by senior contributor Brendan Kownacki
It was the shipwreck heard 'round the world and the movie epic to match: Titanic.
Some
have called it a 100 year obsession, and that's almost an
understatement to describe the interest in the mighty ship.
Starting
with the excitement prior to its maiden voyage in April 1912 to the
shock and fascination after the ship went down after hitting an iceberg
in the middle of the Atlantic, Titanic has captured the minds and hearts
of people around the world.
To commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the
sinking on April 12, the National Geographic Channel prepares to
premiere two new films that explore the history of the sinking,
"Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron" and "Save the Titanic with
Bob Ballard".
Wednesday evening, NatGeo along with sponsor USA
Today hosted a preview for the upcoming documentaries as well as a
special screening of Cameron's famous film epic starring Leonardo
DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Cameron's Titanic is being released this
month, remastered in 3-D as a nod to the anniversary.
Prior to the screening, guests got to delve deep
into the world of Titanic with a special exhibit of artifacts in the
National Geographic headquarters which included information on the boat
itself, multiple models of the inner workings of the massive vessel and a
titanic sized analysis of the sinking.
The exhibit showcases the tragedy of the voyage and
highlights that "for every two people saved [from the boat], four
perished". The wreck, which still remains at the bottom of the Atlantic
was found by Robert Ballard in 1985, 73-years after the sinking and has
since been visited by numerous explorers, scientists and filmmakers,
including Cameron, who almost certainly has spent more time 'aboard' the
boat than any of the actual passengers ever did.
Cameron's much acclaimed 1997 film epic named for
the boat ran away with awards and is still one of the highest grossing
films of all time.
National Geographic Channel Executive Vice President
Michael Cascio pointed out that a staffer pointed out to him prior to
the screening that she was in the 3rd grade when the film was originally
released. "I wondered when did the 90s become ancient........or when did I
become ancient" he joked to the crowd.
That said, he held high praise
for Cameron who took a very scientific approach to studying the
shipwreck, but for Titanic, and for the upcoming NatGeo documentary. "We
are using every tool at our disposal to distribute content on this
important anniversary" added Cascio as he introduced the film...
In the end perhaps it is Cameron that built the "unsinkable" Titanic...his ship doesn't seem to be going down any time soon.
