Titanic: 5 Historical Inaccuracies In The Movie (& 5 Things It Got Right)
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Titanic is one of the greatest historical epics ever made, but even this beloved movie got some facts wrong
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Titanic is hailed as one of the world’s most unforgettable films. While it’s renowned for its impressive effects, stirring love story, and chilling soundtrack, it isn’t completely historically accurate. There are a few details that James Cameron did not get quite right, even though many other intricate details were correct.
Most fans know by now that Jack and Rose did not really exist, but they still believe that the world in which the characters live is totally accurate. It is mostly right, but there are a handful of errors. Keep reading to find out what they are!
10 HISTORICALLY INACCURATE: There Were No Other Ships Nearby
This isn’t so much a lie as it is omitted information on James Cameron’s part. In the film, the captain is told that the closest ship is the Carpathia which can be there to help in no less than four hours. But that’s technically not true. According to The Culture Trip, there were other ships nearby who were close enough to see Titanic’s lights in the distance.
In fact, the crew on the Californian saw the emergency flares fired by the Titanic’s crew. However, it’s still debated as to why they did not go and help the sinking ship.
9 THE MOVIE GOT IT RIGHT: Captain Smith Went Down With The Ship
Toward the end of the film, we see Captain Edward Smith shutting himself in the wheelhouse just before the water floods in and takes his life. Sadly for the captain, this is accurate. He really did choose to go down with his ship.
Having ordered the last four boilers to be lit and increased the speed at which the ship was traveling before the collision, the captain is shown regretting his choices in the movie. Even more tragic is that in real life, manning the Titanic was meant to be his last journey before retiring.
8 HISTORICALLY INACCURATE: The Third Class Passengers Weren’t Locked Below Deck
The most heartbreaking thing to watch in the film is the way the third-class passengers are locked below deck and aren’t even given the chance to try and reach a lifeboat. But according to the British Inquiry Report of 1912, this did not happen.
There were still class tensions at the time, but the gates were only there to comply with American immigration laws so that the immigrants’ eventual arrival in New York City would run more smoothly. The report also claimed that many third-class passengers chose not to leave the ship when it went down.
7 THE MOVIE GOT IT RIGHT: The Lifeboats Weren’t Filled To Capacity
After the ship begins to sink and the crew start loading the passengers in the lifeboats, we see that the lifeboats aren’t being filled to their full capacity. Mr. Andrews tells Officer Lightoller that he saw one boat with only 12 people even though they’d already been tested in Belfast to hold nearly 65.
This is another detail that Cameron got right. During the panic to stay alive, the lifeboats weren’t filled to capacity. This probably resulted in many more deaths than were necessary.
6 HISTORICALLY INACCURATE: Rose Wouldn’t Have Worn So Much Makeup
Although the fashion we see in the film reflects the period in which the story takes place, there are still some inaccuracies when it comes to the costuming. Rose, for example, wouldn’t have worn the makeup that she was shown to be wearing in the film.
Upper-class women did not wear bold looks that consisted of lipstick and obvious blush. It was the style for women of the period to adopt a much more natural look. To put the situation into context, the Suffragettes wore red lipstick as an act of rebellion, which caused outrage.
5 THE MOVIE GOT IT RIGHT: Molly Brown Asked The Officers To Help Those In The Ocean
Portrayed in the film by Kathy Bates, the Unsinkable Molly Brown was one of the most famous Titanic survivors. She is shown as pleading with the crew members to return to the site of the shipwreck and help those drowning and freezing in the water.
The real Molly Brown really was credited for encouraging the crew in Lifeboat No. 6 to return to the mass of passengers who had survived the sinking. A major difference from reality is that in the film, Molly’s pleads are rejected and they don’t return until most of the people in the sea are already dead.
4 HISTORICALLY INACCURATE: Will Murdoch Wasn’t A Villain
First Officer Will Murdoch is portrayed as a villain of sorts in the film. He shoots two people, including Jack’s friend Tommy, just for trying to get on a lifeboat, and then takes his own life out of guilt. Cameron added this because it made for an interesting story, not because it was historically accurate.
In reality, Murdoch was a hero who helped evacuate as many passengers as he could, even launching a total of 10 lifeboats. In 1998, 20th Century Fox sent a representative to visit Murdoch’s relatives and apologize for the negative portrayal of him in the film following some highly publicized backlash.
3 THE MOVIE GOT IT RIGHT: The Band Played As The Ship Went Down
Although there are some claims that there was no music playing at all as the ship went down, the general consensus is that the band did continue to play right until the last minute. Violinist Wallace Henry Hartley did this in order to keep the crowds as calm as possible. All eight members of the band perished on the ship.
In the film, the band plays the chilling ‘Nearer my God to Thee’ hymn. But in reality, they are more likely to have played popular ragtime music. Minor details aside, the band’s futile yet noble effort to calm their fellow passengers was accurately recreated in the film.
2 HISTORICALLY INACCURATE: It Wouldn’t Have Taken So Long For The Effects Of The Water To Take Hold
The waters of the Atlantic in early April were freezing and are documented as being around 28 degrees Fahrenheit at the time of the sinking. Given the low temperature, it should have taken less time for those entering the water to start suffering the physiological effects of immersion.
When Jack and Rose trudge through the water that floods the lower decks, they are immersed for nearly half an hour with little to no consequences. But most people who entered the water died in between 15 and 30 minutes.
1 THE MOVIE GOT IT RIGHT: The Portrayal Of The Straus Couple
A particularly unforgettable scene in the film shows an elderly couple lying in bed together as the water rushes beneath them, making the decision not to fight for their lives. This was actually a real couple: Ida and Isidor Straus.
Ida is quoted as saying to her husband, “We have lived together for many years. Wherever you go, I go.” In actuality, they lost their lives while sitting on deck chairs rather than in their bed. But nonetheless, they still elected to stay on the ship and died together.
Vanessa is one of Valnet’s contributing writers. She writes content for The Travel, The Things, The Talko, The Richest, and Screen Rant.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/titanic-james-cameron-historial-inaccuracies-right/