The NY Times Titanic Topic, listing notable web resources, including links to their own archived news coverage from 1912. Check out this article from April 28th, 1912: "The Tragedy of Titanic--A Complete Story." If you can squint long enough to get through it, it's worth the read.
Sigh. And so, 100 years ago today Titanic was somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic. Sadly, there she still remains.
-LB
No comments:
Post a Comment