James Cameron Acknowledges Titanic Mistakes After 26 Years

Culture news “He made the right decision” James Cameron finally admits his mistakes on Titanic 26 years later

Even James Cameron admits his mistakes

Sometimes even directors who enjoy worldwide fame and a golden reputation can show humility to the point of admitting their mistakes. This is the case of James Cameron, the man behind Titanic, who received a little lesson from Bernard Hill, the interpreter of the captain of the infamous liner. A character who occupies a relatively minor role in the film, but whose subtlety was able to fully move the director. And yet, it was not won. In an excerpt that captures the behind the scenes of the feature film with a slew of audio comments, Cameron makes this very tender statement to the man:

“Bernard Hill makes a great Captain Smith. He was an interesting character to work on because I always felt like he wasn't doing enoughz. Then I watched the rushes and I realized that it was all there – in his eyes somehow. I always asked for more takes, I tried to push him to react a little more, and later I realized that he had made the right decision.”

Supporting images, we can indeed admire Bernard Hill with an extremely expressive look, which alone is enough to capture the atrocity of the moment. Aware of the inevitability of his situation, the character will later lock himself up, alone, in his cabin, calmly awaiting his end.

Let us remember that Bernard Hill left us last May at the age of 79. To date, he is the only actor to have played in two films that won eleven Oscars, with his role as Théoden in the Lord of the Rings saga. He made his TV debut in 1973 in Mike Leigh's first film, Hard Labour, and has since played a wide range of roles until the 2010s.

An unforgettable masterpiece

26 years after its release, James Cameron's film Titanic marked the history of cinema forever, becoming one of the most profitable films of all time: it grossed 1.2 billion dollars thanks to the sale of VHS and DVD added to the film's $2.2 billion in theatrical revenue. If Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are the undisputed stars of the film, a large cast of actors and extras also contributed to its success. Among them was Reece Thompson, who was only five years old at the time, and who played the role of a young boy traveling third class with his family. Although his appearance was brief and he only spoke one line of dialogue, the role continued to earn him money 26 years after the film's release.