Titanic: Anatomy of a Blockbuster - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0813526698 ISBN 13: 9780813526690

Publisher: Rutgers University Press, 1999

Synopsis

On April 14, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg off Newfoundland. Taking more than 1,500 souls with her, Titanic sunk on what was intended to be the glorious maiden voyage of the biggest, most expensive, and most technologically advanced ship ever built.

In 1997, James Cameron’s Titanic, the most expensive and technologically advanced movie ever made, hit theaters. In 13 weeks, it became the highest-grossing film in North America, and shortly thereafter, the first motion picture to earn a billion dollars worldwide.

The cultural studies and film scholars who have contributed 13 essays to this collection ask the key question—Why? What made Titanic such a popular movie? Why has this film become a cultural and film phenomenon? What makes it so fascinating to the film-going public?

The articles address everything from the nostalgia evoked by the film to the semiotic meaningfulness created around “The Heart of the Ocean” diamond that figures so prominently as a symbol in the film. Contributors address questions of the representations of class, sexuality, and gender; analyze the cross-cultural reception of the film in nationally specific contexts; examine the impact of strategies for marketing the film through music; and  cover the implications of the budget toward the film’s success. Finally, the contributors address the film’s multi-faceted relationship to genre, history, stardom, and contemporary social and economic means.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

On April 14, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg. Taking more than 1500 souls with her, the ship sank on what was intended to be its glorious maiden voyage. In 1997, eighty-five years after this tragedy, James Cameron's Titanic became the highest-grossing film in North America, and shortly thereafter, the first motion picture to earn a billion dollars worldwide.

The cultural studies and film scholars who have contributed thirteen essays to this collection ask the key question-Why? What made the Titanic such a popular movie? What makes it so fascinating to the film-going public? Contributors address questions of the representations of class, sexuality, and gender and analyze the cross-cultural reception of the film in nationally specific contexts. In addition, they address Titanic's multifaceted relationships to genre, history, celebrities, and contemporary social and economic concerns.

About the Author:

Kevin S. Sandler is a visiting assistant professor of English at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis and the editor of Reading the Rabbit: Explorations in Warner Bros. Animation (Rutgers University Press). Gaylyn Studlar is the director of the Program in Film and Video Studies and a professor of film and English literature at the University of Michigan. She is the co-editor of Visions of the East: Orientalism in Film (Rutgers University Press) and the author of numerous books and articles on film and gender.

About this edition

• Publisher: Rutgers University Press
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0813526698
• ISBN 13: 9780813526690
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288
• Editor: Sandler Kevin S., Studlar Gaylyn