If you could ask James Cameron one question, what would it be? I have thought about this a lot, but there are so many I wouldn't know which to pick.

-- Misty Chacon (Mystified) (HiRver@concentric.net), May 13, 1998

Answers

I have four questions.

About Titanic I would ask him if he was ever tempted to just give up and walk.

About his career, I would ask him who is his greatest feminine influence was (insight to all of this strong female characters.)

About Aliens, I would ask him if he still has the optical scanner thingie that he bought for the opening scene when they discover Ripley is still alive. (The producer, his then wife, wouldn't okay it in the budget, so story is that he bought it with his own money.)

About his personal life, I would ask him when he intends to grow up. (Actually, I don't think I would actually ask him. I might just wop him upside the head and then stare at him for a few minutes.)

Crystal

-- crystal smithwick (crystal@9v.com), May 13, 1998.

The first question I'd ask is what he was thinking when he wrote the script. I mean, here we all are, having discussions about whether Jack and Rose were virgins. Did he plan that? Or about whose hand it was on the window of the car or the great debate about whether Rose died in the end or was dreaming. It's funny that we can all talk about bits and pieces of the movie for this long and get into such heated discussions about it.

Anyone else feel the same way?

-- Emma (foo@bar.com.au), May 13, 1998.

Crystal, you crack me up. I agree! I may get some heat from this, but I think Cameron can be compared to Clinton - both are very bright and have done great things, but both have thought with the wrong head at times. Emma, I agree with your questions too. If I could choose any celebrity I would most like to have dinner with, it would be Cameron. As for what questions I'd ask, there are many. One would be, what were the biggest battles you faced in making Titanic. And that's probably answered in "Titanic and the Making of Titanic," which I hope to read soon.

-- Bob Gregorio (rgregorio@ibm.net), May 13, 1998.

Crystal:

You'll have to get in line to smack James Cameron in the head...at least a few of his ex-wives will be there. (I'll have a list of the ex-wives in the much-anticipated, much-delayed RAVES section of my website.)

---

I would probably ask Mr. Cameron for a job interview.

-- Thomas M. Terashima (titanicShack@yahoo.com), May 13, 1998.

Typo: I meant to say "Titanic & the Making of James Cameron."

Thomas, as soon as Cameron gives you a job, get me on the interview schedule. Actually, he's probably a major pain to work with, even if the results are great. Before all the success of Titanic, as you probably know, Kate gave the impression that it was not an enjoyable time, though she may have been only referring to the water scenes.

-- BobG (rgregorio@ibm.net), May 13, 1998.

If you know the history of Titanic, you know that other than the Titanic struck an iceberg, and then sank, there is little that is cut and dried about the story. The survivor accounts differ in many areas, sometimes widely (and wildly). If presented with the opportunity, I'd like to know why he decided to present certain scenes and historical plot points the way he did. For instance,

1. Why did he choose Murdoch as the officer who shot the passengers, then committed suicide? Granted, most historians think Murdoch was the most likely candidate (**if** such an event took place), but why not Henry Wilde or James Moody (the other lost officers)?

2. Why did he choose ***not*** to show any scenes or passengers from Second Class? If you'll think about it, all the speaking parts were from the crew, first class, and steerage passengers.

3. Why did he ignore the story of the Californian? Without showing the audience that there was indeed another ship out there in the distance, firing off the rockets doesn't make a lot of sense.

4. How much input did his historical advisers, Don Lynch and Ken Marschall, have in drafting the shooting script?

Those are my questions. Not a one about Kate or Leo.

Cheers!

-- Kip Henry (kip-henry@ouhsc.edu), May 13, 1998.

Hello All! My wife informs me that Jim seems to be having a bit of a marital problem, spelled DIVORCE (apologies to the late Tammy Wynette) due to to an alleged affair with the young lady that played the Grandaughter of old Rose in the film. Now, this is from the Cape Cod Times, which is not exactly People Magazine or one of the supermarket tabloids, but I will investigate further (I think it's a bunch of crap myself). Well, off to bed now as I launch my own vessel tomorrow at 12:30 P.M. in this lovely 48 degree, cloudy, lousy, typical, Cape Cod Spring!

