La guerre des abîmes

I have never understood the degree of ire, dislike, contempt and scorn heaped upon this movie. A multi million dollar turkey at the box office which virtually sank Lord Lew Grade and one that has provided film critics with cheap laughs ever since. I sit here this morning, having sat through ZOOLANDER last night, watching a complacent, pre-programmed brain-dead audience guffaw itself senseless, contributing another truck load of dollars to Ben Stiller's superannuation fund and you know, I wonder about RAISE THE TITANIC. What has happened to sentiment, simplicity, the ultimately simple values in life?

Sure, RAISE THE TITANIC captures none of the power of Cussler's novel, but I don't really care! Yeah, they got the funnel configuration shot to hell, the underwater model as it surfaces looks much like the little rubber boat I used to play with in the bath as a child, and David Selby has the animal magnetism of Osama bin Laden, but I'd like to tell you something. Perhaps because I maintained a fascination with the TITANIC ever since I was a child and dreamed of just how it must have been that night, when watching that absolutely awesome scene in RAISE THE TITANIC as the great ship broke the surface I have never in my life been so emotionally moved. Tears just ran down my face and I cried like a child. When I got home that night my wife asked me what was wrong. I couldn't talk about it and was never able to explain, and you people reading this want to believe it, I am the absolute last guy you would consider to be a wuss! How anyone could have witnessed that scene in the theater and NOT been moved I could never understand.

So many memorable things in the film. Titanic survivor, Sir Alec Guinness' touching cameo in the pub when he gives Dirk Pitt (the late Richard Jordan) the white star flag that he removed from the stern the night the great ship foundered, and which he wanted replaced if they were ever to raise it from the bottom of the Atlantic. The inarguably realistic scene when Jordan and his crew members finally discover the wreck on the bottom, played out against John Barry's ultimately moving musical score, the best he wrote for ANY film. The external shots of the ship once it has been raised (Way better I thought than Cameron's digitised TITANIC) and the internal shots of the gymnasium still dripping with water. Finally, the wonderful scenes as it is towed into New York harbor to complete its (then) 68-year journey. True, the last twenty minutes or so were all downhill, but nothing can detract from what went before.

Worst thing they ever did was to FIND the wreck! A dream died that day!

There are films that are bad, and there ones that look bad, but hold value to them not everyone sees. Raise the Titanic, was loosely based off a novel by Clive Cussler. It is a race between the Americans and Russians trying to obtain a rare mineral that could decide who becomes the top world power. To do this, they must salvage the mineral from the Titanic. The only way to do this is by raising the Titanic; ergo the main titles. This may turn off people because the whole plot line is given away, but that shouldn't be something to squander over. It should be more of what is looked forward to. This film has a lot of good stuff in it.

Starring as the main character of Cussler's stories, is Dirk Pitt, played by Richard Jordan. I can't say Jordan is the best choice but he's definitely not bad either. Jordan at least gives the character of Pitt some attitude that comes with the territory. For the most part, the entire film stays faithful to the paperback material. All the characters are in there, along with the most important scenes. One might say that this movie was thought to perform well because Alec Guinness, best known as Obi-Wan Kenobi, from Star Wars, plays a character as well in the story.

On a side note, a particular element that could have been left out of story was the relationship between Gene and Dana Seagram. The same goes for the book but the way the situation was handled here was half-baked. From beginning to the midway point, there were various scenes that show strains on these two characters' marital status and then out of nowhere,...it stops. They get into an argument and Gene temporarily leaves Dana but the issue is never resolved. So why have it? It doesn't make sense to start something and not finish it. Adam Kennedy and Eric Hughes wrote the screenplay; so my question is, who skimmed over this part? Also some people may think the story drags but it all builds up to good ending.

Besides this, there are multiple things to find enjoyable in this movie. First, the special effects. Of course it's "1980" special effects but none the less they are a sight to look at. From the submarines, to the Titanic itself, the props look really authentic. It's when the Titanic is brought to the surface that the view is beautiful. Although audiences may be annoyed to find out that the Titanic is in one piece. But what do you expect? The novel and this film where produced years before the Titanic was even discovered. It's fiction anyway, so why be so critical on accuracy when practically this whole film is inaccurate in real life?

