Titanic: Blood and Steel

If you expected a faithful retelling of the actual building of the Titanic, you've come to the wrong movie - go watch a documentary or read a book or two instead. But if you want to be entertained by a well photographed, well written 'period piece' movie about the upper class corporate filthy English rich vs lower class and Irish poor who work for them, Protestant vs Catholic, England in charge of Belfast Ireland (all hoping for independence and 'home rule'), start of women's rights, and how the building of the Titanic impacted and 'directed' their lives, you won't be disappointed. Sure it bends and takes some liberties with actual facts to create the story, but so what? Veers into 'soap opera' mode occasionally, but all in all, 12 episodes provides ample time to develop at least a dozen main characters and multiple story lines, and the actors do a fantastic job.

I was channel surfing one night and came across episode 1 at the mid-way point and was intrigued. So i watched episode 1 from the beginning and liked what I saw and decided to give this series a chance, and i was not disappointed! James Cameron scored a hit with the movie Titanic by being able to infuse factual with fiction so well that you couldn't tell the difference. This series was the same thing, but in 12 parts.

The story line from episodes 2-9 were outstanding and the acting was incredible. I really felt like i had a window into these people's lives and knew what it was like in Belfast 103 years ago.

Derek Jacobi is an incredible actor and played Lord Pirrie masterfully. He was a great as he was in Gladiator. Alessandra Mastronardi is stunningly beautiful and is great as Sophia.

Her and Kevin Zegers chemistry was great and now i find myself looking for other movies they have been in and will be in because how good their acting is.

The sets and costumes were spot on and the dialogue was very well written.

My one knock about this series is that after episode 9, they rushed to finish it within 2 episodes. I really think they should have allowed the rest of the story to wrap in another 1 or 2 episode so it didn't seem rushed.

But the ending was still very good and I teared up a little as i did at the end of Titanic the movie back in 1997.

I highly recommend this to anyone who is a history buff, a Titanic buff, and anyone who wants a great series to watch.

I suggest watching an episode or two a day so you can absorb they story and you will find that you can't wait to see where the story goes next! Never mind the other reviews about how the accuracy may have been off somewhat, the hats should have been different, blah blah blah.

I think that if you watch this series you would thoroughly enjoy it and you may find yourself never wanting it to end. And you may even be like me and think about watching it all over again.

Speaking of, where's my remote?

It's an OK miniseries. I like the parts of the titanic being built, because well that's the whole reason I'm watching the show. Unfortunately there wasn't as much parts like that as there were of the main character in love or trying to find his daughter. Epic fail if you ask me, people are watching this to see the Titanic, not learn about this guys life. I want to see the Titanic, show me the Titanic ! That should of been the main focus.

Titanic: Blood and Steel is an apt moniker for this period drama. It's not one of the usual titanic disaster drama by the classic cinema makers we buy into. This series delves into the pre-titanic era of Belfast: a portrayal of what happens in and around the Harland and Wolff shipyard. As described in the title, it's about the blood and sweat of young riveters who built one of the magnificent ships ever made by a man with an added fiction of steel quality being improved by a metallurgist. It depicts the shattered lives of exploited yard workers fighting for an appropriate pay rise and keenly focuses on their political, religious, and social differences.

It has a quite ensemble cast who make us wonder if it truly happened. Every actor did immerse themselves in the characters. The diplomatic convey of dialogue by Lord Pirrie(by Derek Jacobi) with the shipyard board of directors and workers is outstanding. Thomas Andrews(by Bill Carter) a well-experienced shipbuilder who had always struck a balance between the accountant and an engineer, his tranquility is infectious. Mark Muir(by Kevin Zegers) an underprivileged man who turned his circumstances into a fortune with unlimited perseverance. His indecisiveness to choose love over the task of designing the mighty floating luxury is quite heart-aching. Albeit the roles of JP Morgan(by Chris North) and J Ismay(by Gray O'Brien) was brief, their austerity was intense. The glamorous Italian lad, Sofia Silvestri(by Alessandra Mastronardi) will catch your attention, she carried the demeanor of her character with ease. Her subtle facial expressions are rich. Producers did not compromise with the costumes, they were custom made to each character based on their storyline. The screenplay never fails to impress us. The graphic representation of keel-laying ceremony and indeed the ship launching ceremony, both of them are jawdropping. I strongly believe you shall never skip the intro soundtrack, the background score is mellifluous and relevant to each subplot. I strongly urge the team to ruminate over filming a second part for this one. If not for the disaster, it should primarily focus on the aftermath of Harland & Wolff shipyard, White Star Line, last Olympic class ship Britannic. The first season was all about the rich human emotions tied to constructing a ship, likewise, the next season has many plots to cover: How did Lord Pirrie take this? Who substituted the loss of Andrews? What were the discussions and changes in the board? How did the media publish the disaster? What happened at court proceedings? Did Joanna Yaegar's photos help her german brother? How could Silvestri cope up with the loss of his both daughters? As many as 1,500 souls drowned with Titanic, how did their families repent the loss? and many more. Keeping all of the historical inaccuracies apart, from a fictional perspective this 12-episode period drama is gripping. It is wise to watch it at a slow pace to absorb the story deeply. Certainly, Titanic: Blood and Steel will stay in your memory even after the end credits roll.

A show about the building of the Titanic, has little to do with the building of the Titanic. It's a solid show if you're looking for Downton Abbey. I really wished they showed a lot more of the Titanic herself instead of fictional love stories and family dramas.. that being said it's well acted and the look of the series is great.