Regards, Peter

-- Peter Nivling (pcnivling@capecod.net), May 13, 1998.

Hi Peter!

Yeah, there was a big deal on Entertainment Tonight about that a couple of weeks ago. Linda Hamilton was his third or fourth wife. You'd think he'd learn...

-- Kip Henry (kip-henry@ouhsc.edu), May 13, 1998.

Kip:

Off the top of my head (with no spell check), Cameron's wives are

1) Sarah (no last name known)
2) Gale Anne Hurd
3) Katherine Bigelow
4) Linda Hamilton


-- Thomas M. Terashima (titanicShack@yahoo.com), May 14, 1998.

I am a few days behind the curve here on my e-mail and such, but I have to agree with Kip's question about why Cameron, in his otherwise superb film, ignores the fact that the Californian was visible from the Titanic. Given that Donald Lynch is listed as a major historical consultant in the credits, and that Lynch is a Lordite (ie., believes that the Californian wasn't there), I am inclined to believe that Cameron has fallen prey to Lordite propaganda.

I guess historians can take hope in the fact that the film has caused a huge number of people to read Walter Lord's Titanic books, which give the correct story regarding the Californian. My love for Cameron's movie has not waned, but as I have thought about it over the weeks, this one matter has galled me more and more. I would love to ask him about it.

-- Thomas Shoebotham (cathytom@ix.netcom.com), May 17, 1998.

Thomas, I read ANTR and since Lord described in detail the Californian seeing both the flares and the Titanic, I assume he believed it was there. My personal belief is that since the matter was controversial Cameron decided not to take a side. I agree that there should have been a light in the distance, along with a comment that it appeared to be that of the Californian. This would have taken 10 seconds max.

-- BobG (rgregorio@ibm.net), May 17, 1998.

According to an interview I saw there were many historical scenes shot, but he just couldn't put them all in because it would have made the film too long. He was not at all influenced by the Lordite stuff, he believes it was the Californian and that they were at fault for not going to the rescue. In the Larry King Live interview he said that he didn't buy any of the Lordite propaganda. He was trying to concentrate on the love story and this history of the california had been done in ANTR very well, and he wanted to break new ground.

-- Lianne (liannegraham@one.net.au), May 17, 1998.

I stand corrected.

I'm glad to hear this about Cameron; I hope the "extended" version for DVD will include some material on the Californian. Dramatically, it can only make the story ***more*** poigniant.

-- Thomas Shoebotham (cathytom@ix.netcom.com), May 18, 1998.

Hello Kip:

Well, this is only my thoughts, such as they are, but here we go:

1: Murdoch was the "Man of the Hour" as he was the Officer in charge on the bridge at the time of the collision. (although I do not believe that the suicide/ shooting ever happened). As a result, he was the most likely candidate for the overwhelming guilt reaction, which I have to believe is pure fiction.

2: For some unknown reason, second class has always been historically ignored, and I really have never understood that.

3: I feel Cameron had to trim the film somewhere and, unfortunately, he chose the "Californian Incident" to accomplish his self-imposed time restraints. He totally disregarded this and I think he was right! If he could not give it the attention that it warrants, then why bring it up at all? I would have been more annoyed if they had just mentioned it in passing and not carried through with this important aspect of the story. He could have made an entire screenplay on that subject alone! (Do I hear "Sequel"?).

4: I have no doubt that Don Lynch and Ken Marschal were instrumental in the technical aspects of the script and historical accuracy but the last cut, and word, I'm sure, was Mr. Cameron's.

These are all only my own thoughts but you raise some good questions, especially about the Californian as she was such an important aspect of the Titanic story.

Regards, Peter

-- Peter Nivling (pcnivling@capecod.net), May 22, 1998.