One of the most wondrous moments that takes place in this film is when Dirk Pitt enters the Titanic when it is above the water. It is truly a sight to behold and all this should do is make each of us just a little hungrier to see the Titanic for ourselves. It's plain epic. Another great aspect to Raise the Titanic is the soundtrack composed and conducted by music veteran John Barry. Barry puts in a lot of good tunes and has a gift for making the Titanic look awesome just for being on screen. His music is that moving and it's almost to the point of being angelic. For those who are skeptical, it's still at least worth a try to view.

Except for a few issues dealing with the script, the film adaptation of Raise the Titanic is respectively a suitable tribute to the White Star Line cruise ship. The effects are dated but they are worthy to be seen as is Barry's score heard.

I saw this movie in the theatre, and I remember enjoying it. I knew it was a financial failure, but over the years since I've been surprise by the hatred it has generated. Long before Robert Ballard, finding the Titanic and possibly raising it was a dream I shared with a lot of Titanic fans. Clive Cussler wrote a pulpy but entertaining book on the subject, and I thought the story was made into a pulpy, but entertaining movie. I liked the cast: Richard Jordan, David Selby (I'm a Dark Shadows fan also...hoots of derision), Jason Robards and Anne Archer. Now, however, I have to watch a fading print under cover of darkness to avoid more hoots of derision! I've read that there is excised footage that might help the storyline. I'd buy a directors cut DVD, and have a "Raise the Titanic" party. It's only an entertainment, not a work of art.

Strictly speaking, I found this to be acceptable entertainment. Its many detractors maintain that it's a poor, poor adaptation of the Clive Cussler novel. In fact, Cussler himself hated it so much that there would be no more adaptations of his work until "Sahara" in 2005. Does the execution of the movie fail to match the awesomeness of the concept? Sure. Could it have used a more accomplished director at the helm? It wouldn't have hurt. But it sustains interest for close to two hours. This viewer was caught up enough in the story that any flaws didn't detract from the experience.

The U.S. government is in an intense search for an obscure mineral (for national defense purposes, of course) and believes that the only place it could be found is on board the wreckage of the Titanic. Since at this point in time, divers couldn't travel that deep into the ocean, people working on the project come up with this offbeat solution of using explosive devices to bring the massive ship to the surface.

Political intrigue adds to the plot, as the Russians believe that by rights they should be allowed to retrieve the mineral. They do everything that they can to undermine the operation.

The actors deliver decent performances, although there are precious few characters that really engage the viewer. One exception is the Titanic survivor John Bigalow, played by Sir Alec Guinness. There's a lot of familiar faces here: Jason Robards, David Selby, Richard Jordan, and Anne Archer as the stars, and a steady array of top notch character actors. The romantic subplot with Selby and Archer never really goes anywhere, but fortunately it doesn't take up TOO much of the running time.

The special effects are adequate, and the actual event of the title is reasonably impressive.

The most worthy component is really the rousing, emotionally rich music score by John Barry.

Seven out of 10.

It was when I read the excellent novel, my mind changed. I used to think this was a wonderful film, when I read the book however, it was clear that so much excellent plotline and dialogue had been missed out that the film story was ruined. Plot lines about the Russians, spies, espionage, tracing the history of the miners and their efforts, what happened after the Titanic was raised but before it reached New York, all this would have made for a more in depth and excellent adaptation, instead the producers went for the big bucks spectacle and just concentrated on the Titanic itself which really is only a small part of the original novel.

It would have been better being properly done as a three part mini series or similar instead of this badly edited rushed nonsense.

There are good points about the film, some of the model work for the wrecked Titanic is excellent, especially when you consider when it was made but then again considering how much they spent on it, it should have been, however the seemingly cardboard cut out super imposed on the New York skyline at the end is terrible beyond description and oddly seems to be worse in the DVD version over the VHS version.

Thankfully saving this film from sinking completely was probably one of John Barry's finest non-Bond soundtracks, without that, this really would have become unbearable.

Sadly fact (the discovery of the Titanic for real) precludes any possibility of a decent remake which with good CGI could have been spectacular.