36 planet of the arts / spring 1998 CULTURAL DIALECTICS Digital Iceberg By Ryan Tunnicliffe 4 C woman’s heart is a deep ocean of secrets” and “I'd rather be his whore than your wife”... two lines penned by the author of Rambo: First Blood Part I, James Cameron. Cliché’s are often true (funny how that is) and Titanic is full of them (so is this review). The digital khutzpah that surrounds this Hollywood epic is a thin veneer for a trite love story that you’ve seen a million times. A story that isolates the experience of first love and doomed freedom. This is a story that will be retold a million more times, yet each time it is retold it will have a new surface. A new Formula for commercial success, a spinning narcissistic mir- ror ball — take one teaspoon of reality, add 200 hun- dred million dollars of cosmetic magnetism and you will end up with an inspirational, mass cathar- tic-instantaneously gratifying piece of time-based « » art The allure of new technology combined with historical catastrophes creates a crescendo beyond the perimeters of inspired Hollywood schlock. I laughed and I cried — it was better than Cats! I fig- ure that most people will have seen the film, as it has been selling out for several weeks now, so I am not going to even say much about the plot. I'll just try to make sense of it, or more importantly, I'll try to understand the surface and the sensation of the film. In Titanic, there is an undercurrent of romantic desire to engage “in the moment” for the moment is fleeting-the Titanic will sink. Yet Rose (Jane Winslet, the female lead) will inevitably surface, just as she is drowning in her filial duty when she really wants to be free like the poor artist, Jack. Jack (played delightfully by Leonardo di Caprio) in less than eight hours saves Rose’s life, takes her dancing, makes her feel like she is flying, practices his life drawing, and gets steamy with her in the backseat of a Rolls Royce. “Senses are the only salvation for the soul and the soul the only the salvation for the senses”- to paraphrase Oscar Wilde. All fictitious escapes are real. Titanic is a metaphor for Modernism, and we all go to the show knowing that the ship is going to sink. To watch the ship in its final moments is a thing of beauty and intrigue. Cameron allows us to view the ship and its descent from such perspectives that we can easily slip into the world of 1914. Cameron cuts courageous computer generated images and cerebral cinematography together to spin this tale together.-There were between 400 and 500 computer generated scenes in the film pro- duced by 16 different effects companies (signifi- cantly boosting the cost of making the film). Cameron says he inquired at the Gdansk Shipyard in Poland to build the exterior of the Titanic and tour it around for a mere 25 million U.S. dollars. But Hey! Let’s support all those former military companies now working for Hollywood, and build it digitally. Why stop with the Titanic, let’s build everything with computers. Oo 36 plonet of the orts / spring 1998 CULTURAL DIALECTICS Digital By Ryan Tunniclffe Par James Cameron. (lich are often true (funny how thats) and Titanic fll of them (sis this review) The digital ‘hutzpah that surtounds this Hollywood epic is a thin veneer fora trite love story that you've seen a milion times. A story that slates the experience of frst love and doomed freedom. This i story that willbe retold a milion mor times, yet each ime it Iceberg is retold it wil have anew surface A new Formala for commercial success, a spinning narcsisic mir ror ball - take one teaspoon of reality, add 200 hun red milion dollars of cosmetic magnetism and you will end up with an inspirational, mss cathar ticinstamtaneousl gratifying piece of time-based The allure of new technology combined with historical catastrophes crates a crescendo beyond the perimeters of inspired Hollywood schlock. Taughed and I ried ~ it was Better than Cas 1g ture that most people wil ave sen thei, ait has teen selling out for several weks now, sam not ‘going to even say much about the plot. jst try to rake sense of it, oF more importantly, Il try to ‘understand the surface and the sensation of the Alm. In Titan there is an undercurrent of romantic esr to engage “inthe moment” forthe moment is fleting-the Titanie will sink. Yet Rose (Jane ‘Winslet, the female ead) will inevitably surface just as she is drowning in er filial duty when she realy wants to be fice lke the poor artis, Jack. Jack (played deightflly by Leonardo di Caprio) in less than cight hours saves Rose’ lif, takes her dancing, makes her feo ike she is Bing, practices his fe