Titanic Wouldn’t Have Happened Without 1 Iconic Movie

James Cameron recently stated that he wouldn’t have made Titanic without the influence of one iconic movie from the 1960s. Titanic came out in 1997 and became one of the most successful films in history. It won 11 Oscars and is currently the fourth-highest-grossing movie of all time.

James Cameron talks about the influence of David Lean and Doctor Zhivago on Titanic

James Cameron recently detailed how English filmmaker David Lean and his movies, especially the 1965 feature Doctor Zhivago, inspired him to make Titanic. “I put the Jack and Rose story in the foreground, but then, immediately behind them, the backup singers are all of the real people who are on that ship, and their tragic stories as well,” he said. “And beyond that, it’s just the scope and the pageantry.”

The Avatar: Fire & Ash director continued, “I don’t think I would have made a film like Titanic if I hadn’t fallen in love with David Lean spectacles. For me, the one that was the most influential was Doctor Zhivago, which is a love story against a vast canvas of a huge event that was tragic for many people.”

Doctor Zhivago is an adaptation of the 1957 novel of the same name by Boris Pasternak and revolves around Omar Sharif’s Yuri Zhivago, whose life undergoes significant changes due to the Russian Revolution and subsequent civil war. Julie Christie portrays Larissa Ameliava “Lara” Antipova, Zhivago’s lover.

This isn’t the first time Cameron has acknowledged Lean and Doctor Zhivago’s influence on Titanic. During a 2023 interview with El País, Cameron spoke about the impact that the legendary director and one of his best works had on his epic romantic disaster movie. “In Doctor Zhivago, David Lean combines a beautiful love story with the Russian Revolution and some spectacular cinematography,” he noted, before underscoring how he utilized similar elements and tools in Titanic.

Notably like Titanic, Doctor Zhivago was a massive success at the box office. It also won five Oscars at the 38th Academy Awards.

Source: Comingsoon.net