“Titanic” & Some Of The Other Best Movies Afloat
by John Farr
This weekend marks the centennial of the Titanic disaster, an event that’s been recreated in countless films, including the 1997 James Cameron epic that’s back in theaters. (Personally I never much cared for the film in two dimensions; I doubt I’ll like it more in three. And yes, I know I’m in the minority on this.)
Regardless, when you consider all the movies where boats of various sizes figure in the plot, you discover more riches than the Titanic could ever have carried.
In fact, for the purposes of this piece, I’m consciously omitting all military/war films, since they would comprise (at least) one article all on their own. I’m also avoiding pirate movies for the same reason.
That leaves ocean liner pictures, and films where smaller boats play a role. I’ve always appreciated how movies set on liners recreate a bygone era when travel could be calm and civilized. Other boat films may take us on-board a luxurious yacht, or show man pitted against the biggest and cruelest natural force on earth: the sea.
So — the following dozen movies are decidedly a mixed bag, spanning sophisticated comedy, gritty drama, even documentary. Rest assured, though: every title remains sea worthy — cinematically speaking, of course.
